TEDxUF: A Journey to the Breakthrough

Ashley Lombardo Posted On March 26, 2015

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Technology, entertainment and design all have the power to propel progress. On Saturday, March 21, TEDxUF combined all three of these aspects into an engaging conversation that inspired the community to break through.

TEDxUF is a global conference that spreads worthwhile ideas by connecting innovative individuals. The sixth annual event opened it is doors at 8:30 a.m. at the Curtis M. Phillips Center to 1,260 individuals who were preselected from a pool of 2,600 applicants. The event also included 60 student volunteers and allotted 60 standby tickets for the earliest arrivals.

The “x” in the title signifies that the event is independently organized. A localized version of the global Sapling Foundation’s conference series, TEDxUF brought inspiring speakers and facilitated an interactive conversation with the TEDxLab.

In addition to accomplished, self-aware speakers, the event gave students the chance to get involved with organizations that contribute to positive change. It also allowed some to showcase their talents through artistic expression, such as a breakdancing demonstration and live exhibit of Art-in-Progess.

: Via: Ashley Lombardo

TEDxUF is digitally involved, encouraging real-time tweeting of the event with #TEDxUF2015 and offering a live stream on the website. This proved to be a great benefit for people who were too late (or too lazy) to apply for the conference. A staggering 2,500+ people tuned in to watch from the comfort of their couches.

The speeches featured stand-ins from guest singers and dancers, a performance from an a cappella group called Standing Room Only and a final dance from Sabor Latino.

During breaks from the speeches, the TEDxUF organizers surprised the audience by showing a few of their favorite TED Talks. Mindfulness was a common theme, which was improved upon by a particularly impactful talk from Andy Puddicombe.

At this year’s conference, TEDxUF explored self-discovery, connectivity and making the world a better place. It put passionate people in the position to teach by allowing them to get extremely personal with a crowd of hundreds of strangers.

Via: Ashley Lombardo

As Claudia Bell, the 20-year-old curator for the event, introduced the conversation, it became clear that this was not something that would only scratch the surface.

“Today you have elected to join us on a journey, one in which we are all at different stages… a journey of breakthroughs.

For the TEDxUF Team, ‘breakthrough’ means standing on the shoulders of giants, it means the power of Google Drive, it means a common thread of passion and of crazy that unites us together.

For me, breakthrough is the triumph of simplicity. It was playing the Portlandia theme song as I came out on stage, and it is the energy I feel in this room today.

It is our wish that you reflect on your own journey of breakthroughs today and engage with open minds as members of our great community share theirs. From Zambia, to Phoenix, from West Palm to the Bahamas, thank you all for joining us today. We certainly wouldn’t be here without you.”

Via: Ashley Lombardo

TEDxLab

: According to Self Narrate’s founder Jaron Jones, storytelling increases self-efficacy and personal hardiness. It allows people to find motivation and self-empowerment through expression.

: By encouraging people to share stories of personal discovery, Self Narrate illustrates that stories can show strength. It gives you the opportunity to grow the community and yourself. At TEDxUF, Self Narrate prompted people to write down how they breakthrough.

: Find Mindfulness is an immersive self-exploration program that lasts for four weeks. Payal Khurana and Elliot Larkin, the founders of the program, prompted people to ask themselves if they remember the first thought that morning. If they don’t, they are encouraged to try to recall it every morning for the next week.

: “Mindfulness is present moment awareness of your thoughts, your feelings, your body and your environment. It allows us to get out of autopilot,” Khurana said. “It creates a perception for the rest of our day. Mindfulness is a tool to get us to pay attention, and then we can actually be intentional with what we have control over.”

: The A² Fab Lab is about making people’s dreams a reality. The lab offers a variety of creative services to students and the community in areas of art, architecture, medicine, engineering and business.

: Specializing in computer-controlled digital fabrication, the lab has the ability to create customized medical implants, engineering prototypes, and art and architecture models. In addition, they use laser cutting and engraving and 3D printing to create and imprint almost anything using materials like foam and wood. Dave Lucas described it as “the 21st century of making things.”

