Campus

TEDxDelft: where inspiration is born

In early November TU Delft will host TEDxDelft, a unique conference focused solely on “ideas worth spreading”. Students with good ideas to share can now compete to present their ideas at this conference.


“Why is there no TEDxDelft?” About a year ago, Rob Speekenbrink, a consultant for Online Media at TU Delft, found himself asking this question over and over again, and not finding any good answer. Before experiencing his first TEDx, Speekenbrink was “burnt out from attending boring conferences where presenters are only there to talk about their company’s latest product.” But then he attended TEDx Rotterdam last year, where Speekenbrink says he was “totally flabbergasted” by the power of the conference, in which innovative and charismatic presenters shared their ideas about technology, entertainment and design (TED) in exciting and theatrical ways.

A TEDx – an independently organized version of the centrally organized TED – is no ordinary conference. Meant to inspire audiences with “ideas worth spreading”, TED speakers are as much performers as presenters, whose topics have included crowd-based art, how language has transformed humanity, and engineering inspired by nature.


To organize a TEDx, you must be a TED “licensee”, which means you must attend an official TED conference. Last year, Speekenbrink attended TED Edinburgh, in Scotland, so that he could then organize TEDx Delft. “After Edinburgh, I was so excited that I couldn’t enjoy my vacation after the conference — all I could think about was getting back to work and organizing TEDxDelft!” Speekenbrink recalls.

After a lot of time, effort and emails, TEDxDelft is set to take place at the TU’s Aula on November 7, 2011. Despite the on-campus location, Rob stresses that the conference will not be strictly technical. “It’s not TEDx TU Delft, it’s TEDx Delft. The Delft city government is a partner as well as the TU. The conference must address entertainment and design – in addition to technology – to be a true TED.”

Speakers will cover topics related to philosophy, the role of emotions in evaluating technology, and the art of dynamic sound sculptures, among others.


One featured speaker is Musetta Blaauw, a 29-year-old Dutch mother, who will talk about her quest to have a fourth child. After her third child, Musetta unfortunately lost her uterus. Unwilling to give up on the idea of another child, Blaauw set about exploring all the technological options available to allow her to give birth again, including having a new uterus surgically placed in her body. This quest led her to question the ethics of different technologies, and to consider whether individuals should accept faith as society defines it. Her talk will focus on her personal story, as well as how to evaluate the ethics of some of society’s most controversial technological capabilities.


Another speaker, Marcel Kampman, will speak about Project Dream School — a collaborative vision of the school of the future. Kampman is known for his engaging speaking style, with his motto being: “Don’t do a presentation, put on a show.”

Students who wish to win the TEDxDelft Award, which entitles them to a 6-minute slot at TEDxDelft to share an idea with the large audience, would do well to follow Kampman’s advice. Interested students have until October 1 to apply for the award. From the initial application pool, 30 students will make it to the second round. Finally, one lucky student will become a TED presenter at the conference.

Speekenbrink particularly encourages international students to attend TEDxDelft. The conference will be entirely in English, and a quarter of the speakers are internationals themselves. “TED is inherently international,” Speekenbrink says. “The whole point is to spread ideas worth spreading across the globe.”

 In de nacht van 30 oktober was de skyline van Delft donkerder dan anders. Dit in het kader van de landelijke Nacht van de Nacht. Vanaf 20.00 uur doofden de lichten van een aantal markante gebouwen en locaties, zoals hier bij Ikea.

Aardedonker is het vrijwel nergens meer in Nederland dat één van de meeste verlichte landen van Europa is. In Delft is de hemel permanent verlicht door winkels, kantoren, straatlantaarns en tuinlampen. Deze verlichting kost veel energie.

www.nachtvandenacht.nl

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