TEDxSMU 2010 is Connecting North Texas

Last year, it was a concept that needed explaining. This year, the ripples from TEDxSMU are changing the way North Texans connect to share ideas.  

TEDxSMU returns to Dallas on Oct. 16, challenging old boundaries between art and science, business and philanthropy, dreaming and life-changing innovation. Speakers at TEDxSMU get no more than 18 minutes to give “the talk of their lives,” delivered in rapid-fire format, often with astounding visuals and demonstrations.   

Applications for TEDxSMU 2010 closed over the summer, but the Oct. 16 all-day event at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre will be streamed live this year, meaning everyone can share the experience. Performances and lectures will range from “The Rap Guide to Evolution,” to a frontline discussion of global threats posed by infectious diseases and demonstrations of high-tech gadgetry.

TEDxKids @SMU returns on Oct. 15, delivering new ideas to the younger generation of scientists, engineers, artists, inventors and entrepreneurs.  The format is even faster than the adult version, delivering 15 speakers in four hours: Some get three minutes, a few get as many as 15 minutes, but the young participants tap into kinetic presentations on topics ranging from the science of yo-yos to space exploration. It’s the perfect format for middle school kids, who measure time by the number of texts they can send in a minute.

TEDxSMU attendees began to form a community after the 2009 event, joining spinoff salons and events in the spring. TEDxSMU partnered with SculptCAD’s Rapid Artists program to open a first-of-its kind art salon and exhibit Sept. 14, and joined the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth on Sept. 20 to present a live webcast of TEDxChange – a New York City event focused on the UN’s Millennium Development goals.

New this year is the launch of Idea Week, which runs Oct. 11 - Oct, 17. Idea Week extends the TED philosophy of bringing people together to share ideas worth spreading. It features multiple daily events – many of which are free to the public - designed to spotlight some of the most exciting conversations occurring throughout Dallas Early participants include groups like Big Thought, Cyclesomatic, Spark Club, TITAS, Dallas Social Venture Partners, D Magazine and Pecha Kucha Dallas. 

“TEDxSMU has really taken on a life of its own,” said producer Sharon Lyle.  “There’s just too much creativity out there, and too much opportunity to limit people to a single event that happens once a year.  We want to use the TEDx anchor event as a springboard for a conversation that keeps on going.”

Here’s the schedule:

• October 11-17: Idea Week. At least one free event every day. Some require RSVPs. View the complete schedule and submit RSVPs at http://www.dallasideas.org/
      
• October 15: TEDxKIDS @SMU (6th-8th grade student participants and high school juniors/seniors as “camp counselors”) Watch a live stream at http://www.tedxsmu.org/tedxkids/
      
• October 16: TEDxSMU.  Applications are closed, but the event will be streamed live at http://www.tedxsmu.org/

About TEDxSMU

Bringing together ideas and interesting people from around the world and around the corner, TEDxSMU and TEDxKids @SMU are single-day conferences in Dallas, Texas. Now in its second year, TEDxSMU is jointly produced by Southern Methodist University and the Idea Fund of the Communities Foundation of Texas.

Both 2010 events – TEDxKids @SMU on October 15 and TEDxSMU on October 16 – will take place at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. TEDxKids @SMU (the first TEDx event designed for students) hosts 350 middle school students for a free four-hour conference, in exchange for completing four hours of community service. The 575 TEDxSMU attendees must apply and be selected in order to participate in the full-day conference.

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 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.

TED2011

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.

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Media Contacts:

Sharon Lyle
214-768-1558 or 512-466-7946
slyle@lyle.smu.edu

Kim Cobb
214-768-7654
cobbk@smu.edu

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