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Wanted: Speakers for 2014 TEDxDuke

First round of nominations for "Challenge Accepted" talks are due Dec. 8

The 2013 TEDxDuke team after the successful completion of
The 2013 TEDxDuke team after the successful completion of "TEDxDuke 2013: A Shrinking World" last April. Photo courtesy of TEDxDuke.

Know an inspiring speaker? TEDxDuke wants to know.

The TedxDuke Team is seeking nominations for presenters from the Duke and Durham community to present around the theme of "Challenge Accepted" for the 2014 TEDxDuke event. The first round of nominations are due by Dec. 8. 

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"Duke is a place where there are lots of vibrant conversations, and TEDx is an opportunity to share those conversations with a larger audience and launch even bigger discussions," said Gavin Ovsak, a Duke junior and co-president of the TEDxDuke team. 

TEDxDuke, which is organized by Duke students, is an independent event modeled after the Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference that emphasizes the sharing of ideas through pithy, provocative and entertaining talks of no more than 18 minutes.  

Organizers of the Duke event on March 22, 2014 in Reynolds Theater are encouraging community members to nominate speakers from a variety of disciplines who can inspire the audience to accept new challenges speak passionately about their own challenges. Nominees can be Duke faculty, staff, students, alumni or members of the Durham community.

"The nomination process is wide open," said  Neby Teklu, a Duke senior majoring in global health and public policy and co-president of the TEDxDuke team "Anyone can nominate anyone." 

Individuals nominated in the first round will be given preference during the review process.  A second round of nominations will be announced through social media in late December or early January 2014.  

The 2014 TEDxDuke event will be more accessible to the Duke community than the three previous TEDx events because the team has obtained a license allowing the sale of more tickets. Last year, the license allowed an audience of 100, and those tickets were reserved within 48 hours. The 2014 advanced license was made possible because of a partnership with Dan Ariely, the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Fuqua School of Business, who has spoken at multiple TED conferences. Approximately 400 tickets for the TEDxDuke event in March will be available in 2014.

Ovsak said much of the success of the TEDxDuke event will rest upon receiving a wide range of nominations.

"We especially want people to help us find the speakers with Duke ties who might be hidden in the woodwork," Ovsak said. "A lot of people don't think of themselves as public speakers, but everyone I talk to at Duke has had a great story that if they polished could make a great TED talk."