TEDxRyersonU 2013 Magazine

our next angle T H E T E DX RYRyersonU E R S O N U 2 0 13 M A G A Z IN E

TEDxRyersonU 2013 Team Steering Team Chris Babic, curator and speakers steering lead Michael Labrador, corporate relations &

finance steering lead Ramsha Naeem, marketing steering lead Megan Matsuda, productions steering lead Speakers Committee Irene Ma, speaker liaison Finance Committee Clinton Soans, account manager Aleksa Stefanovic, account manager Productions Committee Devahasan Krishnakumar, tech lead Cynthia Liu, event production Erika Pedersen-Lorenzen, event production Eva Chan, event production Steve Lada, event production Thaniel Johnson, event production Kaushal Basnet, audio technician Michael Ahn, audio technician Elwin van Alst, broadcast technician Nitish Mehta, broadcast technician Christine Gornicz, set design & stage hand Helen Xie, set design & stage hand Zeluan Cao, broadcast technician

Marketing Committee Winston Chow, advisor Kristin Elsley, communications & relations manager Jonathan Pavan, community outreach manager Yara Kashlan, community outreach manager Kimberly Milligan, community outreach manager Zayn Jinah, community outreach manager Alexander Wong, social media manager Akemi Liyanage, digital content manager Bethany Van Lingen, digital content manager Hidie Shaheen, digital content manager Angelyn Francis, copy editor Cleopatria Peterson, graphic designer Elias Ayoub, graphic designer Illya Gordiyenko, web developer Tyler Webb, photography lead Alia Youssef, photographer Haley Friesen, photographer Joseph Hammond, photographer Petrija Petrusic Dos Santos, photographer Douglas Gibbens, videographer Margarita Brighton, videographer Mariam Nouser, associate Omar Zia, associate Printer TLAC Website www.tedxryersonu.ca

RyersonU 2013 Event Program 8:30 a.m. Doors Open 9:00 a.m. Registration 10:00 a.m. Opening Remarks 10:15 a.m. First Round of Speakers 11:30 a.m. Break 11:50 a.m. Second Round of Speakers 1:15 p.m.

Lunch

2:15 p.m.

Third Round of Speakers

3:30 p.m. Closing Remarks 3:45 p.m. Reception 5:00 p.m. Official End of Event

Table of Contents

IN THIS ISSUE

1 2 3 4

TEDxRyersonU 2013 Conference LETTER FROM CURATOR SPEAKER PROFILES

361 Evolution

3D PRINTOPIA ARTOPITAL BIONIC BODY GREEN CENTURY

TED Past, Present, Future

POETRY IN MOTION HOW TEDX CAME TO RYERSON DEAR MARSHALL, WHAT IS WATER? CHANGING PARTS OF DOWNTOWN FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS

Best of TED

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR UNDERGRAD SYNERGY TEDXRYERSONU BEST MOMENTS & PERSONAL REFLECTION IDEAS WORTH SPREADING FROM THE SPEAKER’S AUDITION EVENT LETTERS FROM THE EDITOR’S

A Letter From The Curator CHRIS BABIC

Welcome to TEDxRyersonU! Contained within these pages is the inspiration we believe will lead you to explore ideas of your own, because everyone has an idea worth sharing, sometimes all it takes is a kick in the pants, a spark in the right direction or an inspiring 18 minute talk to get you there.

I will freely admit that when I first came into the role of curator for TEDxRyersonU 2013 I was scared, I have been watching TED talks for so long I cannot remember when I began, and I was afraid that there was no way I could live up to such a standard, afraid that, when given the chance to leave my mark on an awesome organization nobody would want to see it. But here is the amazing thing about TEDxRyersonU; it is truly a team effort, and it is not about leaving any one individual mark but the collective legacy for which TEDxRyersonU has become known. This is an organization dedicated to ideas worth spreading, which means all of our team have the opportunity to collectively shape our events. Besides that, the team we have this year is stronger than I could have imagined and through their tireless efforts all of you as the audience will get to engage today with some of the most innovative and inspiring ideas from the minds of Ryerson’s inspiring thinkers and leaders.

Here we are, another year wiser, and as passionate as ever about bringing you ideas worth sharing. TEDxRyersonU is hosting its fourth annual TEDx conference, and let me tell you, time certainly flies when you’re having fun. Each year we have grown significantly in numbers and in spirit as TEDxRyersonU has really come to occupy its own important place at Ryerson.

I am no longer scared, I am excited! This year represents our strongest efforts to engage yearround with all of you, and that means you will be seeing more of our Pantone 485 “TED” red downtown.

So please, look out for us throughout the year, and I encourage you to come up to us and ask us questions - trust me, if there is one thing we like to do more than organize TEDxRyersonU, it is talk about it.

At TEDxRyersonU we do not tell you how to think, we share with you ideas that we believe will inspire your own call to action.

Sincerely Chris Babic, Curator, TEDxRyersonU 2013

“CHANGE YOUR

THOUGHTS

AND

YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR .”

WORLD

– Norman Vinc

SECTION 1

TEDxRyersonU 2013 CONFERENCE

SPEAKER BIOS

Sue Gardner started out at Ryerson and went on to be the sole Canadian on Forbes’ list of the top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2012. She was listed at number 70, between United Nations World Food Programme executive director Ertharin Cousin, and Malawi President Joyce Banda. At TEDxRyersonU 2013, she will talk about breaking conventions, like she has as the head of top website Wikipedia.

Through her story, Gardner can inspire and empower other women to take top roles in growing companies. Gardner is a graduate from Ryerson University. She began her career in 1990 at the radio program “As It Happens,” a news and current events program at the CBC. She would eventually become the senior director at CBC.ca. Under her leadership, the CBC launched new multimedia strategies, including podcasting, breaking news alerts and live event blogging. As a journalist, she covered stories on the manipulation of journalists during the first Gulf War, the racial implications of bringing the death penalty back to New York, changing feminist attitudes towards pornography and the start of interactive media.

After 17 years, the time was right for Gardner to leave the CBC and join a then small organization operating out of a strip mall in Florida. Under her guidance as executive director, the Wikimedia Foundation (which runs the open-source encyclopedia Wikipedia) has grown into a global juggernaut of information, a crowd-sourced symbol of freedom of knowledge and one of the most visited websites in the world. Wikipedia has more than 20 million volunteer-authored articles in over 280 languages, according to Gardner’s Wikimedia page, and is visited by more than 476 million people every month, making it one of most popular websites in the world. Gardner also made searching for female Wikipedia editors a priority and has helped inspire more women to positions of power in the tech world.

Gardner announced in March 2013 that she will be stepping down from Wikimedia later this year. “I’ve always aimed to make the biggest contribution I can to the general public good. Today, this is pulling me towards a new and different role, one very much aligned with Wikimedia values and informed by my experiences here, and with the purpose of amplifying the voices of people advocating for the free and open internet. I don’t know exactly what this will look like — I might write a book, or start a non-profit, or work in partnership with something that already exists. Either way, I strongly believe this is what I need to do,” Gardner wrote in an article for the Wikimedia blog.

At TEDxRyersonU 2013, Sue Gardner will talk about BREAKING CONVENTIONS – about challenging censorship and empowering the global public to rise up to the challenges of our day.

Sue Gardner

By: Bethany Van Lingen

Michelle J. Kwan “i decided that i liked people better than cameras.”

As a former model, Michelle J. Kwan is no stranger to being photographed. The proud graduate of both nutritional sciences at Ryerson University and visual arts at York University posed precisely while being interviewed for the TEDx magazine and speaker’s video. A painting sat behind her on an easel as a visual representation for her twin passions for research and art.

“It started a dialogue that would have never happened without it.”

Kwan described how taking photographs for a health promotions group on campus, gave her a new perspective on the relationship students have with food. It was at that moment that she realized she could use art to bridge the gap between scientists and patients.

“The value of your data is much better if you’re intuitive.”

While she once believed that there was no place for art in her program, Kwan discovered that it can pave the way to higher quality research. Art, she said, allows for creative patient expression and clarifies complex health concepts.

By: Akemi Liyanage

Jennifer Poole When Jennifer Poole was a little girl, she was bewildered when a loved one was fired from his job because he was experiencing mental health issues. He was grieving for his parent and didn’t have much financial or community support. Even then, Poole didn’t understand why an employer would penalize someone for their pain. She remembers thinking, “Well, this just doesn’t make any sense. He’s just in pain and he won’t always be in pain. I mean, we’re penalizing him and we’re taking away his job, and taking away more resources, and adding to his pain.” She then felt like she needed to watch over him and make sure her loved one was okay. She had the best of intentions, but by doing so, she practiced the same oppression, known as sanism, that his employer had. These are just some of the many paternalistic, overprotective sanist notions people harbour, says Poole, an associate professor at the Ryerson School of Social Work.

Poole has not only been on the giving end of sanism, but also on the receiving end. She remembers, as a new graduate from university, she interviewed for her dream job, full of optimism. At the time, she was keeping her “mental health stuff” quiet, because sanism had taught her to be ashamed of herself and what she lived through. During the interview, she was asked if she had ever experienced the mental health issues that clients in the program had. She could answer, “Yes, I have and that’s why I think I would be a great person to sit across the table and sit side-by-side with the people I want to work with,” but she knew if she said no, she would more likely get the job. She said yes, wanting to see how the interviewers would react and if they would reject her because of who she really was.

