TEDxMarin Announces 2012 Speaker Program "Designing Tomorrow - The Emerging Future"

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Aug. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TEDxMarin, an independently organized TED event for Marin County California, has announced the speaker lineup and has begun ticket sales for its third annual evening of inspirational talks and fostering community. This year's event takes place on Thursday, Sept 27^th from 5:30pm to 10:30pm and carries the theme "Designing Tomorrow, The Emerging Future," and will present an evening envisioning how human intention and ingenuity can develop a positive and productive future on Earth.

"We are absolutely thrilled to present these inspiring and visionary speakers who will contribute to a memorable night wondering what if, what's next, and what to do about it," said Bob Ayres, Executive Producer and Licensee of TEDxMarin.

This year's six speakers will offer bold, unique insights into emerging research and innovations that may fundamentally shape the course of things to come – both in their disciplines and for all of society. From social media's impact on brain evolution to the future of American capitalism, and from rainforest wisdom to reengineering space, audience members will get a glimpse into paradigm-shifting thoughts that will shape tomorrow; the immediate significance of these ideas will provide a framework of understanding to allow them to make better decisions today.

This year's TEDxMarin speakers include:

Andrew Hessel, a futurist with a focus on microbiology and genetics, will discuss the coming industry of synthetic biology in a talk entitled: The Dark Side of the Double Helix: When good molecules do bad things.

Gary Lauder, Managing Partner of Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Lauder Partners and co-creator of the Aspen Institute's Socrates Society, will explore time as a finite resource, how poor design squanders our time, and how we can regain it, in his presentation: Designing if Time Mattered

Ed Lu, a NASA Astronaut for 12 years, during which time he flew the Space Shuttle twice, and logged six months in the International Space Station. He now carries a bold new mission, which he will detail in his talk: Changing the Course of the Solar System: How we can and why we must.

Rachel S.L. Minard, the CEO of Minard Capital LLC, will use 20 years of experience in the hedge fund market to bring a staggering vision into the economic future of our nation in The Future of American Capitalism: the only impervious currency is personal.

Dr. Mohammed El Majdoubi, a neurobiologist and Professor at Dominican University of California, will present surprising evidence of recent adaptations in cognition due to digital culture – and how modern youth think differently, in The Brain of Homo Digitalis: the impact of digital technologies on the brains and behavior of the millennial generation.

Lynne Twist a global visionary, co-founder of the Pachamama Alliance, bestselling author of the Soul of Money, and President of the Soul of Money Institute, will reflect on a fascinating encounter with shamanistic wisdom and pose a challenge to modern culture in a presentation titled Changing our Collective Dream: a call from the indigenous people of the Rainforest.

TEDxMarin will be held atthe Kanbar Center for the Performing Arts, Osher Marin JCC, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael, CA, 94903. Tickets are now available at www.TEDxMarin.org.

Join the TEDxMarin community on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TEDxMarin and on Twitter: @TEDxMarin

About TEDx, x = independently organized event
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, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. 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. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED

SOURCE TEDxMarin