Click Here for the Chance to Win Two Tickets to TEDx CapeMay!
Photo: 1 Trick Pony
TED Talks are proof that people can change the world, 18 minutes at a time.
By now, most people have heard of the short, powerful and influential videos that give the floor to one person who has something incredibly interesting to say. The more than 2,500 TED videos – on everything from science to business to global issues – are available in more than 100 languages and have been viewed more than 1 billion times.
The massive online following has led to an offshoot of the popular event, called TEDx, where small towns all over the world have the opportunity to be part of big ideas. Next month, TEDx will be hitting Cape May for the sixth time on Oct 15.
Since TEDx first came to Cape May, more than 1,200 people have attended the presentations, and nearly 500,000 have viewed the video talks online.
“This year’s theme, New Depths, is a metaphor,” says event organizer Norris Clark. “You have physical depths, but then there’s peeling back the onion and getting to the core understanding of an issue. So depths become a metaphor for uncovering and getting a deeper understanding of something.”
Clark says this year’s speakers are outstanding:
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Musician & Humanitarian
Wyclef Jean was just a child when his family left Haiti and settled in the United States. The three-time Grammy Award winner is a former member of legendary hip-hop group The Fugees, and much of his music celebrates his Haitian pride and social activism. In 2012, Jean published his memoir “Purpose: An Immigrant’s Story.”
Gordon Chiu
Inventor & Entrepreneur
Dr. Gordon Chiu is a visionary, an inventor, an entrepreneur, a public speaker, a lecturer, a corporate advisor, a husband, a father and an educator. As an entrepreneur, he is known as “an execution driven businessman”. As an inventor, he has a series of patents and collaborations with multiple universities in several countries. He gave his first Tedx talk in 2014 in the field of graphene and identified that the lack of creativity in education and teamwork amongst governments is a threat to graphene’s success within this century. Dr. Gordon Chiu is engaged in the discovery and research of graphene at a variety of globally acclaimed academic institutions. He is the founding partner of Grafoid Inc. As one who is interested in blending technology, science and cutting edge knowledge to create breakthroughs around the world, his skills range from a former research scientist at Pfizer and Merck & Co. to solid business links with Wall Street and Asia.
Bettina Warburg
Researcher, Entrepreneur & Educator
A political scientist by nature, Bettina Warburg has set her sights on the place where politics and technology collide. She is executive producer of the Silicon Valley show “Tech On Politics” and co-founder of the venture studio business Animal Ventures. There, Warburg spends most of her time incubating new startup ideas; advising Fortune 500 clients, governments and universities; and strategizing about artificial intelligence, digital platforms and blockchain. Her TED talk “How the blockchain will radically transform the economy,” has 1.4 million views on the network.
Daryl Davis
Musician, Author, Actor, Social Activist
R&B musician Daryl Davis has shared the stage with musical legends like Chuck Berry, B.B. King and even Bill Clinton. He’s also received rave reviews for his stage roles and off-Broadway performances. Off the stage, the African-American musician has worked to improve race relations by seeking out and speaking with members of the Klu Klux Klan. His book, “Klan-destine Relationships,” recounts his experiences, and the 2017 documentary “Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America” further examines his work.
Regina Asmutis-Silvia
Marine Biologist
Regina Asmutis-Silvia is working to create a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free. As the executive director and senior biologist for Whale and Dolphin Conservation-North America, Asmutis-Silvia has been at the forefront of whale research, conservation and education for nearly 30 years. She also sits on the federally appointed Atlantic Large Whale, Harbor Porpoise and Atlantic Trawl Gear Take Reduction Teams.
Blaine Rothauser
Conservation Biologist
As a conservation biologist, Blaine Rothauser works to sing the praises of New Jersey’s best-kept secret: its biodiversity. He has been the owner and principal of BR Environmental since 2004 and has submitted more than 75 rare species reports that have become part of the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection Natural Heritage Program’s database. Rothauser is also a well-known natural history photographer.
Richard Lee
Anti-Slavery Activist
Richard Lee has traveled around the world speaking out against slavery and human trafficking. He serves as the Director of Church Mobilization for International Justice Mission, where he works with churches and communities to seek justice and mobilize them to engage in local and global ministry. Lee has also started and led two networks for pastors, and he serves as an advisory board member for One Day’s Wages, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending extreme global poverty.
TEDx Cape May will be held on Sunday, Oct. 15 at Paul Schmidtchen Theater at Lower Cape Regional High School. Tickets cost $60 and include snacks, gifts and an open-bar lunch reception at Congress Hall Hotel. Tickets for students are $20.
