TEDxPSU hosted a community event at the Life Sciences Bridge last night where creative and motivated individuals in the Penn State community came together to foster discussion on ways to improve the world we all live in.

Sponsors of the event ranged from the Student Bridge Initiative connecting international and local students with beneficial organizations, to the Penn State student-organized chapter of Oxfam.

TEDxPSU is an independently organized TED event at Penn State that brings together and engages innovative minds from the Penn State community and from the world.

For those attendees registered for the main event on March 17, the highlight of the evening was the release of five main-event speakers. They are:

Lee Ann De Reus —  An Associate Professor of Human Development & Family Studies and Women Studies at Pennsylvania State University-Altoona, has a long track record of research and activism against rape, abuse, and violence both domestically and abroad. De Reus has started several non-profits interest groups including the Panzi Hospital Foundation USA in support of Panzi Hospital, an organization called “Beza Kids” that works to support Rwandan children and widows, among others.

Marcus Shaffer — A professor of Architecture at Penn State University Park who who brings a background in both design and architecture into an innovative new direction of design. Rather than build, Shaffer designs machines that can build. – As a professor, Shaffer works to develop industrial/mechanical approach to emergency city-making for urban populations displaced by war, famine, and natural disaster.

Nichola Gutgold — A professor of Communications Arts and Sciences at Penn State Lehigh Valley, who has written a considerable list of book on communication of women in traditionally male dominated fields. Two of her recent books include;  The Rhetoric of Supreme Court Women:  From Obstacles to Options (2012) and Almost Madam President:  Why Hillary Clinton ‘won’ in 2008.

Jo Tyler — An educator, writer, and storyteller who brings a wide-range of experiences and expertise into the writing she has done in both commercial and creative environments. Tyler comes from a background in technical commercial writing, though now seeks to further expand the impact of storytelling, in part through the incorporation of visual art and design.

Lonnie Graham — An established creator and photographer who works as an associate professor at Penn State University Park. Graham has spearheaded dozens or innovative projects in a variety of different mediums including the “African/American Garden Project,” among many others, which provided a physical and cultural exchange of disadvantaged urban single mothers in Pittsburgh, and farmers from Muguga, a small farming village in Kenya, to build a series of urban subsistence gardens.

In 2005, Graham received the award of “Artist of the Year” for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Visit the TEDxPSU website for more information about the main event on March 17, and stay up to speed on Twitter and Facebook. For the first six speakers, see our post from last week.