TEDxOU featuring OU's Kyle Harper

TEDxOU Registration, Stuart Lounge, OU Memorial Union

Today, OU is hosting TEDxOU in the Memorial Union.  There are over 350 people in attendance and I can say, with complete certainty, they are all excited to be here.  If you don't believe me, check the TEDxOU Twitter feed!  If you're not familiar with TEDx, don't fret!  Simply put, TEDx is a global series of conferences devoted to "ideas worth spreading."  The program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level.  These events generally consist of a suite of short, carefully prepared talks, demonstrations and performances on a wide range of subjects to foster learning, inspiration and wonder -- and to provoke conversations that matter.

tedxou.com

Among the TEDxOU speakers is Kyle Harper, another OUtstanding University of Oklahoma alumnus!  He graduated from OU, summa cum laude, in May 2001 with a degree in Letters and then went to Harvard earning a master's degree and doctoral degree in History.  After that, he returned to OU as an assistant professor in the Department of Classics and Letters and was selected by President Boren as the Director of the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage.  He has published numerous books, articles and chapters as well as book reviews, conference papers and presentations.  He's received many awards and fellowships and his academic service is unmatched.  He also speaks Italian, German, French, Arabic and of course, English.  Kyle is what we call a "big deal" around here!  And if that's not enough, he is a specialist on Roman history.  In fact, he and his wife have graciously agreed to go on the OU Alunni Sightseeing Sooner's "Portrait of Italy" trip in May.  His knowledge of the history will make this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our OU Alumni and friends!  For more information on this, and many other Sightseeing Sooner trips, click here.
 

tedxou.com

As I'm typing this, Kyle is speaking at TEDxOU.  Because of his education and expertise, he is able to provide thorough information on a wide variety of topics.  Before TEDxOU, Kyle told the OU Daily, “TED is an institution that is always on the cutting edge of technology, science and knowledge.  It’s an opportunity for me to represent not just OU, but to represent my department, my discipline.  We have the image of historians as people who sit in libraries and in some sense might seem like an unlikely candidate for a TED talk. The kind of history I do brings 21st century science to the study of the human past.”  Kyle’s doctoral dissertation, “Slavery in the late Roman Empire,” was published as a book in June, and his second book, titled “From Shame to Sin: Christianity and the Making of Western Sexuality,” is already under contract.  I think Billy Kulkin summed it up best with his "That was deep" tweet when Kyle concluded his TEDxOU speech.

Dr. Kyle Harper speaks at TEDxOU in Meacham Auditorium

 You rock, Kyle!  Way to represent OU and "astOUnd!"