Presenting research in front of large crowds is nothing new for Case Western Reserve University scholars.
But on Friday, three researchers will share stories that go beyond what audiences have heard before, as speakers at TEDxCLE 2015 // UNTOLD.
Anthony Jack, Lee Ponsky and Brandy Schillace are part of an 11-person lineup for the 2015 edition of TEDxCLE, an independent TED event held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
Founded in 2010 by Hallie Bram Kogelschatz and Eric Kogelschatz, TEDxCLE brings great minds of Cleveland together each year for an independently organized TED talk event.
Through this year’s theme of UNTOLD, event organizers aim to explore the lesser-known stories in the Cleveland community—those that “need to be looked at differently, more intensely.”
And Ponsky, Jack, and Schillace will do so—providing new perspectives on a range of topics, based on their interests, research and lifestyles.
Lee Ponsky, associate professor of urology at the School of Medicine and director of the Center for Urologic Oncology and Minimally Invasive Therapies at University Hospitals Case Medical Center
When the TEDxCLE founders initially contacted Ponsky, he naturally assumed they would want him to talk about any number of topics on which he typically presents: his research on prostate cancer; MedWish International, the not-for-profit he founded in 1993 that saves lives by repurposing discarded medical supplies and equipment in developing countries; or his new tattoo-removal company, Ink On Ink Off, the first clinician-led studio of its type in Cleveland.
But it wasn’t any of that.
Instead, he said, they wanted to hear about the year he went off the grid, while on sabbatical in Sydney.
“It’s certainly very different,” Ponsky said of his topic. “I don’t have a standard talk for this.”
But he’s prepared to discuss how he was able to spend a year away, what he did in Australia, and how others can do something similar—even if they’re in disbelief.
Anthony Jack, associate professor of philosophy, psychology, neurology and neuroscience, and director of research at the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence
The idea behind Jack’s topic is slightly more conventional, but will build off a common misconception: that science and religion must be at odds.
His presentation is titled “A scientific defense of spiritual and religious faith.” During his talk, Jack will combat the notion that science and religion are in direct conflict with one another. He will explain, from a scientific perspective, why the two don’t necessarily have to be at odds.
Drawing upon neuroscience research he has conducted, Jack will explain how two distinct brain networks are responsible for the differing viewpoints. He argues they can indeed exist in harmony and detail how his studies have supported it.
“I hope that people will come away with the sense that spirituality is important for ethical and moral understanding, and also for personal well-being. People need not feel ashamed for holding odd-sounding spiritual beliefs,” Jack said. “Scientists have no claim to shame others for holding supernatural beliefs, only beliefs that directly contradict scientific evidence.”
Brandy Schillace, research associate and public engagement fellow for the Dittrick Medical History Center and Museum
Schillace will take yet a different view on science.
Building on her passion for medical history—and her professional life in the Dittrick Medical History Center, where almost unrecognizable medical devices regularly surround her—she’ll present “Steampunk Science.”
Schillace will explain how the devices and innovations that often appear in steampunk movies, such as Sherlock Holmes, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Legend of Sleepy Hollow, often are rooted in medical history. (Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates technology and design inspired by 19th-centry steam-powered machinery.)
“As usual, truth is stranger than fiction,” she said. “The automatons, clockwork devices, strange weapons and other features from science fiction have analogs in history—and medical history—and tell tales of success and failure, progress and consequence.”
For Schillace, detailing the history of medical devices is important in order to learn from past mistakes and to keep the “human” at the center of medicine.
“We can look back on medical history and see how far we’ve come, but we can also see the pitfalls of short-sightedness,” she said. “We must keep pushing for changes because we want to foster growth, keep looking for solutions, and never lose sight of the important questions: Who has access to care, and why, and who decides?”
Though the in-person event is sold out, those interested can attend a livestream of the event at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Tickets for the livestream are available online at cmaweb10.clevelandart.org/cgi-bin/TEDxCLE.py.
For more information on the event and all of its speakers, visit TEDxCLE.com.