TedX 2017 at Howard University – ‘All Things Glorious’

When I first became an active YouTube user, some of the first videos recommended to me were videos of Ted Talks. I had no idea what they were at the time, but Ted soon became one of my most watched channels. I would look at the faces of each intrigued audience member and hope that I, too, would one day be in the audience listening to brave new ideas being explored by deep thinkers like myself. To my pleasant surprise, I discovered that Howard University hosts a Ted event annually, and this time around, I would be there to participate- much sooner than I expected!

This year’s event was a mixture of thought-provoking talks and scintillating entertainment; it featured four live speakers, showings of three pre-recorded talks, and lively musical performances by two of Howard’s finest musical groups: the Afro Blue Vocal Jazz Ensemble and the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel Choir. As I perused the programme upon my arrival, I knew that I was about to have an invigorating experience.

Ted Talks are based upon ‘ideas worth spreading’. By this definition, Tex2017 at Howard was a distinct success. Topics ranged from science and technology to psychology and marketing. Speaking first was Dr. Aprille Erricson- Jackson, a distinguished, NASA-employed aerospace engineer. Jackson was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Howard University and the first female African-America to receive a Ph.D. in engineering. Her presentation, aptly named ‘Ice, Ice, Baby!’, focused on the technology ‘ICESAT’ (Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite) which she has been helping to develop. Given the disastrous effects of global warming on the earth and its direct effect on the ice sheets, Jackson hopes that the project will enable us to have a more sophisticated and accurate way of finding out exactly what is happening to our earth’s surface and the masses of ice sheets, which have been slowly melting.

Dr. Bahiyyah Muhammed then took the stage to emphatically reason that children with incarcerated parents are not merely ‘the products of incarceration’. She shared her interactions with several children who have unfortunately dealt with having one or both parents imprisoned , but who have been thriving as young scholars, musicians, entrepreneurs and leaders. This presentation in particular reminded me of our class discussions on the danger of a single story; hearing these children’s stories was further evidence that people are not defined only by one circumstance of their lives.

‘Reimagining the Revolution of Advertising’ was Dr. Joanna Jenkins’ well-researched and statistically supported talk based on how powerful images and better strategic communication can help to drive market behavior. Rounding up the evening’s talks was Attorney-at-Law Donald Temple, whose presentation on ‘The Social and Political Implications of Technology’ served as a reminder of our ever-changing role in a technologically advanced world where millions of people may lose their jobs to robots and other forms of artificial intelligence. Despite this daunting prospect, he believes that with the right efforts, humans and artificial intelligence will be able to work together to improve areas such as medicine and education.

Walking out of Cramton auditorium and humming along to the infectious melodies sung by Afro Blue and the Memorial Chapel Choir, I felt a sense of enlightenment and satisfaction. I had just been privy to the innermost intellectual thoughts of some of Howard’s finest alumni and faculty, in a forum that, just about a year ago, I could only dream of attending. It even occurred to me that maybe someday, I might find myself on that stage too…only time will tell!