The interviewers made it clear when explaining why she didn’t get the job that it was because of her mental health issue. They worried Poole would either trigger the participants or would be unable act professionally. That rejection fuelled the fire for Poole and prompted her to learn more about sanism, which is the oppression of people who live with mental health issues.

Now, Poole, who self-identifies as a Mad woman sees every day the ways people blame themselves for the oppression they experience. The act of labelling someone, being afraid of their pain and stigmatizing and separating ourselves from that person, is often the beginning of the sanist spiral, she says.

“We hear things like, ‘watch out for the crazy guy in the subway.’ This is a normal statement people think is helpful,” Poole says, “but at its heart is the fear, ignorance, withdrawal and oppression of sanism. We believe that people with mental health issues are unpredictable, violent, in need of supervision and aren’t going to amount to much. We’ve all been taught in this particular society to be sanist and we don’t even know that we’re doing it.”

Sanism is old and entrenched, Poole says. For hundreds and hundreds of years, there’s been organizing and writing by people who have survived sanist systems–survived electroshock, survived being in an institution for 25 years and survived medications.

Poole has both been sanist and a victim of sanism. “I can sink my teeth and tell a story. I can make it come alive to people and make the pain accessible,” she says. Through the stories she tells in the classroom, and those she will tell in her TEDxRyersonU 2013 talk, Poole teaches how to limit suffering by understanding sanism and challenging its myths.

By Bethany Van Lingen

Grahame Lynch was the kind of bad student in his Bachelor of Fine Arts program who stayed up all night painting, and then slept through his classes.

“I thought that I was the best student on the planet because I was constantly working, of course,” Lynch says. But his late nights led to his pivotal moment as an artist.

One night in January, during his third year studying in Windsor, he was playing a game he always did on the 45-minute walks home from campus. Lynch, who lives with low vision, can’t focus his eyesight in dim light. For him, there are strange perceptual shifts that make it difficult to figure out what objects are. In his nightly game, Lynch would try to figure out what the shadowy objects were, if a lamppost was actually a person off in the distance, for example. That night, Lynch was fascinated by the cracks in the roadways, and the unusual marks the snowplows were making in the salt and snow, which wouldn’t melt in the minus 40 degree cold. Inspired, he got home as quickly as he could and grabbed his camera. His glasses were so intensely cold that when he put the camera to his eye, the lens fell out. He stuffed his broken glasses in the pocket of his jacket and kept shooting, somewhat blind.

At two a.m., he had shot three or four rolls of film. Lynch took these rolls and broke into the school.

He processed his photos in the school’s darkroom until ten o’clock the next morning. A teacher found Lynch in the darkroom, surprised by both the student who was camping out and by the disappearance of the photo processing chemicals set aside for the three classes the professor was teaching that day. The teacher looked at Lynch’s photos and said, “’Okay, I guess you’re forgiven,’” Lynch says.

These photographs were the first time Lynch had been able to show through his art the difference of perception he had with low vision.

Lynch’s latest exhibit, “The Logic of Subduction,” includes a library of books, which must be viewed through an assistive lens. This way, viewers at the Durham Art Gallery exhibit can experience the energy and effort those who live with impairments must expend to perform everyday tasks.

Lynch, now a Ryerson University associate fashion professor and fashion communications program director, loves to read, but his condition makes it difficult to focus on objects and to perceive depth. Words dance around on the page of a book as he reads. As his eyes tire, the page begins to move and fold in on itself.

“The Logic of Subduction” refers to a plate in the earth’s crust being forced under another plate. Lynch’s vision is gradually deteriorating—there is the risk he will someday go blind. He is constantly preparing for that catastrophe, like we do for earthquakes as plates we can’t perceive shift beneath us.

His talk will focus on the ways that INCLUSIVE ART CAN COMMUNICATE A PERSON’S EXPERIENCE and by doing so, encourage empathy in its audience. Lynch, who holds a Master of Fine Arts in extended media and installation and a Master of Inclusive Design, fights the oppression of persons who live with disabilities through his innovative art and teaching. In his TEDxRyersonU 2013 talk, Grahame encourages those who live with low vision, blindness and those who live differently to tell their stories in a way only they can.

By: Bethany Van Lingen

Grahame Lynch

In this non-sensical world that we are always try to make sense of, rationality is a human trait that is held in high regard. It was the French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire who spread the belief that human reason and rationality are in fact the origins of human greatness. But a quick Google search of Voltaire will bring up one provocative title worth noticing, VOLTAIRE’S BASTARDS: THE DICTATORSHIP OF REASON IN THE WEST BY JOHN RALSTON SAUL. Saul, who is a renowned Canadian novelist and essayist is also a visiting professor at Ryerson for the faculty of arts and will be one of our distinguished speakers at our 361 Degrees: A New Angle conference.

In his novel, Saul unravels the obsession Western culture has with rationality and suggests that it has back fired on us all. The reason? We have sacrificed the importance of many other human qualities such as ethics, creativity and intuition in favour of a rational methodology. Voltaire’s Bastards is part of the philosophical trilogy which Saul is most known for. He explores the qualities of humanism and will continue to do so in his TED talks, where he will discuss how these qualities are related to education. Declared a “prophet” by TIME Magazine, Saul will offer a lesson in CRITICAL THINKING, THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGAGEMENT AND PROTECTING THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION in an era of seemingly increasing non-disclosure.

Like the enlightenment thinkers of the eighteenth century, Saul’s critical thinking has had a growing impact on political and economic thought in many countries. He was included in Utne Reader’s prestigious list of the world’s 100 leading thinkers and visionaries and plans to participate in an annual John Ralston Saul Big Idea public discussion series. As you hear him speak at this year’s conference, you can expect Saul to have an impact on your thoughts too.

By: Hidie Shaheen

John Ralston Saul

Ayyyna Budaeva was once told that creativity was just not something that is given to “business people.” Instead, it was a trait that is attributed exclusively to those who identify as “creative people” because of their inherent natural talents. Budaeva, who is a fourth year business management student majoring in marketing used this misconception as the muse for what she will present as her TED talk for this year’s TEDxRyersonU 2013 conference.

Budaeva believes that most of what we have been taught about creativity is not true. Contrary to what many may think, creativity is a skill—not a talent. After combining her personal experiences with research, Budaeva reinforced her convictions about creativity with one simple statistic:

CREATIVITY IS 1/3 GENETICS AND 2/3 LEARNING.

Creativity is something that anyone and everyone can learn.

“When I say creativity, it’s not about designing or painting in a traditional sense. Creativity is a way of thinking, I am a business student and I consider myself creative. It is not that I was born this way, I just learned it. ” said Budaeva.

Budaeva is a testament to this thinking. She has spent much of her undergraduate years seeking opportunities to exercise her creativity and business savvy both in and out of the Ryerson community.

Budaeva is currently the marketing manager at the Fashion Zone. The Fashion Zone, which was officially launched on October 24, 2013, is an incubator similar to the Digital Media Zone that was born out of Enactus Ryerson. “(The Fashion Zone is) not just about fashion design. We are really trying to push the boundaries of fashion to be more. Innovation is creativity, which is what Ryerson is all about,” says Budaeva During any brainstorming phase that Budaeva advocates for creativity in business. Budaeva admits that it is during this phase that she sees her business school peers struggle the most with coming up with creative ideas.

“I think that creativity is a necessary part of business. For businesses, being creative leads to improving business models, coming up with new and innovative products as well as methods to promote them.

This allows for progress that improves our quality of life and the standard of living.” she says.

After attending her first TEDxRU event in 2011, Budaeva left feeling moved by the experience, and especially by one student speaker, Josh Louie. Budaeva thought that maybe one day she could do the same thing as him. Two years later, Budaeva will stand before an audience as one of this year’s student speakers for the 361 Degrees: A New Angle conference.

Budaeva plans to share a whole new angle on creativity as we know it. By challenging accepted beliefs, BUDAEVA HOPES TO INSPIRE BUSINESS STUDENTS TO ADOPT A NEW MIND SET ABOUT CREATIVITY.

If you regard creativity as a skill, you enable yourself to do great things. For all those who aren’t business students, perhaps seeing that creativity is a skill begs the question, can’t talent be a skill? In that case, we are all free to learn whatever we want to the best of our ability.

By: Hidie Shaheen

Ayyyna Budaeva

Dr. Bala Venkatesh To say that Dr. Bala Venkatesh “gets” energy is an understatement. Aside from being a professor of engineering, he is the founding academic director of Ryerson’s Centre for Urban Energy, an institute that aims to create solutions for the world’s energy crisis.

Dr. Venkatesh began by talking about his passion for energy engineering research. He feels that solving the energy crisis begins with spurring fresh interest in young people in the field. “Many of them want to do research in energy, but it’s not engineering research.

It is research in policy, it is research on the environmental effects on energy.” It is his first aim, therefore to encourage undergraduates to do research on energy with an “engineering flavour.”

He then turned the discussion towards technology, the foundation of our energy system.

“There is a phenomenal technology that Rogers engages in getting your text message and making sure that the message actually goes to the right person,” he says. And although it’s easy to focus on what your technology does for you, we often forget the massive amount of energy and infrastructure that goes towards providing the energy to us in the first place.

And what’s especially lost in translation is that our “…system is really expensive, difficult to maintain and difficult to make sure you will get reliable supply all the time.”he says.

