TEDxBeaconStreet Comes To Brighton

BROOKLINE, MA — This weekend the first lady of Iceland, a Celtics star and the former president of Tesla will all be under the same roof. Why? They are three of several dozen people giving TED Talks on education, innovation and science.

TEDx is part of the TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design) short talk family, but the event is local and organized independently. Brookline resident John Werner started TEDxBeaconStreet in 2012 and stresses its multi-generational emphasis, Ideas in Action theme and experimental nature. It tends to feature speakers for a cross-generational audience as young as the second grade (in its youth-iteration).

The latest event will be held at WGBH's studios in Brighton from 8 a.m. -7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23. The event is free and you can get tickets here.

Although TEDxBeaconStreet has popped up in a Brookline elementary school, at the Franklin park zoo, Fenway park and JFK presidential library and at Trip Advisor in Newton, this is the second annual one to be hosted by WGBH.

The day-long event will feature brief talks from about three dozen speakers. The radio station's Kirk Carapezza, who covers education; Kara Miller, host of Innovation Hub; and WCAI’s Heather Goldstone, host of Living Lab Radio will moderate.

“Every year, TEDxBeaconStreet is focused on spreading knowledge and inspiration, showcasing some of the most impactful speakers with strong stories they want to share, ” said Werner in a statement. “A shared commitment to life-long learning is what makes the partnership with WGBH a perfect fit. We are looking forward to using the power of storytelling to bring to light provocative ideas in areas of education, innovation and science.”

This group of speakers planned for the day range from a heart surgeon to holocaust survivor to Boston Symphony Orchestra artists to a member of the team who helped put humans on the moon.

• Jon McNeill, Former Tesla President and Lyft COO, will discuss the startup and scaling of Tesla Motors
• Jordan Harrod, Ph.D. candidate and NSF Fellow at Harvard-MIT, will discuss the importance of artificial intelligence literacy, to our understanding of this emerging technology, and the rapidly growing impact it has on our lives
• Elizabeth Rowe, Principal Flute of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, will talk about being an "only," and the transformative powers of community and vulnerability
• Sylvia Ruth Gutmann, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, will speak to the parallels between the German concentration camp imprisoning her as a child and the global refugee crisis facing society today
• Aaron Englehart, Cell Biology Professor at the University of Minnesota, will explore the possibilities – and realities – of human life on Mars

"This year, the themes of education, innovation and science resonate strongly, mirroring the work taking place at WGBH," said Jon Abbott, president and CEO of WGBH. "We’re looking forward to hosting this year’s event and the inspiration it will bring to all who attend."

TEDxBeaconStreet features world-class speakers for a cross-generational audience as young as the second grade. The event is named for the 10 miles that is Beacon Street, connecting Boston to neighboring Brookline and Newton. It's Boston’s longest street, and it unites, according to Werner. Plus, hundreds of New England towns have a Beacon Street; there are 490 Beacon Streets in Massachusetts alone.

Nov 23 | TEDxBeaconStreet @ WGBH | Boston, MA Patch

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).