Ideas will ignite and sparks will fly as part of York University’s fourth annual TEDxYorkU conference set for March 4 in the Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan Theatre on the Keele campus.
The theme of this year’s event is Combustion, the exhilarating – and sometimes terrifying – point of no return, where nothing will ever be the same again.
TEDxYorkU is looking for dynamic members of the York community with an interesting story or unique perspective to share. Chosen speakers are paired up with a speaker relations team member to assist with developing the talk and presentation, ensuring the best possible delivery and exposure. This process has helped TEDxYorkU become York's most-viewed video series.
Past events have included the following speakers:
- Jennifer Keesmaat, York alumna and chief planner for the City of Toronto, who presented a call to action for citizens to “own your city” by being active participants in the decision-making process;
- Megan Bertasson, a former grad student and out-of-territory Cree woman, whose talk on missing Aboriginal women has now generated more than 16,000 views on YouTube;
- Lassonde School of Engineering student (and one of the faces representing York’s My Time campaign) Isaac De Souza, who inspired the audience with his talk on rocks, robots and revolutions in space;
- Mamdouh Shoukri, president and vice-chancellor of York University, who outlined his day in the life of a York student; and
- Barbara Crow, interim dean and associate vice-president graduate studies, who explored changing demographics and the use of mobile phones.
Prospective speakers can apply online until Jan. 9. Those interested in attending the event as an audience member will have the chance to apply online early in the new year.
For additional information and updates, visit TEDxYorkU’s website, Facebook page or Twitter feed.