While we have solved the first part of the problem with solar panels and other forms of renewable energy, Dr. Venkatesh says the challenge now is to address the second part: how to successfully integrate renewable energy sources into a central system. “When you look at individual devices it’s one product, but when you connect it you have a huge physical system that is hard to manage.” And with support from government and industry, he hopes that his extensive research in energy will help pave the way towards applying sustainable energy solutions.

By: Akemi Liyanage

THIAGO CAIRES AND MICHAL PRYWATA AREN’T YOUR AVERAGE TWENTY-SOMETHING DUDES. The ex-Ryerson engineering students are founders of a multi-million dollar company called Bionik Laboratories that is pioneering medical robotics in Canada. Among their many products include the Artificial-Muscle-Operated (AMO) arm and synthetic lungs. It’s stuff that for most of us belongs in sci-fi flicks than reality.

However, the most surprising part about these two is how down to earth they are. Between discussing the purchase of a new car and his next flash trip to Vegas, Caires and Prywata invite me to visit them anytime at their lab around the corner. Turns out, they’re a lot busier than they let on-these guys are impossible to find unless you’ve inquired several months in advance, but that’s because their time is in such high demand. While other guys at their stage of life would be crossing their fingers to get a good job when they graduate, these two deeply hope that the guy they recently fired is recovering well. From what they tell me, success comes at a high price of effort, dedication and time. If their tired smiles are any indication though, these guys are working hard but enjoying life too. Their story of ex-students becoming company founders is a dream for many, but for them, it’s just life.

By: Akemi Liyanage

Thiago Caires and Michal Prywata

Dr. Steven Murphy Dr. Steven Murphy, the newest dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management has a little secret. He talks to cows and he urges everyone to do the same. Inspired by Mary Rose O’Reilley’s book Of Radical Presence, Murphy set out to understand what is really meant behind the metaphor “listen like a cow.” When visiting his cottage just north of Kingston, Murphy will take a break from mountain biking as his wife looks on while he has a five minute conversation with these unsuspecting, majestic creatures.

“What I found remarkable about them is that when you start talking to them there’s a tilt in their head. They walk towards you and then they will stare into your soul with their big, beautiful eyes,” said Dr. Murphy in his keynote address in September to an MBA class at the Ted Rogers School of Management.

Although his anecdote left his audience erupting with chuckles and laughter, Murphy shared a profound and relevant lesson from his experience talking to cows. Murphy uses his insights to encourage leaders to strive for heightened self-awareness, both in and out of a business context. In his keynote, he identified the problem with people is that, when they are listening, they are usually so preoccupied with thinking about how they can relate so that they can jump in whenever there’s a pause. They’re ready with their next quip or anecdote, rather than being completely present and hearing all of what is being shared. Murphy encouraged his audience to be more like the cows and give others the unbelievable sense that you are taking in everything they say.

Murphy “then” inspires a new model of business and leadership that strays away from the generic regime of business theory. It is his new perspectives and an approach to business that incorporates psychology that has made him an attractive speaker at this year’s TEDxRyersonU conference. He will present a talk about ENTREPENEURSHIP. “To be an entrepeneur is to take risks, to step outside of one’s wheelhouse and up to the plate and challenge oneself,” said Murphy.

Murphy has joined Ryerson’s department of entrepreneurship and strategy as a tenure professor, a postion from where he hopes to shake things up and stimulate growth and innovation within TRSM. Murphy is an advocate for adopting philosophies that help others be better leaders by knowing themselves first. At the end of his keynote Murphy left his audience with a simple, yet moving message.

“Just be human, it’s a very powerful thing. Being human and owning who you are can very much resonate with people,” he said.

Murphy has over 110 papers, book chapters, technical reports and presentations to his credit and has served as a reviewer for numerous publications including the Journal of Occupational Health and Psychology and the Journal of Business and Psychology.

By: Hidie Shaheen

“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an

unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”

-Mario Andretti

361 EVOLUTION SECTION 2

3D Imagine being able to print off almost anything your heart desires, from dinner

to a functioning body part, at a fraction of the original cost. A few days ago, I watched a little red bracelet be built up, layer by layer with melted plastic in a Queen Street West office.

With rapid technological advancement, 3D printing has become widespread and there are whispers of personal 3D printers being made. But the main message is clear, 3D printing is a technology that can change the way the world works.

3D printing consists of two main ingredients, PLA and ABS. PLA is considered the easiest material to print with because it heats and cools quickly. It is also made of cornstarch, which makes it biodegradable and eco-friendly.

ABS on the other hand, is a stronger and more durable material. It’s already used to make things like Lego and car bumpers. But it’s made of fossil fuels, making it less eco-friendly.

Other materials include nylon, which is flexible and durable; resin, which is cured with UV light, but it’s fragile and only used for fine details; stainless steel and titanium, which are extremely rigid; ceramic, which needs to be glazed after printing; and gypsum, which starts off as a fine powder.

Right now, 3D printing is mainly used for

PRINTOPIA prototyping designs in offices such as Andre Tiemann’s Draft Print 3D. “Customers send me three dimensional graphic files and I print them off,” says Tiemann. He owns two Makerbot Replicator 2s and a Formlabs Form1 SLA. It’s only now that 3D printer prices have dropped from tens of thousands into the hundreds range, making commercial and industrial printers accessible to everyday people.

And there are more businesses like Draft Print 3D. One of them is the 3DPhacktory, located east from the Don Valley Parkway. Tyler Abbey, assistant printer at the Phacktory says that there are many pros to 3D printing.

“It produces things that can’t be produced in any other way,” says Abbey. “When it’s impossible to make, or too difficult or very expensive, 3D printing comes into play.”

3D printers enable creativity as well.

“Your idea can go straight from your head to the exact representation of what it should be in real life. You skip the describing and get straight to the design,” says Abbey. “Another big pro is what we call ‘mass customization.’

It used to be mass manufacturing, but if people learn how to use 3D printers, everybody will be able to have something designed specifically for them.”

Apart from mass customization, ideas have been circulating about printing electronics and body parts. A story made international headlines in 2012 when an 83-year-old woman with oral cancer was operated on and received a 3D-printed, titanium jawbone. Hod Lipson and Melba Kurman, authors of Fabricated: the new world

BY

ALINA BYKOVA

of 3D printing described it as, “… printed by shining a laser into titanium powder, fusing 3,000 meticulously laid layers...

Hours after surgery, the woman spoke and sipped soup.”

Abbey went on to explain that the main purpose of the 3DPhacktory, apart from taking customer orders, was to educate others in how to use 3D printers. “Nearly everybody can use a computer these days, but few people know about three dimensional programming and technology. Doctors who need to use 3D printers don’t know how. So we let people come here to be educated.”

And while there is alarm that 3D printing might put traditional manufacturers out of business, simple products are still cheaper mass produced. Another issue of 3D printing is that of copyright violations. “Once everyone has a 3D printer, how will Disney stop you from printing a Snow White pillowcase?” asks Abbey. Since 3D printing digitizes the real world, it will also make it possible to illegally “torrent” things.

Despite setbacks, the future is bright for 3D printing. With a few more years of hard work, maybe you’ll one day be able to print off a red bracelet and wear it to the TEDxRyersonU conference without a second thought.

#

#3DPRINTOPIA

ARTOPITAL BY : L i s a L i s kovoi Imagine you arrive at a hospital for treatment, and as soon as you walk in the door, you are given a ball of yarn. You must unravel it as you go from the reception to the waiting room to the doctor’s office. In the late nineties, staff at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle used a similar method to better understand what their patients experienced in their hospital. This exercise allowed them to see that the path patients had to take was stressful and resulted in a complete restructuring of the facility. To create durable design, we need to establish the functional demands to be met and address them effectively.

Investigators at the Bridgepoint Collaboratory for Research and Innovation are conducting research on this issue. Their interdisciplinary project seeks to understand the relationship between functionality and design in a hospital. They are investigating how the elements of the hospital’s architectural design address the needs of their patients and staff, leading to better healthcare.

As a collaboration between investigators in the fields of psychology, nursing and architecture, the project will not only evaluate the Bridgepoint Hospital, but also pioneer the design of future facilities.

Research assistants scatter throughout the hospital and blend into their settings in order to observe patient-environment interactions without interfering. Others use the “go-along”

method by asking patients to take them on a tour of their typical day in the building, and photographing and recording the patient’s experience. By conducting these ‘goalong’ tours with patients including those who use wheelchairs, walkers, and canes, the team is able to assess how accessible the space is.

Walking through the building, you can feel that it has been built with people in mind. Long unobstructed hallways with floor to ceiling windows at each end reveal trees and sunshine everywhere you look. The pool used by patients for rehabilitation therapy opens onto a green space which makes you feel as though it’s in the middle of the park.

The see-through siding of the pool not only reinforces the blurred boundaries between hospital and nature, it also serves the functional purpose of allowing therapists to see how patients are doing during rehabilitation. Dining rooms on each floor are equipped with kitchens, so that families can cook with their admitted loved ones. The rooftop patio is beautifully landscaped and several planters are outfitted with wheels so that patients can use them for recreation therapy and then place them back in the sun to grow. The space is a reminder to patients that the outside world they will

soon return to is beautiful.

“It is a place of wellness, not of illness,” says Dr. Celeste Alvaro, leader of the research project. The design intentions behind the facility were meant to, “provide a better connection to community, the city of Toronto (and) nature and within that, provide opportunities for social interaction… and inspiration that would motivate patients to get back outside.”

