Welcome to the website for “Space to Create”, the first ever TEDxNASA, a conference unlike any we have sponsored before.

NASA has long been on the leading edge of exploring space. To NASA, space has one meaning. To others, it might be about the space to be artistic, to be creative and innovative, or to solve problems of any scale. This is how the conference came to include scientists and musicians, artists and engineers, authors and visionaries. Each expert, performer and video was intentionally selected to deliver a powerful message somehow relating to creativity, an idea worth spreading. Attendees were given time to participate in open discussions in the belief that by bringing together thought leaders from a variety of professions, great ideas and solutions will emerge.

We are committed to continuing these conversations long after the event’s end. This is why we are extending our creative community by making those extraordinary presentations available here.

Keep checking back…
Over the next few days, and weeks, we will update this site with many photos, videos, comments and stories from the event. Come back often and see what’s new.

Enjoy!
Steve Craft

TEDxNASA Sponsor
Strategic Relationships Office
NASA Langley Research Center

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_TEDxNASA.html

We had an amazing first TEDxNASA event thanks to YOU, our fans! Preliminary attendance figures: 1426 registered + several more attended in person. Livestream reported 50,031 total visits and 306,022 total viewer minutes to our video stream from visitors from around the world including: Mexico, Canada, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, Spain, and Sweden!

This post was mentioned on Twitter by Missy_Schmidt: http://smartregion.org/2009/11/nasa-langley-research-center-brings-tedxnasa-to-hampton-roads-innovation-for-everyone/...

You eloquently captured the essence and premise of the event which was articulated in the opening video from TED “curator” Chris Anderson who said, “I am an idealist. I think we can change the world through conversation and the leveraging of ideas.”

The goal of Steve Craft and his TEDx-NASA team was to create a thought-provoking, professionally-run, and friendly conference that created a community where diverse ideas on innovation and “Space to Create” were welcomed and discussed.

Anyone who has ever put on a conference knows that hundreds of hours go into organizing a successful event where everyone receives value That Steve and his team were able to do that in under 6 weeks is extraordinary.

I agree with everyone who wants this to be the first annual of many TEDx-NASA events. This fascinating gift — that was free and open to the public — deserves to be continued.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/a/ted.com/viewform?formkey=cDdnMXRfRkQ1dEt6WkNzS0RCeXNIY3c6MA

About eight weeks ago Steve Craft, of NASA Langley Research Center’s Strategic Relationships Office and a long-time TED Conference fan had an idea.

“Wouldn’t it be neat if we could have a TED conference here?”

A lot of us have bold ideas like this, but never act upon them. Craft and his associates at NASA Langley clearly aren’t like us. They’re can-do people. In just eight week’s time, Craft and his associates at NASA found co-sponsors, lined up more than twenty speakers from all over the United States and abroad, booked CNU’s Ferguson Center and invited the community in for a day celebrating ideas and innovation.

If you’re a fan of TED, you’ll know that TED is one of the best places to find out what’s going on and what’s coming down the ‘pike in science and technology and human expression. And you’ll also know that the cost of admission to either of the two annual TED international conferences runs about $6,000.

Admission to TEDxNASA was free, thanks to the generous support of NASA Langley, the American Institute of Aerospace and a few high tech corporate sponsors.

One of NASA’s motivations was to do a better job of interacting with the community. As someone who’s lived in Hampton Roads long enough to remember when Alan Shephard, then just entering the Mercury astronaut training program, came to my parent’s house for New Year’s parties, I’ve had a vague knowledge of the work that goes on at NASA Langley Research Center. But I came away from this event with a whole new appreciation of the people who work there and the work they’re doing.

The only down note in this event was that I don’t think many people knew about it. The audience was overwhelmingly made up of NASA engineers and contractors. I don’t mention this to be critical. It’s just that if we want NASA to host a conference like this again–and I think it’s safe to say there’s never been a conference like this here before–we need to let them know how much we appreciate what they did this year and encourage them to do it again next year. And then we have to show up.
In the meantime, I’ve attached a brief summary of the day’s presentations. I didn’t mention all the presentations and I’m probably not doing justice to some of the presentations I do mention. The opinions and impressions are mine.

