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TEDxColumbiaSC features two from Arnold School
December 4, 2012
Dr. Jamie Lead
Julie Smithwick
The 2013 lineup of high-energy, innovative speakers for TEDxColumbiaSC will feature two from the Arnold School of Public Health – one who is devoted to nanoscience and the other who is an advocate for South Carolina’s Latina community.
Dr. Jamie Lead, the Carolina SmartState endowed chair of environmental nanoscience and risk assessment, and Julie Smithwick, executive director of the PASOs program, will be among nine people representing the University of South Carolina at the Jan. 21 event.
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those 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. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com.
In recent years, TEDx has expanded to include 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.
Benefits and Risks of Nanotechnology: A Case Study of Nanomedicine and the Environment is the title of the talk to be delivered by Lead, a professor in the Arnold School’s department of environmental sciences.
“It is important, where possible, for scientists to give society a picture of science in theory and practice. Given the world we live in is so dominated by science and its technological fruits, it is important to explore the impacts, benefits and limitation of science and technology and to hold a discussion of these issues with the wider public,” Lead said.
Searching for the American Dream in South Carolina: Reproductive Health Challenges and Opportunities is the title of a talk to be delivered by Smithwick and Dr. Erica Gibson, an assistant professor in anthropology and in women’s and gender studies.
An organization that helps meet the maternal, child and reproductive health needs of South Carolina’s growing Latino population, PASOs works with the Latino community and service providers to develop strong and healthy families.
“Through our community-based work in PASOs, I have had the opportunity to see the Latino immigrant population in an entirely different light than most people see them, and I’m excited to share this perspective with the world,” Smithwick said.
Smithwick’s interests dovetail with those of Gibson, who said, “I will be highlighting my research among women of Mexican origin in South Carolina.”
The USC faculty, staff and students who will speak during the event were chosen from more than 100 nominees, who comprised innovative artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, educators and business leaders.
Dr. Julius Fridriksson, a professor in the Arnold School’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, spoke at the 2012 TED event in Columbia.
Visit http://www.tedxcolumbiasc.com to learn about the event and the other speakers from USC.
