NSU’s Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences will host the third annual TEDxNSU event, a day of lectures, videos, photo exhibitions, music and discussions, on March 29 from noon to 5 p.m. in the Performance Theatre of the Don Taft University Center.
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to sharing world-changing ideas derived from the areas of Technology, Entertainment and Design. TED hosts an annual conference where the world’s leading thinkers and doers speak for up to 18 minutes each on various issues such as sustainability, what it takes to be a great leader, architectural innovations and overcoming fears.
TEDx is an independently organized TED event, sponsored by groups across the country, in which TEDTalk videos are shown and speakers present on topics that aim to spark deep discussions and connections in small groups.
The theme of this year’s TEDxNSU is “Game Changers,” which explores some of the world’s most significant moments, ideas and experiences.
Co-curator of TEDxNSU Leanne Boucher, assistant professor in Farquhar, said, “It’s really important to think outside of the classroom, and one way we can do that is by bringing TEDx speakers to campus to talk about what they think is their game-changing moment.”
A tailgate and reception will be held from noon to 1 p.m. before the presentations. Attendees will have the opportunity to eat, look at art created by the NSU community and listen to live music.
The first half of the presentations will run from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and the second half will run from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Attendees will have light refreshments and listen to live music during the intermission.
Topics covered in this year’s presentations will include how people generally perceive parasites, the little moments that lead to successful events, recognizing personal habits, nonverbal communication, the environment and breast cancer prevention, personal experiences, evolution, free will and the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
Boucher thinks participants will enjoy the variety of topics.
“I think it’s important for a student who gets an education to hear about these different kinds of topics from different viewpoints,” she said.
There will be a reception following the second half of the presentations until 5 p.m. where attendees can have coffee and dessert while they meet with the speakers and other attendees.
Boucher brought TEDx to NSU three years ago and she said that although they are only allowed to have 100 attendees because of TEDx’s guidelines, the waiting list has continuously grown over the years.
To attend the event, students had to fill out an application and selections were based on the their answers.
Speakers must be affiliated with NSU and were selected through an application process that began in the fall. Applicants proposed a presentation idea to a committee and were selected based on the quality of their talk and how well it fits the year’s theme.
“We would love to have more student speakers and people who are interested in bringing the event to campus,” Boucher said.
For more information, send an email to TEDxNSU@nova.edu. To see the full list of presentations and learn more about the speakers, visit fcas.nova.edu/arts/tedxnsu/schedule.cfm.
