Application deadline nears for inaugural TEDxSMU event

The events will bring people together for presentations by global thought leaders, focusing on the theme “What Will Change Everything?”

Applications for the inaugural TEDxSMU are due by Monday, August 31, and conference organizers are urging prospective attendees to submit their applications now at www.TEDxSMU.org. Interested attendees must apply to participate in the limited-space adult TEDxSMU event, which will be Saturday, October 10. Attendees’ $100 ticket price will include Saturday’s daylong discussions and an evening party.

Southern Methodist University is hosting the inaugural TEDxSMU event, as well as a first-of-its-kind TEDx event for schoolchildren, on its campus Oct. 9-10, 2009. Described as an "intellectual circus," the events will bring people together for presentations by global thought leaders, focusing on the theme “What Will Change Everything?”

Organizers have also received commitments from several major sponsors for TEDxSMU, including a title sponsorship commitment from Hunt Consolidated, Inc. and additional commitments from Haynes and Boone, LLC; Neiman Marcus; Alibre; Texas Instruments; and the National Math & Science Initiative.

A limited number of individual and corporate sponsorships for the TEDxSMU events are still available through Sharon Lyle at 214-768-1558 or slyle@lyle.smu.edu, or by visiting the TEDxSMU website.

In addition to the Oct. 10 adults-only event, TEDxKids @SMU will be Friday afternoon, October 9, for approximately 300 specially selected seventh, eighth and ninth graders from around Dallas-Fort Worth.

Innovators scheduled to appear in person or by video at TEDxSMU events include:

* Anousheh Ansari, Prodea Systems – First female private-sector space explorer, title sponsor of the Ansari X Prize

* Arthur Benjamin, Harvey Mudd College – “Mathemagician” who makes mental calculations faster than a calculator

* Dave Gallo, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute – Pioneer in ocean exploration and one of the first oceanographers to use a combination of manned submersibles and robots to map the ocean world

* Sara Hickman – Singer-songwriter and Official State Musician of Texas 2010-2011 as decreed by the Texas State Legislature

* William Kamkwamba, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – Malawi native who taught himself to build windmills to create electricity and water supplies

* Ray Kurzweil, Kurzweil Technologies – One of the leading inventors of our time

* Polyphonic Spree – Symphonic rock group led by Dallas musicians Julie Doyle & Tim DeLaughter

* Rives – Storyteller and slam poet

* Jill Sobule – Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter

Co-chairs for the TEDxSMU events are Geoffrey Orsak, Dean of the SMU Lyle School of Engineering, and Jim Young, Chairman of Teleportec.

Follow TEDxSMU on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TEDxSMU or search TEDxSMU on Facebook.

Source: Cooksey Communications