Although you may not recognize the name, Faridodin “Fredi” Lajvardi, a Carl Hayden High School teacher and underwater robotics coach, is a hero to many.

In 2004, Fredi organized an after-school program so students could build a robot and take part in a competition with top universities around the country.

While some may have smirked at this downtown Phoenix school’s meager $800 robotics budget, Fredi’s students got the last laugh; they won the competition—even beating MIT and its $11,000 worth of equipment!

“We used to be known as the gang school,” said Lajvardi. “Now we’re known as the robotics school.”

Meet Fredi, hear his unique story of re-imaginging education, and network with other amazing innovators on November 6th, 2009, at TEDxPhoenix 2009.

Sincerely,
Samantha Miller
University Innovation Fellow, Arizona State University

Post Scriptum: We’ve embedded a great video featuring Fredi and his robotics team below.

(Subscribers, please visit the blog to view the ABC News Nightline Video)

Another bit of good, if not great news is that one of ASU’s best and brightest will be joining TEDxPhoenix to fill the void left by Dr. Hölldobler. Not only is Dr. Jane Maienschein a passionate and engaging speaker, but she is also a change maker and was recognized for her pioneering ways by being awarded the President’s Professor award in 2007, which is one of the highest honors for faculty excellence.

What’s her secret? Dr. Maienschein believes that education is all about promoting discovery and really learning to think critically about the world; her teaching philosophy was immediately apparent when her first course offering merged engineering and humanities which eventually gave way to classes that taught the histories of science, biology and medicine. It probably won’t surprise you to know that she grew up near the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, and her father was a nuclear physicist.

We’re excited to have Dr. Maienschein on board for TEDxPhoenix 2009, and hope you will join us to hear her talk on one of the most misunderstood and controversial topics that has divided the science community among social and ethical lines. Curious to know what her talk is about, then join us on November 6th, 2009 to find out.

Sincerely,
The TEDxPhoenix Crew

• Dr. Charles P. Gerba, environmental microbiologist
• Dr. Bert Hölldobler, behavioral biologist and sociobiologist
• Faridodin “Fredi” Lajvardi, High School instructor and underwater robotics coach
• Dr. Simone Gorete Machado, pianist, and Dr. Scott Saleska, ecologist
• Greg Peterson, urban farmer and green living advocate

We’re extremely grateful to have these amazing individuals join us for the inaugural TEDxPhoenix event since they’re all extremely busy with symposiums, lectures, speaking engagements, research, and teaching. We’ve included brief biographies and information about the speakers on the TEDxPhoenix Speaker Page, so feel free to visit the page to learn more about our esteemed presenters. Also, all presenters are busy working on their presentations and we will announce their topics as soon as the information becomes available.

By the way, this isn’t the final TEDxPhoenix 2009 lineup; we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve but you will have to wait for the event to find out what we have in store. Until then, be sure to visit the TEDx in Plain English Page if you’re new to TEDxPhoenix, and feel free to visit the TEDxPhoenix Sponsor Page if you’re interested in helping sponsor the event.

Stay tuned for our next announcement which will contain all the details on getting your tickets for the event!

Sincerely,
The TEDxPhoenix Crew

Our current super secret list of potential speakers was created with the help of local freelance journalist Rene Gutel, and ABLEconf founder Hans.

As always, we strive to get the community’s input whenever possible and finding speakers for TEDxPhoenix is no exception. With that said, we’ve created a TEDxPhoenix speakers page complete with a speaker nomination form.

The goal at TEDxPhoenix is to seek out extraordinary voices in the Arizona community who have a unique story to tell, or an unusual perspective and a dynamic way of conveying it. We’re looking for speakers who:

• Have something new to talk about
• Can present the work they’re known for in a new light
• Have a new perspective that the global community may not have access to

Ultimately, TEDxPhoenix is the Valley’s opportunity to help make a difference by unleashing new ideas and inspiring the community to help shape the future in Arizona and beyond—so if you know someone who embodies the TED spirit and would make a great speaker at TEDxPhoenix, then please head over to the speakers page and nominate them:

http://www.tedxphoenix.com/speakers/

Sincerely,
The TEDxPhoenix Crew