Originally from San Francisco, Basil is a third generation puppeteer who lives and works in New York City, and is the sole American graduate of the Ecole Superieure Nationale des Arts de la Marionnette in France. Original creations include The Araneidae Show, Symphonie Fantastique, Petrushka, Master Peter’s Puppet Show, Dogugaeshi, and La Bella Dormente nel Bosco.
Atul Butte, M.D., Ph.D. is Chief of the Division of Systems Medicine and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, and by courtesy, Computer Science, at Stanford University and Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital.
In his day job, Ed Gavagan is the owner of PraxisNYC, a design/build firm practicing across a broad spectrum but specializing in boutique residences. Ed creates homes and furniture for fancy people and humble folk the world over. His work on four continents has been featured in newspapers, magazines, books and even the Internet.
Edward Osborne Wilson is generally recognized as one of the leading biologists in the world. He is also recognized as one of the foremost naturalists in both science and literature, as well as synthesizer in works stretching from pure biology to the social sciences and humanities. Wilson is acknowledged as the creator of two scientific disciplines (island biogeography and sociobiology), three unifying concepts for science and the humanities jointly (biophilia, biodiversity studies, and consilience), and one major technological advance in the study of global biodiversity (the Encyclopedia of Life).
Scientist, academic, hospital and global healthcare company executive, Michael Rosenblatt, M.D., is executive vice president and chief medical officer at Merck. He is the company’s primary external advocate on medical issues and the independent voice of the patient inside Merck.
Nate Ball is an inventor, entrepreneur, athlete, musician, and TV host whose fascination with engineering and experimentation started early. His childhood projects included building kayaks, hovercraft, potato guns, a Tesla coil, and even burning the family kitchen in a rocket fuel experiment gone awry.
Paul Stamets has been a dedicated mycologist for over thirty years. He has published 6 books, several of which are used as the central textbooks by the gourmet and medicinal mushroom industry. Over this time, he has discovered and coauthored numerous new species of mushrooms, has been awarded many patents, and pioneered techniques in the field of edible and medicinal mushroom cultivation.
Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA was the 18th Surgeon General of the United States. As America’s Doctor, she provided the public with the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and the health of the nation.
Rick Smolan is a former Time, Life and National Geographic photographer best known as the co-creator of the “Day in the Life” and “America 24/7” series. His company Against All Odds Productions, specializes in the design and execution of large-scale global projects that combine compelling storytelling with state-of-the-art technology.
RemoteKontrol has performed during half-time shows for NBA basketball games, been featured in several television shows as well as music videos, and has performed at huge church events.