Image courtesy of TEDxToronto
TEDxToronto has announced the first batch of speakers for this year’s conference happening October 26th at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. The theme for 2012 is alchemy, described on the conference website as “the seemingly magical process of taking ordinary, common elements, usually of little value, and combining them to make something extraordinary of great value.” Along with a list of names and jobs, TEDxToronto released four promotional videos teasing prospective attendees with a glimpse into the topics the speakers will cover. Here’s a look at this year’s line-up so far (bios taken from TEDxToronto Blog):
Dr. Joseph Cafazzo, Lead for the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation, University Health Network
A biomedical engineer who has spent his career observing healthcare delivery from the inside, Dr. Cafazzo works on ways to keep people out of the hospital by creating technologies that allow for self-care at home.
Ronald J. Deibert, Director of The Citizen Lab
In addition to teaching political science at the University of Toronto, Dr. Deibert runs The Citizen Lab, an interdisciplinary research and development hothouse working at the intersection of the Internet, global security and human rights.
Heather Jarvis and Sonya JF Barnett, Co-founders of SlutWalk
Slutwalk began in early 2011 as a small idea to fight sexual violence by combatting victim-blaming, slut-shaming and sexual profiling. It has since spread around the world. Heather Jarvis is a queer, sex- and body-positive feminist dedicated to gender equality, sexual education and supporting marginalized communities. Sonya JF Barnett champions women’s sexual rights, and is also the founder of The Keyhole Sessions, which explores the marriage between sex and art.
Shawn Micallef, Urbanist
The author of Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto, and Full Frontal T.O., Mr. Micallef is a columnist at the Toronto Star and senior editor of Spacing magazine. He also co-founded [murmur], a documentary oral history project that records stories and memories told about specific geographic locations.
To see these speakers in person you’ll have to apply to become a delegate. Applications will open in the coming weeks so keep your eyes peeled on their website for your more details.
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Michael Kolberg is The Sprawl Editor at Toronto Standard. Follow him on Twitter for jokes @mikeykolberg
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