TEDxJacksonville announces speaker lineup for October conference

Business

TEDxJacksonville announced its speaker lineup, musical performances and activities for its eighth conference, called “POP.”

The event, which will feature 11 speakers, is scheduled 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 19 at The Florida Theatre.

TEDx is an independently, locally organized TED event. TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks on a variety of topics.

Speaker topics range from prison reform and state politics to smart cities and regenerative sciences.

“We try to find speakers and topics that are being discussed in Jacksonville right now,” said co-organizer and executive producer Sabeen Perwaiz. “Whether it’s good or bad, it’s just to bring a new perspective into that conversation.”

In addition to listening to speakers, attendees will be able to try out the da Vinci Xi, a surgical robot used for minimally invasive procedures at several area hospitals and take rides on the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s self-driving vehicle.

Hope McMath, founder of the Yellow House and former director of the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, will host the event for the sixth time.

The conference will offer performances from the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts jazz singers, Jacksonville University’s Linda Berry Stein College of Fine Arts program performers and recording artist Mal Jones.

Tickets are $89 plus fees if purchased before Aug. 31, and $99 plus fees after that. Tickets include access to the full conference and lunch.

Tickets to the final session, which includes three speakers and the final musical performance, are $30 plus fees.

Here is the speaker line-up:

• Dr. Husain Abbas, Jacksonville, “Robots in the Operating Room.” A general surgeon at Memorial Hospital, Abbas will discuss how technology has impacted surgeons and operating rooms. Abbas completed his 200th da Vinci robotic surgery this year.

• Rawan Al-kharboosh, Jacksonville, “Regenerative Sciences and Human Longevity.” Al-kharboosh is a doctoral student, working on the Basic Neurosurgery Research Team at the Mayo Clinic. Her research focuses on using fat stem cells to fight of fatal types of brain cancer. She will talk about regenerative science, and how it could extend lifespans.

• Linda Argila, New York City, “Why We Need Prison Reform — an Insider’s Perspective.” Argila is an advocate for women and children who have been incarcerated, as well as the founder of Solutions from the Heart LLC, a fundraising and event management firm. As a former inmate, she will discuss prison reform, alternatives for nonviolent offenders and standards of dignity for inmates.

• Daron Babcock, Dallas, “Planting Hope.” Babcock founded Bonton Farms, an urban, organic farm in Dallas designed to serve the inner-city community of Bonton, which is known for high crime and poverty. He’ll discuss how his business is helping to solve the issues within the community.

• Brandon Griggs, Jacksonville, “How Literacy Can Fix America’s Juvenile Justice Incarceration Problem.” As a high schooler, Griggs was appointed to the city’s task force dedicated to curbing violent crime. He’s witnessed how inequities affect students as they move through the education system and is working to redefine stereotypes and set an example for other black teens. He said juvenile justice reform begins with teaching children basic literacy skills in kindergarten.

• Thomas Hargrove, Alexandria, Virginia, “Getting Away with Murder.” Hargrove is a retired investigative journalist and White House correspondent who founded the Murder Accountability Project in 2015, a nonprofit to track unsolved homicides nationwide. Hargrove will talk about how getting more information about these unsolved crimes will inspire people to demand change.

• Tammy Hodo, Jacksonville, “Deconstructing Race.” Hodo is an assistant professor of sociology, anthropology and social work at the University of North Florida. She studies the effect that race, class, ethnicity and sex have on life changes and will discuss that and enduring racial constructs.

• Michael Platt, Bowie, Maryland, “Baking a Better Society.” Two years ago, the 13-year-old Platt founded Michael’s Desserts, which donates baked goods to the homeless or hungry for each one he sells. He’s appeared on Food Network, “Good Morning America,” “Access Hollywood,” CNN and CBS.

• Jeff Sheffield, Jacksonville, “Big Data and the Future of Our Cities.” As executive director of the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, Sheffield seeks to position Jacksonville as a “smart” city, using technology to confront city planning challenges. He’ll talk about using emerging technologies to solve community problems.

• Phillip Singleton, Jacksonville, “Taking Your Seat at the Table.” A government affairs consultant and lobbyist, Singleton will focus on how the black community can effect positive change by learning the rules and language of state politics. Singleton has worked for lawmakers Al Lawson and Gwen Graham and founded a consulting company.

• Joy Young, Jacksonville, “E Pluribus Art.” Young started as executive director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville this year. She’ll talk about ways Jacksonville can embrace arts and culture to facilitate community unity and to shape the city’s future.

For more information, visit the TedxJacksonville website at http://tedxjacksonville.com/