Dr. Abuelaish, known as “the Gaza Doctor” and author of I Shall Not Hate, is a Palestinian doctor and infertility expert who was born and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. His three daughters and a niece were killed in January 2009 during the Israeli incursion into Gaza, yet this devastation did not harden Abuelaish’s heart.  Instead, he directed his energy toward spreading the doctrine that from tragedy can come good; from conflict and hardship can come peace and well being in hopes that the lives lost during this time would be the last.  Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 and winner of humanitarian awards around the world, Dr. Abuelaish is a remarkable human who has gone on to change the world for better.

The TEDxWaterloo event offers many facets of the human experience.  For instance, never let it be said that physicists are boring. Or that they can’t dance. Krister Shalm proves they aren’t, and they can.  A physicist who uses light to study the quantum world at the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing, Shalm has teamed up with a magician, musicians, entertainers, and dancers to make quantum concepts more approachable.  An avid swing dancer, in his spare time Shalm can be found Lindy Hopping to the tunes of the 20s, 30s and 40s.

Roberta Hunt, an exhilarating jazz and blues musician, will be sharing the stage with Shalm in an original partnership, as well as showcasing her own talents.   Hunt is a piano player, a singer and currently leads the band Red Hot Ramblers.

In Karen Morris’ own words, she has been “a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king.” Yet the woman described in her C.V. is that of a scholar, English barrister, M.A., L.L.M, Professor, Chief Innovation Officer of a global corporation, General Counsel, innovation architect and writer.  Her broad experience and international background in law, management and multinational business inspire her insight on product, service and business model innovation.  She is a frequent speaker on innovation and leadership at global forums and conferences around the world and is excited to be part of the TEDxWaterloo experience.

TEDxWaterloo is one of the largest and most popular TEDx events in the world.  A completely volunteer-organized and operated event, TEDxWaterloo attracts some of the world’s most interesting thinkers and doers, who share their ideas on stage through “talks” that are under 20 minutes. This event mixes technology, entertainment and design (TED) ideas from around with world with a strong local and Canadian contingent.

Additional information and ticket application for TEDxWaterloo can be found at TEDxWaterloo.com

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Jean Béliveau’s story is remarkable. He is the man who walked around the world.  In August 2000, then 45-years-old and experiencing a mid-life crisis, Béliveau chose to shut down his successful factory and leave a loving family to embark on an adventure of learning.  It became an odyssey of over 11-years that would see him walk 75,000 km through five continents and 64 countries. Dedicating his walk to peace, Béliveau says, “This is not my walk but the walk of Humanity. I am only a tool for a collective aspiration.”

A graphic novelist, Waterloo native Scott Chantler’s books have become favorites in the library world as well as with students. The graphic novel Two Generals, which depicts his grandfather’s experiences in Europe during the Second World War, was nominated for the Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Award and was voted into the Top 40 of Canadian non-fiction books by the CBC’s Canada Reads: True Stories.  The American Library Association and the Junior Library Guild have recommended his books, which include Northwest Passage and the Three Thieves series, which won the Shuster Award, as the best comic for children.

Bilge Demirköz is a TED Fellow and a Turkish particle physicist who is making significant contributions to our understanding of the universe we live in. In her experiments and her role as a faculty member of Middle East Technical University in Ankara, she inspires the next generation of scientists and makes science more accessible to the general public.  Through her work searching for anti-matter and dark matter in space and her many years conducting particle physics experiments at CERN, Dr. Demirköz has come to believe that science needs to re-connect with the arts, and ultimately with people.

TEDxWaterloo is one of the largest and most popular TEDx events in the world.  A completely volunteer-organized and operated event, TEDxWaterloo attracts some of the world’s most interesting thinkers and doers, who share their ideas on stage through “talks” that are under 20 minutes. This event mixes technology, entertainment and design (TED) ideas from around with world with a strong local and Canadian contingent. Recently, the parent organization, TED, featured a 2011 TEDxWaterloo talk by Michael Nielson as one of its featured videos, garnering global attention on TED.com.

Additional information on TEDxWaterloo can be found at TEDxWaterloo.com

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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 four-day conference in California 28 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping 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.

For information about TED’s upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration
Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED

A decade earlier, actor and Mississippi native, Morgan Freeman had offered to pay to integrate the high school prom but was declined. This film shows the journey Morgan Freeman, Paul Saltzman, the families and students embarked on in making this film.

Prom Night in Mississippi is just one of several films that will be screening in the community that will engage, inspire and create discussion amongst guests. Along with the film, directors, actors, and other individuals involved in the production will host discussion groups.

For a more intimate gathering, TEDxWaterloo Salons offer tightly focused topics to a highly engaged audience. The inaugural salon is slated for November 22, and features The Coffee House, which is a discussion about the politics of eating locally, the power of the chef in North American culture, and the rites and rituals that go into a cup of coffee.

Salon speakers include Dawn Tran, owner of the local coffee shop, A Matter of Taste; Asia Nelson, PhD candidate studying the language of food in North America; Kimberley Love, a marketing communications professional who is involved in politics, mid-level farming and clean energy; and Chef Nick Benninger, proprietor and head chef of Nick and Nat’s UPTOWN 21 will offer a diverse view of community, food, and sustainable development.

Curating this night of discussion and engagement is Kayleigh Platz, a social media expert by day who also has a passion for good food and great conversation.

Tickets for both TEDxWaterloo Salons and TEDxWaterloo Adventures are available through the TEDxWaterloo.com website.

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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 four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping 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.

For information about TED’s upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED