Pittsfield — The Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC) will hold its TEDx Berkshires 2024 event on Thursday, October 10, from 1:30 to 5 p.m.
TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) is a national organization founded in 1984. The organization eventually became a nonprofit in 2001, and over the years, the subjects of TED Talks and conferences have broadened from the original topics of technology, entertainment, and design to countless varied topics, including science, business, and education.
The TEDx program, which started in 2011, grants licenses to nonprofits nationwide to hold local events similar to TED presentations. According to the TED website, there are more than 3,000 TEDx events held annually nationwide, independent from TED events.
The first TEDx Berkshires was held in Lenox in 2010, and BIC has hosted the event for the past two years. “BIC is committed to building and nurturing a culture of intellectual curiosity,” BIC Board member and TEDx Berkshires Executive Producer Giovanna Fessenden-Fairban told The Berkshire Edge. “BIC is profoundly invested in creating a culture of transformative innovation and fostering education and bringing this to our community. We love good ideas, and I think an event like this enriches our community and all of us as individuals. The TEDx events enrich our community as individuals and expose us to great ideas worth sharing.”
Fessenden-Fairban said that the criteria for selecting speakers is the ability to tell good stories and share innovative and thoughtful ideas. “Many of our speakers talk about reinvention and innovation, which are both things that happen at BIC,” Fessenden-Fairban said. “We also chose people with unique and thoughtful perspectives.”
“We also looked for people with inspiring stories,” said BIC Executive Director Ben Sosne. “TED itself is about collecting ideas that inspire, then spreading the ideas and inspiring people. To me, the role of BIC is to gather collective wisdom. BIC intends to be a nexus for thoughtful leadership.”
This year’s speakers for the TEDx Berkshires event include:
- Licensed Psychotherapist Tammy Valicenti, who will give a presentation on transforming trauma with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy;
- Harvard University Professor Dr. Robert Gentleman, who works in the university’s Department of Biomedical Informatics and will give a presentation on the use of transformer models in teaching;
- Justin McKennon, Principal Scientist for Electro Magnetic Applications Inc. in Pittsfield, who will give a presentation on “Establishing Your Roots” about breaking into the world of innovation and technology;
- Dr. Elisabeth Reynolds, professor of the practice at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who will give a presentation in support of small- and medium-sized manufacturers;
- Brad Corrigan, founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization Love Light + Melody, who will give a presentation about “reimagining poverty through the lens of belonging to each other”;
- Sarah Eustis, founder and CEO of Main Street Hospitality, who will give a presentation on generational hospitality stewardship and reinvention;
- Author and eco-entrepreneur Michelle Jungmin Bang, who will give a presentation on “discovering the gift of time through Asia’s centuries-old self-care wisdom”;
- Transcend Education co-founder Dr. Jeff Wetzler, who will give a presentation on “how to learn something from anyone”;
- Office of Energy Transformation Executive Director Melissa Lavinson, who will give a presentation on challenges and opportunities in meeting the state’s decarbonization goals.
“Innovation is not new to the Berkshires, and innovative people have been here for generations,” Sosne said. “However, sometimes the recognition of innovation in the Berkshires has been overshadowed by our cultural institutions. We have amazing tourist destinations in Berkshire County, but there is also a rich history of innovations all around us, including when it comes to manufacturing and material science. The TEDx event, and BIC, are a way to remind people that there is a rich history of innovation here in the Berkshires. It’s continuing and it remains flourishing.”
Tickets for TEDx Berkshires are $100 for seating in the main stage area or $75 for seating in the auditorium. For more information about the event, visit its website.