What do an astrophysicist, a poet and an entrepreneur all have in common?
“None of them can explain to their parents how they make their money!” says Claire Hooper, writer, broadcaster and stand-up comedian.
In fact they are all presenters at the inaugural TEDxNorthernSydneyInstitute kicked off by Ms Hooper this morning at the Northern Sydney Institute’s Learning and Innovation Campus, St Leonards.
Ms Hooper is thrilled to be MC for the event.
"What a dream gig! I’m a huge fan of TED Talks and here I am attending a whole day of them and all I have to do for the privilege is introduce a few people” she said.
Themed “This Way Up”, the focus is on people who have found their own way to the top, braved new ground and found different ways through barriers. Fourteen presenters, all from different backgrounds, are delivering talks which inspire, challenge, amaze and delight. They will be complemented by live musical performances and TEDtalk videos.
The Northern Sydney Institute is the first tertiary vocational provider in the southern hemisphere to be granted a TEDx licence.
“We are excited to be hosting TEDxNorthernSydneyInstitute. I believe we are a premium provider of vocational education where we encourage our staff and students to have visionary insight and challenge themselves, so it’s a natural extension for the Institute to host a TEDx event,” said Jonathan Marin, Director of Sales and Customer Experience, the Northern Sydney Institute.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to contribute to a culture of learning and creating in an environment where great ideas are fostered,” he said.
The topics presented are as diverse as the speakers. Ranging from the fields of technology, entertainment, science business and psychology, the presenters include Tim Ferguson (Comedian), James Bradfield Moody (The New Inventors) and Hamish Hawthorn (ATP Innovations). Some of the subjects addressed are “how to survive in a resource limited world”, “food for change” and “using hip hop in the classroom”.
TED is a non-profit organisation devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading”. Started as a conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with many initiatives. It brings together people from all different disciplines to share ideas and innovations.
Follow the converstaion at #TEDxNSI
Follow us @TEDxNSI