Leaving Bridgepoint, it’s hard to imagine the hospital ever feeling out-dated. The true beauty of it lies in that each piece feels as if it was put in place with the patients in mind. Each window, doorway and hallway invites patients to get well, and reminds them that someone is thinking about them.

When functionality is incorporated into design, it instils in us a sense of hope in others. It reminds us that we are not alone, that in the process of designing an object or a space, someone cared enough to figure out what we needed, and understood us enough to get it.

That’s why human-informed design is timeless; because the functionality not only addresses our needs, it fosters our sense of togetherness.

[Cyborg: n. a fictional or hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body —OED]

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word cyborg? If it’s anything like the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition, you’re probably picturing RoboCop or Terminator. Pop culture has long been fascinated with the hybridization of man and machine but for many scientists, academics and health practitioners, the notion of the cyborg is much more real than that.

Fusing machine-like appendages to the body is nothing new. In fact, the first mention of a prosthesis can be traced back as far as 3,500 BCE. Although we’ve obviously come a long way since then, the basic principle of adding an artificial part to replace a missing or damaged one is the same.

That’s exactly what Neil Harbisson did when he co-developed The Eyeborg. Born with achromatopsia, the inability to perceive colour, Harbisson developed a special antenna-like device to translate colour into sound. In 2004, he even fought and won his case to have the device included in his passport photo as he considers it a part of his body. Some claim that this makes Harbisson the first officially recognized cyborg in the world.

But why stop at the limits of human colour perception? Harbisson went one step further by opening up his device to register infrared and soon ultraviolet colour. He now perceives more colours than almost every other human being on the planet, but he doesn’t consider this adaptation abnormal. “It’s very human to modify one’s body with human creations,” he says.

He makes an interesting point. Is Harbisson’s Eyeborg any different from a prosthetic limb, a contact lens or even a body piercing?

Mariana Viada, communications manager at The Cyborg Foundation, says, “Cyborgism will become an art movement before it can turn into a social movement. The artists are more eager to explore sensory extensions and they will fight the prejudices of society until it becomes accepted.” The Cyborg Foundation was co-founded by Harbisson and Moon Ribas in 2010 to “help people become cyborgs…defend cyborg rights… and promote the use of cybernetics in the arts.”

Amber Case, a cyborg anthropologist, might argue that the notion of the cyborg has been inaccurately relegated to the world of Sci-Fi by popular culture. In a compelling TED talk from 2011 she begins with, “I would like to tell you all that you’re all actually cyborgs.” Computers and cellphones have become external brains, she argues. Ask any of the youngest

members of Gen Y if they could function without a computer or a cellphone and the response will likely be a resounding no. And with the emergence of consumer technology such as Google Glass, the physical and conceptual separation between technology and body is narrowing.

One of the most advanced areas of human-machine integration research, the cyborg frontier if you like, is in the development of brain-computer interfaces . These interfaces measure the electrical or neuronal output of the brain and translate that into functional input for mechanical or technological action.

Some of the most compelling examples of this research are the DARPA-funded advanced mechanical arms. The sophisticated robotic arms can be controlled solely through a person’s thoughts, and simultaneously display an impressively complex range of motions including bending the elbow, turning the wrist and opening and closing the hand. The robotic arm functions via the same nerve signals that a real arm would. Simply think about moving your hand would make the robotic hand move. Brain-computer interface research is making leaps and bounds in developing better signal extraction and processing methods for greater speed and accuracy.

One of the goals of brain-computer interface research is achieving a completely seamless interface between human and machine.

Innovations in prosthesis are one area where the notion of humanmachine integration is more readily accepted; nobody could deny the positive significance of giving back the use of a functional limb to a war amputee or paraplegic. But what about when it comes to not only replacing lost functionality but extending that functionality beyond the normal human range; what are the implications of erasing the boundaries between human and machine?

BIONIC

BODY By: Nicola Brown

GREEN CENTURY Ever hear the phrase, “For every piece of litter is an affected grandchild?” It emphasizes the fact that our actions may not affect the planet today, but they will impact the future. It leaves many of us wondering what will happen a thousand years from now?

Here is my vision.

In the year 3000 AD, humans breathe clean air, live in average temperature weather and choose wisely when distributing and buying technology to prevent harm to the planet. Their lifestyle and surroundings will involve eco-friendly items that are affordable and exciting to use in their homes, schools and transportation.

Let’s face it, cafeteria food isn’t the best choice for lunch. But what if the food served at the cafeteria was “funky looking” and beyond scrumptious? I’m talking colourful, high-protein and high-fibre grown from the school garden.

Instead of debating whether to throw your trash in the recycling or garbage, students throw their unwanted items into one pipe. This pipe would “eat” the waste until it becomes soil and then transport it into Mazatropia.

Mazatropia is a faraway land where miles and miles of every type of plant and tree grow, with additional soil being delivered every second from “consumed waste.”

Can you imagine a classroom without textbooks, pencils or a black board?

The students in the year 3000 rely only on their “WiZ-TeCh’s.” WiZ-TeCh’s are a student’s best friend with a memory of 900,000,000,000 trinomabytes, a DSFE drive - digital slot for everything - and an impossible screen quality – approximately 2 trillion pixels. With WiZ-TeCh, students gather information by speaking to it. Also, instead of printing them, they download it to their DFSE drive in which it can be transported into a movie, story or soundtrack. But I haven’t told you the best part.

WiZ-TeCh’s are 100 per cent crop-made and can be reused for many centuries to come.

Wouldn’t you love to soar through the clouds and birds on your way to school?

Every morning, children of the year 3000 across the globe skip the car and use the “The Grasshopper.” “The Grasshopper” is a very light system used by students when travelling to school by air. Also, this way of transporting is extremely safe, fast and eco-friendly.

Electricity has hit a new level of brightness and efficiency in the year 3000. Citizens created a clever solution to reduce electricity from each individual’s space and create a larger form of electricity for everyone to enjoy.

Anywhere you go, you’ll find a large sheet in the sky overseeing everything from parks to office buildings. There are many benefits to this idea; citizens no longer have to turn a switch to receive electricity, it is with them 24/7 without any wires or plugs. This large sheet consumes energy from the sun to produce this electricity for homes and office buildings across the globe. So, you get the brightest light during the day, which doesn’t impact the environment negatively.

Have you ever seen furniture or equipment made without cloth, metal, wood or plastic? Well, in the year 3000, citizens would answer the opposite. In fact, no industry or factory produces their items and goods with those materials since they are difficult to be reused. Every desk and couch are all created with two simple materials: recycled newspapers and processed grass created by hand without any chemicals or toxics included.

With many structures built to save energy and protect the environment, life in the year 3000 is both simple and healthy. People in 2013 need to know that there is a way to live green in a way that benefits us all.

By: Lara Onayak

“IF YOU CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THINGS, THINGS YOU LOOK AT CHANGE.” |WAYNE DYER

SECTION 3

TED: PAST,PRESENT,FUTURE

POETRY MOTION MOTION IN MOTION Written by:Sandra Hesron

An interview with spoken word artist Shoolie

The familiar smell of old paper lingers in the air as the occasional swoosh of flipping pages punctuates the silence. At this halfway point, the tranquil lounge of a local library, I meet Toronto spoken word poet Henrick Sales, or Shoolie, to talk poetry. While reaching for my notebook on the coffee table, Shoolie seated comfortably in a red lounge chair across from me, I think to myself how few places make me feel this calm in the fast-paced flow of our city. Before long, we discuss a touching piece Shoolie, an English major at Tyndale University and founder of a Tyndale poetry club, wrote for his late grandmother titled “Sunflower,” in which death is a lover coming to propose on his grandmother’s bedside as she effortlessly prepares for her departure. Poetry has always been a way of sharing the most difficult stories and Shoolie’s light outlook on life permeates through his craft. The following is an excerpt of my interview with Shoolie.

Bad things do happen and it’s a matter of perception how you choose to express them. Getting on stage takes courage, but there’s a great feeling afterwards because it’s about sharing something bigger than yourself, it’s reaching out as a community “Sunflower” was heart-breaking, but so beautiful. How did you manage to present it that way?

Bad things do happen and it’s a matter of perception how you choose to express them. Getting on stage takes courage, but there’s a great feeling afterwards because it’s about sharing something bigger than yourself, it’s reaching out as a community. When I first started, it was a way of sharing these stories. At the moment…I’m in a transition stage to focus more on my poetry not as a performer but as a poet and in some ways as a way of healing.

What is it about this form of art that allows you to instantly connect with your audience?

There is something in oral storytelling because it’s been used since ancient history. People would pass on culture orally when the written word wasn’t yet there. In Toronto, using words to pair personal stories with universal themes really connects with the audience: the crowd interacts with the poem with snaps, cheers- then silence as soon as you start talking. It’s all part of the art form in and of itself. The poetry scene as a whole is a community that intentionally meet together to celebrate spoken word and without that community, it wouldn’t be the same.

When you’re on stage and people are listening to every word you say, (every story you tell), you never know who you’re going to reach out to What is the power of words in our generation?

People don’t realize the power of words. Spoken word is a way for people to realize that our words have a weight to them and that we need to be mindful of what we say even in our everyday lives.

It makes me think of the verse from the Bible, Colossians 4:6 ,“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

You interact with an individual on a level most people don’t on a day-today basis- its brilliant!

