TED (short for technology, entertainment and design) has gained traction nationally for making “ideas worth spreading” by having those at the forefront of innovation give short presentations on their expertise and then making those presentations available online for the masses. For the second straight spring, students are bringing that idea to campus and hosting TEDxGeorgiaTech to spread the innovative ideas being conceived at the Institute.

The TEDx program is designed to bring the TED experience to local communities and enable them to organize events that emulate the larger-scale conferences.

“TEDx creates a platform for innovators and creators around the community. It gets those people on stage and more people exposed to their ideas,” said Sharad Gopal, an undergraduate industrial engineering student organizing the event. “TEDx lets us showcase the people behind the work and learn more about innovations happening around Tech.” Presenters will focus on innovations in biology, robotics and neuroengineering.

This year’s speakers include:

• Steve Potter: Director of Laboratory for NeuroEngineering 
• Ravi Bellamkonda: Director of Neurological Biomaterials & Cancer Therapeutics Laboratory
• Jason Freeman: Composer. Computer Musician
• Mark Guzdial: Director Contextualized Support for Learning. Computer Scientist. 
• David Hu: Biologist. Mathematician. Fluid Mechanics Researcher
• Jenay Beer: Human-Robotic Interaction Researcher 
• Thad Starner: Director of Contextual Computing Group 

TEDx hosts must apply for licenses from TED for their events and are issued guidelines for sponsorships, attendance and other logistics. Though the event will not be live-streamed, all talks will be posted to the main TED YouTube channel after the event.

This year’s event is licensed for 150 attendees, up from 100 last year.

TEDxGeorgiaTech will take place Saturday, April 7, at the Academy of Medicine. Registration is $10 for undergraduate Tech students and $20 for all others. Those interested can submit a request for registration online at tedxgeorgiatech.org, and will be notified within a few days if there is room for them to attend.

TED enthusiasts can also participate in a viewing of TEDMED, a TED event focused on health science and medical innovation. Georgia Tech is one of a few selected sites to simulcast the event live from April 11–13 in Tech Square.