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The 2026 TEDxMSU Conference
Our 13th annual conference will take place on Sunday, March 22, 2026 at the Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre. Doors open at 12 PM. This year’s theme, Sonder, explores the realization that every person carries a world as vivid and complex as your own. Join us for an afternoon of live talks, performances and ideas that invite us to look beyond ourselves and see the stories unfolding all around us.
Free RSVP required.
The theme
At Michigan State University, we are surrounded by thousands of lives moving alongside our own. Sonder reminds us that each of those lives holds meaning and depth. It is an invitation to build a more thoughtful and connected community.Through stories rooted in personal experience, research, art, and innovation, this year’s conference highlights the power of recognizing shared humanity. When we acknowledge the complexity in one another, we create space for deeper conversations and stronger connections.
Meet The Speakers
Through lived experience and bold ideas, our speakers remind us that every perspective holds a universe.
Nthanda Manduwi
Systems entrepreneur & global strategist
“World 2.0: What Works? In What Context? Under What Circumstances? And… Why?” is a bold reexamination of empire, digital power and the redesign of human systems.
Alissa Hakim
Activist & future legal advocate
“Between Bombs and Guns: Our Histories, Our Communities, and Ourselves” reflects on systemic disparity and collective memory, confronting how violence and policy shape identity.
Cameron Forton
Microbiome researcher & MSU alum
“Not Just A Gut Feeling” explores the human microbiome as a powerful yet overlooked force, revealing how the gut-brain connection reshapes our understanding of behavior and mental health.
Angel Henry
Workplace culture strategist
“The Courage to Cut: Breaking Free From Dysfunctional Relationships” challenges systems that keep people silent and unseen, urging accountable leadership.
Kyla Wright
Journalist & media identity scholar
“Crowns We Didn’t Choose: How We’re Read Before We Speak” explores how appearance functions as a powerful communication system in a visual-first world.
Corean Canty
Executive leader & storyteller
“Who Are You Without Your Stories?” examines how outsourcing memory reshapes identity and connection in a digital world, and what we lose when our stories live outside of us.
Karen Holt
Criminologist & justice researcher
“The Stories We Tell About Sexual Violence” examines the narratives that distort reality and allow harmful myths to persist, urging a more honest reckoning rooted in humanity and justice.
Christopher Wrede
Experimental nuclear astrophysicist
“How Did the Densest Stars Make Our Fluffy World?” connects neutron stars to the cosmic origins of matter, revealing how the universe’s most extreme forces shape the world we inhabit.
Cheryl Murphy
Environmental health scientist
“The Pathways We Don’t See” reveals how small, often invisible interactions shape large-scale biological and societal outcomes, reframing how we think about responsibility and connection.
