If you’ve been in any high school or college classroom, I can guarantee you’ve watched at least one TED Talk, whether your teacher assigned the video for homework or they got a little lazy with their lesson plan and played it in class. No matter the TED Talk, I think most of us can agree that we often leave feeling inspired and even wish we could’ve been in the crowd for the speaker’s talk.
WHAT IS TEDXOHIOSTATEUNIVERSITY?
If you’re a student at OSU, I have great news: We have a branch of TED here on campus! Established in 2011, TEDxOhioStateUniversity cultivates the broader TED community with the zeal, devotion and brilliance of The Ohio State University. TEDxOhioStateUniversity’s focus is to encourage the sharing of ideas and ignite a spark in its audience, speakers and members to learn from one another. To reach this goal, TEDxOhioStateUniversity hosts various events and workshops and implements several impactful initiatives throughout the school year.
SALON EVENTS
As an undergraduate student organization, TEDxOhioStateUniversity has made sure to stand out and make its mark on OSU’s campus! During the year, TEDxOhioStateUniversity organizes various salon events where they often collaborate with OSU student orgs to host a speaker and have attendees participate in an accompanying activity. In the fall of 2023, I attended the AtTEDtion salon event, and we learned so much about how our memories function by listening to a TED Talk and doing a fun puzzle activity to test our memories! TEDxOhioStateUniversity even catered delicious food and drinks to complement an already amazing event.
OUTREACH
To broaden its reach within the Central Ohio region and further engage the local community, TEDxOhioStateUniversity has initiatives like the ConnecTED Columbus podcast; who doesn’t love to absorb information through a good podcast? I can attest that the pod is so insightful and engaging, especially since the hosts always have such soothing podcast voices! Check out the most recent podcast episode right here:
TEDxOhioStateUniversity has even taken its podcasting skills to the next level, implementing a podcast club at Buckeye Middle School with the After-School All-Stars non-profit. Furthermore, TEDxOhioStateUniversity has partnered with the Columbus Metropolitan Library System to host Library Programming for the broader Columbus community.
If you’re not intrigued by TEDxOhioStateUniversity yet, which I think is virtually impossible, let me tell you about the best part of TED, where all of their working pieces fall together.
THE MAIN EVENT
Every spring, TEDxOhioStateUniversity hosts an annual conference spotlighting the cutting-edge ideas of university-affiliated students, staff, faculty or alums! If you’re someone who wishes they could be an audience member after watching an insightful TED Talk, this is THE event for you to attend!
On March 2, 2024, from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., TEDxOhioStateUniversity will hold its annual main event in the Mershon Auditorium. This year’s theme for the conference is Luminary, and I can guarantee this event will enlighten you as an attendee of TEDxOhioStateUniversity’s 2023 conference!
As TEDxOhioStateUniversity puts it, their vision is that “luminaries act as light-giving individuals with the aim of helping others reach their potential, learn new things and become visionaries in their respective fields. With this theme, [the organization] hope[s] to shine a light on individuals who are an inspiration to others and work to spread their influence in remarkable ways.”
For Luminary, TEDxOhioStateUniversity has organized nine TED Talks from university-affiliated students, staff, faculty and alums, and a performance by the Scarlet and Grace Notes. If you’re as excited as I am for this event, buy a Luminary ticket and continue reading for a few speakers I am looking forward to the most!
SPEAKER HIGHLIGHT
Dr. Angus Fletcher
As I’ve grown older, I now understand the importance of mindfulness and optimism in my life. Dr. Angus Fletcher’s talk especially intrigues me because as a narrative scientist at Ohio State’s Project Narrative — the world’s leading academic think-tank for the study of stories — Fletcher emphasizes how one’s story can reach beyond just “mindfulness and positive thinking to allow durable optimism and resilience in trauma.” Dr. Fletcher’s research among populations of military veterans, professional athletes and elementary students has aided him in discovering a simple approach for unveiling secret strengths in your story. One of the most beautiful things in life is learning more about yourself and how your story and experiences have shaped who you are today, so if you’re interested in learning more about this, come to Luminary!
Kaylie Glenn
As a fellow music lover and someone who values connecting with others, I find it easy to relate to Kaylie Glenn. I think many of us can agree that building lasting relationships with others and listening to music generally improves the quality of our lives! Unlike me, though, Glenn has taken this passion to the next level by using it to “bring light to the darkness for those living with dementia.” Through her creation of The Day By Day Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit, Glenn challenges the conversation around dementia care, implementing music for people with dementia to create memories and valuable relationships with one another despite the extremity of the disease. If Glenn’s story inspires you, or you are simply curious about what else her journey consists of, you should definitely attend Luminary!
TAMEKA BABA
With every year that passes, I seem to notice another local mall in decline, whether that is in my hometown or while I’m traveling. Every time I see these malls, I become sad thinking of the vibrant third space the place used to provide people and how they seem like such a waste of space now. If you wish we utilized these spaces instead of destroying or abandoning them, I guarantee you’ll find Professor Tameka Baba’s talk thought-provoking. As an educator and designer in landscape architecture at OSU, Professor Baba will illustrate how the field of landscape architecture can help convert these deteriorating retail centers into lively social hubs. She will help the audience understand the vitality of not taking these local urban spaces for granted and how we should instead include design approaches that are constantly progressing. Not only are her strategies revitalizing, but they also uphold “ecological and economic values while uplifting social morale in underserved communities.” Listen to Professor Baba’s talk at Luminary!
Buy a Luminary ticket!
As I’ve said before, Luminary is THE place to be on March 2 if you love to learn and want to be enlightened. TEDxOhioStateUniversity has worked extremely hard to organize this event with the amazing lineup of speakers and food included as a part of the event. Luminary tickets are on sale until they run out, so hurry and grab one while you can!