Story and photos by Gordon Friedman
This Saturday, TEDxUOregon: Curiosity and Resistance went off without a hitch. Thanks to the team of staff and volunteers who planned and prepared the event’s facilities, audience members could listen to speakers illuminate topics ranging from tuition costs to the human body. TEDx events, which are planned and organized independently from TED events, aim to share “ideas worth spreading” by giving “communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level.” TED talks, which have become a global online sensation, allow viewers to broaden their knowledge on interesting or controversial topics covering all subjects. TED talks have been given by visionaries like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Malcolm Gladwell, Oliver Sacks, Bill Clinton, and Gordon Brown to name a few. The TEDxUOregon event aimed to bring this phenomenon to a local stage with local implications. The talks featured faculty, a student, and community members bringing thought provoking messages to the UO. The success of the event and its impact is testament to the preparation behind it.
Shawn Kahl, building manager for the Ford Alumni Center, coordinated the set-up of the Global Scholars Hall Great Room and the Ford Alumni Center reception. As Kahl noted, with the aid of dozens of student helpers and “months of preparation” for the event, TEDx looked simple, beautiful, and functioned perfectly. The night before TEDx, Kahl and volunteers gave a massive makeover to the Great Room. With lighting, professional audio/visual equipment, custom made wooden trees, and large cardboard logos—all special for the event—the cohort made TEDx possible. And it wasn’t without pressure on their shoulders. Everything had to be perfect for the event, which had sold out physical seats and would be broadcast via live-stream to five UO sites, including one in Portland.
The preparation validated the importance of TEDx, whichreaffirms the UO as a hub of thought, curiosity, and intimate experience. The UO hosting a TEDx event offers students and the Eugene community a unique opportunity to expand their intellectual and personal curiosities about the world around them. For more information on the speakers at TEDxUOregon, visit tedxuoregon.com.
