TEDxUniversityofMississippi Set for Feb. 20
Six speakers to share illuminating ideas during ninth annual event
OXFORD, Miss. – Six speakers will reveal thought-provoking and creative ideas during the ninth annual TEDxUniversityofMississippi event on Feb. 20 at the University of Mississippi's Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. The in-person event begins at 7 p.m., with preshow activities beginning at 6:30.
"This year's theme is 'Illuminate,'" said Emilie Chandler, a junior allied health major from Tupelo who serves as director of public relations for TEDxUniversityofMississippi. "Speakers will illuminate ideas that people, communities and organizations are exploring to optimize outcomes."
This year's presenters are:
Jason Bouldin, a nationally acclaimed portraitist from the Mississippi Delta. In 2002, Bouldin won the international competition for the Portrait Society of America's Draper Grand Prize. In his talk, he will advocate for a broader interpretation of the term "artist" and reimagine how the label might inspire all to find more meaning in their lives.
He earned his bachelor's degree in art history from Harvard University and received his studio training directly from his father, renowned artist Marshall Bouldin III.
Brynn Loftness, researcher addressing existing gaps in pediatric and family-care mental health resources. Loftness develops machine algorithms integrating wearable sensors, health records and off-body sensors to unlock insights into human behavior and well-being. She envisions the application of these new technologies revolutionizing the modern mental health care system, starting at the crucial early stages of life when children have the greatest potential for long-term success.
Loftness is a doctoral candidate in the complex systems and data science program at University of Vermont and a National Science Foundation graduate research fellow. She also holds a visiting researcher position in the Sabeti Lab and the Brown University MAPPS Center through her affiliation with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
Jaylin R. Smith, a native of Greenwood and Ole Miss graduate student in journalism and new media. Being a Black woman raised in the Mississippi Delta has given Jaylin a host of experiences that have molded her values of community, social activism, self-identity and cultural awareness. These values have inspired her TEDx talk regarding cultural competency and Black women's hair.
Smith received two bachelor's degrees in mass communications and speech communications from Mississippi Valley State University.
Dr. Alisha Rai, a disability advocate and family physician practicing in Alberta, Canada. Rai seeks to inspire hope by sharing her unfiltered journey to and through motherhood. She calls on us to address infertility and birth traumas openly and intentionally.
Together with her husband, Liam, Rai founded Hope for Cerebral Palsy, a nonprofit providing access to private early intervention therapies for children with cerebral palsy.
Jazmine D. Kelley, UM diversity education and strategic initiatives director. Kelley is pursuing a Doctor of Education in Higher Education and explores the relationship between student
success and institutional effectiveness for systematically excluded groups. In her studies, she found a reciprocal relationship between how institutions make decisions and the ultimate success of students.
Kelley has a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and a master's in food science, nutrition and health promotion from Mississippi State University.
David Hamilton, Anubis Improv founder and improv instructor. He uses improvisational performance to help people tap into their creativity and develop communication skills.
Hamilton has been creating improv curriculum and coaching since 2014.
He performs with the dupe troupe Kinross Kasunick, and is a member of the film collective Windbreaker. He believes anyone can harness the power of improv to develop active listening skills and enhance communication capabilities.
Organizing the event are Madalyn Dudley, a junior integrated marketing communications and public policy leadership major from Somerset, Kentucky, serving as chief of staff; Morgan McCann, a junior from Huntsville, Alabama, who is majoring in linguistics and international studies, assistant chief of staff; Kate Hooper, TEDx-licensed organizer and faculty adviser; and a team of 22 students and five consultants.
Entertainment for the event includes The Mississippians jazz band and violinist Jiwon Lee, a graduate student in integrated marketing communications from Oxford.
Tickets are available through the Ford Center box office by calling 662-915-7411 or online at https://fordcenter.org/events-tickets/. They are $5 for students and $7 for nonstudents. For assistance related to a disability, contact the Box Office by Feb. 15.
TEDxUniversityofMississippi is dedicated to Ideas Worth Spreading and aims to spark meaningful conversation in our community and beyond. For more information, visit https://www.tedxuniversityofmississippi.com and follow the group's social media at @tedxunivms on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.
About TED
TED is on a mission to discover and spread ideas that spark imagination, embrace possibility and catalyze impact. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge – without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.
TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. In addition to the hundreds of TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed) and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, more than 3,000 independently run TEDx events bring people together to share ideas and bridge divides in communities on every continent. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze more than $3 billion in funding for projects that seek to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future. View a full list of TED's many programs and initiatives.
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