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PERFORMER ANNOUNCEMENT | ISAAC FRIEND: Based in Richmond, Virginia, Isaac Friend is a songwriter whose music is rooted in folk, rock and Americana. His cinematic sound surrounds the vivid imagery of his lyrics carried by a gripping voice and infectious melodies. Isaac has quickly gained a fan base from his performances on RadioWV as well as from his social media presence. His first single, ‘Arrival’ was released in the Fall of 2024, followed by an acoustic release titled ‘Slow Moments’, reflecting on the burden of self doubt and addiction. In July of 2025, he released a love song called ‘Olivia’ to the acclaim of fans and new listeners alike. His long anticipated debut acoustic EP will be released in the Fall of 2025.

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW! You don’t want to miss the chance to see a LIVE TEDx event right here in your own community. And did we mention that tickets are free?! See you on Saturday, November 8 at 5:00pm.

PERFORMER ANNOUNCEMENT | ERIN LUNSFORD: Erin Lunsford is an award-winning singer/songwriter from Fincastle, VA, now based in Richmond, VA. Her Americana/Folk/Pop compositions include self-styled guitar, banjo, and keyboard melodies. She’s an accomplished writer - just last year, she was a semi-finalist in the Songwriters Guild of America Country Song Contest for her song “Rhinestones.” And she’s a titan of voice - her vocals have been described as soulful, expressive, and downright heavenly. Her effortless versatility has been compared to Chris Stapleton, YEBBA, and Susan Tedeschi.

SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT | JONATHAN RICHARDSON: Jonathan Richardson is a biologist whose research is focused on urban ecology, mostly solving the mysteries of rats these days. He uses tools from ecology, genetics, and epidemiology to (1) identify the urban environmental factors that support rats, (2) estimate how fast rat numbers are increasing in cities around the world, (3) measure rates of zoonotic disease infection in rats and risk to people, and (4) understand how rats are impacted by lethal control efforts. Jonathan works in and with cities around the world, including New York, Helsinki, Tokyo, Chicago, New Orleans, and Richmond.

SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT | AARYA KARMARKAR: Aarya Karmarkar is a sophomore at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, with interests in health, neuroscience, and sleeping. Some of Aarya’s previous works have included addressing issues of youth and public health as a speaker for a national Youth-Nex Conference at UVA, a former leader and advisor for the VDH Youth Advisory Council, and a writer published in the Pulitzer Center. Aarya enjoys researching topics such as neurodegenerative diseases and expanding scientific research. She is also part of clubs such as the newspaper and Model UN, hoping to combine communication with youth advocacy, and in her free time, enjoys doing speech and debate, running, and playing badminton.

SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT | KELLY LAMBERT: Dr. Kelly Lambert is the Trawick Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Richmond, where she investigates experience-based neuroplasticity and teaches multiple neuroscience courses. She has approximately 85 scholarly publications and has written two neuroscience textbooks and three mainstream
books including Lifting Depression, The Lab Rat Chronicles, and Well-Grounded. She is currently writing Wild Brains: Translating Adaptive Mental Health Strategies from the Bush to the Bedside.

Lambert was awarded the 2008 Virginia Professor of the Year award, the 2018 Career Achievement Award given by the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society, and the 2024 Science Educator Award (by the Society for Neuroscience). During the 2024-25 academic year, she visited campuses across the USA as a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar. Her research targeting connections between physical effort and emotional resilience has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and her rat-driving research has been
featured in over 1500 news stories across the world, including the Netflix series The Hidden Lives of Pets and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Rat City.

SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT | WILLIAM SONG: Dr. Song received his PhD in Medical Biophysics from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, in 2006, and completed CAMPEP-accredited medical physics residency training at the University of Florida in 2008. He joined Virginia Commonwealth University in 2017 as the Director of Medical Physics Graduate Program and a Therapeutic Medical Physicist for the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Richmond, VA. His research interests include medical devices, artificial intelligence, image guided therapeutics, and education.