Professor to Speak at Thinkers Conference Nov. 13

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Hakeem Oluseyi, Florida Institute of Technology assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Space Sciences, will headline the upcoming talks at the TEDxOrlando Conference on Nov. 13. TED is an acronym for “Technology, Entertainment and Design.”

TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share an experience. It is a creation of TED, a nonprofit organization that invites the world’s leading active thinkers to its two annual conferences. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Oluseyi’s talk will center on expectation and transformation in the sciences.

“From medicine to transportation to communication to our understanding of the universe, science has transformed our world,” said Oluseyi. “Perhaps the greatest transformation is how a science education can transform an individual’s life,” he added.

Oluseyi is internationally recognized as one of the top scientific minds, educators and science communicators of his generation. His research interests are in stellar atmospheres, galactic structure, observational cosmology and technology development. His education activities primarily focus on increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in the United States and Africa in the fields of physics and astronomy.

In addition to his professorship at Florida Tech, Oluseyi is a contributor and scientific advisory board member for the Discovery Channel. Among his many awards are the 2006 Technical Achiever of the Year Award in the field of physics from the National Technical Association and the 2005 Earth-Sun System Science New Investigator Award from NASA.

Oluseyi earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics in 1991 at Tougaloo College in Mississippi. He later earned a master’s and doctoral degrees in physics from Stanford University in California.

The conference will be held in the Orlando Science Center from 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. A reception will be held in the center’s Science Park from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Admission is $62.50 and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets can be purchased at tedxorlando2010.eventbrite.com. For more information, visit http://www.tedxorlando.org. The speakers’ presentations will be made available at TED.com at no cost.