Some of the stories we (spoken word artists) encounter are very relatable, when I perform I never know who is actually being moved by my piece. I’ve come across different kinds of people- different ages and different backgrounds- who say, ‘Your piece really spoke to me.’ We are by nature social beings. When

you’re on stage and people are listening to every word you say, (every story you tell), you never know who you’re going to reach out to.

What would you say to a young student who wants to pursue spoken word but who feels as though they lack the proper voice for this particular form of art?

Yo u ’ l l f a c e c r i t i c i s m , I o f t e n h av e but stick with it.

W RI TT EN

BY

BE TH AN Y

LI NG EN

so r e ry o t e m a c VA N

w o h

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Inspiring Your Future TED was not a popular presence on university campuses in 2010. There was nothing like it at Ryerson or on many other university campuses until Parvinder Sachdeva, then in his second year of a Bachelor of Commerce, had a big idea. Sachdeva melded the Pantone 485 red TED logo to Ryerson University, creating TEDxRyersonU. “We wanted to showcase Ryerson’s talent because nothing else was,” says Trung Ho, who met Sachdeva through Ryerson Toastmasters and agreed to manage the new TEDxRyersonU social media accounts.

Sachdeva, Trung and the 16 other members of the first TEDxRyersonU team did whatever it took to host the first conference. Trung and Sachdeva went to the four vice presidents of the university and to president Sheldon Levy to pitch their idea to get funding. They were approved and funding of under $20,000 was secured. The first TEDxRU conference was an all day event scheduled for November 27, the theme was set to be “Inspiring Your Future” and promotion on Facebook, Twitter and by video began.

The team released speaker videos for every speaker at the conference. At the time, high quality videos were just becoming accessible to amateurs. Speaker videos have been a staple at TEDxRyersonU since. That first TEDxRyersonU event was held in a Ted Rogers School lecture hall. Just 100 students attended, the majority of whom were in business school.

Speakers at the 2010 event included David Brame, a fashion professor at Ryerson and a creator of two comic books to educate young men about testicular cancer. His TEDxRyersonU talk, “Nerd Power,” outlined how a lifelong nerdy fascination with toys and comics could help solve a serious problem for men.

“People congratulated us for putting on this first conference, but we felt we could do more,” Trung says.

Trung was in the accounting program for three and a half years. He was in his last year when the first TEDxRyersonU conference happened.

For Trung, this was his first time being exposed to working with so many different people outside of his own program, such as

2010 speaker Stephen Dunn, who was a third year film student at the time and already winning awards and screening films. Inspired

by Dunn, Trung began to explore his own creativity in his final year and while working with TEDxRyersonU. “Working with TEDxRyersonU is a chance to do something you wouldn’t normally get to do if you were focussed on academics,” Trung says.

After trying new and creative projects, he switched from the accounting program to marketing and started Ryerson Folio, a cultural magazine. He now works in advertising. TEDxRyersonU and TED talks, Trung says, inspired his future.

Think Forward With 600 audience applications, a budget of $45,000 and staff of 30, TEDxRyersonU grew substantially in its second year. Three hundred fifty delegates skipped the Santa Claus parade on November 20 and gathered at Glenn Gould Studio in the CBC building. This was the first major student-organized event held at that venue. Two speakers and an hour and a half in, #TEDxRU was trending nationally on Twitter.

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Speakers from the 2011 conference continue to be popular online. Dr. Ivan Joseph’s talk, “The Skill of Self-Confidence” has 460 comments, 6,000 likes and 400,000 views on YouTube. Another speaker Ramona Pringle shared her World of Warcraft mission for virtual love and community. “Bring your fearlessness into real life. What would your avatar do?” Pringle said.

Winston Chow, a TEDxRyersonU advisor this year, is avatar fearless. After switching from computer science to business technology management and still finding that program unfulfilling, he made his final jump to

The great successes you see today are because a group of people had a crazy idea.

They had something different and they went after it together marketing. “I was discovering myself and doing so by getting involved. TEDxRyersonU was the first step for me,” Chow says.

Chow is a prolific photographer, having shot for the Ryerson Rams and three TEDxRyersonU conferences. He brings the photos, but Chow now takes pride in supporting people who are able to do the things he can’t. “At the risk of sounding like a horrible person, I used to think I was better than people who went to college or studied the arts. I thought they were going nowhere, while I had a future,” Chow says.

It took almost failing calculus in high school for Chow to start to rethink these priorities.

Much of the reordering comes from late night conversations with Sachdeva, Chow’s

mentor and best friend. If Sachdeva believed something, there would be a good reason behind it. It became something Chow admired.

He began to question his own opinions and think forward. “The great successes you see today are because a group of people had a crazy idea. They had something different and they went after it together,” Chow says.

Act Megan Matsuda went to the 2011 TEDxRyersonU conference alone and, she says, without knowing what to expect, but hoping for the best. She was inspired by the students she met, who were so passionate about their own ideas and projects. She met people from different programs who held viewpoints unlike her own. “TED talks are all about spreading ideas. I’m always interested in hearing what people think, especially when it’s different from my own thoughts. It challenges my ideas, and often makes them better,” Matsuda says.

She was so inspired that, six months later, she insisted that Trung tell her how to join. She was picked for the productions team for the TEDxRyersonU 2012 conference, which would have a budget of $60,000. Matsuda didn’t have that much experience besides organizing school dances in high school, so she was a little scared to get started. But did she ever want to be involved— she kept bugging the head of productions for more. She worked for hours taping white plastic cups together at a team member’s apartment. The result was a twirling column that decorated the stage.

She and the productions team met to set up at 10:30 p.m. the day before at the newly opened Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC). They were up all night, lifting couches and chairs, moving tables and changing an ice rink to one multifunctional theatre and lounge. Fuelled

by Red Bulls, Matsuda set up the reception area. It was stressful and exhilarating. Crew members took naps in the green room. At 6 a.m., she turned rock and roll on the big

speakers to wake the team up. She downed a few cups of coffee- no sugar, no milk, just straight black caffeine.

Matsuda ran about, her headset on, as the conference began at 10 a.m. on November 25. She fielded calls from team members and resolved any issues about when food would be served to 500 delegates. The first on stage was master of ceremonies Sid Naidu.

Naidu had been a part of the 2009 athletics referendum, a student-led initiative that helped bring the MAC to Maple Leaf Gardens.

Standing on a rink he’d dreamed about, Naidu encouraged students to give back to their community during a surprise talk: “Those communities, those moments will leave the foundation and the future for our legacy.”

By the end of the event, Matsuda had been up for more than 30 hours. “I am super thankful to you for being the queen of taking care of details, and easing the stress on our backs!” curator Thomas George tweeted to Matsuda after the event. Matsuda is now the productions steering lead with TEDxRyersonU. Reflecting back, Matusda says that by stepping out to act that year, “I learned that all the effort you put in will pay off if you work really hard.”

That effort is paying off this year at the fourth TEDxRyersonU conference, with a passionate, multidisciplinary team of 43 and the first nonbusiness student curator. We hope our hard work inspires your future, makes you think forward and causes you to act.

Dear Marshall, What is Water?

WRITTEN by Mitch MacEachern What is the difference between information and knowledge? As we speak we are living in the “information age”, thusly called due to the fact that we are literally swimming in information. As Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian philosopher of communications theory from the Sixties, demonstrated information is as all-surrounding to us as water is to fish. Therefore there is a need to understand how to successfully migrate our aquarium of information, and that is where knowledge comes in. Think of it this way: Information is stuff that has been said; knowledge is understanding the stuff that has been said.

In the fast-paced and distracting environment that is Ryerson University, where does the average student find time to reflect on his or her environment? Universities are labelled as places of “higher learning,” but as institutions, they are themselves a metaphorical aquarium. They don’t offer the student as much reflection time as is necessary in order for them to truly grasp their newly acquired information. They simply play the tune: people with Bachelor’s degrees are smarter than people without them, people with Master’s degrees are smarter than bachelors and Ph.D.’s are smarter than Masters. “So it goes,” as Kurt Vonnegut would say.

Perhaps a new spin on learning is necessary.

One that promotes knowledge retention as opposed to information regurgitation. If a student was to find value in what they learn at school, the information they acquired would metabolize into knowledge. Autodidacts

– “self-learners” – use their value-centric learning strategies to harvest knowledge out of information. Perhaps there is a way to incorporate autodidactism into the university system.

“Often the formal educational settings aren’t focused on learning,”says Alan Sears, a Ryerson professor of sociology when interviewed on autodidactism. This being, he says, “…because real learning is not institutionalized, but instead coincides with self-reflection. There is very little claim to the knowledge that one gains in the classroom.

The student is simply following directions so that they can repeat it on an exam. It is a type of alienated labour.” Professor Sears is an avid analyst of the classroom and has written a book on education called, Retooling the Mind Factory: Education in a Lean State.

The classroom setting seems to run very much with capitalistic intentions: People work, not for fulfillment, but for pay; students learn, not for knowledge, but for grades. In order to amend that, students need to be accountable for what they learn. To achieve this, today’s format uses exams and grades; Professor Sears sees tomorrow’s format including much more self-reflection. He claims that people, “…have a way of normalizing their everyday experiences as a way of getting through life.”

The average student simply uses education as a meal-ticket towards a job, they find little intrinsic value in what they learn.

