Since 2011, TedX events have taken place in Bloomington. So far, IU’s Bloomington campus has yet to host such an affair. But that will change at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13 when IU Auditorium hosts TedxIndianaUniversity.
Tedx is an offshoot of the TED program, a non-profit organization based in New York City and Vancouver, B.C. in Canada. Launched in 1984, TED is a global initiative that initially linked technology, entertainment and design (thus the TED acronym), yet today covers almost all topics.
Tedx is local, self-organized version of the same in which video and live speakers spark deeper discussion about the topics at hand. TedXIndianaUniversity is organized by a team of 10 IU Bloomington students led by seniors Ben Brattain and Ari Stoner.
Among the nine speakers currently scheduled are IU physics professor Ben Brabson, two-time Grammy Award winner Sylvia McNair, Beth Meyerson, an assistant professor of applied health science at IU’s School of Public Health and co-director of the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention and Ceasar McDowell, professor of the practice of community development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The event’s theme is “Eyes on the Stars, Feet on the Ground: Ideas Worth Spreading.” Tickets are available at the IU Auditorium box office $25 to $30 for students and $35 to $40 for faculty, staff and the public.