About this event: The theme of TEDxYouth@HGS is Singularity. Singularity apart from its basic meaning of being one of a kind, strange, unique, remarkable or unusual can have various other perceptions as well. In mathematics, Singularity theory studies spaces that are almost manifolds, but not quite. A string can serve as an example of a one-dimensional manifold i...

One mathematician’s spirited answer to bored, frustrated and reluctant math students. Eduardo Sáenz de Cabezón suspects that when people ask him what's the use of math, they’re really asking a more pointed question. “They're asking you, ‘Why did I have to study that bullshit I never used in my life again?’” he says. Sáenz de Cabezón (TED Talk: ...

About this event: The world is filled with connections. Social connections, political connections, economic connections, geographical connections--there are a myriad of easily recognizable relationships if we simply open our eyes to the world around us. But, what connections do we overlook? What does it mean to be connected? Where do we find connections in biol...

About this event: Aesthetics was first put forward by Baumgarten, a German philosopher. "Aesthetics" is complex. It can be applied to all aspects of our life, such as music, mathematics, physics, biology, psychology and so on. Have you ever noticed the mathematical aesthetics of the golden ratio in architecture, music around you? Have you ever known the inherent...

Adam Spencer isn’t just the host of the Australian radio program Triple J Breakfast Show. He also has a degree in pure mathematics and, in today’s talk, he ascends into “geek heaven” to explains his deep love of massive prime numbers, the largest of which was discovered earlier this year and is 17.5 million digits long. So what is it about...

A round-up of funny, interesting and strange stories on the Internet this week: Hyperbole and a Half's Allie Brosh is back after a two-year hiatus, with part 2 of an illustrated account of overcoming depression. Dark and delightful. [Hyperbole and a Half] Even world-famous scientists have tiffs. Obviously this bet between Stephen Hawki...

On the anniversary of September 11, we're proud to launch an idea that is the deepest possible antidote to terror. It's the powerful story of Zak Ebrahim, who grew up the son of a terrorist (his father helped plan the 1993 WTC bombing), and chose tolerance over hatred. This idea reaches you in a form that's new for us: It's the first in a...

The founder of Zimbabwe's first graphic arts college shares some teaching resources he loves. Ten years after writing the book on Africa's graphic design heritage, Saki Mafundikwa is now at work on a new text -- about the long, rich history of African art and innovation (TED Talk: Ingenuity and elegance in ancient African alphabets). Mafundik...

Laurence Kemball-Cook on his Pavegen at TEDYou during TEDActive 2012, March 1, 2012. Photo: Michael Brands / TED TEDActive's TEDYou Session 2 has it all: smiles, education (reform) reform, dances for disability, interrupting cows, kung fu and robotic twins. Leigh Rowan, “The Zaniness of the Frequent Flyer”: Leigh Rowan, COO of Moderne Co...

A new way to practice for the SAT. The SAT, a standardized college admissions exam, is a mammoth test, and every minute of practice is invaluable. But SAT practice courses can be expensive -- which oftentimes means kids with less money, or from disadvantaged backgrounds, do worse. One year ago, Khan Academy, a free online platform for learni...

Before TEDGlobal 2013, director Bruno Giussani reached out to the giant community of TEDx organizers around the world to ask for some comic relief. He asked them, “What are the funniest videos from your event?” And, as usual, TEDx’ers came through -- with wild enthusiasm. Below, the 5 hilarious TEDx Talks Giussani selected to show at TEDG...

About this event: 'Luck' in all its facets and forms has invariably played a significant role in our lives. However, the workings of luck are often mysterious and enigmatic. Science and technology has provided humans with a significant level of control over nature, ability to forecast events and occurrences while minimizing contingencies. Furthermore, t...

At first glance, the image above may look like an artistic tangle of worms. But it is actually a visualization of the words that appear most often in TED Talk descriptions. Each line corresponds to a word, and its snaking movement shows how its frequency of use has changed over time. Mouse over the word “work” and you can see that the line p...

TED Studies, created in collaboration with Wiley, are curated video collections — supplemented by rich educational materials — for students, educators and self-guided learners. The Edge of Knowledge explores the fascinating implications of some of science's most perplexing theories: quantum mechanics, general relativity and attempts to unify the...

