Award for TEDxNipissingU

TEDxNipissingU has won the Muskoka Technology Achievement Award for Most Innovative Use of Technology.

The award was presented by the Muskoka Community Network, a not-for-profit organization facilitating the implementation of telecommunications solutions for the regions of Muskoka and Almaguin by working with, and forming partnerships with both the public and private sector.

The inaugural TEDxNipissingU event featured 12 live speakers, including Nipissing University faculty members  Dr. Peter Nosko, Ken Stange and Renee Valiquette, as well as staffer Alexandra Archibald.  Each speaker presented a short talk on their interpretation of the theme “What’s Possible”.

TEDxNipissingU was one of the few TEDx events in Canada to offer a free live webcast, which meant that no one had to miss the talks and helped organizers engage a large high school audience. An iPhone app was developed for the event and similar technology-based tools were used to increase communication and collaboration amongst high school students, the Muskoka community and the university. All of the TEDxNipissingU talks were recorded and will be available soon to delight inquisitive minds everywhere.

The event featured partnerships and collaborative projects with a total of 35 partners, 32 of which operate out of northern Ontario. It brought together 100 creative thinkers from the Muskoka region and created networking and business opportunities for students, young entrepreneurs, businesspeople, artists, graphic designers, web developers, and many more. The event involved collaboration from all three of Nipissing’s campuses, and was viewed in over 10 countries.

Organizers Luke Swanek and Jan Lucy have been invited to attend a TEDxSummit in Doha, Qatar, to contribute to the further development of the TEDx program internationally and present the TEDxNipissingU “Idea Wall” concept to TEDx organizers.

To support or learn more about TEDxNipissingU, like them at http://www.facebook.com/TEDxNipissingU.