TEDx event wraps up at UCD following talks on ‘foresight’

12 Jun 2013

Pictured at UCD were bioinformatics researcher Dr Nora Khaldi; Prof John Crown, oncologist at St Vincent's University Hospital; Dr Rhona Mahony, master at the National Maternity Hospital; and Claire Lambe, UCD student and international rower

University College Dublin (UCD) hosted its first-ever TEDx event today as 12 individuals connected with the college were asked to talk about the theme of foresight.

Each of the speakers were asked to speak on a topic that is close to their hearts as part of the overall foresight theme – predicting what will happen or be needed in the future.

Today’s event took place in the new debating chamber at UCD, which has been named after the late Taoiseach Dr Garret FitzGerald.

Speakers encompassed UCD alumni as well as current students and researchers at the university. Among the speakers were senator and consultant medical oncologist Professor John Crown and Dr Rhona Mahony, who is master of the National Maternity Hospital.

Irish international lightweight rower Claire Lambe, a student at UCD, also spoke at the TEDx event. Lamb is aiming to make the Irish squad for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.

UCD vice-president for Innovation Professor Peter Clinch said it was worth gathering people together for a day to examine the theme of foresight.

He said the TEDx event is part of the university’s commitment to share knowledge and expertise with a wider community.

As for TED, it is a non-profit that is devoted to ‘ideas worth spreading’ on the topics of technology, entertainment and design through its two annual conferences. The organisation started out in California in 1984. Since then, TED has spawned the TEDx programme to allow organisations organise their own TED-style events.

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

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