New topics of Smart Transportation planning and experiential learning round out Sept. 19 program.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Aug. 31, 2015 — The third annual TEDxLehighRiver, an independently-organized TED event, will take place on Sat., Sept. 19 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown. TEDxLehighRiver 2015 will include live presentations, pre-recorded TEDTalks, and networking/conversation about “Ideas Worth Spreading.”
TEDxTalks are presentations of innovative ideas from various fields, which reflect a particular theme. This year’s TEDxLehighRiver theme is “Why Not?” These short, carefully prepared talks, demonstrations and performances are idea-focused, and cover a wide range of subjects to foster learning, inspiration and wonder. All TEDx events provoke conversations that matter, while presenting multiple issues and a diversity of voices from many disciplines.
The TEDxLehighRiver 2015 Organizing Committee is pleased to announce two additional speakers and their topics.
Joyce Marin, Bethlehem, Pa., is executive director of Renew Lehigh Valley, the region’s voice for smart growth and governmental cooperation. She has extensive experience in downtown revitalization and traditional neighborhood design from her academic background and service in government. Joyce’s talk, “Our Lives Depend On It,” will highlight the need for Smart Transportation, or more robust “multi-modal” transportation planning in the Lehigh Valley.
Dr. Catherine Moore, is a Moravian Academy Upper School English Teacher and has taught at Moravian Academy for ten years. She has an extensive educational background in English Literature and Theater. In her talk, “The Story Laboratory,” Catherine will explain how she has transformed the short story anthology course with its traditional narrative study to an experiential one, filled with blended learning, collaborative activities, and story fieldwork in our community.
Previously announced speakers and their TEDxTalks are:
- Michael Brolly, “How Do We Say We Are Sorry: Singing to Whales.”
- George Hrab, “Rethinking Doubt: The Value and Achievements of Skepticism”
- Elizabeth Jordon, “Chaos to Cartwheels: Sexual Trauma and the Light through the Cracks”
- Lauren Villaverde, “Across. Behind. Next To”
A community-based volunteer initiative, TEDxLehighRiver (tedxlehighriver.com) is an independently organized TED event that brings together a diverse group of speakers and audience members to participate in a program of engaging and thought-provoking presentations and conversation. The first TEDxLehighRiver was held in April 2013 with the Allentown Symphony Association, Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation at Lehigh University, and PBS39 as the Founding Partners. The three organizations continue to lead the TEDxLehighRiver effort this year.
TEDxLehighRiver is modeled after hundreds of other TEDx events worldwide. TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics – from science and business to global issues and personal development – in more than 100 languages. More than 1,800 TED presentations logging hundreds of millions of views are available at ted.com.
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading.” Started as a four-day conference in California almost 30 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes on a diverse mix of topics. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; and TEDBooks, short e-books on powerful ideas. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.
About TEDx
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).
TEDxLehighRiver, now in its third year, is committed to bringing the TED experience to the greater Lehigh Valley. Founding partners of TEDxLehighRiver are Allentown Symphony Association, Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation at Lehigh University and PBS39.
About Allentown Symphony Association
The mission of the Allentown Symphony Association is to provide a first-class symphony orchestra and Hall, quality performing arts, and cultural education in partnership with the community. The historic, 1150-seat Miller Symphony Hall, the venue for TEDxLehighRiver in 2014 and 2015, is the premier performing arts facility in Allentown and home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra. Now in its 64th season, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra is the leading symphonic ensemble in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. For more information, please visit www.allentownsymphony.org.
About Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation at Lehigh University
Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation at Lehigh University aims to foster the entrepreneurial mindset that leads to creating value in the world. The Institute provides the Lehigh community with access to the skills, resources and connections needed to enable both for and non-profit entrepreneurial ventures to launch and prosper. For more information, please visit http://baker.sites.lehigh.edu.
About PBS39
PBS39 is a community-owned public television station licensed to Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, PA, serving eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. PBS39 is owned and operated by the Lehigh Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation. The mission of PBS39 is to educate, inspire, inform, and entertain, while stimulating the exchange of ideas for community enrichment. For more information, please visit www.wlvt.org.
