Through engaging talks, trailblazers and explorers to spark enthusiasm
Abu Dhabi, 30 April 2013 - Seizing the opportunity to exchange innovative ideas, Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi announced its inaugural TEDx event on Monday, 29th April 2013 at the university campus.
The first TEDxPSUAD featured the theme, 'It's your time, not ours', and the event aimed to acquaint students with the powerful concept of ideas worth spreading. The theme reinforces the message that your time is limited, so follow your passion like never before, harness opportunities, and keep challenging yourself.
Charles Soll, organiser of TEDxPSUAD said, "I think it's very important to have events like TEDx at universities. Not only does it allow for learning beyond the classroom, it also allows students to listen to a very impressive group of people at one event."
TED stands for "technology, entertainment and design" and TEDx implies independently-organised local events designed to activate positive change and stimulate dialogue. Progressive thinking is the focus of every TEDx event and this has proven to be a catalyst in global communities.
Prof. Dr. Eric Fouache, Vice-Chancellor of Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi said, "We are highly pleased to host the first TEDxPSUAD as events like this don't just offer boundless inspiration, they also lead to amazing connections. Stories matter and by sharing them, they become even more potent and invaluable. We hope our students and the audience will be positively motivated to convert ideas into action through the power of personal narratives at TEDxPSUAD."
From 7 - 9pm, the event featured a spate of inspiring speakers and go-getters from a wide range of fields and includes entrepreneurs, media presenters, adventurers, and creatives, who all talked about their exciting ideas and what spurred them to go the extra mile to achieve their dreams.
Murshed Al Remeithi, a student at Sorbonne Abu Dhabi added, "I decided to help organize TEDxPSUAD because I think more events like this are needed throughout the UAE. The speakers for this year's event were all amazing and I, myself, am very excited to have listened to their talks."
The line-up of speakers included entrepreneur Alia Al Mazrui, creator of Just Falafel who talked about how to balance work and starting a business on the side whilst Dubai One's Omar Butti chatted about International Affairs. The event also featured Buthaina Al Mazrui, an executive council employee, and Alamira Noor Bani Hashim, an employee at Masdar who both created The Dinner Club and spoke about how to turn ideas into reality. Other speakers included former engineer and writer, Kathy Shalhoub; a motivational speaker Jules Lewis; graphic designer, Julia Selinger; principal architect and founder of X-architects, Farid Esmaeil, and Adila Nasser, a karate champion and the first Emirati woman to travel to both the North Pole and South Pole.
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About Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi www.sorbonne.ae
Paris-Sorbonne Abu Dhabi is an Emirati university, that benefits from the 760 years of experience of the prestigious Sorbonne, with a state-of-the-art campus located on Al Reem island that combines comfort with the efficiency of new technologies. The method, the education, the degrees however are French, issued by the University of Paris-Sorbonne in the field of Humanities and by the University of Paris-Decartes for Law, Management and Economic.
Established in May 2006, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and Paris-Sorbonne University, Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi offers a world-class degrees, both in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, following the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and also accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi is devoted to Abu Dhabi's vision of creating a cultural and scientific hub, and is an agent to realise this 2030 vision by delivering the future Emirati and international workforce and contribute to support the UAE's economic diversification.
Highlighting the importance of dialogue between cultures, and the exchange of knowledge, Sorbonne Abu Dhabi organises all year round lectures, round table discussions and colloquia in a wide range of fields, as well as art exhibitions and cultural events.
At present, 700 students from more than 50 nationalities are enrolled at Paris-Sorbonne Abu Dhabi.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with many initiatives.
At a TED conference, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less. TED speakers have included Roger Ebert, Sheryl Sandberg, Bill Gates, Elizabeth Gilbert, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Brian Greene, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Three major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Vancouver, Canada, simultaneous with TEDActive, in Whistler, BC; and the TEDGlobal Conference takes place each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.
On TED.com, talks from TED conferences are shared with the world for free as TED Talks videos. A new TED Talk is posted every weekday. Through the Open Translation Project, TED Talks are subtitled by volunteers worldwide into more than 90 languages. Through our distribution networks, TED Talks are shared on TV, radio, Netflix and many websites.
The TEDx initiative grants free licenses to people around the world to organize TED-style events in their communities with TED Talks and live speakers. More than 5,000 TEDx events have been held, and selected talks from these events are also turned into TED Talks videos.
The annual TED Prize grants $1 million to an exceptional individual with a wish to change the world. The TED Fellows program helps world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. TED-Ed creates short video lessons by pairing master teachers with animators, for use in classroom instruction or independent learning.
For information about TED's upcoming conferences, visit www.ted.com/registration
Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED
For further Information, please contact:
Maysoon Baber, Public Relations
Tel: (+971) 2 656 9555/ Dir 9562
GSM: (+971)50 699 9825
Maysoon.Barber@PSUAD.AC.AE
www.sorbonne.ae
© Press Release 2013