This is where autodidactism comes into play, as it has the potential to combine the present, gradual educational system with

the self-reflective learning style entertained

by Sears. In this classroom of the future, the student would have an augmented formal education wherein they work out how the information they receive is valuable to them.

They achieve this by accounting for what they have learned in the format of self-reflection papers that examine the why’s and how’s of the information gained.

I managed to speak to several students on campus at Ryerson and asked them the question, “Do you know what an autodidact is?” Not surprisingly, the majority said no.

After a brief explanation of the word and its context in the university setting, the students I spoke to were curious yet hesitant. They were curious, because the idea opened doors for them to truly learn and find meaning in the information they receive at school. They were hesitant however, because it sounded to them like more work, and the consensus on campus is they already feel the pressure of the university curriculum.

An autodidact is a person that finds intrinsic value in what they learn. They are students that do not lemmingly do the work given to them out of fear for grades, but rather transform the information into an understanding that changes the way they live their lives. To find intrinsic value in something is to understand it. Could you imagine a fish understanding the water? How enlightened an individual it would be.

changing parts of DOWNTOWN WRITTEN By | Halla Imam

In a cosmopolitan city, the sharp clinks and shrill cries of construction equipment are all too familiar. This is the soundtrack of change; these physical expansions simultaneously reflect and contribute to the development of a community. Among the skyscrapers and billboard signs, the Ryerson University emblem has become a fixture in Toronto’s downtown core. It is a marker of Ryerson’s presence, symbolically integrated into the cityscape. There are drawbacks, however, to expanding within the confines of a city (lack of space being the most obvious). Ryerson’s campus expansion speaks to the cultural impact that physical changes can have on an environment.

The balance between asserting campus boundaries, while respecting the established identity of downtown Toronto has been a focus of the university’s expansion project, says urban developer Michael Bissett. “Years

Why should a university take over important sites like Sam the Record Man or Maple Leaf Gardens and rebrand it as their own? of planning went into understanding the limitations that would come with expanding Ryerson’s campus. The university has had to build up and integrate with surrounding businesses to provide student space. We’ve seen already how this has resulted in changing parts of downtown; in my opinion, it’s cleaned up a somewhat sketchy area,” he says.

Bissett, a senior urban planner with Torontobased architectural firm Bousfields Inc., has worked alongside the university in planning development projects. Constructing campus additions will undoubtedly impact the downtown core, he says, but the changes are a much needed revitalization. “Not all changes are necessarily negative, and positive cultural changes can come from the

creative vitality from student space. Ryerson is actively contributing to the downtown culture,” Bissett says.

Not everyone is a fan of Ryerson’s growth in the downtown core. Third-year journalism student Brian Batista-Bettencourt believes that the university’s expansion blurs the lines between campus and the general downtown area. “Why should a university take over important sites like Sam the Record Man or Maple Leaf Gardens and rebrand it as their own?” Batista-Bettencourt says. Integrating Ryerson into the downtown environment doesn’t establish Ryerson’s presence; instead, he says, it detracts from city culture.

“It’s confusing; there isn’t a clear indication of where campus actually exists. Instead of

appreciating certain places as a space for Toronto, it becomes Ryerson space.

I don’t need to see ‘RU’ written all over the place,” he says.

Ryerson University officially announced intentions to expand into the downtown core in March of 2006. Ryerson University President Sheldon Levy spoke to the Canadian Club of Toronto, presenting Ryerson’s “Master Plan” and the positive influences that extend from expanding educational space. Citing Ryerson as a city-builder, Levy was clear to indicate that physical changes in favour of expanding Ryerson’s campus would reap rewards for Toronto as a whole. “Seventy-five per cent of Ryerson alumni stay in the GTA. This is probably the most fundamental citybuilding: educated and creative people with talent, energy and ideas that contribute to progress,” Levy said.

The relationship between Ryerson and the city

of Toronto is one that Shelagh McCartney, a professor with Ryerson’s School of Urban and Regional Planning, says ensures sustainable development in the downtown core. The emphasis on Ryerson being a city-builder, as highlighted by Levy’s 2006 address, means that university expansions will remain conscious of the established downtown community. More importantly, it sends a message to the rest of the city, she says.

“Developing a stronger presence downtown has meant that Ryerson has had to work closely with surrounding businesses and establishments. The lack of space downtown has pushed Ryerson to expand in creative ways, like funding international start-up projects. The university is helping bring out the best of what Toronto has to offer,” says McCarthy.

The revitalization project has helped Ryerson advance, without stripping the downtown core

of its dynamic identity, Bisset says. “Ryerson is changing what it means to develop and expand a campus by integrating different communities downtown. This is an exciting time for the university, but also brings great spirit and values to Toronto as a whole.”

Despite development plans to expand campus into the downtown core, the loss of a Toronto-centric identity still does not sit well with Batista-Bettencourt. “It’s not about me being a student and wanting a nice campus.

This is about city culture being brought down because a university wants to expand its brand.

Not worth it.”

FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS WRITTEN By | SAMEERA RAJA

Zayan Rafeek sits in the TriMentoring office at Ryerson University, planning a mentorship schedule for first-year students for the following week. Dressed in uniform, a red T-shirt with the Tri-Mentoring logo, Rafeek recalls his high school days in Regent Park, days he tries to put behind.

“In high school they talk about university as such a scary thing. I had one teacher telling me I wasn’t going to last a semester, ‘you’re going to drop out or work at McDonald’s.’ It was scary for all of us,” says Rafeek, now an engagement ambassador for the First Generation (FG) project at Ryerson. “It was very beneficial to be part of the FG program, I not only improved myself, but any feedback, I’d pass it onto my friends.”

Only 53 per cent of first-generation students between the ages of 18 to 24 attend postsecondary school, in stark contrast to 81 per cent of students whose parents also

received a post-secondary education, went on to university or college, according to the Canadian Millennium Scholarship foundation.

A first-generation student is a high school or post-secondary student whose parents never received a university or college education, in Canada or abroad. Most first-generation students were from low-income families, aboriginal families or recent immigrants, the Foundation also states. Rafeek, a thirdyear business technology management student, was the first in his family to receive a post-secondary education. “My parents immigrated to Canada in the ‘90s, and I was born here. My dad had only attended high school and started to work at a very young age after my grandfather passed away. He had to take care of nine siblings,” says Rafeek. “It was a norm in their (parents’) time not to have a post-secondary education. I think that’s the biggest reason why they never went to college.”

Rafeek, the second oldest of three children, was the first high school student to be recruited by Ryerson’s FG branch, over the summer of 2011. “During that summer we had four students in the Ted Rogers (TRS) building that’s where I initially started,” says Rafeek. “ It was advice and then more advice: what they could’ve done, what I should do. It was like having six mentors, having someone to listen to me like Jennifer or Rudhra (FG program facilitators at Ryerson University). They were a great support system.” With help from admissions office, Ryerson’s First Generation branch prepares the students before fall semester, pairing them with a first-generation mentor. Rafeek taught his friends and family the skills he learned from the FG project.

“After learning how OSAP works, I had to sit my mom down and explain to her the entire process. My brother sees me doing work in the community. He can see me as his role model,

something I never had.” Last summer, Rafeek was the first recipient of the Graham Barton Memorial Scholarship, and was able to train with Muay Thai expert, Buakaw, in Thailand.

First Generation includes a range of activities for post-secondary and secondary students, and offers financial support through bursaries, scholarships and grants of up to $5000. In 2006, The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities created the First Generation Project, as a way to help transition high school students to postsecondary schools. In 2010, FG expanded to Ryerson through a partnership between the Tri-Mentoring program and charitable organization, Pathways to Education. “We have connections with at-risk communities, where we have panel discussions. We talk about our experiences and our different struggles and obstacles we’ve overcome,” says Rafeek. For post-secondary students,

FG hosts events such as workshops for peertutoring and learning strategies.

Since the expansion, Ryerson has hosted two more successful summer programs. “In 2010 to 2011 there were 1,800 students

has begun to prepare for life after graduation.

“If I wasn’t in the pilot program, I know I’d be a completely different person. Now I’m more involved on campus, more confident about myself, and well rounded, academically and

part of the program, last year we totaled at 2,200 students,” she says. Almost all FG students graduate, and find successful careers, she added. “Graduates often drop-in to our office and tell us about job opportunities, or how they want to pursue graduate studies.”

Rafeek, now a mentor to first-year students and assistant trainer at his Muay Thai gym,

when it comes to extracurricular activities,” says Rafeek. “Right now, Jennifer and other facilitators are pushing me to apply for jobs in my field, and to get out of my comfort zone.

I’m excited to start applying for business technology jobs next summer.”

If I wasn’t in the pilot program, I know I’d be a completely different person. Now I’m more involved on campus, more confident about myself, and well rounded, academically and when it comes to extracurricular activities

“MAKE “MAKE A A DIFFERENCE, DIFFERENCE, IT’S YOUR JOB,” IT’S YOUR |TONY CONTE AT JOB,” TEDXRYERSONU 2012 |TONY CONTE CONFERENCE AT TEDXRYERSONU 2012 CONFERENCE

THE BEST OF TED

SECTION 4

Make the Most of Your Undergrad written by Gina Wicentowich

AN UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE is now believed to be the equivalent of a high school diploma. With so much competition, how do you stand out? A degree should be more than a framed piece of paper showcased on a wall. It is the opportunity to immerse in real-world scenarios and enrich your undergraduate career.

