Theme: Illuminate

“Illuminate” will be the theme for the TEDxVirginiaTech 2014 event to be held on Nov. 20, at the Moss Arts Center. Intentionally broad, the theme is meant to inspire multidisciplinary and transformative ideas in line with the principles of TED, a nonprofit organization devoted to ideas worth spreading. The 2014 event will be held in the evening, so the theme casts a deliberate contrast between light and dark. It evokes a broad range of literal and figurative interpretations and proposes intriguing questions, such as:
• How can we make the invisible, visible?
• How can old and new problems be seen in new light?
• How can we ignite the power, passion, and promise of new knowledge?
• How do we prevent the suffocation of creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurialism?
• Are there proven frameworks for providing clarity on societal problems?
• What are the long-term environmental effects of new lighting technologies?
• What impacts does light have on both the function and aesthetics of architectural spaces?
• Can the shadows be just as interesting as the light?
• What artifacts represent a moment of clarity, of sudden realization, inspiration, insight,
recognition, or comprehension?
• Have you experienced an unexpected moment in which a passion was illuminated for you?
• What happens scientifically in our physical beings in a moment of enlightenment?
• How does light affect our mood and social behavior?

Moss Arts Center
330 Turner Street NW
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia, 24060
United States