Local Event Features Nationally Recognized Speakers in Science, Business & the Arts

LIVERMORE, Calif. – (August 5, 2014) Are some people more creative than others? Can creativity be harnessed for the greater good?

“Creativity fosters innovation,” said Rosalind Hamar, TEDxLivermore 2014 organizer and Head of School at Valley Montessori. “It’s found in tree canopy research, the toy industry and the performing arts. At TEDxLivermore 2014, we invite Bay Area residents to discover the creativity within to make communities that matter.”

TEDxLivermore 2014 will take place on September 20th. The day-long event, entitled, “Uncork Your Creativity” will feature thought leaders from a variety of fields who reveal how they uncorked their creative potential to make a difference in their community.

Scheduled speakers include, among others:

Margaret D. Lowman, Ph.D., Chief of Science & Sustainability at the California Academy of Sciences, and a pioneer in tree canopy research. Dubbed the “real-life Lorax,” Dr. Lowman will discuss her challenges as a woman in science, identifying the difference that is made when both women and men engaging engage in environmental solutions.

Lindsey Shephard, Rainmaker at GoldieBlox, makers of award-winning, engineering-based construction toys geared to engage girls in tinkering and building things . Oakland-based GoldieBlox beat 15,000 competing firms to win Intuit’s Super Bowl ad contest, becoming the first small business ever to air an ad during the game. Ms. Shepard’s TEDxLivermore talk will address “how to make your voice heard when everyone around you is saying ‘no.’ ”

Michael Morgan, Music Director and Conductor for the Oakland East Bay Symphony is a champion of arts education who is keen on minority access to the arts. His TEDxLivermore talk will cover how orchestras and music in general can reach across economic, racial, ethnic, generational and religious lines to build a community.

“Whether creativity is a product of nature, nurture or a combination of both is up for debate. But one thing is certain: TEDxLivermore 2014 will help you realize the potential of your most creative self,” Hamar added.

TEDxLivermore 2014 has been created by civic-minded volunteers. It is supported by Valley Montessori School and Yámana Science & Technology.

TEDxLivermore 2014 is open to the public and will be held on September 20, 2014 at the Black Box Theater in the Mertes Center for the Arts, Las Positas College. Tickets are available here. The event fee is $95 for Saturday’s daylong discussions and lunch. The event runs from 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

A limited number of individual and corporate sponsorships for TEDxLivermore are available. Please contact Roz Hamar at 925-455-8021.

For more information, please visit TEDxLivermore.com

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a conference in California 1984, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with many initiatives.

At a TED conference, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less. TED speakers have included Roger Ebert, Sheryl Sandberg, Bill Gates, Elizabeth Gilbert, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Brian Greene, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

On TED.com, talks from TED conferences are shared with the world for free as TED Talks videos. A new TED Talk is posted every weekday. Through the Open Translation Project, TED Talks are subtitled by volunteers worldwide. Through our distribution networks, TED Talks are shared on TV, radio, Netflix and many websites.

The TEDx initiative grants free licenses to people around the world to organize TED-style events in their communities with TED Talks and live speakers. Selected talks from these events are also turned into TED Talks videos.

The annual TED Prize grants $1 million to an exceptional individual with a wish to change the world. The TED Fellows program helps world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. TED-Ed creates short video lessons by pairing master teachers with animators, for use in classroom instruction or independent learning.

For information about TED’s upcoming conferences, visit www.ted.com/registration

Follow TED on Twitter at twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at facebook.com/TED.