THE SORORITY PRESIDENT

I went to the University of Alberta after high school out of obligation. In September 2009, I joined an independent, self-governed, local sorority that was just establishing its name. I remember being in awe of the selfassured confidence of the Alpha Psi sorority president and her executive. This team of eight was beginning to construct official bylaws to regulate our activities and create a consistent structure, plan social and charity events, develop a monetary budget and meet with administration and business owners for donations. That spring, they established a relationship with Edmonton Women’s Shelter Ltd. (WIN House), which operates three shelters that house over 400 battered women and their children.

I was elected to the Alpha Psi executive the following year, and was in charge of all internal events and welcoming new members. I took over, with careful precision, constructing by-laws and written documents for ceremonial events like initiations and I integrated new events like a belly dancing class. In this position, I found my voice. I would go on to be president of the Alpha Psi sorority. These experiences taught me essential skills that cannot be taught in a classroom: the composure needed to deal with a crisis or the professional etiquette necessary when sitting across from the dean of students.

THE WRITER

Emerson Csorba, a fourth year political science student at the University of Alberta, went from attending baseball practice to having coffee with award-winning writer Omar Mouallem. Noticing there was an absence of comprehensive news about Edmonton affairs, Csorba took his passion of writing and combined it with his political science degree to create an online media outlet, The Wanderer.

Instead of limiting his activities and focussing on his academic field, Csorba, now editorin-chief and co-founder of The Wanderer, realized creativity is what differentiates you from your peers. “Once you embrace creativity, ideas start to flow uncontrollably.

That worked well for me,” Csorba says. “I was forced to make difficult decisions on behalf of teams and defend them in front of people with wildly different interests and perspectives.

You develop by getting involved, throwing yourself into unfamiliar territory, working hard, completing projects and then reflecting.

You hit road bumps and they say a lot about who you are,” Csorba says. His grit and focus brought national recognition. The Wanderer was a finalist for Best in Edmonton at this year’s Edmonton New Media Awards (Yeggies)

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Shawna Pandya, at the age of seven, decided she would make $80 billion and use it to solve famine, cure disease, end war and colonize Mars within the year. Her current ambitions are more realistic but no less impressive. Pandya is a neurosurgery resident and co-founder of CiviGuard, a Silicon Valley start-up based at Singularity Graduate University. CiviGuard uses smartphones to improve communication between key agencies, authorities and civilians to save lives in crisis situations.

She is also founder and director of Step-Up, an anti-bullying initiative.

Although she has come a long way from her undergraduate degree, it served as the venue for her to explore ideas. “Life’s too short to be scared of our ideas. University is one of the best places to explore the world, not to mention yourself. Dream big, then do. If you ever had an idea for a business or a club, explore that. Figure out what steps you need to make your idea a reality,” Pandya says.

During university, she ran meetings, planned events and set the agenda for the community Outreach and concerns committee. “I realized I wanted to be a leader who inspires others to believe that they are capable of enacting change, by thought and action,” she says.

Follow an idea, see where it takes you and bring the right people. “Surround yourself with people who are hard-working, dependable, fun to work with and who will fill in gaps without being asked.”

S o, become a s orori t y l eader, star t a medi a out l et or create a star t-up en terp ri s e. Tr y ever yt hi n g and c ar ve your own p at h to a j ob.

SS YY N N EE RR G G YY WRITTEN BY AKEMI LIYANAGE

WHEN I FIRST

entered university four years ago, I had an idealized vision of how student groups ran-there would be a kind and well-mannered president with an experienced executive board, slowly and steadily directing a stream of first and second years through the challenges of organizing. Within my first semester though, I was faced with a responsibility I had no idea how to handle. Frustrated to my wits, I took to the internet and plagued an older club member with questions to fulfill my role. Thankfully things worked out, but the problem of being stuck in a situation without the right help or instructions didn’t end there.

Again and again, I ran into a problem of governance-who does what and how? As a result, I’ve learned four crucial components to being part of and leading a student group.

1. EXPERIENCE

Unless they’ve been in the same role for years, it’s crucial to know the expertise of every member in your group. And don’t stop at, “What program are you in?” Ask them about any projects or events they have been a part of and the work they did for it. Once you get a good grasp of their skills and experiences, you’ll understand what kind of initiatives your group will be able to organize.

2.RESPONSIBILITIES

This is where a good ol’ brainstorming session comes in. Beware of extreme and overdone ideas though-opt for projects that are reasonable but unique in one way or another.

But conjuring up an idea is not enough to make something happen. Once you’ve decided on an initiative, it’s definitely wise to write down some exact steps of who should do what and when. Keep these steps somewhere safe. When it’s crunch time and everyone is panicking, it will become an important part of making things happen.

3.FOLLOW UP

Since most projects take more than one day’s worth of work and planning, you have to talk about it outside meetings. It’s good to check up on people, once every two weeks or so, to see whether their part is progressing or not.

The sooner you start planning, the more you can shift things around in case a part of your plan goes wrong. Don’t be too pushy though.

Give people just the right amount of nudge to get going on their own.

4.SPIRIT Let’s say that you planned everything perfectly, but things didn’t go right anyways.

Ignore that heavy sensation of guilt in your chest; as much as you’d like to take the blame, doing so doesn’t make the problem go away. Instead, approach what happened with a group angle and take it in stride. Talk about what went wrong and how it can be fixed. Once you drown out the negatives with positives, morale will slowly improve until things are back to normal again.

Sometimes, despite doing what you think is right, people leave the group. While this might earth-shattering at first, remember that feel it’s not the end of the world. If people leave, invite fresh faces to fill the empty spaces.

It sounds exhausting to have to constantly adjust to group dynamics and act accordingly but that’s what keeps an organization alive synergy. As long as you keep its members engaged and interested, there’s a lot you can do with very little.

TEDxRyersonU Best Moments & Personal Reflections Written by Hidie Shaheen

Individual greatness is better used when applied to a greater scheme. This statement could not be any more true than for TEDxRyersonU and the work that it has been doing on campus for the past three years.

With the explosive popularity of TED talks and the rise of “TED culture,” the TEDxRyersonU chapter has established itself as a student group that brings together the best thinkers, doers and listeners for its annual conference in November.

After being part of the TEDxRyersonU team for the past two years, I have observed how a constant state of learning can lead to unprecedented growth for both TEDxRyersonU and the Ryerson student body. With each year that passes, TEDxRyersonU has been extending its influence on campus. With more funding to accommodate grander campaigns, TEDxRyersonU is seeing attendance increasing by the hundreds with each coming year. Those that leave our conference walk away with a renewed sense of self and drive to apply themselves to the fields and communities they belong to.

“I left last year’s ACT conference realizing that I had one year left to complete my mission, ” said Janakan Srimurugan, now a fourth year graphic

communications management student and Ryerson student leader. Srimurugan has made it his goal to graduate knowing he proactively contributed to as many areas of the Ryerson community as he could .

TEDxRyersonU can best be spotted on campus through its iconic, big red “X.” This year, that iconic brand has attracted the largest organizing team in all TEDxRyersonU history. As a student group, TEDxRyersonU

allows for multi-faculty student collaboration all in the name of TED. The TED brand stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design and has but o n e s i m p l e m i s s i o n : to share ideas wor th spreading.

Through TED talks, local and global communities of all kinds come together to engage in dialogue on a wide range of topics. It is through relatable and authentic human experiences that simple yet profound

messages are communicated to large audiences. These messages are shared to inspire change lives of people who watch. It is this same model that TEDxRyersonU projects to Ryerson and its student population.

Having a chapter of TED at Ryerson has played a role in teaching us all about consciousness.

Consciousness is a trait that often goes overlooked as we go about our daily routines and get lost in the shuffle. However, being conscious of ourselves, those around us and the environment we live in leads to enriched experiences that start innovative ideas. This year the TEDxRyersonU team has consciously evaluated their position as a student group based on their past achievements and has a collective goal of establishing more permanence on campus and association

with the Ryerson identity. Through its team of students that possess an array of skills and qualifications , from the business savvy to the visually talented to the eloquently spoken, the team is exploring new channels of student engagement that extend well beyond the one conference we host. This publication you are reading now is but one example of how TEDxRyersonU is beginning to find archival ways to communicate with Ryerson students outside of the conference. You can expect to see TEDxRyersonU on campus well into the winter semester.

TEDxRyersonU has been known to attract students who are enamoured with new ideas, dialogue and action. The combination of these three is powerful and can help us as university students better navigate through

our personal, professional, academic and social lives. By heightening our understanding of ourselves and looking beyond the surface to extract more substance from our experiences , we can all grow. TEDxRyersonU as an organization is doing the same as it continues to reach more students in other faculties.

TEDxRyersonU is a student group that has a profound impact on those that it touches, whether part of the organizing team or a conference attendee. Walking away from this conference today, it should be evident that one thing TED teaches us is how to harness our own greatness and use it to contribute to a greater scheme, whatever that scheme may be.

YARA KASHLAN'S 4BEST MOMENTS Over the past three years, TEDxRyersonU is an organization that has been constantly growing and evolving as a student group at Ryerson University in congruence with the TEDx brand. With a focus on “ideas worth spreading,” TEDxRU has a determined aim to spread this message on campus.

“It takes time to get bigger as a group.

However, the majority of students on campus know about TEDxRU, and what we are,” says Ramsha Naeem, marketing steering lead.

