TEDx Fountainbridge 2025 Programme by St George's School, Edinburgh

Voices Change of

Friday 21 March 2025 1.30pm - 5pm

Boroughmuir High School, Edinburgh

What is

The mission of TEDx: Spread ideas, foster community and create impact

TEDx is a grassroots initiative, created in the spirit of TED’s overall mission to research and discover “ideas worth spreading”. TEDx brings the spirit of TED to local communities around the globe through TEDx events. These events are organised by passionate individuals who seek to uncover new ideas and to share the latest research in their local areas that spark conversations in their communities.

TEDx events include live speakers and recorded TED Talks that are organised independently under a free licence granted by TED. These events are not controlled by TED, but event organisers agree to abide by the TED format, and are offered guidelines for curation, speaker coaching, event organising and more. The contributors learn from TED and from each other. More than 3,000 events are now held annually.

Voices of Change

Time Event

13:15 Guests arrive, take seats

Person/ speaker Info

13:30 Welcome Kate Fraser Headteacher

13:40 Introduction & TEDx Intro Video

13:45 Title: Thinking your way through Life’s Plot Twists Dr Clara Doran GP & Author

14:05 Title: Changing the change Sophie Gordon Student

14:15

14:25

Title: How to be hopeful in the face of climate change Rosie Zisman Student

Title: Ghosts of the Mountains- Snow Leopard Conservation in a Changing World Rose Henderson Student

14:35 Break – 15 minutes

14:50

15:00

Title: The importance of active feminism Emily Mann Student

Title: Seeing into the future: is a bionic eye possible? Prof Ione Fine Professor of Psychology

15:20 Title: The impact of technology on reading Thalia Parker Student

15:30 Break – 30 minutes

16:00

Title: Rebuilding more than cities: Architecture as a tool for Resilience and Identity Yaroslava Spodin Student

16:10 Title: Whose Voice? What Change? Dr Steven Martz Teaching Fellow

16:30 Thank you- end of Talks

17:00 Opportunity to network

DR CLARA DORAN

GP and Author

Thinking your way through Life’s Plot Twists

Clara’s talk is about how we can use our noggins to navigate life’s unexpected moments and steer ourselves through the changes we don’t choose.

Dr Clara Doran, a St George’s alumna, cares about your brain. After graduating from Newcastle University in 2002 aged 22, she started work as a medical doctor in the North East of England before returning to Edinburgh. Specialising in General Practice, she worked in both NHS and Private Practice for 20 years. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2013 and following this, she has become passionate about brain health and understanding more about how we can live longer, happier lives. After studying Functional Medicine with the US based Institute of Functional Medicine and Sleep Medicine from Edinburgh University, she founded Noggin The Brain People.

A keen writer since childhood, her self-narrated memoir “Doctor, Interrupted- from Doctor to Patient and Back Again” was published by WF Howes in October 2024. Clara’s second book “Heads Up-How to look after your brain so it will look after you”, will be published in the UK and US in May by Quarto Publishing.

PROF IONE FINE Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Washington

Seeing into the future: is a bionic eye possible?

Ione Fine is a St George’s alumna and a Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle. Her research examines perceptual learning and brain plasticity with an emphasis on the effects of blindness and building better sight recovery technologies – ‘bionic eyes’. Her current research focusses on building computational ‘virtual patients’ to help us predict whether or not a sight-recovery technology is likely to provide useful vision to patient.

SOPHIE GORDON Student (Boroughmuir High School)

Changing the change

Sophie Gordon is School Captain of Boroughmuir High School where she is currently studying Advanced Higher English, Modern Studies, Biology and the Science Baccalaureate. Sophie is a member of the school hockey and netball team, orchestra and Ceilidh band, playing the violin. Out with school Sophie is Captain of her netball club performance team and Scottish Cup team. Sophie is pursuing a career in law.

ROSE HENDERSON Student (St George’s School)

Ghosts of the MountainsSnow Leopard Conservation in a Changing World

Rose is a curious and passionate student who is deeply interested in the interplay between culture and conservation, and how this relationship evolves in modern times. Her talk will explore the challenges facing snow leopard conservation and delve into the intricate balance between local communities and wildlife in the Himalayas, highlighting the complex interplay between cultural traditions and modern environmental pressures and the critical role that local communities play in shaping the future of these elusive creatures.

EMILY MANN

Student (George Heriot’s School)

The importance of active feminism

Emily is a S4 pupil in Edinburgh. She is a member of her school’s feminist society and her speech will be about the importance of becoming an active feminist. She hopes that her audience will walk away inspired by the potential of feminism and how we can all help create a better and more equal future.

DR STEVEN MARTZ

Teaching Fellow, University of Edinburgh

Whose Voice? What Change?

Originally from Canada, Edinburgh has been home for over 20 years. I am a senior consultant to the investment management industry with a focus on risk and governance, and a Teaching Fellow at the University of Edinburgh where I deliver courses in philosophy and the development of the Western intellectual tradition. I hold a PhD in 18th & 19th century German philosophy from the University of Edinburgh. Recent interests have been Aquinas, early Marx, Edmund Burke, the history of risk, and the Spectacular Society.

THALIA PARKER Student (Boroughmuir High School)

The impact of technology on reading

Thalia is a student at Boroughmuir High School and hopes to study English in the future. In her free time, she is an Explorer Scout and has a strong appreciation for the natural world. She enjoys reading and crocheting and works at a local independent bookshop. Additionally, Thalia volunteers as a young leader for younger scouting sections in her community.

YAROSLAVA

SPODIN

Student (Fettes College)

Rebuilding More Than Cities: Architecture as a Tool for Resilience and Identity

Yaroslava enjoys discussing diverse ideas and perspectives, leading her school’s debating club to further develop her skills in articulating and defending complex topics effectively.

Originally from Ukraine, she moved to Edinburgh just before the war, an experience that reshaped her understanding of resilience and change. Witnessing the destruction in her home country deepened her interest in how architecture can restore communities, identity, and hope.

Her talk will examine how cities can emerge from devastation stronger than before, using innovation and design to foster healing and inspiration. She hopes the audience will leave with a new perspective on rebuilding—not just as a means of recovery, but as an opportunity to create a more connected and resilient future.

ROSIE ZISMAN

Student (Boroughmuir High School)

How to be hopeful in the face of climate change

Rosie is one of the vice school captains at Boroughmuir high school and is currently studying advanced higher physics, Graphic communications and higher photography. She is the Goal Keeper of the school’s senior hockey team and has been a committed member of the school’s eco committee for 5 years, and this past year has been helping run it. Rosie’s future plans include taking a year out to travel and study German, before going on to university to study Product Design Engineering.