"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.
