TEDxCambridge rebrands and sets up shop at Groton Hill Music Center

GROTON — TEDxCambridge, the Massachusetts chapter of the internationally renowned TEDx, is moving to Groton Hill Music Hall and rebranding to take a more regional approach, kicking off the first TEDx conference next month.

TEDxCambridge has been operating in Cambridge for 15 years. Initially the organization hosted its famous talks and lectures in various academic lecture halls and classrooms, but in recent years it has had a permanent home at the Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston. Starting with the inaugural conference on September 25 in Groton, the organization will now be called TEDxNewEngland.

“We are excited to bring the energy and impact of our first TEDx conference to a wider audience,” said Dmitri Gunn, founder and executive director of TEDxNewEngland, in an Aug. 13 statement. “Our move to the newly constructed, state-of-the-art Groton Hill Music Center allows our attendees to experience TEDx like never before and furthers our mission to bridge the gap between science and the world by showcasing innovative ideas and technologies.”

In a video call Monday morning, Gunn said the transition to the new branding and focus was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has dramatically impacted the way companies and organizations do business. TED, the umbrella organization that created the “TED Talk,” had reached out to TEDxCambridge to see if the local group would be interested in reconfiguring its model and inviting even more experts to speak about different areas of science and technology.

The inaugural conference is themed “Mind and Life” and will feature presentations by 11 leading scientists and innovators from academic institutions around the world during two 90-minute sessions with a break in between for participants to interact. A welcome will take place at 1 p.m. and the first session will begin at 2 p.m. with a focus on the “mind” part of the theme. After the break, the second session will begin at 4:30 p.m. with a focus on “life.” Speakers include Nikta Fakhri from MIT talking about the physics of life, Aleena Garner from Harvard Medical School on the neurobiology of perception and Philip Goff from Durham University on the meaning of the universe, while eight others from various academic institutions will give their own talks.

Gunn said one of the reasons it’s so attractive for experts who travel from around the world to speak is that their TEDx talks take place in Massachusetts, one of the scientific and medical capitals of the world.

“If it were any other state in the country, I don’t think many of them would give that benefit of the doubt,” Gunn said.

Gunn told conference attendees to “expect to be challenged and to expand the boundaries of their ideas about the world and the mind.”

“As debates around technology, society and progress reach their peak, TEDxNewEngland aims to be a forum for the exchange of ideas and objective, science-based talks that invites people from all walks of life to connect and learn,” Gunn said in the announcement. “From lifelong learners to leaders and community members seeking a unique and impactful experience, TEDxNewEngland offers everyone a place to access revolutionary ideas and innovations.”

This year’s conference will be only half a day. If it’s successful, Gunn hopes to turn the event into a full-day affair next year. Part of the idea behind the redesign, he said, is to have all of New England represented at one of the few regional and organized TEDx events in the world.

Tickets and more information about the September 25 event are available at tedxnewengland.com.