First Ipswich TEDx talks held at University of Suffolk

The University of Suffolk welcomed seven guest speakers to share their research and ideas at the first ever TEDx event in Ipswich.

The TEDx University of Suffolk event titled “Building a Better Suffolk”, was limited to a live audience of 100 people according to TEDx rules, however, the event was live streamed, and the talks will be made available via the TEDx YouTube channel in due course.

TEDx events are independently-organised and licensed in the spirit of discovering and spreading ideas.

The 15-minute talks covered topics from Hashtag Activism to how 3D printing can be used in medicine and the speaker line-up combined university researchers and local community creatives.

TEDx University of Suffolk speakers:

Dr Reilly Willis: Hashtag Activism and Women's Rights: Are social media campaigns really making laws better for women and girls? 
Mars El Brogy: How can a trail of painted hares teach us how to build a better Suffolk? 
David James: Nothing ever happens here 
Dr Ruth Flaherty: What AI can teach us about working with uncertainty 
Dr Georgina Marsh: The end of one-size-fits-all medicine: How 3D printing will change pharmacy 
Lily Hammond: Why Colour Matters: Re-imagining the way we see our world  
Dr Hannah Steventon: When the Suffolk landscape calls, people listen: citizen science for our environment

Professor Jenny Higham, University of Suffolk Vice-Chancellor said: “As we celebrate our 10th anniversary as an independent university, it is fitting that we host Ipswich’s first TEDx talks.

“The University of Suffolk is committed to sharing ideas and research through its role as a civic university. The TEDx philosophy of ‘ideas worth spreading’ is at the core of our ambitions to bring research and knowledge exchange to our communities in Ipswich and beyond.

“The event showcased distinctive ideas, creative thinking and the potential for positive change and I encourage everyone to watch and be inspired when the recorded talks are published.”

The TEDx University of Suffolk event is part of a series of events to mark the University’s 10th anniversary with an Open Lecture with former Chancellor Helen Pankhurst in conversation with MP Jess Asato and a Spotlight Suffolk panel discussion with young people held at Suffolk One, both taking place in the autumn.

To find out more about the university’s programme of public events, please visit the website here.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of discovering and spreading ideas, 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 video 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, nonpartisan organization dedicated to discovering, debating and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.

TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. In addition to the TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed) and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, thousands of independently run TEDx events. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze $6.6 billion in funding for projects that support bold solutions to the world's most urgent challenges — working to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future, and in 2023 TED launched TED Democracy to spark a new kind of conversation focused on realistic pathways towards a more vibrant and equitable future. View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives.