Meet Jenny Bravo, a senior at LSU majoring in English. Jenny is currently a PR intern for LSU Communication across the Curriculum (CxC). She is excited to be a part of TEDxLSU this year!
On every form of social media, students are raving about TED. On Facebook, they’re posting statuses like, “What a great idea,” and “LSU needs TEDx!” LSU tweeted, “TEDxLSU will empower you,” as well as amaze, inform and challenge you. If you’ve heard of TED, you already know why it’s a great fit for the LSU community, but if you haven’t, let me tell you why!
TED, which stands for technology, entertainment and design, lives by its tagline: ideas worth spreading. The nonprofit began as a conference to bring together people from these backgrounds to listen and engage with speakers, who are each challenged to give the talk of their lives in under 18 minutes. TED has expanded since 1984 into different topics and venues, including a program called TEDx that allows individuals and groups to host their own events locally.
TEDxLSU gives the LSU and Baton Rouge community the opportunity to converse on a local level. From high school students to college students to parents and the general Baton Rouge community, TED gives everyone the opportunity to think a little deeper, and encourages bigger ideas. For the inaugural event, we’re exploring the overarching theme of “evolve.” Speakers will share compelling stories and innovative ideas that have helped – and are helping – evolve LSU and Baton Rouge, covering topics of poverty, healthy living, education, entrepreneurship, art and coastal preservation.
The line-up of speakers is as talented as it is varied. Mark Martin is a cycling enthusiast who has remained car-free for 22 years. Zack Godshall, a filmmaker-in-residence, has directed documentaries and made a film that went to Sundance. Camille Manning-Broome is an accomplished urban planner who spends her free time revitalizing blighted properties. LSU alumnus Keith Comeaux was critical to the recent Mars Rover Landing. TEDxLSU is about provoking thought, conversation, and critical dialogue required to move LSU and Baton Rouge from good to great and these speakers will help us do just that.
TEDxLSU will be held on March 9 and though tickets are sold out to the live event and the interactive free simulcast, you can catch the talks on YouTube later this year. Thanks to the ingenuity of the LSU College of Music & Dramatic Arts, Pellar Entrepreneurship Program and LSU Communication across the Curriculum (CxC) for bringing TEDx to LSU!
Life on the LSU Campus 