Mathematicians Hannah Fry and Thomas Oléron Evans have crunched the numbers. Forget utilities -- these are the properties you really should be investing in. To our minds, there is nothing more magical than a full-blown family argument caused by a good old-fashioned game of Monopoly. Officially, Monopoly ends when all players but one go bankrupt...

At TEDGlobal 2012, Max Little (watch his TED Talk) asked the public to contribute voice samples to the Parkinson's Voice Initiative, a data-gathering project that aims to help develop a way to diagnose the neurological disease quickly, non-invasively and in its early stages. If it succeeds, it could change the quality of care for Parkinson's p...

About this event: ‘’The Hidden Key’’ The door at the end of the road that makes Man human, and the new ways that await discovery behind that door; new skills, new cultures and new inventions... and the hidden key that opens that door! How do you think Edison invented the bulb in the first try, or how did someone find the first vaccine? Who has revealed the scien...

Enjoy this sampling of the stories from around the internet that captured our interest this week: Can a disabled form of HIV be used to fight cancer? A story in The New York Times delves into an experimental treatment. Earlier this week, Markham Nolan shared how his team verifies videos from war-torn regions to make sure that they are legi...

TED Fellow Renée Hlozek -- currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Astrophysics at Princeton University -- recently established a fund and mentoring program to bring young South African female science undergraduates to the US for summer research. The mentorship’s first recipient, Julia Healy, just completed four weeks w...

Each week, TEDx chooses four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and its diverse constellation of ideas worth spreading. Below, give this week’s talks a listen. Why you hate math: Laura Overdeck at TEDxWestVillageWomen When dining out, how often do you slide your check acros...

In his talk at TEDGlobal 2010, Conrad Wolfram championed a radical new way of teaching mathematics: removing the notion that math is the same as calculating, and completely redesigning the curriculum around the new possibilities opened by computers. He's now launched a website to collect ideas, and in November he will be hosting The Computer...

Photo: James Duncan Davidson Welcome to Autonomous Agile Aerial Robots i.e. flying robots that can move like anything. Vijay Kumar, a professor at University of Pennsylvania, makes robots related to unmanned airplanes. But those are big and heavy and aren't autonomous -- they need humans to pilot them. The robots he works with are tiny...

Architecture and microbiology may seem like an odd couple, but TED Senior Fellow Jessica Green would beg to differ. In today’s talk, she reveals what’s teeming all over the surfaces around us, and how it can help us build smarter, healthier buildings. As the founding director of the Biology in the Built Environment Center at the University of...

Saki Mafundikwa founded the Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts, ZIVA, a Bauhaus-style school focused on African heritage. (“Vigital” denotes visual arts taught using digital tools.) It's the first graphic design and new media college in the nation, and he wanted his students to understand the power of design--and in particular to understand ...

About this event: The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics hosted "TEDxNCSSM" on April 13, 2013 as a celebration of human achievement and experience in a wide variety of fields. The Dean of Science, Dr. Amy Sheck, was the recipient of this TEDx license and served as the lead organizer for this conference - which was designed to emulate the celebrated ...

About this event: Edward Lorenz, an American mathematician, and meteorologist was a pioneer of the Chaos Theory. His findings led to the coinage of the term, ‘Butterfly Effect,’ a term that has stemmed from an academic paper he presented in 1972. When Lorenz was studying weather patterns, he noticed that small differences in the start of a process caused major ch...

From dancing math to teaching in languages other than English – this week’s X marks the spot is a selection of TEDx Talks about rethinking education. Each week, TEDx chooses four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and its diverse constellation of ideas worth spreading. Below, find...

About this event: How is the study of mathematics enhanced by understanding fractal patterns in nature or art? How can political scientists use their knowledge of ethical philosophy to create stronger public policy? Why is it important for scientists to take active roles as leaders in their communities? Although most of the focus in our college careers is on ch...

Leland Melvin is an engineer, educator, former NASA astronaut and NFL wide receiver. He shares his stories of perseverance and excellence to inspire communities for lasting positive change.

About this event: On Thursday, November 18 from 4:00-6:30 in Wyatt Hall, the four Bellarmine Honors seniors completing this semester will present their final projects. We’ll have the opportunity to hear from Chloe Powell, who traveled to the Dominican Republic and Kenya to learn about how microlending and group savings programs can empower communities and indivi...