fbpx

FVCC, Flathead High to Present Best of TED Festival

By Beacon Staff

Flathead Valley Community College and Flathead High School are presenting three nights of exceptional TED Talks accompanied by commentary and discussions local community leaders.

FVCC’s Entrepreneurship Center and Flathead’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme announced the Best of TED Festival, Nov. 19-21 at 7 p.m. in FVCC’s Arts and Technology Building.

This free event is open to the public. Ivan Lorentzen, psychology professor at FVCC, and Sue Brown, veteran teacher at Flathead High School, will serve as masters of ceremony.

TED, a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. TED originally started as a four-day conference in California in 1984 and has grown to support world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less. Talks are then made available to the public for free at TED.com. Speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, and Sir Ken Robinson among the thousands of cutting-edge thinkers TED features.

In addition to viewing the featured TED Talks, attendees will have a chance to exchange ideas with others in small group discussions and engage with expert panelists about the ideas presented in the talks.

“We hope to introduce more people to the world of TED,” said FVCC Entrepreneurship Coordinator Jill Seigmund. “We’ve selected TED Talks and expert panelists that are sure to evoke quality discussion among the viewers.”

The Best of TED Festival kicks off November 19 with a focus on technology. Community leaders Ruth Wrightsman and Eliza Sorte-Thomas will serve as panelists. Entertainment is the focus on Nov. 20 and will feature panelists Susan Guthrie, Ashley Wold, and ‘Asta Bowen. The third and final night of the Festival on Nov. 21 will focus on design with Tom Jentz and David Koel as the panelists.

“TED Talks are provocative. This Best of TED Festival creates an opportunity to discuss important ideas with an intergenerational community group,” said Flathead High School IB Coordinator Kelli Higgins. “I’m sure participants will leave energized and enthusiastic about further opportunities for TED-inspired dialogue.”

For more information about the Best of TED Festival, contact Jill Seigmund at 756-3834 or [email protected].