The Columbus TedX event on October 11th offered a lineup of truly interesting talks by brilliant and passionate people from Columbus and beyond. This year’s theme was the 5 senses in honor of this 5th year of TedX and several talks focused on this theme, but viewed from my tech background I was for the most part moved by presentations around scientific discovery. And as is often the case, I was in awe of the fantastic research going on at Ohio State University
Scott Gaudi, Associate Professor of Astronomy at The Ohio State University talked about his search for planets in other solar systems across the galaxy, and the passion he developed for astronomy at an early age. As amazing and almost unfathomable the vast distances and volumes of data were, Scott brought a real sense to the audience of what drove his searching.
Dr. Ali Rezai, a Professor of Neurological Surgery followed with a talk about pacemakers for the brain that are being studied for use with Parkinson’s patients as well as a wide range of other disorders where the brain can be effected by electrical impulses from the devices he’s testing. As fascinating as the research is, seeing the benefits of using these devices with patients was truly uplifting for the entire audience.
Susan Nittrouer, the Director of Research in the OSU Department of Otolarygology, is another Ohio State University researcher, working on language recognition and how children with cochlear implants learn to recognize language. The work she does will have an impact on generations to come as children learn to communicate using this new technology.
These three speakers are just a slice of the brilliant talks given at TedX Columbus. The topics were all over the map, ranging from entrepreneurship in Somalia to biking in Columbus. Technology and performance was sprinkled in for good measure.
If you have healthy curiosity about your world I urge you to take the opportunity to attend one of these events next time TedX comes to town. That date will be February 8, 2014 when TedX Ohio State University comes to campus. Nominations for speakers are open now, to learn more go to http://tedx.osu.edu/
Update:
Check out my blog submission to TEDx Columbus here: http://tedxcolumbus.com/2013/11/follow-this-out-there/