It’s been a good long while since we announced any new speakers, though we’ve dropped a few hints about who some of them are. While this doesn’t finalise the list, it does rather fill it out.
We’re pretty excited about how the line-up is going and think 23 October is going to be quite the big day. Hopefully, you’re as excited as we are.
So, without further ado, here are eight new speakers for TEDxCanberra!
Former commercial pilot, human factors expert and semi-pro skeptic Ash Donaldson wants us to understand how it is we’re fooled into believing things are good for us when they aren’t. If you listen in to him and take away his message, you’ll be better equipped to make informed judgments on influences in your life.
Dawn O’Neil has been the CEO of Lifeline for 10 years. In that time, her work on mental health and suicide prevention has made her a powerful voice in changing societal attitudes and ensuring that people at risk are able to access the services and assistance they desperately need.
His passion for good food, sourced from local providers has made Jared Ingersoll and his Danks Street Depot restaurant a highlight for lovers of quality food. He wants us all to be more aware of where our food comes from, both in terms of geography and in the way it is farmed.
Space is the final frontier for Marco Ostini and the team at the Lunar Numbat Project. They’re aiming to get a small, Australia-New Zealand built vehicle on the moon. In doing so, they hope to answer some big questions.
Mitchell Whitelaw spends his days dreaming up new ways to visualise cultural information so that it makes sense to people. As an advocate for open government data and the release of cultural visual material under open licenses, his work is recognised internationally.
His work on imagining a better society has made Pete Williams an acknowledged authority on building a more open, accepting and better managed world in a time when as-usual thinking results in more of the same. He has been a critical part of rebuilding Flowerdale after the Black Saturday fires.
Simon Taylor will make you think as you realise what you see, isn’t actually what’s happening. He has a background in psychology but fills his time as an illusionist who exposes the lie in our perception of the world. Depending on how you look at it, that makes for hilarity or something pretty scary. At TEDxCanberra, we hope it’s the former.
His work in South-East Asia has brought clean drinking water to many in Laos since 2008. As the driving force behind AbundantWater, Sunny Forsyth is empowering local people to ensure they and their families are able to access clean, safe wateer in places where, in the past, this has been a real challenge and a major public health issue.