First TEDxUSD event aims to inspire students

Nearly 100 people filled Farber Hall on Saturday evening to listen to presentations about religion, philosophy, technology and social issues for the first-ever TEDxUSD event.

The event at USD lasted about three hours, and students who attended were able to meet the speakers at Red Steakhouse following the presentations.

Joshua Arens, a junior at USD and the event organizer, said he first had the idea of USD hosting a TEDx event during an advising meeting this past March.

“Since then we’ve been kind of planning it and getting speakers together,” Arens said. “Throughout this summer it was just this long process of finding speakers.”

TEDx events are independently organized discussions focused on “ideas worth spreading,” and are formatted in the same way as TED talks.

TED is a nonprofit organization which started in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) converge.

To select the six speakers, Arens said the team of TEDxUSD volunteers talked to faculty to get suggestions, and then reached out to individuals they thought would be a good fit for the event.

One of these speakers was Frank Leibfarth, a graduate of Yankton High School who spoke to Aren’s high school AP biology class.

Leibfarth, a 2008 graduate of USD and a former Coyote football kicker, spoke to audience members about his research into polymers and his role in creating a polymer synthesis machine.

Polymers are molecules with large numbers of repeating subunits which have different chemical properties and can be used to make a variety of products. They might also be used to someday prevent illnesses and create renewable resources.

He said he wanted to speak at TEDxUSD because he wants to endorse science as a viable career field in South Dakota.

“I’m always interested in promoting science, especially in South Dakota where I feel like there aren’t enough scientists working in the state for people to look up to and realize this is a career (they) can have,” Leibfarth said.

It was at USD where Leibfarth said he first became interested in chemistry.

“I fell in love with chemistry during my sophomore organic chemistry class here,” he said.

After his sophomore year, he wanted to expand his knowledge of polymers and started to ask his professors where he should do research and what he should do to pursue his career.

“Instead of being kind of selfish and saying, ‘You should do research in my lab,’ they said, ‘Travel, like apply for opportunities around the country,’ “ Leibfarth said.

He was accepted into a summer program at Columbia University in New York City and then went on to study at a joint program between Stanford and IBM for polymer research.

After graduating from USD with honors, he received his graduate degree in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is now doing post-doctorate research on continuous flow chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Leibfarth said he would like to speak at other events similar to TEDxUSD in the future.

“I think throughout my career, especially moving forward, I’ll take every opportunity to do things like this because I think it’s really vital to telling people what they’re paying for and also letting them understand that science is really important to fund the future,” he said.

“If they want us to solve these grand challenges like I talked about in human health, sustainability and renewable energy, they should keep supporting us.”

Karina Ramirez, a first-year nursing major, said she was impressed with the event and hopes more TEDxUSD events will take place on campus in the future.

“I think it would definitely have a good impact because it gives people different things to think about and it lets them acknowledge new ideas and if they can be receptive of that they can definitely make more of an impact in the world,” she said.

Due to restrictions TED places on the first event held by affiliated TEDx organizations, not everyone who wanted to go to TEDxUSD could.

Only 100 people could be physically present for the presentations, Arens said. Until an organizer goes to a TED talk, the 100-person limit remains in place.

A livestream of the event was broadcast in the Muenster University Center and it will also be available for people to watch online.

Arens said he traveled to New York City in October at his own expense to attend a talk about education so that next year’s TEDxUSD won’t have the 100-person limit.

“I just went out there for a weekend and watched the TED conference, which was great,” he said. “They had six speakers as well and it was about education reform so it was really cool and exciting.”

After all of the planning and stress that went into organizing the event was said and done, Arens said he thought the first TEDxUSD went well.

“There were some bumps, but for the most part I’m happy with it and hopefully next year they’ll do an even better job,” he said.

Arens said he hopes students who heard the presentations in person or online will see the potential for success USD offers its students.

“Just take advantage of the great people we have here, the great ideas we have here and make your own great ideas,” he said.