Are we being manipulated? In his talk, Nick Rabb answers that question by highlighting parallels between the pattern of misinformation and the spread of a contagious virus. He draws from his well of academic expertise and his own research to shed light on the tactics used in disinformation campaigns, unpack why misinformation is persuasive, and how we can protect ourselves from it. As the danger of misinformation becomes far more prevalent, Nick demonstrates how simply being aware of specific elements of propaganda can render us immune to its malicious effects. Nick Rabb is a PhD student at Tufts University pursuing a dual-degree in computer science and cognitive science. He is originally from Rochester, NY, where he received a BS in Computer Science from the Rochester Institute of Technology. His most recent research has investigated how beliefs spread through populations, especially pertaining to COVID-19 mis/disinformation.

In her talk, Claire explores the impact of intentional diversity in her childhood and how it has shaped her experience working in the film and media industry. Claire Liu (she/her/hers) is a senior at Tufts double majoring in Child Study & Human Development and Classics, with a minor in Entrepreneurship. She’s excited to talk about diversity in children’s media and how it can build empathy, especially as we are in the midst of a racial reckoning. Currently, Claire works at GBH for the children’s department where she assists with the production of shows Arthur, Molly of Denali (the first nationally distributed children’s series with an Indigenous heroine!), and Pinkalicious and Peterrific. Her senior thesis and GBH project dives into how producers of children’s television go about intentionally and respectfully represent BIPOC groups through their shows and peripherals.

Why are our brains shrinking? In answering that question, Jeff Stibel shares the story of how an offhand question from his friend and mentor Kobe Bryant turned into one of his most formative research experiences. In his talk, Jeff shares the lessons he learned along his journey about approaching tough challenges, finding resilience, and about what it means to truly be a mentor. Jeff Stibel is a founding partner of Bryant Stibel and serves on the boards of the Consortium for Brain and Cognitive Sciences at Tufts University and the Natural History Museum. He has served on the boards of a number of non-profit, private, and public companies. Stibel was previously President & CEO of Web.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: WWWW) and The Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corporation, and later served as D&B’s (NYSE: DNB) Vice Chairman. Stibel is a USA Today columnist and author of The New York Times bestseller “Breakpoint” and “Wired for Thought.” Stibel received his undergraduate degree in psychology, philosophy, and cognitive science from Tufts University, and his graduate degree from Brown University, where he was the recipient of a Brain and Behavior Fellowship while studying for a PhD. Stibel also spent time as a visiting fellow at MIT and received an honorary doctorate from Pepperdine University.

How can small businesses succeed in a world dominated by gigantic corporations? To Justin Will, the answer is simple - small businesses can succeed if they learn to act as insurgents. In his talk, Justin combines his experience as a military veteran, an entrepreneur, and a business owner to shed new light on why small businesses are suffering, and how an unlikely change of mindset may help them find success. Justin is a Navy veteran and small business entrepreneur who relocated to Vermont in March with his wife Elise, and their newborn baby, Isabelle. Justin has degrees from Albion College, the University of Trieste and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His professional interests are far-ranging and often international, but this year he has been focusing on rural economic development in Vermont, as well as growing his coffee business, Inspired Coffee Merchants.

As the tech industry rapidly expands, Supriya Sanjay discusses how the diversity of the individuals working within the industry is a key factor to sustaining that growth. Supriya Sanjay graduated from Tufts in 2019, where she earned a double major in Computer Science and Cognitive Brain Science. In her senior year at Tufts, she co-chaired the Tufts’ Second Annual Women in Tech Conference and served as a Teaching Fellow for Data Structure and Algorithms. Supriya pursued an honors thesis that investigated gender bias in STEM on an international scale, with funding from the Tufts Institute of Global Leadership. Supriya was also a proud member and music director of Tufts' freshest all-gender A Capella group, Tufts sQ! Supriya currently is a Software Development Engineer II at Amazon Robotics, where she works on a large-scale machine learning system.

