Second TED talk to be held in El Paso

Some of the best and brightest in El Paso — and the nation — are headed downtown this weekend for the second TEDxElPaso.

TEDxElPaso is an independent symposium of sorts under the umbrella of the organization TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design.

TED’s goal is to gather those with good ideas and give them a platform to spread the intellectual wealth through “TED Talks.”

The El Paso TED talk is organized by the El Paso Community Foundation.

“We’ve got a whole bunch of people who have ideas that they want to take to the world,” said Eric Pearson, the president and CEO of EPCF.

Pearson told ABC-7 that the people who will be speaking in the Foundation Room in the EPCF offices include Nobel laureate, physicist and human rights activist Charlie Clements, American writer Dagoberto Gilb and UTEP political science professor Kathy Staudt.

Pearson said many of the talks will center on ideas that affect El Paso.

“El Paso really is the epicenter of North America and there are a lot of issues that are being explored in this region,” Pearson told ABC-7. “Why not highlight those and let El Pasoans know there is something they can take pride in?”

Live music will also be provided. One of the artists who will be performing is an indie favorite in Texas, Davd Garza.

Saturday’s all-day talk is by invitation only. About 100 people or slightly more are expected to attend, said Pearson, adding that those not in attendance can still hear the talks.

“We’re making videos and they’ll be viewed by thousands of people before and after the day is done.”

A live stream of the talks will be available on TEDxElPaso.com or TED.com.

Those interested in being in the audience for the next TED event can sign up for notifications at El Paso’s TED website.