Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, popularly known as CTE, has shaken the sports world to its core, most notably the National Football League and its penchant for offering fans jarring hits and sensational collisions every Sunday from September through February. Dr. Bennet Omalu discovered CTE in Pittsburgh, and has since become a global phenomena, with the recent film Concussion documenting his experience going toe to toe with the National Football League — an organization that fiercely disputed his findings and has found itself at the heart of the controversy. Dozens of football players and other athletes have been diagnosed, multiple have tragically taken their own lives, and numerous analysts believe this condition is not isolated, but an epidemic.
Jeanne Marie Laskas, author of Concussion and writer of the screenplay for the feature film starring Will Smith, will join the conversation with Dr. Omalu for a deep dive into the nature of courage, accountability, and the opportunity to tell the story for those who have lost the ability to tell it for themselves.
"How to Be a Differentist" with Ann Makosinski
Most 18 year old college sophomores are thinking about final exams, summer vacation, and dorm room shenanigans. But before 18-year-old Ann Makosinski ever stepped into a college classroom, she had won the Google Science Fair, garnered awards at the Intel Science and Engineering Fair, was featured in TIME Magazine, and appeared on the Tonight Show — twice. Instead of couching herself in the typical definitions of “entrepreneur” or “inventor,” Ann has coined a term for herself: “differentist.”
In today’s celebrated and well-documented innovation economy championed by Silicon Valley wunderkinds like Mark Zuckerberg, we have a tendency to think that the best new ideas are exclusively coming out of Bay Area, or the offices of Apple, Uber, or other tech giants.
But sometimes, world-changing ideas come out of a home basement in the suburbs. Join Ann as she explains what it’s like to be a differentist in a world that’s constantly redesigning and reimagining itself, and charting new courses.
"Rust Belt Resurgent" with Josh McManus
From Detroit to Pittsburgh, the Rust Belt is making a comeback. What was once the world's most powerful heavy manufacturing corridor has reinvented itself — becoming a hub for technology, medicine, entrepreneurship, education, and much more.
But there still remains a regional stigma within the national consciousness that lags behind the reality on the ground.
Nonetheless, major cities within the American interior are sprinting forward, and redefining themselves, as well as their culture. Old industrial ruins are being transformed for modern purposes. Creatives and entrpreneurs are seeing post-industrial blight as a design template. Neighborhoods are experiencing unprecendented growth, leaving many questions lingering around the term "development."
Join us for the final keynote of Thrival Innovation, and explore why a region once forgetten is now at the forefront of the national discourse.
