Below is a list of the incredible guests
that presented at our inaugural event.
Scott Eberle is Vice President for Interpretation at Strong National Museum of Play® , develops exhibits on toys and play, and writes about these topics. His Classic Toys of the National Toy Hall of Fame appeared this month. (Running Press). Eberle is also Acquisitions Editor for the American Journal of Play. His “Exploring the Uncanny Valley to Find the Edge of Play,” which links advances in contemporary neuroscience to the ways we feel about baby dolls, robots, and animated films is forthcoming in the Journal this Fall.
Adam Frank is a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester who studies star formation and stellar death using supercomputers. His recent book, The Constant Fire, Beyond the Science vs. Religion Debate, has just been issued in paperback by the University of California Press. His new book The End of Beginnings: Revolutions in Time, Life and Cosmology will published next year by Free Press. You can find more of his thoughts on science and the human prospect at the Constant Fire blog.
Geomantics is an innovative, invigorating contemporary company performing regularly in the Rochester region. Directed by Richard Haisma, the company is composed of five dancers and includes the New Age rock band Night Gallery. The choreography has been called “transcendent, riveting, as well as intellectually, emotionally and physically beautiful.” GEOMANTICS enjoys performing in unusual spaces to a wide variety of music for audiences of all ages. The company will perform in Geva Theatre Center’s Nextstage in May 2010. Also next spring its Outside Dance Project will bring punchy, poignant and pleasing short dances into public spaces in and around Rochester.
Petar Kodzas has performed throughout Europe and the U.S. for concert series, chamber music recitals, guitar societies, and colleges, as well as serving on the faculty of The Eastman School of Music. His repertoire spans centuries and styles. Fascinated by the beauty of various musical epochs his programs are often focused on one theme viewed in the light of different composers. His CD Between Worlds was released on Clear Note publications. His most recent project is Complete Works for Solo Guitar by Brazilian composer Radames Gnattalli.
Todd Kraussis the director of the Nano and Optical Materials Chemistry Cluster at the University of Rochester, where he is also an Associate Professor in Chemistry and in the Institute of Optics. Krauss’ scientific research interests involve fundamental studies of materials at the nanometer scale, their potential use in renewable energy and biotechnology, and the applications for these nanometer scale materials in the general areas of novel biological sensors, efficient and inexpensive solar cells, and nano-optical devices.
Luis Martinez has been coaching and advising employees, peers and executives since 1983, and in 2008 formed a strategic management consulting firm, Gran Altura, LLC., which offers services to organizations in transition as well as to individuals who want to achieve higher levels of performance. His comprehensive career development book, Getting There, was recently published by a division of Random House. Martinez was sent to the U.S. from Cuba at the age of 12 by his parents to avoid conscription into Fidel Castro’s militia. He credits their tutelage in courage and survival for his boundless faith and optimism.
Larry Moss shapes air with his medium of choice: balloons. Calling his unusual artform “airigami,” Moss has displayed his work in 12 countries on four continents. His achievements have been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, Associated Press, CNN, PBS, Smithsonian Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, American Profile and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! He has appeared on “The Martha Stewart Show,” NBC’s “Today” and at the White House. He has authored many ballooning books, including his latest publication, Balloon Engineer, a Barnes & Noble exclusive.
Marla Schweppe is a professor of Computer Graphics Design at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She has taught computer graphics and animation for more than 25 years at Ohio State, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Northwestern University as the Director of the Learning Technologies Program before joining RIT, where she she is now building a BFA in three-dimensional digital design. Her creative work includes the incorporation of her extensive, international theatrical background into performances on the virtual stage, animatronics, physical computing and tangible media.
Deborah Stoiber has been the Nitrate Vault Manager of the Louis B. Mayer Conservation Center at the Gearge Eastman House International Film and Preservation Museum since 2000. With a collection of over 23,000 reels, Stoiber works to keep this film heritage in the best conditions possible, so that they may last for generations. She teaches students of the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation how to identify, care, store, and inspect motion picture film using artifacts from this collection.
Thomas Warfield has performed in more than 100 cities around the world as a singer, dancer, actor, composer, choreographer, director, producer, educator, activist and poet. He is Assistant Professor in Cultural and Creative Studies at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at RIT and director of the RIT / NTID Dance Company. He is founder/artistic director of PeaceArt International which utilizes the arts and the creative process to foster world peace. Warfield awards include National Dance Association, City of Rochester Unsung Heroes, and United Nations Association.
Eric Wheeler is a passionate gamer, a video-game historian, and curator for the National Center for the History of Electronic Games™, where he has spearheaded development of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive public collection of electronic games and game platforms. A lifelong Rochesterian, Wheeler earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history at SUNY Brockport, and he teaches history courses as an adjunct instructor at Monroe Community College. Wheeler is a veteran with nearly 20 years of military service and serves as an Operations Specialist in the Navy Reserve.
Ali Yapicioglu has been a partner and co-founder at In. Site: Architecture since 2001, during which time I.S:A has received seven “Design for Excellence Awards” from the American Institute of Architects – Rochester, New York Chapter. Prior to his formal studies in architecture in Istanbul and the U.S., Yapicioglu worked in the family trade as a stonemason in Cyprus. His experience in architecture ranges from small-scale residential through multi-million dollar commercial, institutional and historic preservation projects. Sustainability and sensitivity to context consistently guide his hand in design.
Geva Theatre Center
RACF
RIT