On Sept. 28, 2013 a TEDx (Technology, Entertainment and Design Independently Organized Event) conference is coming to Plymouth State University. TED is a nonprofit organization with the mission statement “Ideas worth spreading.” The slogan represents “the power of ideas being shared and celebrated,” said graduate assistant and TEDx organizer Roxana Fera.
TEDx conferences celebrate “achievements of humanity and it stands defiant in the face of the current media that presents so much of the negativity,” said Fera.
Previous TED speakers include Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, and Bono. TED’s speakers come up with ” powerful ideas that have the potential to change the world,” stated Fera. Fera later commented that TED speakers “can have a positive impact on the world.”
TED speakers are given a time limit to “capture the power of an idea, the talk should be no shorter than 6 minutes and no longer than 18 minutes,” commented Fera. However, some speakers “come up with powerful ideas that have the potential to change the world and they have been displayed in even less than 6 minutes,” Fera continued.
A TEDx conference at PSU will make the university “one of the pioneers in New England,” said Fera. TEDx conferences have come to “New England, but not many. It seems to be more popular abroad than in the US,” stated Fera.
Fera mentioned the impact a TEDx conference can have on PSU. A TEDx conference will show the “importance of connecting PSU to a global audience,” commented Fera.
One of Fera’s goal is to make PSU and the surrounding community informed about TEDx “there are still many people out there who are still not aware of what TED organization stands for or what TED TALKS are all about,” said Fera.
Fera described the impact a TEDx conference will have on PSU’s future. “I am in awe of the possibilities of the future for this university, also knowing how innovative they are in pursuing global and local collaborative projects.”
Students who want to be involved with the TEDx conference should contact Roxana Fera.