Ivy Tech faculty member Dr. Karl Ullrich has dedicated a financial reward presented for his selection as the Gerald I. Lamkin Award winner, to further improve his teaching expertise.
Ullrich used the money to help defray the cost of attending the prestigious National TEDx Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
Founded in 1984, “TED” stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design – three broad subject areas that, collectively, are shaping the future. A very successful conference/event series, some of the world’s leading “thinkers and doers” are guest speakers at the event. The theme for the conference was “Minds Wide Open.” Speakers included:
- Liza Long, author of the blog “I am Adam Lanza’s Mother,” which addresses stigmas association with mental illness in children;
- Roman Baca, a former U. S. Marine and Iraq war veteran who spoke on the use of art to heal a war-scared world;
- Carry Clack, a congressional staffer, on nonviolence as a way of life and a tool for social change;
- Attorney Ryan Cox, talking on prison reform;
- Doug Frantz, a chemistry professor who discussed breakthroughs in stem cell research;
- Andreas Andujar, an urban planner who spoke on the critical value of urban parks in downtown areas;
- Aamuel Ximenes, space architect, whose presentation was about the future of interplanetary entrepreneurship and human destiny to become a multi-planetary species.
Fifteen other persons also addressed attendees.
Ullrich, Cincinnati, Ohio, has been an adjunct professor of Psychology and Sociology in Ivy Tech Community College’s Southeast region since 2006. His teaching philosophy includes mixing professional experiences with external resources, including TED videos.
Ullrich plans to continue incorporate videos of this year’s TEDS conference into classroom activities. Applauding the support he has received from Ivy Tech Southeast Chancellor Jim Helms and the entire regional administrative team, Ullrich exclaimed, “It was a pleasure to represent Ivy Tech at TEDx San Antonio. I am already planning on ways to use the experience to enhance the services I offer my students.”
The conference was held on October 12, 2013.
