TORONTO, March 8, 2012 - York University will celebrate great ideas on Saturday at the second annual TEDxYorkU event.
TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conferences began in 1984 in Silicon Valley as a way for tech employees to share their ideas and innovations. TEDxYorkU, which is organized independently of TED, will include talks by 11 members of the York community. They will speak about topics ranging from the the impact of emerging technology on education as will know it to the literal impact of concussions on athletes.
Featured speakers include:
Mamdouh Shoukri, York University president and vice-chancellor – "Forty years later I traded a briefcase for a backpack...and I loved it.”
After forty years, President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri revisited his time as a student thanks to York's inaugural President for a Day contest. The contest saw him swap roles with a student for a full day, in what could be a first for a Canadian university. In this address, he will talk about the contest, his experiences, and what he learned from the day. (10:10am – 10:22am)
Patrick Monahan, York University vice-president academic and provost - “The 21st Century Revolution in Higher Education”.
Provost Monahan will explain the transformation already underway in higher education worldwide, driven by technological advances that will enable – and also require – universities to respond to the learning needs of their students in new and different ways. The university in 2025 will be a very different place from what it is today. This transformation will mean more and better educational alternatives, better learning outcomes, and at a lower cost to students themselves. He will also explain how York University aspires to be a university for and of the 21st century. (11:43am-11:55pm)
Mike Layton, Toronto city councillor (Trinity-Spadina), a graduate of York’s masters in environmental studies – “Free Energy Retrofits”
Layton proposes that to combat climate change we must take action globally, nationally, locally and in our very homes. He focuses on the latter, outlining a number of things that people can do in their own homes to conserve energy and offset their effects on climate change, focusing on the support and use of municipal legislation. (2:26pm – 2:38pm)
Barbara Crow, professor of communications and culture and associate dean, research, in York’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies – "Canadians at the Cross-Roads"
Through her research on the impact of mobile technology on seniors, Crow explains the importance of bridging the gap between youth and seniors, as it relates to mobile technology usage. (10:49am-11:01am)
The event will also include presentations by a number of other speakers, including:
Lauren Sergio, York University professor, Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Science – "Impact Matters. Literally."
Using her research on the impact of concussions in athletes, Sergio explains that we need to rethink how we know when it’s safe for them to return to play.
Megan Bertasson, Whitebear Woman, York student – "Acimowin - to tell a story" Using Cree Storytelling, Bertasson shows the power of stories as agents of resistence, cultural propegation, and impact. She leaves the audience with the powerful story of Helen Betty, a Cree women brutally assulted and murdered in Manitoba, asking them to digest, interpret, and apply the story in their own way.
Samantha Yamada, York student – "Measuring Impact"
Using the example of Pine River, a centre for youth dealing with mental health and addiction of which she is a co-founder, Yamada is arguing for the importance of program and self-evaluation in being able to make an impact. She highlights the courage required to acknowledge and overcome failure, and to learn and grow from it. Evaluation may not be the flashiest form of research, but it is essential to making an impact and difference.
Alastair Woods, York Student - "In Praise of Trouble Makers"
Woods gives a call to action, praising trouble makers − those who stand up and make their voices heard, pushing governments to be more accountable, and finding ways to operate both within and outside of the existing (imperfect) political system.
Brian Crosby, Alumnus, comedy writer "All Your Ideas Are Bad, A letter to myself"
Presented as a letter to his younger self (and to all of the audience), Crosby is sharing the idea that impact is not something that happens, but a process. Using examples of "bad ideas" he has come up with throughout his career as a comedy writer, he demonstrates that "failure" is not an end point, but a natural and necessary part of finding success with your passions, and of being able to make an impact.
Jeremy Laurin, president and CEO, ventureLAB – "Impact - My life as an entrepreneur" Using experiences from his own life, Jeremy talks about the impact and influence of his family on his journey to becoming an entrepreneur. (10:25am – 10:37am)
WHAT: TEDxYorkU
WHEN: Saturday, March 9, 2012, TIME 9:30 AM – 3 PM
WHERE: Theatre Glendon, on the Glendon campus of York University
MAP: Building 6 on map, http://www.yorku.ca/yorkweb/maps/glendon.htm.
WEBSITE: http://tedxyorku.ca/
LIVE WEBCAST: http://www.livestream.com/tedx
Media Contact:
Ross McMillan, Office of the Vice-President Students, York University, 416 736 2100 x70720, rossm@yorku.ca, cell 416 797 6165 (on site)
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22101, wallsj@yorku.ca.
NOTE: Due to the nature of the event, media and members of the public will not be allowed to take photos or videotape the event.
Media may attend and interview presenters following.
Journalists are asked to respect the difference between the TED and TEDx brands by referring to this event as a TEDxYorkU event.
For more information on TEDx, visit http://www.ted.com/tedx.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.
About York University
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 55,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 240,000 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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