TEDxLansing, Lansing, MI, USA

Like its sister cities Detroit and Flint, Lansing has in many ways been a victim of the downsizing of the American auto industry. A city that once buzzed with sound of cars rolling off assembly lines has seen its factories go dormant and ultimately watched most of them razed to the ground.

But that's not the end of the story.

The Greater Lansing area is buzzing once again. Home to Michigan's state capitol and one of the nation's largest research universities, Greater Lansing is striving to reinvent itself and in doing so, has become an innovation hub. Fueled by a drive toward progress, local entrepreneurs are taking advantage of a growing array of business incubators, a vibrant social media culture and a fervent "local first" attitude to go from start-up to success.

Michigan State University is home to the best graduate program in physics, due in large part to its recent selection as the home of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), as well as it's affiliation with the Large Hadron Collider. MSU also boasts highly respected schools of education, journalism, veterinary medicine and medicine, which houses one of the nation's best colleges of osteopathic medicine.

TEDxLansing highlights the best of what Lansing has to offer through talks given by captivating speakers from both the Lansing region and the state of Michigan. The first TEDxLansing took place on May 21, 2010 and the second on May 20, 2011. An archive of TEDxLansing talks are available on YouTube. The third TEDxLansing will happen on Friday, April 13, 2012 in conjunction with the Capital City Film Festival. More information coming soon.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

For information about TED's upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED