top of page

A brief history...

TED: ideas worth spreading

TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.

TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. On TED.com, we're building a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world's most inspired thinkers — and a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other, both online and at TED and TEDx events around the world, all year long.

what is tedx?

A TEDx event is a local gathering where live TED-like talks and videos previously recorded at TED conferences are shared with the community. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis. The content and design of each TEDx event is unique and developed independently, but all of them have features in common.

TEDX AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

TEDxOhioStateUniversity was founded in 2011 based on the mission of spreading ideas on The Ohio State University’s campus. Over the past eleven years, as a student organization we have seen tremendous growth both on our team and in our audience. Our original team consisted of three undergraduate students hosting an event for 200 audience members. This year, the TEDxOhioStateUniversity team has grown to 45 undergraduate students. Of more than 2000 TEDx events globally, we are proud to be one of the only solely student-run TEDx events.

Every spring, we host an event for the OSU community, bringing in speakers who are students, staff, faculty, or alumni of Ohio State. While our theme changes from year to year, our talks continually consist of a variety of different topics. We view our event as a platform for spreading the research, experiences, and innovative ideas that are present on our campus. 

Our organization handles every aspect of our event from working with venue and catering, to developing marketing and stage design, to fundraising, and of course coaching each of our speakers. We also engage with the local community through our Outreach Committee, which partners with organizations such as All-THAT- Teens Hopeful About Tomorrow and Franklin County Courts Specialized Docket.

We are very proud to say that TEDxOhioStateUniversity has finally been granted a Salon license, which helps us to put on three TEDxSalon events throughout the year. These events focus on one specific topic or issue and encourage discussion within a more intimate environment.

bottom of page