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Couple walking through Corvallis waterfront walkways

TEDxOregonStateU event on February 11 in Corvallis

By Michelle Klampe

Corvallis to host TEDx Event

Corvallis, Ore. —Oregon State University will host TEDxOregonStateU, a conference featuring a series of short talks on the theme “Ignite,” on Feb. 11 on the Corvallis campus.

TEDx events feature talks, demonstrations or performances that foster learning, inspiration and wonder. They are independently organized events in the style of the TED conference. This is the third TEDx event to be held at OSU.

This year’s speakers include a teacher, performer and storyteller who is a native of Ghana; a robotics expert who studies legged locomotion; a motivational author and Oregon State alum; a journalist and social justice issues activist; and an associate professor of management whose work focuses on human sustainability issues.

The speakers, who will all touch on aspects of the theme Ignite, are:

Habiba Addo: A native of Ghana and a guest teacher and performer for Portland Public Schools, Addo has performed and taught dance, rhythm and stories from Ghana, Guinea, Gambia and Senegal in the United States and internationally for more than 15 years.

Chris Barnes: An associate professor of management in the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, Barnes researches human sustainability issues, especially the relationship between sleep and work.

Kyle Hart: A 2013 graduate of OSU, Hart is a children's book author and illustrator living in Portland. His books, “The Mustache that Cured World Hunger” and “The Beard that Boosted Self Confidence,” creatively facilitate conversations around societal problems.

Jonathan Hurst: An OSU professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Dynamic Robotics Laboratory in the College of Engineering, Hurst researches the fundamental science and engineering best practices for legged locomotion.

Chinyere Tutashinda: Tutashinda is a social justice issues activist who has documented injustices in the 2006 Presidential elections in Mexico; participated as a co-facilitator on the Oakland Mayors' Youth Violence Task Force; traveled to Ferguson, Missouri, to lead trainings; and taught middle school students about media activism.

The event will run from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11, in the LaSells Stewart Center, 875 S.W. 26th St. Registration is $25 or $15 for students. To register or for additional information, visit www.oregonstate.edu/TEDxOregonStateU.

TEDxOregonStateU is a student-organized event. The 2016 committee includes students Faisal Albassam, Shelby Stevens, Jeremiah Hauth, Christine Kang, McKenzie Ross, Lauren Wallace and Max Redman and recent alumnus and event co-founder Aaron LaVigne.

Follow the event on Twitter: @TEDxOregonState; Instagram: TEDxOregonStateU; or on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/TEDxOregonStateU.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event: 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, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. 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.)

About TED: TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or fewer) delivered by today's leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED's annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, and made available, free, on TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.

TED's open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from thousands of volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; the annual million-dollar TED Prize, which funds exceptional individuals with a "wish," or idea, to create change in the world; TEDx, which provides licenses to thousands of individuals and groups who host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED.


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