The 2nd edition of TEDxKAIST was held on February 19 at the KI Building. Similar to the prestigious TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) conferences but independently organized, the KAIST version of the event was attended by a large and mixed audience. The speakers’ list included Korean businessmen, artists and also KAIST students who promoted their ideas and experiences through 18-minute-long talks available in both English and Korean. Videos from TED talks were also shown between some presentations. The theme of the event was “From here to the world.”

▲ Presenters lining up at TEDxKAIST | Paulo Kemper

A very well-organized event executed by KAIST students, TEDxKAIST got positive evaluations from the attendees. The variety of backgrounds of the speakers was also of great importance. The blending of Korean culture and Korean talks with the TED format of 18-minute-long presentations under the “ideas worth sharing” philosophy proved itself a good mixture. Some notable talks were given by Hohyun Joung, the filmmaker of the documentary “Cuban Boy”, Eliot Bu, chairman of the Urban Knowledge Trust, and Keun-ho Bae, a KAIST Ph.D. candidate.

The live translation provided through wireless audio devices were one of the highlights of this event. With only minor mishaps, the overall idea of the talks was successfully transmitted to the audience. “The broad range of the talks, especially the technical words, was a big challenge,” said Jiwon Lee, one of the translators at TEDxKAIST. Most of the international attendees enjoyed the opportunity to understand Korean talks in full.

Unlike other TEDx events, the KAIST edition was available to the attendees at a low price of ten thousand won. According to Mark Whiting, one of the organizers of the event, while the TED conferences’ participation fees ranges in the thousands of U.S. dollars, the target audience of TEDx events is the community. TEDxKAIST’s main objective is to share ideas with the students. Several sponsors, including one former speaker, helped to keep the price tag within students’ budget.

Social networks also played an important role. Jiheun Yoo, PR manager of TEDxKAIST, said that thanks to Twitter and other social networks, and also to the prevalence of smartphones, they could attract undergraduates, graduates and even people from outside the KAIST community. During the events, a screen displaying the live feed of the TEDxKAIST Twitter account was also set up.

The next edition of TEDxKAIST is expected to be held during the coming fall semester. For those who would like to experience a TEDx event, TEDxDaejeon takes place on February 26 at the Daejeon Convention Center. More information is available online at: http://tedxdaejeon.com.

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