Presentations

How to Be a Differentist
Most 18 year old college sophomores are thinking about final exams, summer vacation, and dorm room shenanigans. But before 18-year-old Ann Makosinski ever stepped into a college classroom, she had won the Google Science Fair, garnered awards at the Intel Science and Engineering Fair, was featured in TIME Magazine, and appeared on the Tonight Show — twice. Instead of couching herself in the typical definitions of “entrepreneur” or “inventor,” Ann has coined a term for herself: “differentist.”

In today’s celebrated and well-documented innovation economy championed by Silicon Valley wunderkinds like Mark Zuckerberg, we have a tendency to think that the best new ideas are exclusively coming out of Bay Area, or the offices of Apple, Uber, or other tech giants. But sometimes, world-changing ideas come out of a home basement in the suburbs. Join Ann as she explains what it’s like to be a differentist in a world that’s constantly redesigning and reimagining itself, and charting new courses.

Inventing the Future
Following her big win at Google Science Fair, Ann was named to Time magazine’s 30 under 30 and went on to receive four major awards at the 2014 Intel Science and Engineering Fair and speak at four TEDx events. She brought her hollow flashlight to the Tonight Show in 2014, and was invited back this fall to unveil her new eDrink invention, a travel mug that harvests excess heat from hot drinks and converts it into electricity to give your mobile phone’s battery a boost. Ann’s philosophy is ‘The only way to find out is to build it.’ In this presentation, she shares the benefits of pursuing curiosity. About how dreaming about something, and asking, ‘Is this possible?’ can change the world.

Why I Don’t Use a Smart Phone
Imagine all the things you can do…off of your phone. Parents be warned. Ann is urging people to ditch their devices and do something else instead with their time. By detaching from smartphones, Ann shares how it has helped her think creatively, made her more sociable, and most importantly, made her the Inventor she is today.