Timothy James Scarlett is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at Michigan Technological University. He directs the Industrial Heritage and Archaeology Graduate Degree programs at Michigan Tech where he facilitates collaboration between heritage organizations, stakeholder groups, government agencies, researchers from many academic fields, and pre-professional students. Michigan Tech's faculty created a unique course of study offering students hands-on, experiential opportunities to learn about the origins and evolution of industrial communities in the world, the social construction of complex technological systems, and the environmental and social legacies of industrial wealth production.
Dr. Scarlett earned his M.S. in Archaeology from Boston University and his Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno. In his personal research, he uses a broad range of multidisciplinary tools to examine how artisans and laborers creatively solved problems in their work, from difficult technical problems to equally complex social challenges. Tim is an intensely collaborative researcher and has published on topics ranging from the nano-scale chemical behavior of water among the crystalline minerals in clay to the significance of religious metaphors in the technological decisions and economic interactions of people in the past.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)