Theme: Let's Reinvent Education

It's where innovation, inspiration, and education collide. Situated in the heart of the Waterloo region, TEDxColumbia Lake Youth is the celebration of young minds shaping the future. TEDxColumbia Lake Youth has a mission to motivate, inspire, and encourage the next generation of changemakers and leaders to unleash their passions, carve their own paths of learning, and become catalysts for positive change. Join us to pave the way to reinventing education.

200 University Ave W
Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1
Canada

Aditya Dewan

Junior Machine Learning Developer at The Rounds / Deep Learning Researcher

I'm an aspiring deep learning researcher working towards mastery both in the field and beyond. My mission is to leverage artificial intelligence to create a tangible impact on difficult, real-world problems. I'm currently building better knowledge distillation methods to expand neural network reach in low-compute settings for those who need it most - accelerating ML impact on critical real-world problems in the 21st century, in addition to working on building AI education tools and guidebooks for students and educators.

Ammaar Khan

Grade 12 Student at Laurel Heights Secondary

Ammaar Khan, a Grade 12 Student at Laurel Heights Secondary School in Waterloo, ON, is a driven Grade 12 student with a profound enthusiasm for motorsports and engineering. Beyond his academic pursuits, he finds joy in biking and playing volleyball. At the heart of his school's innovation, Ammaar serves as a dedicated member of the Electric Vehicle Club. Ammaar's leadership extends beyond the classroom as he holds the position of President in the Muslim Student Association at Laurel Heights. Recognized for his outspoken and proactive nature, Ammaar plays an integral role in his community by organizing engaging youth events and readily volunteering his time and expertise.

Bob Egan

Film and Music Officer of City of Kitchener

An acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, Bob Egan is best-known for his work in the studios and on the stages of the world for Blue Rodeo (17 years, 10 albums), Wilco (2 years, 3 albums) and the over 120 records he has recorded on as a session musician. His first Juno Award was for performing on the Tragically Hip’s 2000 Single of the Year, Bobcaygeon, which was followed by 7 more Junos with Blue Rodeo, inductions into 3 Halls of Fame, a CCMA Instrumentalist of the Year Award and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in 2014. What is less well-known about Bob is his pre-music career – 7 years with his Masters in Industrial Organizational Psychology conducting employee attitude research as a corporate consultant and 7 years as an entrepreneur and luthier building a guitar repair business in Chicago that is still thriving 30 years after he established it.

Cindy Cheng

Student @ Laurel Heights Secondary School, Team Canada-ISEF 22', 23'

Cindy Cheng is a junior at Laurel Heights Secondary School. Deeply passionate about the sciences, she conducts research at the University of Waterloo, where she develops solutions to pressing healthcare issues with a focus on the use of polymers as a platform for solutions. Her recent works include a non-invasive near-infrared-spectroscopy-and-sweat lactate-based sensor for tissue hypoxia and a hydrogel-based skin substitute for wound healing. A science fair enthusiast, she was the recipient of the S.M. Blair Family Foundation Award and Challenge Award in Disease and Illness at the 2021 Canada-Wide Science Fair. She has also attended the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) twice as part of Team Canada-ISEF 2022 and 2023, winning a 4th Place Grand Award.

Elaine Xiao

Student at Laurel Heights S.S., Founder of Mism & WeTalk

Elaine is an ambitious high school student who grew up in Waterloo, Ontario. She immerses herself in a wide array of subjects, from computer science—in which she hones her entrepreneurial skills and deepens her understanding of our advancing, digitalizing society—to the realm of debate—in which she becomes an advocate for underrepresented voices, actively embodying the change she envisions for the world. She entered a difficult time in ninth grade when she developed an eating disorder. It matured into a harrowing two-year period marked by fear, anger, and an unyielding battle against the demons rattling her life. Having gone through the ebbs and flows of the disorder and lived with the terrors of it, Elaine is now filled with so much empathy as well as an impassioned determination to combat this issue.

James Danckert

Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience

James Danckert was trained as a Clinical Neurospychologist in Australia before moving to Canada in 1999 to take up a Postdoctoral position at Western University in London, Ontario. He was Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo where he still researches boredom and the brain. He lives in Kitchener with his wife and two children, enjoys sailing, hiking, reading and playing guitar not in that order. And he still struggles from time to time from his own boredom.

John Donohue

Scientific Outreach Manager at the Institute for Quantum Computing

John Donohue is the Senior Manager of Scientific Outreach at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), a research institute at the University of Waterloo. John is responsible for making quantum science accessible for everyone by working with teachers on curriculum-appropriate material, running cutting-edge summer schools for high-school and undergraduate students, and bringing demos and exhibitions into public spaces. John earned his PhD from the University of Waterloo in 2016 for work in nonlinear and quantum optics and studied nonlinear waveguide technologies during a postdoctoral position at Paderborn University in Germany.

Katelyn Wu

Student

Katelyn Wu is a first-year health science student from Waterloo, ON, currently studying at Queen's University. As a passionate individual eager to explore the infinite facets of science, Katelyn consistently seeks for opportunities to transform STEM applications into real-world solutions. Her most current project involves a braille learning device designed to teach the visually impaired in a method that maximizes independence, and minimizes cost. Katelyn firmly believes in the power of collaboration and hard work. When she is not studying or working on projects, Katelyn can be found in a taekwondo gym, or at a piano.

Milind Kumar

University Student, Cancer S̶u̶r̶v̶i̶v̶o̶r̶ Thriver

Milind Kumar, a 2nd-year Mechanical & Management Engineering student at the University of Waterloo, carries a unique life story. His journey through childhood, which had everything a kid could want, took an unexpected turn when he was suddenly diagnosed with leukemia as a teenager. It was a diagnosis that had him rethinking his entire life, causing him to go into a tailspin and question everything he had done up to this point. Through a relentless battle of over 3 years, Milind triumphantly concluded his treatment in Dec. of 2022, after learning so much about what it means to be resilient and embrace challenges head-on. What truly stands out about Milind is his commitment to sharing his experience for the benefit of others. Through heartfelt blogs and presentations, Milind has opened a window into his world, shedding light on the challenges encountered during his cancer journey and displaying his commitment to improving the quality of life for others through his engineering studies.

Paris Cai

Executive Director and Founder at Homeworkhub

Hello, I'm Paris Cai, the founder and executive director of HomeworkHub, a youth-led nonprofit dedicated to enhancing educational accessibility for students across Canada. Currently pursuing a BMOS degree with Ivey AEO at the University of Western Ontario, I'm deeply passionate about the intersections of business, entrepreneurship, and education. My journey through HomeworkHub has been a remarkable learning experience, emphasizing the need to nurture initiative and proactive learning. As a TEDxyouth speaker, I'm excited to share my insights on how our education system can better prepare students for the real world by fostering a spirit of initiative: my personal story highlights the power of taking action and how this vital skill can shape not only our academic success but also our ability to drive positive change in our communities. Join me in exploring the transformative potential of initiative-driven education and its profound impact on our future.

Steven Bryson

High School Teacher

Steve Bryson has been a high school educator with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board For the past 15 years. In 2021, Steve received the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence largely due to the work he has done connecting students to some of the amazing innovators and entrepreneurs in the KW region. In addition to his work inside the classroom, Steve has published a fictional children’s book where the main character uses universal principles such as perseverance, self-reliance, and a positive attitude to overcome the obstacles in his life. In his free time Steve enjoys running and has completed several ultramarathons, as well as driving his kids all over Southern Ontario for their hockey games. Steve is also very passionate about helping students develop their skills of self-efficacy and believes that there is nothing in education more important than helping his students realize their potential.