What does it mean to have a truly just society, and how do we achieve justice? Aparna Polavarapu believes that this is possible,however, the first step is to move away from the idea of punishment as a form of justice. In her talk, Aparna urges listeners to rethink what justice really means. Aparna Polavarapu is a law professor at the University of South Carolina as well as the Executive Director and Founder of the South Carolina Restorative Justice Initiative (SCRJI). She has significant scholarly expertise in the field of legal pluralism, with a particular research focus on non-state justice systems and how they work together with formal, state-centered systems. As the Executive Director of SCRJI, she oversees the development of restorative justice education and programming and works with organizations seeking to develop and implement their own restorative practices.

Kudrat does not wait for the future to be female. In her talk, Kudrat explores the supporting pillars of patriarchal power, and demonstrates that the system is not exclusively upheld by men. Drawing from her experience and expertise as an international lawyer, Kudrat unpacks the system of control that women are indoctrinated to, as well as how to overcome them.

Kudrat Dutta Chaudhary is an International Lawyer currently working in the field of Gender based violence asylum claims in San Francisco. She is an alumni of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and is the author of her debut novel, ‘Laiza: Sometimes the end is only a Beginning’ which deals with the surge in human trafficking of Nepali women from Nepal to India after the Nepal Earthquake of 2015. Kudrat also currently serves as the Community Engagement Lead for San Francisco’s Women’s March and is an Executive member of the Young Professionals Committee of Human Rights Watch, Bay Area.

Is it possible to eradicate poverty and inequality? To Bruce Boghosian, creating a more equitable society is not only possible, it is provable. In his talk, Bruce unveils the origins, assumptions, and unsustainable trajectory of our current economic system. Drawing from a vast well of mathematical knowledge, he makes the case for why a new, radical system of wealth redistribution is not only mathematically sustainable, it is the key for creating a fundamentally more equitable society. Bruce Boghosian, PhD is a Professor of Mathematics at Tufts University, where he also co-directs the Data Analytics program and holds secondary appointments in Computer Science and Physics. He was elected to Fellowship in the American Physical Society in 2000, to foreign membership in the Armenian National Academy of Sciences in 2008, named a Distinguished Scholar of Tufts University in 2010, a Fellow of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life in 2018, and a Fellow of the Tufts Data Intensive Studies Center in 2019. He served as chair of Mathematics at Tufts University from 2006 to 2010, and as President of the American University of Armenia from 2010 to 2014. He has held visiting positions at, inter alia, the Université de Paris-Sud in Orsay, the École Normale Supérieure de Paris, Peking University, and University College London. He is a member of the editorial boards of, inter alia, the Journal of Computational Science, and Physica A. His principal research interests are applied dynamical systems and probability theory, statistical mechanics, kinetic theory, fluid dynamics and turbulence, mathematical models of wealth distribution and inequality, quantum Monte Carlo, and quantum computation. He also maintains a strong interest in issues of international education, having served as the Vice President of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities (2013-2014), and as chair of Tufts University’s Subcommittee on Foreign Programs (2017-2018).

How do we overcome imposter syndrome? In his talk, Don Schechter draws from his varied experiences of learning on the fly to unpack how we can build our own image. From lessons in screenwriting to storytelling, he shows us that the most important factor of overcoming our own insecurities, doubts, and reservations is the power of our own narrative. Don Schechter is the Owner of Charles River Media Group, LLC, a Part-Time Professor of the Practice in the Film and Media Studies Program at Tufts University, and Creator of Ascendants.

At Charles River Media Group, Don oversees all projects and has worked as a director, producer, and editor for television, film, and corporate endeavors.

Ascendants is a multi-platform science fiction project that includes both a series of short films (The Ascendants Anthology) and novels.

Don is currently a Part-Time Professor of the Practice at Tufts University from which he holds a Master’s Degree (Music Composition and Theory) and a Bachelor’s Degree (Media Arts and Technologies, Music.) He has taught classes including “Making Movies,” “Producing Films for Social Change,” and “The History of Documentary: From Nanook the Real World.” He currently teaches “Fundamentals of Film and Media Production” and “From Script to Screen.”