The TEDx Savannah event features innovators from Georgia Southern Armstrong

Did you know that in 1984, the first TED Talk was about compact disc technology, the e-book, cutting-edge 3D graphics from Lucasfilm, and Benoit Mandelbrot’s bewitching fractal mathematics that describe the geometry of shorelines? The event was the first of its kind to bring together technology, entertainment and design. And since then, TED Talks have become synonymous with innovation and cutting-edge thinkers.

There are also innovators at the local level in the communities. Launched in 2006, TEDx empowers people around the world by highlighting local makers, movers and shakers.

On May 25, Savannah will celebrate her 12th year as a contributor to TEDx’s international knowledge base. Fifteen innovators from Coastal Georgia gather at the Fine Arts Auditorium on Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong campus for an inspired afternoon of connection.

Afterwards, ticket holders are invited to join a fun evening at the Armstrong Center with live music and food trucks.

Past TEDx Savannah Events:Savannah has talent! The annual TEDx Savannah showcases the wealth of knowledge flowing in Hostess City

Who gives TEDx talks?

Selecting a TEDx Talk is a multi-part process. After the local committee has determined the date and location of the event, it announces a topic and calls for speakers. The initial application consists of about 10 questions, each of which requires a few sentences to be answered. This year, 115 people answered the call.

Marc Frischer, an oceanographer at the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SKIO), successfully completed the process. After his application was accepted, he was shortlisted from 25 candidates who subsequently attended a series of coaching workshops. They were then invited to give a three-minute pitch to a panel of past speakers and current TEDx members.

From this round, the final 15 were selected to give presentations of no more than 12 minutes on this year’s theme of connection.

“We cannot say exactly what we will say before the event,” said Fischer. “But by that point we were all engaging in mandatory meetings and more coaching to get our message across without scripts or teleprompting. Everything in TEDx is saved. Communication experts helped us with vocal dynamics and diction. We received a lot of support every step of the way.”

Frischer has been in charge of marine microbiology research at SKIO since 1996. His specialty is microbes and how they function in marine ecology systems and contribute to the Earth’s carbon cycle.

“I’m an oceanographer and probably my talk has something to do with nature and connections,” suggested Frischer. “Microscopic algae in the ocean account for half of the oxygen produced on the planet, every other breath comes from a marine microbe. We can’t get along without them, but they can get along just fine without us, too.”

Since 2010, Frischer has been studying the warming permafrost of the Arctic and the consequences of marine microbes converting this organic matter into carbon dioxide and methane – both greenhouse gases – and releasing it into the atmosphere. The team’s findings continue to contribute directly to science, which better understands the steps needed to slow climate change and global temperature rise.

More on TEDx Savannah:What does Savannah need to focus on? TEDxSavannah is bringing a number of speakers to stimulate discussion

Three years ago, Amy Capello was diagnosed with stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer. The rare diagnosis resulted in a survival rate of less than 40%. After a series of rigorous radiation treatments, Capello is now cancer-free. But her journey was an eye-opening experience.

“The connections I made with the community and my family, and the importance and impact that has had on my life, brought with it some very difficult lessons,” Capello recalls. “But the impact is priceless. The growth and learning that I have experienced has transformed my life and of course some of that flows into what I will be speaking about.”

Capello, who was an assistant principal for nine years, founded a life coaching business in 2019. She juggled both for a few years until she left school in 2021. As an assistant principal, she routinely worked more than 60 hours a week each day, took little time for herself, and “kept on fire all the time.” Through her coaching business, she began to focus on “total life balance,” the motto in her to integrate their own routines and to encourage their clients to live consciously.

“TEDx has definitely taught me that it’s okay to put myself in a vulnerable position so others can learn,” Capello said. “My story is not easy, I cried every time I practiced it. But I have learned how powerful and impactful we can be when we boldly commit to telling our story.”

Rev. Guillermo Arboleda is a priest at St. Matthews Episcopal Church. A native of suburban New York City, Arboleda first came to Savannah about a decade ago as an intern while attending Duke Divinity School. He and his wife loved the city and were happy to return when he began his service in St. Matthews in 2016.

Racial justice and social justice are an integral part of Arboleda’s personal and professional life. He regularly works with Justice Unite Savannah Together (JUST), an interfaith coalition working on important community issues such as affordable housing, bail reform, and the root causes of social and economic inequality in Chatham County.

“Every social issue in America is a racial issue,” Arboleda insisted. “There are structural and programmatic reasons everywhere that inequality persists.

“For example, the state of Georgia has some of the highest incarceration rates in the country and one of the largest proportions of black prisoners. There is a disproportionate number of black people in jails, jails and detention centers, and the structures in…” The place where these circumstances are maintained is part of my ministry as a minister.”

For Arboleda, attending TEDx is a “very surreal experience.” As a college student, he valued TED Talks, and when he found out he could apply, he took the idea seriously to further reinforce his message of equality and reform within the criminal justice system.

“Compassion and understanding bring people together and minimize differences,” Arboleda said. “I hope that after my talk, people will have a new, kinder, gentler perspective on people who have done bad things and ended up on the wrong side of the law.”

Zoe Rinker, executive director of the Savannah Tree Foundation, sees trees as the ultimate symbol of connection. Savannah has been known as “Tree City USA” since 1985 and its live oaks, magnolias and tall pines are integral elements of the cityscape. Since 1982, Rinker’s organization has planted more than 5,000 trees in Hostess City and throughout Chatham County.

“Spoiler alert: I’m talking trees,” Rinker joked. “It’s just inherent. Trees and connections go together so well thematically, they are so closely connected to every part of life around us. Preparing for the presentation requires a lot of memorization, it’s difficult. I can talk for days when I’m not working on a script, but focusing on exactly how and what to say within the time frame takes so much focus.”

Rinker believes the issue of connection is important in broader societal contexts, especially post-COVID-19 and amid an increasingly politically polarized landscape. She sees the event as an opportunity to bring people together despite their differences.

“This year’s event really shows that so many people from different places and backgrounds are working together to make Savannah better. Yes, we’re having growing pains, but there are so many people here working to make our city more thoughtful and engaged. We are all connected, much like the trees in our community, and we need to figure out how to navigate this world together.”

If you go >>

What: TEDx Savannah 2023 connection

If: 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., May 25

Where: Fine Arts Auditorium, Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern, Savannah

After party right after the last speaker

Costs: General admission: $50; VIP $75