TORONTO, November 3, 2010 – York University will host a TEDxYorkU event at Glendon College on Saturday, Nov. 6. Based on the popular TED Conference, TEDxYorkU invites speakers to share their important visions for the future and involves audience participants in sharing ideas, addressing new perspectives and spreading inspiration.
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to the concept of "ideas worth spreading." Begun as a conference in California 25 years ago to bring together the worlds of technology, entertainment and design, the annual TED Conference invites leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. Past TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Richard Branson, Isabel Allende and Gordon Brown, among many other luminaries.
In the spirit of "ideas worth spreading," TED has created TEDx, a program of local, self-organized events. At TEDxYorkU, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including at York University, are self-organized.
TEDxYorkU will explore the theme of "Ctrl-Alt-Delete," the ubiquitous computer command also known as the “three finger salute.” Speakers and participants will be asked to “reboot” their way of thinking as the event aims to explore how starting over is often the best way to discover something new. Dynamic presentations will be made by academic, business, political and community leaders, all connected to York University, who have all worked to create change and make the world a better place. TEDxYorkU is supported by York University Alumni, Student Community & Leadership Development, the Division of the Vice-President Research & Innovation and Glendon.
York alumnus Nick Czernkovich (BSc ‘03), CBC Television’s on-air weather expert, will host the following speakers at TEDxYorkU:
Paul Alofs (MBA '83) is former president of HMV Music and BMG Music. In 1999, he became president of Strategic Business Units of MP3.com and helped lead the company through one of the largest initial public offerings in Internet history. After leaving MP3.com, Alofs had a “life-altering experience” while taking care of his mother, who passed away from breast cancer in 2002, and he became a key leader in the Canadian nonprofit sector. He is currently the president and CEO of The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, and recently served as the Board Chair of Covenant House. As a York alumnus, Alofs won the 2007 Redefine the Possible Bryden Award.
Stephen Gaetz is associate dean, research and professional development, in York’s Faculty of Education and director of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network and the Homeless Hub, a clearinghouse for research on homelessness. The Homeless Hub’s mission is to mobilize homelessness research to have greater impact on policy, planning and service provision, thereby contributing to solutions to homelessness in Canada. Gaetz came to York after working in the homelessness sector and for the City of Toronto. He is committed to research that emphasizes social justice and is relevant to policy and program development: his interests include homelessness, youth culture, criminal victimization and community development.
York alumnus Dalton Higgins (BA '95) is a music programmer, pop culture critic, author, broadcaster and journalist. He is also Canada’s foremost expert on hip hop culture. His latest book is Hip Hop World, published by Groundwood Books/House of Anansi. As a print journalist, Higgins is a Canadian National Magazine Award recipient, and his articles have appeared in print and online mediums in the United States and Canada. Higgins has hosted his own TV show, and has appeared on numerous Canadian television programs. His fourth book Fatherhood 4.0: iDad Applications Across Cultures spots trends across a newer generation of digital dads influenced by everything from George Lopez and Bill Cosby to the Osbournes and Barack Obama.
Helen Papagiannis is an artist, designer and researcher specializing in augmented reality (AR). Hailed as being among the top 10 forces currently shaping the AR industry, Papagiannis has been working with AR since 2005, exploring the creative possibilities and theoretical implications for this emerging technology. Recently, Papagiannis’ interactive artworks were featured in an exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre (see YFile, May 28). She is presently completing her doctorate in communication and culture at York University and is a senior research associate at the Augmented Reality Lab in York's Department of Film in the Faculty of Fine Arts. Prior to her graduate studies, Papagiannis was a member of the Bruce Mau Design studio, where she was project lead on Massive Change: The Future of Global Design.
Poonam Puri is one of Canada’s most respected scholars and commentators on issues of corporate law, securities law, corporate governance, and corporate and white-collar crime. Appointed to York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School in 1997 at the age of 25, and a 2005 recipient of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 award, Puri is a prolific scholar who was appointed as one of two research directors of the Canadian Ministry of Finance’s Expert Panel on Securities Regulation, which is seeking input on implementing a model Common Securities Act for Canada. Most recently, Puri received the Walter L. Gordon Research Fellowship for 2010-2011 (see YFile, May 6).
Wolfgang Stuerzlinger is a leading researcher in three-dimensional user interfaces and virtual reality and an associate professor at York University. Programming computers since the age of 14, Stuerzlinger is a member of the interdisciplinary Centre for Vision Research at York University, where he researches human-computer interaction and computer-supported collaborative work to find solutions for real-world problems. Current projects include: better user interfaces for two-dimensional and three-dimensional design applications, meeting room environments that actively support collaboration, user interface techniques that are based on human perception principles, new virtual reality hardware and software, and a novel kind of display system that can display very vivid images.
For more information, visit TEDxYorkU.
About TEDxYorkU: In the spirit of "ideas worth spreading," TED has created TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxYorkU, where x = independently organized TED event. At TEDxYorkU, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including at York University, are self-organized.
About TED: TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place in Long Beach, California, with simulcast in Palm Springs; TEDGlobal is held each year in Oxford, UK. TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TEDFellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. Follow TED on Twitter at twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at facebook.com/TED. TED2011, "The Rediscovery of Wonder," will be held February 28-March 4, 2011, in Long Beach, California, with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs, California.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 200,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 Faculties and 28 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
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Media Contact:
Keith Marnoch, York University Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22091, marnoch@yorku.ca