: Mindflex is competitive game of mental strength. It’s similar to arm wrestling, except participants use brainpower instead of forearm muscles. The game measures the activity of the brain’s alpha waves, which are represented by a small blue ball that is pulled back and forth along the track. If you’re able to think a stronger flow of thoughts than your opponent, you’ll win.

: The Hackerhouse is an immersive start-up incubator. For three months during the summer, participants live in a Victorian mansion, engage with other inventors, and make change happen. A few inventors include Bevratech and ChordBuff.

: The Mechanical Lung was created by the biomedical engineering society at UF. The pipe acts a trachea, the balloon acts as a lung and the plastic bag acts as a diaphragm. The difference in pressure causes it to expand just like a real lung. It’s a simulation model to demonstrate how the lungs work to young kids or patients., or to act as a prototype so the lung can be studied better.

: A prototype of noninvasive biomedical diagnostics, the SpikerBox translates sensation from a cockroach’s amputated leg into electric signals that can be measured, as the leg stays alive for 35 minutes after separation. After it is further developed, the device could be used to map pain in the human body.

: ApexTek Labs is an engineering firm that innovates by making new ideas come to life. The sun chaser uses a solar panel tracking system that improves energy efficiency by 34 percent in residential homes.

: Created for the annual NASA Robotic Mining Competition, the Aggregator 2.0 is a uniquely designed space robot that uses a track system to mine materials on an extraterrestrial surface. The track system helps the robot achieve equal weight distribution to mine a simulated version of the regolith, a rocky material that is 1,000 times finer than sand.

TEDxSpeakers

Via: Ashley Lombardo

Session One:

Nathaniel Smith – “The Things We Carry”
Nate is a spoken word artist who opened the TED speeches with an eloquently delivered performance of his poem “The Things We Carry.” A conceptual piece filled with spark imagery and personal development, the poem points out that a story burns within all of us. It encouraged the audience to ignore fear and break through to release these stories. It’s about the beauty of past mistakes and the beauty of a single lifetime. The poem called for people to share the stories that burn within to let a fire grow for all to enjoy. Smith’s poem touched the audience and set the scene for an array of interesting and inspiring ideas that caused the audience to reconsider their outlook time and again.

Jill Sonke – “Why Medicine Needs Art”
Jill Sonke is the director of the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine and assistant director of the UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine program. She is also a dancer. Sonke used personal anecdotes of lessons learned from patients with diseases like sickle cell and Parkinson’s Disease to connect health with creativity and meaning. Her stories illustrated the science behind the idea that singing and dancing work more efficiently to reduce the experience of pain. Sonke’s TEDx talk illustrates that the soul is not separate from the body, and that engagement with art leads to well-being. Medicine needs art because it transcends pain and helps patients feel whole.

Vivian Filer – “Lesson’s From My Side Walk”
Vivian Filer is a civil rights activist who grew up in Gainesville when the Jim Crow laws were still segregating the city. Through historical references and personal revelations, Filer put the time period in perspective. As a young girl constantly teased by her white peers, she overcame discrimination and facilitated integration through perseverance and involvement. Spending her adult life as an advocate for social change, Filer solidified her strength and spot on the sidewalk.

Michael Morris – “Changing the World One Venture at a Time”
The 21st century is the century of entrepreneurship, igniting a global “E” revolution. According to Michael Morris, the rate at which new products and services are being created is at an all-time high, with more women and minorities joining the movement. This extremely motivational talk was about finding the empowerment to transform the world, using non-profit examples like “Crayons to Computers” to showcase the possibilities. Morris‘s talk focused on the role of practice, reminded the audience that nothing is stopping them, and encouraged attendees to ask themselves, “What if?”

Rob Castellucci – “A Brave New Salsa Dancing World”
At first, Rob Castellucci’s speech seemed a little bit unrelated. The theme of transforming life through art was present, but as he delved into the effect of being dumped by his salsa instructor, his story seemed a little off. Through humor and discovery, Castellucci’s story turned into a tale of evolution with salsa as its vehicle. During his speech, he kneeled down on the stage in front of hundreds of strangers and proposed. His speech received a standing ovation. Right in front of the audience’s eyes, the proposal emphasized the personal growth and confidence he had just described. By choosing to share such an intimate moment with TED, the audience was able to witness the speaker come full circle. The lesson was, find something that makes you happy, do it as much as possible and things will fall into place. Oh, and don’t be afraid of failure.