TEDxNASA: An Idea Worth Supporting

I went to the TEDxNASA conference the other day. It lasted eight hours and included twenty-nine different presenters, each one charged with giving the “talk of their lives” in eighteen minutes or less. Presenters included physicians, engineers, neuroscientists, business people, writers, artists, climatologists, naturalists, biologists, musicians, artists and even an astronaut currently at the International Space Station.

TED, if you’re not familiar with it, is a small international nonprofit devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading.” There is no person named Ted. Rather, TED stands for:
T echnology
E ntertainment
D esign

TED puts on two annual conferences, one in California and the other in Oxford, England. Both bring together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers. The premise of TED is that not only will new technologies, ideas and artistic expressions be exposed, but that the people who see or hear them will take these ideas to the next stage or, using these ideas as a catalyst, apply or transfer something they heard or saw at TED to an unrelated category. TED isn’t selling anything but the idea of ideas.

For those of you in the commercial trenches who want something a little more literal, the message of TED is this simple:
Ideas are valuable.
Ideas shared lead to other ideas.
Ideas create value.

TEDxNASA was independently produced by NASA’s Langley Research Center and the National Institute of Aerospace. It followed the standard TED conference format and was made possible by the hosts and by several high tech industry co-sponsors.

The intention of TEDxNASA was to create a confluence of science, creativity, commerce and innovation. In keeping with TED standards, the desired outcome of the conference was that attendees might learn something new that they can transfer to another category or see or hear something that takes what they learned or already know to a higher level.

Accordingly, the theme of TEDxNASA was “Space to Create,” in recognition of the importance of making space to create innovation. While that might not sound like a revelation to those who are involved in the create-on-demand world on a daily basis, being exposed to such a purposely diverse array of presenters was undoubtedly a cultural shock for an audience heavy with linear engineering types.

Before I describe some of the ideas shared at TEDxNASA, let me tell you how exhilarating it was to be in the midst of nearly a thousand forward-thinking people whose work and passions lead them to be focused on and dedicated to exploring possibilities. That physical proximity alone created a magnificent future-oriented thinking space for the consideration of ideas and questions.

The ideas presented at TEDxNASA are not constrained by any political, social or, generally speaking, economic conditions. Most are timeless, empowering, applicable to almost anyone, and large enough in their scope to compel thinking beyond the routine.

Almost all of the speakers at TEDxNASA invoked one or more of the following themes as they described their work, their art or their game-changing ideas:
What If?
Why Not?
How could we?

Here’s what some of the presenters had to say:
• Neuroscientist Dr. Paul Aravich of the Eastern Virginia Medical School opened the day with a passionate presentation on current research that seeks to demystify the human brain. Aravich described new research that shows how individuals with severe brain injuries or who were born with developmental challenges are capable of far greater physical renewal, intellectual accomplishment, and even greatness than ever thought before. He challenged the audience to look at mental illness, substance dependency and even some aspects of criminality as types of “brain injuries” that research may in time prove “fixable.”

• Creativity coach Gregg Fraley demonstrated the value of learning specific physical and metaphorical exercises for making ourselves open to new thoughts and ideas.

• Artist Pat Rawlings, whose illustrations bring concepts of aeronautics and space to life for aerospace industry insiders and laymen alike, talked about the importance of visual literacy in explaining complex scientific ideas. He specifically addressed the challenge of melding the talents of artists, who think in terms of possibilities, with those of engineers, who think in probabilities.

• Virginia Tech professor and head of the university’s robotics lab Dr. Dennis Hong demonstrated the challenges, creative opportunities and successes his associates and students are facing as they develop some of the world’s most innovative robotic devices.

• Event emcee and writer Sam Horn demonstrated through her own experiences the value of human connections and “real space” gatherings. Sometimes the greatest value is not in the presentations, Horn noted, but in the connections we make with people we meet at presentations.

• Radio personality John St. Augustine talked briefly about the importance of recognizing that lives and accomplishments are built more on a foundation of little moments than they are on the grand gestures.

• Author Dan Pink presented new research from the field of behavioral economics about the value of monetary incentives. Turns out they’re a good idea when the path to the desired end is known and you just want to see who can get there the fastest. But when the solution to a problem is not clear and creativity is called for in finding solutions, monetary incentives actually hinder progress. Also, for those managers puzzled by today’s young workforce, Pink urged concentration on three concepts: autonomy, mastery and purpose.

