TEDxUSC 'Ideas Empowered' Conference Returns to the University of Southern California on April 13, 2010

LOS ANGELES, April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- What do a world-renowned cancer researcher, a GRAMMY-award winning musician, an astronaut, a robotics engineer, a cognitive neuroscientist, an experimental violinist and a linguistic expert have in common? For one, each has an idea worth sharing that will dramatically change the way we live, work and play.  And for another, each has a home at the TEDxUSC "Ideas Empowered" conference, taking place on April 13, 2010, at the University of Southern California (USC).

TEDxUSC (www.tedxusc.com) is a self-organized, invitation-only event featuring a fast-paced afternoon of rapid-fire stimulation and thought-provoking content.  The surprise guest line-up for the 2010 event will include interstitial talks, short films, live musical performances, first-of-its kind technology demos and TEDTalks.

"USC is committed to nurturing a culture of innovation on campus, and as part of that our responsibility is to challenge people with fresh thinkers and startling ideas. With TEDxUSC, we create a day of serendipity, which is critical to innovation," said Krisztina "Z" Holly, USC Vice Provost for Innovation. "By presenting guests with a wide range of new ideas from different disciplines, and unique opportunities for interesting people to connect with each other, we allow guests to check out from the day-to-day routine and enter an afternoon of intellectual adventure."

The TEDxUSC "Ideas Empowered" conference brings the spirit of the TED conference to the University of Southern California, hosting some of the world's most fascinating minds to inspire curiosity and dialog. The diverse program will inspire an audience of 1,200, composed of USC  students, faculty and community, who will gather in USC's Bovard Auditorium.

TEDx is an initiative of the renowned TED Conference (www.ted.com) that has empowered hundreds of communities in scores of countries to host their own independently organized TED events.

One year ago, TEDxUSC marked the start of the TEDx program by hosting the first of such events.  Hosted by the University of Southern California on March 23, 2009, TEDxUSC took place in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 1,200 students, faculty, and community leaders. The event included a variety of live talks and musical performances, including Salman Ahmad and surprise guest Melissa Etheridge; short films, including George Lucas' first student film at USC; and some "best of" talks from the 2009 TED conference.

Since the first TEDx, TEDxUSC 2009, there have been more than 500 TEDx events in over 75 countries, presented in more than 35 different languages.

Four TEDxUSC presentations from 2009 are available on TED.com:

• Biosphere 2 pioneer Jane Poynter
• Musician Qi Zhang
• Graphics research expert Paul Debevec
• Bestselling author Dave Logan

Organized by the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation, TEDxUSC has been generously supported in part by CNN (www.cnn.com). Additional support for the event comes from USC Student Affairs.

About the University of Southern California

Located in Los Angeles, a global center for arts, technology and international trade, the University of Southern California is one of the world's leading private research universities. USC enrolls more international students than any other U.S. university and offers extensive opportunities for internships and study abroad. With a strong tradition of integrating liberal and professional education, USC fosters a vibrant culture of public service and encourages students to cross academic as well as geographic boundaries in their pursuit of knowledge.

About the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation

The USC Stevens Institute for Innovation (http://stevens.usc.edu) is a university-wide resource in the Office of the Provost at the University of Southern California designed to harness and advance the creative thinking and breakthrough research from USC for societal impact. USC Stevens Institute identifies, nurtures, protects, and transfers to the market the most exciting innovations from USC, and in turn, provides a central connection for industry seeking cutting edge innovations in which to invest. Furthermore, USC Stevens Institute develops the innovator as well as innovations, through educational programs, community-building events, and showcase opportunities.

ABOUT TEDx

In the spirit of "ideas worth spreading," TED has created TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxUSC "Ideas Empowered" Conference, where x = independently organized TED event. At TEDxUSC, live speakers, musical performances, technology demos and TEDTalk videos will combine to spark deep discussion and connection. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including TEDxUSC, are self-organized.

SOURCE University of Southern California