We’re excited to announce the line-up of speakers who are joining us at TEDxEdmonton 2012 happening on Saturday, June 9, 2012. Speaking on the theme of “Activating Ideas”, this year’s speakers will challenge you to go beyond ideas, fight constraints, create momentum, inspire followers, and take action.

They include:

Joanne Cave
Cultivating leadership and social change among young people
Joanne is a feminist activist, non-profit leader, and undergraduate student at the University of Toronto. She founded the Edmonton-based young women’s leadership organization Ophelia’s Voice, and recently founded a Toronto-based network of young non-profit leaders to discuss and strategize on sector-level issues including funding reform, policy advocacy, and intergenerational succession planning. In addition, she currently serves on the governing boards of the Toronto Women’s City Alliance and Frontline Partners with Youth Network. Joanne was named one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People, a YWCA Edmonton Young Woman of Distinction, and Global TV Edmonton’s Women of Vision in 2009.

Darrell Kopke
Entrepreneur and investor in socially driven startups
Darrell is skool principal of Institute B, a Vancouver-based incubator and business accelerator firm. He also holds ownership positions in 11 growth companies and a Board position in 5 entrepreneurial ventures. Darrell is a member of the group of founders of lululemon athletica, a Vancouver, Canada-based yoga-inspired athletic apparel retailer. As General Manager, he oversaw the company’s expansion from one store in Kitsilano to 60 stores internationally, about 100 percent annual growth and $200+ million in sales. He holds a BCommerce Degree in Marketing from Concordia University and an MBA from UBC’s Sauder School of Business. In 2006 Darrell was announced as a member of the Business in Vancouver’s ‘Top Forty Under 40’.

Randy Marsden
Pioneering entrepreneur and inventor of assistive technologies
Randy is the co-founder of Swype Inc. and Cleankeys Inc. He has pioneered specialized computing technologies for people with disabilities for more than two decades. In 2001, Randy originated the concept of Swype, a touch screen-based predictive text technology, which allows people to draw or swipe characters instead of typing on a graphical keyboard. He invented the Cleankeys® wipe-able computer keyboard – an easy-to-disinfect, button-less, touch- and tap-sensitive keyboard for dental offices, hospitals and other settings where infection control is a primary concern. In 2011, Randy was recognized with a Manning Innovation Award. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alberta.

Gerry Morita
Artistic director of original contemporary dance
Gerry is the Artistic Director of Mile Zero Dance, an Edmonton-based company committed to the cultivation of original contemporary dance for the last 25 years. The company works with others in a spirit that fosters creativity and vitality and is devoted to the development and artistic viability of dance performance in Edmonton. Being appointed as Artistic Director in 2004, Gerry has been bringing Mile Zero Dance to larger and more diverse audiences with an open, yet artistically challenging style of work. She infuses the company with a distinct voice and aesthetic that encompasses dance, interdisciplinary work, and performance art. Gerry was recognized as Innovative Artistic Director of the Year in 2006 by Syncrude at The Mayor’s Evening for the Arts in Edmonton.

Kris Pearn
Animator, storyteller and feature film director
Kris has worked across the entertainment industry from Television to Feature Film as an Animator, Designer, Story Artist, Writer and Director, including such films as Surf’s Up, Open Season, Arthur Christmas, and Pirates! Band of Misfits. He was Head of Story on Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and he’s currently directing an upcoming animated feature for Sony Pictures Animation. Kris was born and raised on a goat farm in Delaware Ontario Canada. He attended Sheridan College where he studied Classical Animation. He still loves to draw.

Mary Pinkoski
Storyteller and champion spoken word poet
Mary is a spoken word poet from Edmonton. She was captain of 2011 Edmonton Poetry Slam Team which won the National Championship at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. Mary was also voted Most Valuable Poet of the 2011 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. She was a finalist in the 2011 Edmonton Poetry Laureate competition, as well as a finalist at the 2011 Canadian Individual Slam Championship. Mary was the winner of the 2008 National CBC Poetry Faceoff. A storyteller at heart, her writing has been called dynamic and visceral. Mary has presented her unique style of spoken word throughout Alberta, British Columbia, and Washington. In addition to her live performances, Mary’s work has been played on CBC Radio One’s Radio Active and the Key of A, and CKUA’s The Road Home.

E. Paul Zehr
Neuroscientist with a passion for the popularization of science
Paul is professor of neuroscience and kinesiology at the University of Victoria. His recent pop-sci books include “Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero (2008)” and “Inventing Iron Man: The Possibility of a Human Machine (2011)“. “Becoming Batman” was recently translated and published in Japan as “Batman ni naru”. In 2012 he won the University of Victoria Craigdarroch Research Communications Award for Knowledge Mobilization. Paul has written for YES Magazine: the Science Magazine for Kids and Discover Magazine. Paul is also a regular speaker at conferences and comic book conventions, including the San Diego International Comic-Con, New York Comic-Con, and Wonder Con. He has PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Alberta.

Nate Box
Restauranteur, tastemaker, builder of the people’s community
Nate is proud to call Edmonton home. He is the owner of Elm Café, a small shop that focusses on providing craft coffee and artisan sammiches to the masses. He believes in challenging peoples conceptions of food and the community it builds. His work and life experience are inseparable. After working with major national brands, not-for-profits, and independent food establishments, Nate finally felt ready to sink his roots deeper into Edmonton. His wife, family, friends, and staff are the reason he’s able to do what he loves. Aside from coffee, sammiches, and people, Nate spends time scheming, cycling, climbing, and drinking bourbon.

