Graduate students Freddy Solis and Jeffrey Peters have often sought inspiration from TED Talks videos online. And then inspiration hit — Purdue would be a perfect fit for a similar event. Planning for TEDx Purdue soon followed, and the inaugural event will take place March 22, 2012, in Fowler Hall. The theme for day will be “ . . . Innovation.” Speakers are encouraged to fill in the ellipsis. “We chose that theme because we are interested in entrepreneurship and innovation,” Peters said. “They are embodied in Purdue’s outlook. We want the talks to address the needs of the country and the University to foster them.” Three of the scheduled speakers have ties to the College of Technology:
- Michael Kane, associate professor of computer and information technology
- Sarah Miller and Lee Causey, two of the team leaders for the Purdue INhome Solar Deacthlon Team and graduate students in the college
- Kyle Bowen, CGT ’99, director of informatics at Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP).
“The College of Technology embodies what we are wanting to showcase,” Peters said. “Research can be directed to products quickly.” Kane, the last speaker of the event, will speak about his research with personalized medicine. He will address what it is, how it benefits healthcare, how it can reduce costs and how it can increase safety and efficacy of drugs. While his work has led to ventures such as www.genescription.com (an educational web site) and Genomic Guidance (a healthcare data management company), Kane says there are still barriers to widespread adoption of personalized medicine, which is distinct from genetic testing for disease.” “Physicians and pharmacists don’t get taught genomics as a guide to optimal medication choice,” he said. “Also, industry doesn’t have a way to do it quickly. Genetic testing has to be fast and onsite.” Registration for the event is full. Organizers have created a waiting list. The event will also be streamed live. The URL for streaming will be posted on the Purdue TEDx web site prior to the event. The College of Technology is one of the sponsors of the event. Find out more about the TEDx event at the official web site.