{"id":1055,"date":"2019-07-17T18:19:11","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/news-archives\/wcsutohosttedxevent\/"},"modified":"2019-07-17T18:19:11","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:19:11","slug":"wcsutohosttedxevent","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wcsutohosttedxevent\/","title":{"rendered":"2013 WCSU to host TEDx event focused on creativity and compassion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DANBURY, CONN. <\/strong>\u2014The Western Connecticut State University<\/a> Honors Program<\/a> will host \u201cTEDxWCSU\u201d at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013<\/strong>, in Room 125 of the Science Building on the university\u2019s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. A group of panelists will lead discussions about creativity and compassion with related topics of technology, the arts, education and youth activism. Two musical compositions also will be featured: One is an original piece, \u201cAround a Flame,\u201d composed and performed by WCSU music and audio production major Dale Osterman. The second piece will be performed by the WCSU jazz group. The event will be free and the public is invited. <\/strong> <\/p>\n

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Panelists will include:<\/p>\n

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Matthew Badger<\/a>, who founded LilySarahGraceFund.org<\/a> in spring 2012 to challenge and empower teachers in under-funded public elementary schools to infuse the arts into curricula. The fund is in memory of the three daughters he lost in a Christmas morning house fire in 2011 in Stamford. Badger is a commercial director and works with the production company Epoch Films.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Dr. Daniel Martin<\/a> <\/strong>is an associate professor of management at California State University, East Bay, and a visiting associate professor at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education<\/a> at Stanford University. Martin has worked with private, public and nonprofit organizations on pre-employment selection, training and organizational assessment. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Howard University and has been published in \u201cPersonnel Review,\u201d \u201cHuman Organization,\u201d \u201cEthics and Behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hasib Muhammad<\/a>, a junior at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Ga., is the program director of Greening Forward<\/a>, the fastest-growing and largest youth-staffed environmental nonprofit organization in the world. He also serves on the Jane Goodall Institute\u2019s Roots & Shoots National Youth Leadership Council<\/a> and the national Youth Advisory Council for Keep America Beautiful<\/a>, the largest community improvement organization of the United States.<\/p>\n

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Michael French<\/a> is a senior political philosophy major at WCSU who plans to pursue a doctorate in philosophy to teach at the university level and become an author.<\/p>\n

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Matthew Dicks<\/a> is an elementary school teacher, minister and published author. He has written the novels \u201cMemoirs of an Imaginary Friend<\/a>,\u201d \u201cSomething Missing<\/a>\u201d and \u201cUnexpectedly, Milo<\/a>\u201d and the rock opera \u201cThe Clowns<\/a>.\u201d He is also a former West Hartford Teacher of the Year.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u201cI hope through this event to spark discussion, challenge beliefs and encourage the community at WCSU,\u201d said TEDxWCSU co-organizer Kristina Otfinoski, a WCSU sophomore from North Branford who is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance. \u201cI hope those in attendance are able to look outside the proverbial box of structured society and strive for a deeper connection toand empathy for our peers, friends, family and community as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

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According to the organization\u2019s website, TED is \u201ca nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences — the TED Conference and TEDGlobal — TED includes the award-winning TED Talks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Visit http:\/\/tedxwcsu.webs.com\/tickets-reservations<\/a> to reserve tickets. For more information, visit the TEDxWCSU Facebook page at www.facebook.com\/StudentsForTedxwcsu<\/a> or call the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.<\/p>\n

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Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs.\u00a0 Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York.\u00a0 Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England\u2019s best small private universities.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York.<\/em> \u00a0Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics<\/em> \u00a0of New England\u2019s best small private universities.<\/em><\/p>\n

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