What if a Saturday could change your life? On February 28, attendees of TEDx Texas Tech University were asked this question, and many more.
The TEDx event was held in the Allen Theatre at the Texas Tech Student Union on Saturday. There were over 700 people in attendance, and 13 speakers. The topics ranged from space to “Fifty Shades of Grey”, offering something for everyone.
The day was split up into four sessions, with each session having at least three speakers. The speakers included professors, students, and entrepreneurs. Even with diverse topics, all of them were there to make guests think about their own possibilities.
Dr. Bernard Harris, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center alumnus and former NASA astronaut, said his TED talk was about reaching beyond the stars.
“My topic is about what if there isn’t a limit, the sky isn’t the limit,” Harris said. “And so naturally, being an astronaut, I’m going to share with the audience about space exploration and man kinds’ ability to reach out into the infiniteness that is space. And I want to link that back, though, to the individual, to us as people.”
During his session, Harris told stories about his experiences in space. He said the sights he saw were incredible, and shared many pictures of his time in space. Harris encouraged attendants to think outside of their comfort zones and strive to be the best they can.
Patricia Hawley, a professor of educational psychology at Texas Tech, talked about a hot topic in pop culture: “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Hawley has been researching sexual fantasies years before the bestselling novel came out. She said her research is important for women to hear.
“I think that women have been pathologized in the media, and I find that rather dreadful,” Hawley said. “So the social discourse right now in the media, is pathologizing this type of fantasy, so I actually saw this talk as being a public service to free women up.”
The youngest speaker of the day was Savanna Barksdale, an 18-year-old freshman agricultural communications major. She inspired people to think about big topics on a personal level. Barksdale said she used to think of things like cancer as something that happens to other people, until her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when Barksdale was in high school. Barksdale said that it is important in todays’ society to be understanding and globally aware.
Some other popular talks of the day were “What if climate change is real?” with Texas Tech scientist Katharine Hayhoe and “What if I defined American?” with immigration advocate Julissa Arce. Many students also presented topics like religion and even robots.
The youngest speaker of the day was Savanna Barksdale, an 18-year-old freshman agricultural communications major. She inspired people to think about
Harris said it is important for people, especially students, to attend events like TEDx that challenges them and encourages them to think outside of the box.
“I think these TED talks are wonderful. Because it allows, sort of in an informal setting, a delivery from many different speakers to talk about their passion,” Harris said. “And it’s a way in which we can share our passions and our dreams with the audience.”
Claire Criss, a sophomore public relations major, said she has always wanted to attend a TED talk, and is thankful that Texas Tech gave her the opportunity to see so many great speakers.
“I came to TEDx because I’ve been wanting to go to one since my sophomore year of high school,” Criss said, “because I find them very interesting and its’ always topics that I never really thought I wanted to know anything about.”
Criss said she would like to see more topics about national issues, like immigration and gay rights, at next years’ TEDx.
To learn more about each session at this years’ TEDx Texas Tech event, visit their website.