For immediate use
UNC-Chapel Hill hosts fifth annual TEDxUNC conference, Feb. 27
Event will explore issues affecting the human body, mentally, physically and spiritually and feature 14 national and local speakers, including Carolina students and faculty
(Chapel Hill, N.C. – Feb. 23, 2016) – A speed climber, podcast comedians, dance and circus groups, local artisans and Carolina students and faculty are just part of the highly anticipated lineup for the fifth annual TedxUNC conference on Feb. 27. The compelling group of speakers and performers will explore the theme “Bodies: Being Human” from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Memorial Hall, where topics of discussion will include artistic expression, surpassing physical limits and racial and sexual identity.
The event will be presented in four parts¾ Issues, Inputs, Outputs, and Frontiers¾ each representing a different aspect of the human body. There will also be an hour-long breakout session from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., where attendees will eat local food, chat with speakers and engage in body-themed activities.
“This university has contributed so much to the understanding of the human body, and we felt like this theme would highlight that,” said TEDxUNC co-curator Ashita Gona, an undergraduate senior majoring in Media and Journalism. “We’re proud that our event is free and accessible to the public. We want as many people as possible to experience these ideas and formulate their own thoughts to the topics at hand.”
A local extension of the TEDx program, TEDxUNC is an independently organized annual conference run by students at UNC-Chapel Hill. The event seeks to bring ideas worth spreading to the Chapel Hill community, as well as showcase local ideas and talent.
Follow TEDxUNC on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TEDxUNC, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tedxunc/?fref=ts and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tedxunc/.
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About the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, is a global higher education leader known for innovative teaching, research and public service. A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, Carolina regularly ranks as the best value for academic quality in U.S. public higher education. Now in its third century, the University offers 77 bachelor’s, 113 master’s, 68 doctorate and seven professional degree programs through 14 schools and the College of Arts and Sciences. Every day, faculty – including two Nobel laureates – staff and students shape their teaching, research and public service to meet North Carolina’s most pressing needs in every region and all 100 counties. Carolina’s more than 308,000 alumni live in all 50 states and 150 countries. More than 167,000 live in North Carolina.
About 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, TED Talks videos and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. 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.)
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or fewer) delivered by today’s leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED’s annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, and made available, free, on TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman. TED’s open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from thousands of volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; the annual million-dollar TED Prize, which funds exceptional individuals with a “wish,” or idea, to create change in the world; TEDx, which provides licenses to thousands of individuals and groups who host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED or Instagram at https://instagram.com/ted.
TEDxUNC contact: Ashita Gona, (919)274-8998, agona@tedxunc.com
Communications and Public Affairs contact: MC VanGraafeiland, (919) 962-7090, mc.vangraafeiland@unc.edu