Credit: Chadroc2
Writer
The now annual TEDx University of Glasgow returned on 4 March under the theme “One Step Further”, bringing with it a number of speakers comprising of students, alumni, professionals, and university staff.
Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) is a non-profit organisation that holds conferences across the world every year with presenters who are passionate about their chosen subject. TEDx events are independently organised TED Talks, presented within a smaller community – in this case, the University of Glasgow.
This year’s conference focussed on progress. The theme also placed emphasis on forward momentum, with the hope to inspire attendees to move forward in an aspect of their life, whether it be their career, research, leisure, self or any other part.
Alison McNaughton, Speaker Manager for TEDx, explains: “TEDx connects us to wider local and global communities. We’re excited to bring together a range of voices and experiences under the theme of ‘One Step Further.’ We hope to generate new ideas, cross-disciplinary connections and ultimately inspire you to take action on what matters most to you.”
In line with this progress, TEDx University of Glasgow doubled its audience capacity this year, allowing the conference to focus more on involving the audience than previous years. This decision was made in order to give those who are interested the chance to interact with speakers on subjects that they feel are important, encouraging attendees to engage and reflect on the ideas brought to the floor by the speakers.
TEDx Project Manager, Moa Schafer said: “TEDx is all about spreading ideas – but it is also so much more than that. It is about sparking conversation, questioning the way we do things, and initiating change.”
The conference hosted speakers spanned many different fields of interest and study, such as Psychology, Medicine, Biology, Engineering, Law and the Climate. This year’s line-up included the likes of FemEng founder Ellen Simmons, Professor of Mathematical Population Biology Rowland Kao and Glasgow Girl Amal Azzudin.
