Aligning with the speaker series’ model, TEDx will be coming to IU this fall in order to present “ideas worth spreading.” At 7 p.m. Nov. 13, students, faculty and community members alike will have the opportunity to hear ideas from the different perspectives of eight speakers.
The goal of the program is to help communities, organizations and individuals spark conversation and connection through opening peoples’ eyes to seeing different perspectives, said IU junior and director of finance Dmitry Simakov.
This event is the first TEDx event at IU and will hopefully lead to a recurring annual event following the initial startup, according to a TEDx release.
The TEDxIndianaUniversity officers obtained licensing from TED as well as IU and have garnered support from a variety of schools and departments.
At TEDxIndianaUniversity, innovative thinkers from both the University as well as the greater community will discuss their approaches to some of humanity’s fundamental concerns. TEDxIndianaUniversity seeks to enrich the college experience outside the classroom with inspiring talks and performances showcasing talent within the University and beyond, according to the release.
“This summer when we decided on a theme, it involved reaching out to a lot of people that could be both interesting and innovative,” Simakov said.
The theme of the event is “Feet on the ground, eyes on the stars.” This looks into a variety of day-to-day issues including how emerging technology, disease and social movements have fundamentally changed the landscape of humanity in the modern era, what these changes mean and how people evolve to accommodate change to make this world a better place for future generations.
Threatening the fabric of society, global epidemics tend to make the whole world stand together in solidarity. The event is intended to encourage people to step back and take a moment to contemplate how they will face the challenges that lie ahead and how they will learn from the past, according to the release.
The speaker lineup consists of eight people relating to the “Feet on the ground, eyes on the stars” theme. The speakers include Emily Calandrelli, Ben Brabson, Alyssa Monks, Sylvia McNair, Beth Meyerson, Ceasar McDowell, Steve Fleischli and Adrian Matejka. Most speakers have a connection to IU in some way.
The event is revolved around the quote by late President Theodore Roosevelt saying “Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground ... The salvation of our whole social system depends upon the production year by year of a sufficient number of citizens who possess high ideals combined with the practical power to realize them in actual life.”
TEDxIndianaUniversity 2015 seeks to present the community a lens with which to analyze the challenges that lie ahead. The talks will look out to space with curiosity and hope, and through inspiring talks and performances, it will look closer at the individual participants and the earth they live on for answers, according to the release.
“This event will better the community, bringing a huge impact with external speakers,” Simakov said. “I have never seen an event that can bring together faculty, staff, students and other community members in Bloomington. They can all watch something that is new and innovative.”