Tickets to TEDxEdmonton 2012 are $99 (plus taxes/fees) and include a full day pass, lunch, and snack breaks. Tickets are on sale now: click here to order or call the Citadel Theatre box office at 780-425-1820.

We’re excited to announce the line-up of speakers for our first TEDxEdmonton Salon Series event happening on Feb 8, 2012! Speaking on the theme of “Rethinking Open Source Culture“, these four speakers will represent a range of local perspectives from the arts, government, business, technology and education. They are:

Ashley Casovan @ashleycasovan
Ashley is the Strategic Coordinator for the Chief Information Officer at the City of Edmonton. Passionate about creating open government and enhancing community engagement, she is currently working on several innovative projects within the Information Technology Branch, the City of Edmonton and beyond. Prior to working with the City of Edmonton, Ashley was a political organizer in Canada and the United States. Outside work, Ashley is an active board member with Next Gen, Equal Voice Alberta North, and the Institute of Public Administration, Canada’s New Public Servant Committee.

Steve Fisher @hellofisher
Steve is an internationally renowned interactive designer, speaker and open source evangelist. He has done work for companies all over North America and travels the world talking about design, user experience and open source. Currently Steve is working as the UX Director for Yellow Pencil, serves as the national vice president of web for the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada and can be found hanging out with some of the core teams contributing to open source projects like Drupal. Steve likes running, fancy shirts and twitter. Find him at hellofisher.com.

George Siemens @gsiemens
George is a writer, theorist, speaker, and researcher on learning, networks, technology, analytics and visualization, and openness in education. He is the author of Knowing Knowledge, an exploration of how the context and characteristics of knowledge have changed and what it means to organizations today. George is currently the associate director of the Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute at Athabasca University and leads the learning analytics research team. He has pioneered open connectivist courses that have included over 15,000 educators and students as participants. He is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences, having presented at conferences in more than 30 countries. Find him at elearnspace.org/blog and connectivism.ca.

Amy Shostak @shostakattack
Amy has been performing with Rapid Fire Theatre since 2002, and is the current Artistic Director. She has performed at The Canadian Comedy Awards in Toronto, The Vancouver International Improv Festival (ViiF), The Winnipeg Improv Festival (IF), the Berlin Improv Festival, The Dad’s Garage World Domination Theatresports Tournament in Atlanta, and Vancouver Theatresports League’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Amy has been involved in numerous collaborative projects including: My Name is Jonas (Rapid Fire Theatre) with fellow RFT members, Colin Matty and Kory Mathewson, and A Watched Pot Never Boyles (Rapid Fire Theatre) with Arlen Konopaki. Amy is a graduate of The University of Alberta, where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Drama and Art History.

Tickets to TEDxEdmonton Salon Series #1 are available now – visit http://tedxedmontonsalon1.eventbrite.com.

TEDxEdmonton Salon 1: Rethinking Open Source Culture
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 7 pm
The Citadel Theatre
Click here to get your tickets!

As the Internet came to be, we were all excited by the awesome possibilities that would be realized once this free-flowing, open network allowed musicians, artists, scientists and engineers around the world to instantly share their work. Remixing, collaboration, and new innovations would be the result. But while there have been great examples of open source projects (like Wikipedia) fueled by the wisdom of crowds, there are many examples where open source culture has fostered nasty group dynamics and mediocre collaborations. Have we glorified open-source software, free information and collective work at the expense of individual creativity? Or is open source culture here to stay?

What is TEDxEdmonton Salon Series

The TEDxEdmonton Salon Series is a set of intimate and interactive live speaker events designed to engage TEDx audiences throughout the year, and spark creative engagement within the community. In the spirit of TED Talks, TEDxEdmonton Salons are a gathering of curious minds, and place to explore new ideas and ways of thinking. At each event we’ll feature four unique local speakers – representing business/entrepreneurship, arts/culture, political/social and science/technology – each offering both visionary and practical perspectives and insights on the selected theme, followed by open, interactive discussion.

What is TEDx?
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The U of A Alumni Association and Startup Edmonton are bringing the inspirational TED talks to downtown Edmonton through our TEDTalks@Lunch series. Bring your lunch and be inspired by some of the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers as they present the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Watch a selected TEDTalk video presentation (selection is kept secret) then join the group in a discussion about the presentation. What better way to feed your mind over the lunch hour? Join us the last Wednesday of every month to watch and discuss an “idea worth spreading”.

The next free lunchtime event takes place Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at noon.

Location: Enterprise Square (2nd floor), 10230-Jasper Ave, Room 2-926

Cost: Free

Space is limited; pre registration required.

Share your thoughts! Next TED Talks @ Lunch on Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The U of A Alumni Association and Startup Edmonton are bringing the inspirational TED talks to downtown Edmonton through our TEDTalks@Lunch series. Bring your lunch and be inspired by some of the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers as they present the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Watch a selected TEDTalk video presentation (selection is kept secret) then join the group in a discussion about the presentation. What better way to feed your mind over the lunch hour? Join us the last Wednesday of every month to watch and discuss an “idea worth spreading”.

The next free lunchtime event takes place Wednesday, October 26, 2011 at noon.

Location: Enterprise Square (2nd floor), 10230-Jasper Ave, Room 2-926

Cost: Free

Space is limited; pre registration required.

Share your thoughts! Next TED Talks @ Lunch on Wednesday, October 26, 2011.