TEDxOrlando returns to Garden Theatre

WINTER GARDEN — With the future on the minds of many more than ever, the theme “Envisioning Tomorrow” for TEDxOrlando 2015 fits with the area’s rapid change and growth.

As a gathering for big ideas, this rendition of TEDxOrlando will focus on preparations for the future from a variety of perspectives.

Past perspectives have included renowned speakers from around the world and presenters from the West Orange community — such as citrus magnate Bert Roper and pediatric cancer activist Amber Larkin, who has since worked with the Garden Theatre, which hosts TEDxOrlando after a year hiatus.

This year’s sold-out event, scheduled for 1 p.m. Sept. 12, has the goal of exploring possible answers to questions such as: What will the future be like? What do we want it to be like? How can we shape it?

Each presenter — eight live speakers are scheduled so far — has less than 18 minutes to share a powerful talk with the goal of spreading big ideas to foster greater understanding of the world and change it.

“We’re so excited about the speakers at this year’s conference,” TEDxOrlando organizer Jenny Casey said. “It’s a fascinating group of presenters with anticipated topics ranging from medicine to inspirational social initiatives for youth, to art and technology, to Florida’s unique waterways.”

THE PRESENTERS

Beyond some recorded TED Talk videos at this year’s event, the following presenters are scheduled:

Lori Daiello, pharmacology sleuth. Daiello has a consulting firm in Orlando and is employed at Rhode Island Hospital. She hosts appointments at Brown University in its public health school and neurology department. Her expertise in complicated medicinal combinations and the memory effects of frequently prescribed medications has led to awards and national recognition.

Andrea Eliscu, concerned citizen. In 2011, Eliscu founded Dueling Dragons of Orlando, which unites police and inner-city teens as teams competing in dragonboat rowing races. The groups learn to count on one another and cooperate, which leads to enhanced relationships, newfound trust and improved communities. This program could expand nationally soon.

Max Jackson, neural data analyst and science communicator. As a researcher with Hickman Hybrid Research Lab at the University of Central Florida, Jackson often talks about neuroscience, his passion for brain-computer interfaces and how these ideas fit in culture.

Bahiyyah Maroon, amplifier. Joy, energy and science are Maroon’s expertise, which she has used to benefit more than 20,000 people through social science insights, as well as research and teach flourishing and happiness.

Amy Cameron O’Rourke, gerontologist and entrepreneur. As a passionate advocate for elders and their families and founder of Cameron Group Care Management Services, O’Rourke helps those groups deal with aging and supports their quality of life.

Leslie Kemp Poole, award-winning writer and historian. Poole is a fourth-generation Floridian interested in women’s roles in Florida’s environmental movement, from saving vital natural resources more than a century ago to today. She is a visiting environmental studies professor at Rollins College.

Nathan Selikoff, artist, programmer and entrepreneur.Nature, systems, science and music inspire Selikoff to combine computer code, future technology and traditional materials in innovation. Galleries around the world have exhibited his award-winning art, which plays with interactivity and motion in time and space.

Joe Tankersley, futurist. Tankersley’s long career with Walt Disney Imagineering allowed him to combine storytelling with a love of the future, which he thinks deeply about. He has collaborated with groups examining futures of technology, entertainment, corporate citizenship, workforces and sustainability. He explores the combination of story with foresight to help others imagine and envision better futures.

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WHAT IS TEDxORLANDO?

The first TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Conference occurred in 1984 and grew to a nonprofit that spurred independent verbal presentations of myriad topics worldwide in more than 100 languages. “TED Talks,” as they often are called, are broadcast on several media platforms and spread online to cultivate the greatest ideas people can offer.

Events organized independent of TED staff are signified with an x, which the central theme or location follows. TEDxOrlando began in 2010 and has occurred in the Garden Theatre each year since 2011, with the exception of 2014, when only events of an offshoot — TEDxOrlandoSalon — occurred in the Orlando area. Tickets to this year’s event cost $90 and include shared food, breaks and direct interaction with speakers.

“Our hope is that, through TEDxOrlando, we raise the profile of Orlando as a city where ideas come to life and where innovation is happening every day,” Casey said. 

For more and to see past talks for free, visit ted.com or TEDxOrlando.com.

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Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].