Today is an important day; it’s the first day of classes, where the new ideas begin to flow through your head and flourish again. Either that, or you’re nursing a wicked hangover, and dreading that ten-page paper you’re going to have to write on why Ayn Rand was such a miserable frump. Depending on how it’s going for you, you might already be looking down the barrel of a painfully long semester.

But there’s a glimmer of hope–what you can get excited about is the opening of attendee registration for TEDxPSU 2011. Curator Zach Zimbler describes it as “a rock concert of conferences” as opposed to the “science fair on steroids” that I’d originally pegged it for. That is, instead of some kid trying to shove his half-baked invention down your throat with his inevitable tri-fold poster, the emphasis will be more on the presentation, and the ideas. Point is, whether it’s Penn State professor Sam Richards teaching empathy, or researcher Johnny Lee demonstrating what you can do by hacking a Wiimote, TEDxPSU will feature some of the best and brightest minds getting on stage, and presenting their truly exciting and brilliant ideas.

For the uninitiated, TEDxPSU is one of the many satellite conferences based off the parent TED talks, which feature some of the most innovative minds in the world–from Bill Clinton to Bill Gates, Malcolm Gladwell to Larry Page and Sergey Brin–sharing their breakthroughs, plans, or just telling stories that conform to TED’s mission of “Ideas Worth Sharing.” Often meeting at the intersection of science and culture, when done right, each speaker will have you questioning the way you see the world. 2010 was the first year that Penn State held its own event, and all reports indicated that it was a resounding success. In the words of our reviewer, it was “mind blowing.”

That spirit will be brought back to State College on Sunday, November 13th, when Penn State’s brightest presenters gather in Schwab Auditorium. This year’s theme is “Relics to Revolutions,” which we’ll let Zimbler explain:

As surviving memories of our past, links to our antiquity, relics have become the backbone to today’s revolutions; they are the blueprint to our designs, and the basis of our ideas. With the past and the future becoming mere perspectives, we learn from our history in order to inspire and invent the future.

From landing on Mars, to releasing the first movie with surround sound, the revolutions of our recent history are quickly eclipsed and bring to the forefront the change in the world. Encouraging mankind to think past the present, “Relics to Revolutions” will not belong to those content with the present, but to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Perhaps it’s your philosophy, or your neighbor’s pragmatic methodology, but its a communal belief that sharing Ideas Worth Spreading will jettison the next wave of great thinkers and doers.

So if you’d like to be in the audience to hear what the presenters have to share, be sure to register on TEDxPSU’s website. Space is limited, so make sure you do it soon. Lately, we’ve been hearing a lot about tough times and negative forecasts, so being able to get excited over these great ideas that promise to make the world a better place will be a real treat. Wouldn’t you like to be among the first ones with whom those great ideas are shared?