Think big, act big: TEDxUMassAmherst is coming to the University of Massachusetts this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Mahar Auditorium.
The entirely student-run and independently funded program will host at least 12 speakers for a series of innovative and inspiring talks. Speakers include former Boston Celtics player Chris Herren, bestselling author David Meerman Scott, Hubspot CEO Brian Halligan, Boston Globe innovation columnist Scott Kirsner, Director of Strategic Growth and Operations at The Good, Moschell Coffey, Michael Guglielmo of Delete Blood Cancer, hip-hop ambassador Toni Blackman, original Facebook employee Steve King, Glue Stic innovator Sushil Bhatia and Health & Harmony Wellness Education CEO Nancy Gahles.
There will also be performances by Mister Barrington (dance and R&B) and David Wax Museum (folk/rock).
TEDxUMassAmherst is an independent spin-off of the popular Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) Talks, “a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading,” according to its website. TED started out as a single four-day conference in 1984 and has since grown to two annual conferences: the spring West Coast Conference held in North America and the summer TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. The organization has since inspired TEDx events all over the world and is particularly popular with colleges and universities.
The talks bring to the stage “the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers” who must present their stories in under 18 minutes, according to the TED website, which has made 1,400 TED Talks available for free – all of which are subtitled in English and numerous other languages.
TEDxUMassAmherst was spearheaded by UMass students Kareem Agha, a resource economics major, and finance major Nate Tepper. According to its Facebook page, the event’s mission is “to inspire UMass Amherst students to take action and chase their dreams.”
Tickets are no longer available, but a free live streaming of TEDxUMassAmherst will be held in Isenberg 137 beginning at 10:30 a.m. The day-long event will eventually be posted online for future reference.
Chelsie Field can be reached at [email protected].