• NASA aeronautical engineer Anna McGowan, one of the articulate and engaging young speakers I’ve heard in a long time, described how transportation is destiny, and more specifically how enabling the mobility of people has been the key to the advancement of quality of life and economic vitality in all cultures across all times. McGowan noted that the real task for those interested in creating innovation is to “look upon the impossible as inspiration” and hasten the translation of ideas that initially seem ridiculous into the ideas that are ubiquitous.

• Knowing full well that he was addressing an audience that included several hundred aerospace engineers, innovation consultant and founder of Accenture’s Global Process Excellence Practice Steve Shapiro reminded us that many of the elegant solutions to challenges we face in business, engineering and other areas really aren’t “rocket science,” and are more likely to be found by tapping into unexpected connections and the experiences of others. Citing examples from business and science, Shapiro encouraged any project team genuinely interested in achieving innovation to bring in someone from a completely different discipline to shake things up and introduce strategies, tactics, experiences and possibilities from other categories.

• Pianist Michael Jefry Stevens and trumpeter Dave Ballou played a strikingly discordant, but just as strikingly connected composition that reminded us that even within the world of music there are scales, chords and rhythms yet to be explored. Artist Chakaia Booker made the same point in demonstrating the works she creates from discarded vehicle tires.

• Musician, college “performer of the year” and popular Vegas entertainer Mike Rayburn believes we are all surrounded by infinite potential and described how his career was both saved and expanded when he was asked to play music outside of his customary styles and answered “Why not?” instead of “I can’t.”

• Physician Dr. Sue Morter combined quantum science, bio-energy, natural healing and ideas from the field of human potential in an energetic presentation about how the electrical energy that emits from our bodies literally stonewalls our ability to perceive enough of our physical environment to recognize opportunities, possibilities and innovation. It’s not enough to want to be creative or understand the need for innovation. Achieving these ends, says Morter, requires specific physical and mental acts to make the human body ready to perceive and act upon fresh input and thinking.

• Planetary and atmospheric scientist Dr. Joel Levine shared some of the latest research about Mars, including a new-as-this-week satellite photograph of a frozen lake on Mars that up until this event had not been shown to the public. Why the interest in Mars? Because Mars was formed at the same time as our earth and has, as new research is finding, climate and natural resource conditions that may make Mars earth’s most similar galactic sibling. Levine reminded us why interplanetary exploration remains vitally important, and demonstrated a jet-powered unmanned airplane that, if funded, could gather in just one week more, information about Mars than has ever been known before.

• Sports writer and author Mitch Albom ended the formal lecture portion of the day talking about the way that one’s ability to see, create and achieve breakthroughs in any category is largely a function of one’s ability to give oneself over and be an empathetic listener and observer.

• Given the forward orientation of the day, it was fitting that the final presentation at TEDxNASA was a short speech and song from a 13 year-old child. Jamia Nash, actress and rising star in the American contemporary music scene, sang TEDxNASA out after inviting all present to be good leaders, good stewards and good mentors to the young.

It’s easy to want to throw your hands up and scream “INFORMATION OVERLOAD!” after spending eight hours listening to twenty-nine different presenters do their best to give you their “talk of a lifetime.” Some were obviously better than others. Some of what I’ve described here probably sounds more trite in my telling than it was in person.

For a first-time conference organized literally from the germ of an idea to full realization in just eight weeks, TEDxNASA was a rousing success and evidence of the quality of talent, ingenuity, planning and organizational capability and determination of the people who work in our own proverbial background at the NASA Langley Research Center and at the National Institute of Aerospace.

Is there a larger message from TEDxNASA? This is what I took away. It applies to all of us. It’s not new, but it always bears repeating:
1. We are connected, and should be more so.
2. There is a lot we can learn from each other.
3. We each have vast potential for creating innovation. But most of us need to take deliberate action and apply specific mental and physical steps to do so.
4. Bringing more minds and more diverse perspectives to almost any task will improve the outcome.
5. The “future” is not just the next political election or business cycle. It is fifty or one hundred or more years away. If we don’t think in those terms, decisions may not be ours to make.
6. Looking well into the future not only enables us to “see bigger” and get past the real and perceived political, social and economic obstructions of today, but also reminds us of the larger span of history, the role of exploration at every stage of history and the short role, relatively speaking, that each of us plays in it.
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I also hope they’ll do it again!