TEDxUWYO will present talks from four University of Wyoming professors, as well as two video screenings from previous TED Talks, Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.
The event, with UW President Laurie Nichols as master of ceremonies, is public but limited to the first 100 attendees. TEDx is a program of locally organized talks and discussions in affiliation with TED, a nonprofit dedicated to spreading ideas about technology, education and design.
Michael Brotherton, a professor for the Department of Physics and Astronomy, will be presenting about the role science fiction plays to inspire scientists in a speech titled “The Synergies of Science and Science Fiction.”
Brotherton has an extensive background in astronomy: He is the director of the Wyoming Infrared Observatory, founder of the NASA-funded Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop for Writers and has used a multitude of telescopes for his research, including the Hubble Space Telescope.
Kent Noble, chair of business ethics at the College of Business, will present a speech titled “What’s Your Brand?”
“The ‘What’s Your Brand?’ presentation spotlights these three personal branding questions: Who am I? How do others see me? How can I improve my brand?” Noble told the event organizers.
Noble received a “Professor of the Year” distinction in 2018 and has a diverse background in higher education, student athletics and the film and television industry. He also received a bachelor’s in broadcasting at UW.
Senior chemistry lecturer Rachel Watson will present a speech titled “Shifting Student Motivation from Making Dollars to Making Change,” which looks at a way for remodeling learners’ environments to motivate them to follow their goals and change world problems.
“Dream with me, about how the world would change if students were motivated by their heartfelt purr of passion,” Watson described the talk to organizers.
Watson has a master’s degree in molecular biology and bachelor’s in chemistry. She is the director of the science initiative Learning Actively Mentoring Program and queer studies minor program, as well as the co-coach to the UW Nordic ski team.
Honors College Dean Donal Skinner, also professor in the Department of Zoology and Physiology and associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience, will be presenting a speech titled “Wired on Steroids.”
“Even before we are conceived, we are bathed in steroids,” Skinner said. “Steroids are everywhere either in their natural form or as chemically modified molecules.”
Skinner earned his doctorate at University of Cambridge after receiving his bachelor’s in computer science and zoology at Rhodes University in South Africa. He has published 80 papers in scientific journals, most relating to secretion of hormones in the brain.
In addition to the live presenters, there will be two videos streamed afterwards from two previous presenters on the TED Talks site. These presentations are “How a long-forgotten virus could help us solve the antibiotics crisis” by Alexander Belcredi and “How AI could compose a personalized soundtrack to your life” by Pierre Barreau.
Saturday’s event is dedicated to the late John Burman, previously emeritus professor of law and ethics, who was originally to present at the event, but died in February.
The TEDx talks this year are thanks to Mark Menghini and Jake Aadland, third-year undergraduate students in the molecular biology and physiology programs at UW and presidents of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement recognized student organization. The duo applied for a TEDx license this semester to “showcase our University and ideas cultivated here on a global scale through a large media outlet.”
“We have both lived in Wyoming and supported this state our whole lives,” said Menghini and Aadland. “Wyoming as a state, is a close-knit community and we feel it is important to share the ideas that our community members provide. The University of Wyoming is the state’s only four-year institution and it is necessary to support the progress and continual development being made here.”
The two students have been working on this project for nearly six months. Menghini and Aadland chose the professors who would be presenting through their own past experiences with them as well as recommendations from other students.
Those with questions about TEDxUWYO can find more information at TED.com/tedx/events/32939. More information about TED and TEDx is available at TED.com.
