Among them are British middleweight champion boxer Nathan Heaney, award-winning playwright Deborah McAndrew and North Staffordshire based sculptor Andy Edwards who will all be giving talks aligned to this year’s theme “Back to the Future”.
Also taking their place in the spotlight will be co-founder of Affordable Food Stoke Nikki Barrett and foodie entrepreneur Cris Cohen of FEASTED, both passionate about effecting positive change in the area.
The speakers were all selected by a panel, chaired by Staffordshire University Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Professor Martin Jones, and involving other key community figures including last year’s TEDx speakers Clare Wood, CEO of the British Ceramics Biennial and Josie Morris MBE DL, director of sustainable packaging company Woolcool.
Josie said: ”Being a TEDx speaker at the last event was a really fantastic experience. It really pushed the boundaries for me. I do quite like speaking but this was on another level. I took so much away from it, I really enjoyed it and the team at Staffordshire University made it so much fun.”
Two Staffordshire University Professors and two graduates will also be sharing their big ideas at the prestigious event on Thursday 16th May which aims to shine a light on the most innovative minds in the region.
Catherine Flick is a Professor of Games Technology at Staffordshire University, and she will be talking about responses to new technologies including AI while Professor Claire Gwinnett will be considering how we can use ingenuity to tackle the global challenge of plastic pollution.
Journalist and communications specialist Genelle Aldred will speak about how, in a year of elections, using better communications can fight against a culture of disinformation, and recent graduate Sharanya Raganatha Urs will tackle the often-taboo subject of sex education.
Completing the line-up is an Advanced Specialist Pharmacist from University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM). Patryk Majewski’s talk centres around how pharmaceutical companies are looking back at what we know to produce new antibiotics that will help us now and in the future.
Professor Martin Jones said: “This promises to be a sensational second event. Although attendance at the event is limited, the talks from our inaugural event have been viewed thousands on times on the TEDx platform, helping to put us on the world map for creativity and innovation. We can’t wait to see what results from our next main event.”
Limited to 100 guests, TEDxStaffordshireUniversity will take place on Thursday 16th May at the Catalyst on Staffordshire University’s Stoke-on-Trent campus. Free tickets for the event will be released in April.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
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