TEDxCERN: Breaking the Rules

On Friday, 9 October, CERN will be hosting a TEDx conference for the third year running, this time on the theme of ‘Breaking the Rules’. Providing a platform for visionaries in fields such as science, novel technologies and education, the event, sponsored by Rolex, will take place on the CMS site in Cessy, France.

Promoting ‘ideas worth spreading’, like all TEDx events, this conference will give a dozen speakers the chance to break the mould with the aim of improving our lives. They will propose innovative solutions for the future, taking into account today’s limitations.

Rachel Armstrong will make the case for turning to chemistry and synthetic biology to create more durable habitable structures; Neil Gershenfeld, the founder of Fab Lab, will explain how new technologies, such as 3D printing, are contributing to social change; Linda Liukas, the founder of Rails Girls and author of Hello Ruby, will speak about her initiatives designed to introduce women and children to programming; Sean Follmer will reveal how interfaces that change shape and adapt to our needs can allow us to interact with one another when using electronic devices. These are just a few examples of the subjects that this year’s TEDxCERN event will tackle.

The conference will start at 2 p.m. and the presentations will be grouped into two sessions: ‘rule breakers’ (2.30 p.m. to 4.15 p.m.) and ‘visionaries’ (5.15 p.m. to 7 p.m.). The audience will also be able to enjoy artistic offerings from singer Imogen Heap and actress Vikki Stone, as well as TED-Ed’s educational animated films explaining particle accelerators, supernovas and scientific methods. After the talks, guests will be invited to a reception starting at 7 p.m., which will also be attended by Jay Herratti and Amanda Ellis of TEDx and Bruno Giussani of TED Europe and TEDGlobal.

A limited number of places are available to the general public. Attendance is by invitation only, so anyone interested must contact the organisers through the TEDxCERN website no later than midnight on Sunday, 13 September. The event will also be broadcast live online.

More information about the event can be found here.

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