Susan notes: Thanks to TED for making TED Talks downloadable and embeddable, and for providing the biographical information that goes along with them.

A neuropsychologist by training, Elizabeth received her doctorate in psychology from The George Washington University in 2001.

She conducted research on how the brain recognizes social cues at the National Institutes of Health before joining the medical school faculty at Georgetown University where she taught and continued her research.

In 2005, Elizabeth transitioned from research to science policy after receiving a fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science to work on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the U.S. Senate.

Susan notes: Thanks to TED for making TED Talks downloadable and embeddable, and for providing the biographical information that goes along with them.

Eden Full on changemaking and solar panels. An inexpensive approach to optimize solar panels for developing countries.

Susan notes: Thanks to TED for making TED Talks downloadable and embeddable, and for providing the biographical information that goes along with them.

After graduating from the highly-regarded Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, Yang Jia was promptly instated as a professor within the Foreign Language Department of the College of Humanities.

At the time, Yang was the youngest and the only native Chinese professor within the foreign language department.

Miao Wong is the Managing Director of China's first and only electronic dance music label, Acupuncture Records.

Since its inception, Acupuncture Records has assembled China's best DJs, VJs, producers and party promoters who have originated and helped groom China's flourishing electronic music scene.

Susan notes: Thanks to TED for making TED Talks downloadable and embeddable, and for providing the biographical information that goes along with them.

Temple Grandin, diagnosed with autism as a child, talks about how her mind works -- sharing her ability to "think in pictures," which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss.

She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids.

An expert on animal behavior, Temple Grandin has designed humane handling systems for half the cattle-processing facilities in the US, and consults with the meat industry to develop animal welfare guidelines.

As PETA wrote when awarding her a 2004 Proggy: “Dr. Grandin's improvements to animal-handling systems found in slaughterhouses have decreased the amount of fear and pain that animals experience in their final hours, and she is widely considered the world's leading expert on the welfare of cattle and pigs.”