TEDxPenn 2016: Eureka -- A Show-and-Tell Philadelphia's Most Inspiring

One of the most mind-boggling things about Penn is its incredible web of extracurricular activities that keep its students busy (as if academia wasn't enough...). For the past two years, I have had the utmost pleasure of being part of the organizing team for TEDxPenn, an annual conference that showcases some of the Penn community's boldest, pioneering ideas in 15-minute digestible chunks. Held at Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on April 10th, this year's conference hinges upon the theme, "Eureka", or the all-of-a-sudden realization of the solution to a problem. We're bringing in professors, students, and community members alike to talk about their own eureka moments, whether in fields of science, social entrepreneurship, the arts, music, and more. I'm so fascinated by seeing these speakers talking about their true inspirations. It's very easy to forget that, though your Physics 101 professor is teaching you basic kinematics, his actual research involves measuring the diameter of the universe, or the kid you sit next to in Sociology is, in his free time, developing a Google Glass app for the visually impaired. The culmination of TEDxPenn is the perfect marriage of a show-and-tell, a lecture, and a launchpad for getting motivated the nurturing your own eureka moments and sharing them with the world.

Note: The TEDxPenn conference is open to the general public. Information about conference and how to buy tickets is available on www.tedxpenn.com.

-Helen N. '18