Students ready for TEDxLowell which is to take place at the United Teen Equality Center as a licensed event under TED (Technology, Education, Design). The event will be run on April 27 by reps from the United Teen Equality Center in downtown Lowell, and members of the Honors Ambassador Program at UMass Lowell as well as other volunteers.

TEDtalks have been used as a supplement to education. Molly Sheehan, 20, a junior at UML says “TED keeps things interesting because it goes above and beyond what we learn in the typical classroom setting.” She really likes how the talks can also introduce new topics and ideas to receptive audiences. “Individuals will have a chance to expand their knowledge on new materials they would have never thought about.”

Steven Norris, 25, junior at UML also sees the educational good of the event. “My teacher for my ‘Brain, Mind, and Behavior’ class sends us links to TED talks. I think they are great tools for reinforcing knowledge gained in class.”

Both students expressed positive views on TED for their free videos of interesting lectures that they have been sent either by teachers or friends.

TEDxLowell already has a website up and running, www.tedxlowell.com, that has a section devoted to telling the story of the TED conferences. TED started in 1984 as a one time conference in Monterey, California and over the course of 30 years has expanded to include the annual conferences in Long Beach and Palm Springs as well as the many licensed reiterations. Their idea was to spread philanthropic and hopeful ideas on how to make the world a better place. Science, art, technology and education are common themes and the conferences have hosted many well respected and famous figures including Bill Clinton and Bill Gates.

A press release from media relations says that TEDxLowell is independent from the original TED conferences which started under a non-profit in California and is therefore required to use the letter “x” at the end of the name. TEDxLowell is self-organized just as any other independent organizations under the TEDx moniker. These organizations receive guidance from the licensor.

The organizers plan on making the conference an annual event for Lowell wherein anyone can apply to be a speaker for the event and students provide most of the organization and planning. The organization is currently vetting speakers and won’t release the full list until March 27.