ASU students organize 2nd, larger TEDxASU in Tempe
Last year's event was the first TEDx ever on ASU's Tempe campus, and the 100 tickets sold out in five minutes.
A small group of Arizona State University students are organizing their second annual TEDxASU, bringing an ASU-focused version of the world-famous event series to Tempe.
Last year's event was the first TEDx ever on Arizona State University's Tempe campus, held in the tiny Marston Exploration Theater. The 100 tickets — a limit TED imposes on first-time hosts — sold out in five minutes.
This year, there are 600 seats available at the Tempe Center for the Arts for TEDxASU: Innovators, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. March 22.
TED is a world-renowned non-profit that hosts short, inspiring talks on nearly any topic. TEDx events are independently organized versions of the original.
Ammar Tanveer, an ASU graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology, is TEDxASU's founder and executive director. After learning a lot from hosting the event last year, he said this year's is bigger, better organized and more interactive.
A focus on the attendees
TED requires new TEDx hosts to attend an official TED event before allowing them to expand their event's size. Tanveer traveled to San Francisco last October to attend the TEDWomen conference, which completely changed his approach, he said.
"While ultimately TED talks are about the talks and the ideas in the talks, the events are so much more than that. They are a way to establish a community, a way to keep ideas flowing," Tanveer said.
For example, this year he's planning to let students present posters showcasing their research and entrepreneurship for an hour before the event, encouraging attendees to mingle with student innovators.
Ammar is organizing the event with three other ASU students: Jonathon Barkl, Hamza Amjad and Usamma Amjad.
Speakers at last year's event included Bertram Jacobs, an ASU professor working on a potential HIV vaccine, and Dr. John Shufeldt, who founded NextCare Urgent Care. The group plans to announce this year's speakers throughout this week.
How to attend TEDxASU
When: 6:30 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 22.
Where: Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe.
Cost: Tickets begin at $15. Visit tedxasu.com/attend to sign up to be among the first to be notified when tickets go on sale.
Details: Tedxasu.com. Facebook.com/TEDxASU. Click here to see the Facebook event.