TEDxBinghamtonUniversity 2023

Established in 2010, the TEDx conference comes to Binghamton University every year, featuring professionals and student speakers. This year’s theme, Odyssey, encouraged speakers to share their voyages of overcoming obstacles — navigating the Strait of Messina — and finding their place in the world in the spirit of the ancient hero Odysseus. Before the conference, which was held in the Fine Arts Building, Pipe Dream’s News Desk interviewed each speaker, highlighting their backgrounds and work.
Riya Bolander, a senior double-majoring in psychology and music, is a current peer-mentor lead at the Q Center and a soprano section leader at a local church. They have chosen to speak about a societal concept known as amatonormativity, and why it is important to spread awareness of its existence among the community.   Read more
Yan Chen is a third-year Ph.D. candidate of industrial engineering at BU. In fall 2021, Chen started in the doctoral program with a focus on the biofabrication of multiscale vasculature networks for tissue engineering. She is currently the author of five research papers and has presented her research at three international conferences.   Read more
Madelyn Fried, a freshman majoring in integrative neuroscience, has worked to educate others about civics and democracy. As a member of the Girl Scouts, she pursued her gold award in high school by creating a video game teaching high school students about the government and their civic responsibilities.   Read more
Erin Reed is a transgender journalist who reports on national LGBTQ+ legislation for her subscription newsletter, Erin In The Morning. She publishes more than 200 pieces of content each year, including aggregated data about clinics that offer gender-affirming care and a ranking of states within the United States based on their anti-trans legislation. Her work has been cited by multiple large news publications.   Read more
Eden Robbins ‘16, is a user experience design leader in the technology industry. She leads design for Venmo, and her past clients include Meta, Microsoft, Adobe and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Her interview responses have been edited for clarity.   Read more
Pipe Dream spoke to Johnny Stanton IV, a professional football player and owner of Crimson Herald, a game publishing company. A fullback who has played for the Minnesota Vikings and the Cleveland Browns, he is also an avid Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) player and hopes to encourage others to pursue both professional success and their passions. His interview responses have been edited for clarity.   Read more