TEDxABQ , a nonprofit organization that brings together New Mexico’s most exciting people to share inspiring ideas, has announced its lineup of speakers for its annual event on Saturday at Popejoy Hall.
According to a TEDxABQ press release, the event, themed “On Your Mark” will highlight 20 homegrown ideas from New Mexico’s scientists, artists, activists, educators, healthcare advocates and community members.
“Created in the spirit of TED’s mission, ‘ideas worth spreading,’ the TEDxABQ program is designed to give New Mexico’s communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level,” according to the statement.
The Albuquerque arm of TED was established in 2010. This will be the third year the event takes place at Popejoy Hall, organizers said.
“We have a lot of great ideas here. It will be a great opportunity to explore those ideas,” said Bill Meador, co-curator of the event.
The organizers have arranged a number of performances throughout the day to keep the event both informative and entertaining, Meador said.
Food trucks will be on campus, and lunch will be included with the admission, he said.
“We also have a number of partners who will be doing audience engagement in the area between the SUB and Popejoy Hall,” he said.
Around 1,500 people attended last year’s event. Meador said he hopes that this year the number of participants will increase.
He said the event is a great opportunity for students to network.
“It’s a great opportunity for students to get connected with people from the community, especially the business community. We have a lot of business partners who will be attending the event. There will be a lot of opportunities to connect with people throughout the day,” he said.
Beth Haley, director of programming and operations for TEDxABQ, said that the speakers will talk on a variety of issues.
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“The topics range from science and healthcare, to communication and technology,” she said.
Haley said one of her goals is for the event to result in zero trash.
“Nothing will be wasted. Everything including plates and water bottles will be recycled,” she said.
Kimm Oostman, a communication and journalism graduate student, spoke at TEDxABQ’s women’s event last year, about "Embracing the Uncomfortable,” and said she understands the potential the event holds, for both speakers and attendees.
“TEDxABQ provided a space to share my idea — one that I hoped others could relate to as well. Since speaking at TED, I've had many people share their own ideas with me and in doing that, we inspire and motivate each other,” she said.
The complete list of TEDxABQ participants can be found here.
Sayyed Shah is the assistant news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at assistant-news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @mianfawadshah.
