Join the conversation at TEDxUWO

Following in the footsteps of other universities, such as Waterloo and Toronto, Western students are bringing the event to London. The idea for holding a TEDx event was a few years in the making.

History and philosophy student Luke Swanek and science student Arjun Gupta were teammates on the Alternative Spring Break service-learning experience in Louisiana in 2009. Inspired by their experiences, the pair wanted to bring the spirit of “changing the world” to Western. So began the planning process for TEDx.

“We started thinking, ‘Who moves us?’ Are the people who move us the same people who will move other people?” Swanek says. “Everyone likes to hear someone that has something to say; someone that can move someone.”

The two brought in Richard Ivey School of Business student Shreya Tekriwal to help bring the program to fruition and so far, they have some heavy-hitters lined up to share their thoughts on the theme “Own Your Passion.”

“We are trying to get a variety of speakers, not keeping it to one discipline,” says Tekriwal, noting the appeal of TED talks is the ability of the speakers to translate complex ideas into simple ones.

“You don’t need background knowledge to understand and enjoy a TED talk,” she notes.

Western’s newest import, neuroscientist Adrian Owen will be among the speakers at the TEDxUWO event. Ivey professor Denis Shackel, who is known for his “Five Seconds at a Time” approach to life after having survived a tragic mountain climbing accident, is also on the speaker lineup. Participants will also have the opportunity to listen to ultra-marathon runner and founder of Impossible2Possible, Ray Zahab.

The day will also include breakout sessions and live streaming of the talks.