WASHINGTON — NASA is inviting reporters and the public to join agency leaders, technologists and innovators from a variety of fields at TEDxNASA@SiliconValley 2011 on Aug. 17. The event will be held at the Marriott Marquis hotel in San Francisco from 2:30 to 8:30 p.m. PDT. The event is in the spirit of the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conferences that bring together leading thinkers to create a dialogue about important global challenges.
Speakers include an aeronautics researcher developing a silent, carbonless airplane; a tree geneticist cloning the world’s largest trees; a fish-loving researcher creating the next biofuel from a salt-loving succulent; a computer that beats Jeopardy! Champions; and a Tony-winning street theater company. Each presentation on the theme “Extreme Green” will last 18 minutes or less.
“NASA is synonymous with taking big dreams and making them happen,” said Pete Worden, director of NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. “TEDxNASA allows us to further explore the power of ideas and the potential to change life here on Earth.”
The event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. Registration opens Friday, July 1, and seating is limited. Reporters interested in attending should contact Jessica Culler at jessica.culler@nasa.gov by Aug. 12. If unable to attend in person, the conference will be streamed live on the TEDxNASA website. For the stream and to register, visit. http://tedxnasa.com
Esther Dyson, chair of the NASA Advisory Council’s Technology and Innovation Committee, will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event. “I’m excited to be part of this fertile combination of NASA and TEDx format,” Dyson said. “Both are dedicated to far-out, long-term thinking, and both understand the promise of hybrid vigor.”
NASA’s four research centers, Ames; Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif.; Glenn Research Center in Cleveland; Langley Research Center and the National Institute of Aerospace, both in Hampton Va., are co-hosts of the event.
TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share an experience. These events are branded TEDx, where “x” means an independently organized TED event. TED is a non-profit organization founded in 1984. TED presentations are available for free at: http://www.TED.com
For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov
