The speakers for TEDxPSU were announced today on The Lion 90.7fm at 5pm. On the whole, they are a diverse group of very talented individuals. Biographical information about each of the speakers can be found below. The first group are from outside of the Penn State community, while the second have Penn State ties.

Additionally, attendee registration for the event began on their website at 5pm today.

TEDxPSU will be held on October 10, 2010 in Schwab Auditorium.

The Speakers:

John Rives – Known as a “2.0 poet” and performer,  John Rives is more of a renaissance man, having also worked as a television host and author of pop-up books. According to his bio, Rives offers “intelligent and creative entertainment,” and has a distinctive stage presence.

Bruce Schneier – Called a “security guru” by The Economist, Bruce Schneier is well known for his work in security technology and cryptology. He is the author of ten books on a variety of security-related topics.

DJ Earworm – In the DJ’s own words, he works to “take a bunch of songs apart and put them back together in a different way.” DJ Earworm‘s song mash-ups have garnered him national attention since 2007.

Tonee Ndungu – Tonee Ndungu, a Zambian-born entrepreneur, does not confine himself to any one endeavor. His “four areas of focus” include a community service organization, a Nairobi-based business lab, and an interest in information technology and event-hosting.

Tony Pittman – Many Penn Staters remember Tony as the PSU cornerback who led the team in interceptions in 1993 and started for the undefeated 1994 squad. Pittman recently co-wrote a book with his father, also a former PSU football player, about playing for Joe Paterno.

Nathan Martin – Nathan Martin is the founder and CEO of Deeplocal Inc, a design company that specializes in projects linking the digital and physical worlds. Prior to Deeplocal, Nathan was an artist-in-residence and researcher at Carnegie Mellon.

Michael Pritchard – Michael Pritchard is an entrepreneur and inventor of the Lifesaver Bottle, a portable “all-in-one” water filtration system.

Penn Staters:

Dean Christian Brady – The one and only Dean of the Schreyer Honors College, the host for the TEDxPSU event.

Sam Richards – Dr. Sam Richards is a sociology professor at Penn State and the co-director of the Race Relations Project (RRP). He has fostered and managed the project since 2001.

David Celento – Focusing on digital fabrication technologies, David Celento is an assistant professor of architecture at Penn State. One of his current projects is ceramiSKIN, a project focusing on ornamental surfaces.

Alison Carr-Chellman – Dr. Carr-Chellman is a professor of education at Penn State. Her studies focus on the impact of technology on large systems of education.

Christopher A. Calkins – Dr. Calkins is the director of Outreach Health Initiatives at Penn State. He is also a part-time instructor of Health Policy and Administration.

Richard Doyle – A professor of English at Penn State, Richard Doyle‘s academic interests are somewhat unexpected. He focuses, among other things, on technoscience,  transhumanism, psychedelics and nanotechnology.

Michael Berube – Dr. Berube is a professor of English Literature and Science, Technology, and Society at Penn State. Though he writes extensively about a great number of topics, Dr. Berube’s presentation will focus on health care and disability studies.

Jason ‘O’ Olcese – A musician who has been performing since 2002, Jason ‘O’ graduated from Penn State in 2006 with a degree in psychology with honors in music. According to the band’s page, his music can be described as “a healthy mix of Jason Mraz and Keller Williams.” Jason will be discussing his performance, specifically with regard to his use of technology.

Will you be in attendance in October? What speakers are you most excited to see?