A large contributing factor to the increased popularity of TEDxRU on campus is its combination of guerilla and social media marketing campaigns. Its successes can also be translated into the influx of new marketing committee members interested in having a part in organizing this year’s TEDxRU conference.

“This year we have the largest organizing team in TEDxRU history with members from possibly every faculty at Ryerson.

Each member comes in contributing their own unique skills and talents,” said Hidie Shaheen, TEDxRU digital content manager.

Both the current TEDxRU team and teams from previous years take collective credit in making TEDxRU what is it is today. Here are a few of the many highlights from past and present TEDxRU marketing campaigns.

1. “X” Structure

2. Projection of TEDxRU logo at night

One of the initial and most recognizable TEDxRU marketing campaigns from previous years was a three dimensions red “X” structure. At a time when TEDxRU was still gaining exposure and acknowledgment on campus, the marketing team would use this as an essential prop when engaging with students and increasing interaction. “It was very creative, no other student group had done such a thing before. They would go around campus and place it in different spots. That made students more aware of [TEDxRU],” Naeem said.

A new idea launched by this year’s marketing committee was to have the TEDx logo projected at night onto various buildings on campus. “It really captured people’s attention. They would see it, and stop to look and ask questions,” Naeem said.

“It was a new concept we had to try out and test to see if (the students) would respond,” Naeem said.

3. 4 Blocks (TEDx)

4. #TEDxRURaffling

Combining the TEDx Block structure with another marketing campaign, RURaffling is one of this year’s most successful campaigns yet. “The rules were simple.

Take a picture with the TEDx structure, tag us on Twitter [and] Instagram and follow both those platforms. It was an easy way to get Ryerson students excited on a Monday with the incentive of winning a $50 gift card to the Toronto Eaton Centre,” said Alexander Wong, social media manager at TEDxRU. “Since launching our Instagram account only in August 2013 we wanted to utilize this campaign to make our audience be more aware of the new social media platform,” Wong said.

This was also a chance for the marketing

Four block contain each letter of TEDx was crafted by TEDxRU’s production committee.

“It is something I am very proud of. It really captures the essence of TEDx. It shows our teamwork. The structure was built entirely by the production committee [at TEDxRU], and then was passed on to the marketing committee to spread the word and promote (TEDxRU),” Naeem said.

The blocks were located on Gould St., Ryerson’s busiest street on campus. “It gave us a physical presence on campus” Shaheen said.

committee to hand out “save the date” invitations promoting this year’s conference.

“Seeing the various tweets and posts on Instagram from the campaign truly showed the importance of social media as we were able to see real-time feedback from our audiences,” Wong said.

Although the creation of the magazine may not be considered as a marketing campaign, it is definitely an effort put forth by the marketing committee to promote and to continue to gain exposure. When Shaheen was asked what she would add or change to this year’s marketing strategy, she replied: “In the past, I found that a lot of the information and content surrounding TEDxRU was very disposable. The information would serve its purpose for the one year and after the conference it would evaporate. So I wanted to create information and the content that is archival, so it can have a legacy beyond its specific year,” Shaheen said.

The marketing committee will, without a doubt, continue to deliver successful marketing campaigns to promote TEDxRU on campus, and influence the Ryerson community with the TED spirit of sharing great ideas.

Ideas Worth Spreading From: Speakers’ Audition Event THESE RAW IDEAS MAY BEEN CUT FROM THE CONFERENCE, BUT THEY ARE STILL WORTH SPREADING. WRITTEN BY: BETHANY VAN LINGEN There are many ideas that never make it to the TEDxRyersonU stage. Twentyeight students applied to speak at the 2013 conference and nine performed on September 19 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Image Arts Commons. The winners were Ayyyna Budaeva and Michelle J. Kwan.

But the raw speeches from the Ryerson community performed only in September are still ideas worth spreading. Here are four highlights from the speakers audition event.

Saad Rahman

gave a moving speech about his experiences coming out of depression. Rahman is a fourth year commerce student.

“What if I told you that where you are today, doesn’t have to be where you are tomorrow?

“The Saad that all my friends know is a very happy person. But in high school, I was in a very dark place. I had depression. I’ve never told anyone at this school about it until today.

“Art always helped me resurface. I used to draw monsters and Pokémon. After high school, every time I drew, it reminded me of the past. I would open up a book, take out a pencil and say, ‘Nope, you’re very bad now, so let’s close that book. You should be learning business things now.’

“As I lay awake in bed one night, I realized if I didn’t draw then, I would never draw again and I could go back to where I was before.

So, I mustered up everything I had and I started drawing. I felt like I’d come alive again.

“Along with the things I have to do every day, I am now taking a little time each day to draw.”

Rahman ended his nine-minute speech to thunderous applause and many supportive tweets.

Kiran Singh,

a second year business management student, gave a talk on purpose that was suspenseful and meaningful.

“Eighteen years ago on a dusty road, two cars collide at an intersection. Nine people die. A one-year-old girl in the trunk, buried in suitcases, is not injured. The ambulance takes the nine away. But no one comes back for the girl.

“A little while later, a car comes driving down that same road and stops. ‘Look, honey, there’s a baby girl right there!’ They take her home and take care of her for three days.

“Well, that girl is me.

“Why did I deserve to live? I have no answer.

Every waking moment, every decision I make rests on that.

“I was sending resumes this summer and spending so much time on LinkedIn I forgot how to use Facebook. Instead of finding out what my purpose was, I found out something else. Purpose isn’t something to be pursued. Purpose is something to be lived.”

Ridzik Samsulhadi,

a second year social work student, spoke on generosity.

“I distributed water bottles with the Red Cross in parks around the city on hot days this summer. The bottles are for the homeless people and for passersby.

“There was one man who came by while I was distributing water at Allan Gardens. He stopped and asked me, ‘Is this free?’ “ ‘Yes, it’s free for everyone.’

“I don’t know why, but he took out five dollars and gave it to me. I tried to give the money back but he insisted. And the man said, ‘Thank you’ to me. I thought he meant

for the water.

“He said, ‘No, I mean, thank you for not rejecting the money.’

“I was speechless, not because he had paid five dollars for a water. I realized that day when you give something away, you’ve been given a gift: an unforgettable moment and a little bit of love.”

Patrick Richard Garcia,

a fifth year public health student, explained his initiative of two years Legacies of a Smile. Garcia sends motivational text messages to share his positivity with his peers. “Each and every one of us can lead that kind of initiative,” he says.

In a spoken word poem, he asked the students gathered: “What is your legacy?

“We all, in some way, shape or form create legacies.

“You can develop your own legacy “By using your own imagination and creation.

“I want you all to feel empowered “Because you all have something to share “That will help everyone here feel enriched.

“It will take courage to accept it and lead by example.

“Together, we have our legacies for the same purpose “To make the world a better place to the best of our abilities.”

Although these students will not be speaking at the conference, their legacy is still felt at Ryerson and their ideas continue to spread.

letter

Dear readers, Hey there. I’m a second year journalism student on her way to completing four years of university. Strange right? I came to my current program after doing two years of science at Western University. And while I’m sometimes wary of my age, I’m quite glad to have a specialization.

When I first heard of the TEDx magazine, it was like a dream come true. Within seconds I had the entire magazine in my head-articles on the TEDxRyersonU team, science and technology, people and society and a little bit of fun in between. While the process of making my vision come to life wasn’t always smooth, I’m satisfied with the final product. After all, my ideas built this magazine.

Also, the journey has taught me a great deal. While we don’t always get what we want done, it’s important to recognize what you’ve accomplished. Appreciate the work and respect it for the time and effort you put into it. No matter what people say, you are the last judge on everything you do. So don’t be too harsh on yourself. Be a good critic. Use the experience as a stepping stone for something bigger and better.

Maybe you’ll see me as a TED speaker in a few years or your next door neighbour. Who knows? For now, I’m chasing my dreams with hopes of never slowing down. Good luck on your journey!

Akemi Liyagne

TEDxRyersonU digital content manager

from the editors

Dear readers, The most helpful advice I've been given is to go out and live a great story.

This advice came from the staff team of my first volunteer trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh. This advice impacted my six-week trip and encouraged me to learn so much from it. When I returned home, this same advice encouraged me to make the most of my undergraduate experience at Ryerson and it’s advice I still follow now that I am in my final year of journalism school. In creating this magazine, I both helped to shape great stories and lived one myself.

When I was first asked to take on the magazine, during the interview for my position in a small breakout room in the Ted Rogers School, I was incredibly excited and so, the planning and creating began. We encompassed the TedXRyersonU brand in print and built a magazine from scratch. Now, three months later, I can tell you it was stressful, but also exhilarating. I got the opportunity to work with incredibly gifted students who gave their time to graphic design, story writing, photography, finance, social media, marketing and much more.

The magazine started out as a way to replace the conference program, but it’s grown to be so much more than that.

These are our stories, from our team, from our speakers and from idea makers that are changing our world. We hope the TEDxRyersonU magazine and conference provide inspiration for you and bring you into a supportive community of thinkers and doers that will help you make the most of your experience at Ryerson. We’re so proud to have readers and delegates who are innovators in their studies and fields, who make a difference before and after graduation.

Thank you so much for spending some of your time reading and enjoying our magazine! As you leave this year’s conference, we hope you will take this magazine with you—leave it on your coffee table, flip through it when you need a break, lend the magazine out and talk about the stories you read with the people you care about. These stories were made to be shared.

Bethany Van Lingen

TEDxRyersonU digital content manager