Session Two:

Mac Stone – “Everglades: America’s Wetland”
Mac Stone is a conservation photographer who uses image as a tool to alter the negative perspective of Florida’s swamps. He sees the disconnect from the heritage of our natural environmental, causing the swamp to be viewed as a dangerous obstacle to progress. Stone melds scientific detail with personal experience to illustrate the value of biodiversity. He shows that the Everglades is not a second-class ecosystem, it is alive with resilience. Instead of taking your kids to Disneyworld, Stone encourages parents to spend the night showing them how to camp under the stars. He urges people to get involved in healing the system for wetland restoration, claiming that the Everglades is our greatest test, and if we pass, we get to keep the planet.

Juan Gilbert – “To Start Voting, Say Vote”
Voting accessibility is something that we don’t think about often. For many who are blind, deaf, illiterate or physically disabled, filling out a regular ballot is a hardship. Prime III is a voting machine that eliminates the miscount caused by the butterfly ballot, hanging chads and pregnant chads. (A”chad” is fragment that comes from punching a hole in paper.) The machine was created in 2003 and now emphasizes the next generation of voting because it gives the people who have never been able to vote by themselves a chance at independence. A practical problem that was fixed with innovation, this talk showed that TED is not just about concepts — it’s also about solutions.

Chris Hass – “Empowering the Fight Against Parkinson’s: One Step at a Time”
A dynamic researcher, Chris Hass urged the people in the crowd to use their imaginations and put themselves in the shoes of the 1.5 million people with Parkinson’s disease, which affects movement control. According to Hass, the number of people who suffer a decreased quality of life due to Parkinson’s will double by 2030. Through shocking figures, visuals and infographics, Hass showed how the disease affects friends and family and, most importantly, a spouse. In his research, he proves that positive images create emotional responses that have the power to influence the ability to move. His research concludes that thinking positively and reminiscing about your best day can turn patients into participants in the fight against Parkinson’s. This talk emphasizes the honor, compassion and commitment of the spouses that stick with their significant other. Through this talk, I realized that another subtle theme of TEDxUF is love and compassion.

Ann Christiano – “The Accelerant on the Fire of Change”
As the Frank and Betsy Karel Endowed Chair in Public Interest Communications, it was expected that Ann Christiano would demonstrate impressive public speaking skills. Ann Christiano sets the scene to the 18th century, illustrating how a group of change makers ended slavery by coming together to create a social justice campaign that used strategic communication to make an impact. An engaging speaker,Christiano used famous quotes and multiple historical references to movement makers, such as the civil rights bus boycotts and the censorship of James Joyce’s “Ulysses.” A fantastic close to the TEDxUF speeches, she proved that a focused group of strategic thinkers can change the world and make a lasting difference.Ann’s circular closing statements finalized the theme that Nate Smith had started. As Ann said, “Strategic communications is the fire on the flame of change.”

TEDxImpact

Via: Ashley Lombardo

TEDxUF is about expanding your mind and perspective. According to salsa-dancer extraordinaire Castellucci, breakthroughs can be months, and even years, in the making. They will only happen if people start by taking tiny steps that lead to quantum leaps in thinking.

The audience left TED feeling enlightened, connected and compassionate. This year’s conference inspired attendees to live everyday with reason. The first year that the event was run entirely by third-year students and younger, TEDxUF was deemed a success. The conference has grown exponentially in its six years of existence, with next year expected to be bigger and better. As the staff gears up to meet on Tuesday to discuss TEDxUF 2016, Claudia Bell can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next.

“There are so many details to reflect on from this year. What worked, what failed, and how we can learn from those things going forward,” she said. “It almost frightens me the possibilities for this event moving forward, especially because most of this year’s team plans to be involved next year. As long as those that join the team are as crazy and as passionate as we are, I can’t wait to come back as an alumni and see how this conference has grown.”