TEDx is renowned for its exceptional ability to curate thought-provoking presentations that leave audiences inspired and motivated. At TEDxUQ’s 2022 event, Challengers. Changemakers. Champions., we witnessed an extraordinary lineup of speakers who shared their transformative ideas, pushing boundaries and challenging conventional thinking. In anticipation for our 2023 event, we’re featuring three talks that captivated our audience. From psychotic disorders to commercialisation, get ready to be inspired, enlightened, and motivated to take action after experiencing the best of TEDxUQ 2022.
The brain is one of the most astonishing, efficient, and intricate parts of the human body, and it is amazing what it can do unconsciously. It’s only when it stops functioning properly, such as in people who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, that we can get a true appreciation of the ease at which simple decisions are made by our brains. Dr James Kesby is a behavioural neuroscientist who has focused his studies on the brain circuits that underlie psychotic disorders and addiction. As an Amplify Fellow at the Queensland Brain Institute at The University of Queensland, he is particularly interested in how the brain computes uncertain situations in order to make an optimal choice. His work spans circuit-based approaches in rodents to psychological studies in people (including those with psychosis). In his talk, Dr Kesby highlights how we all take for granted our brain’s ability to make the best choice amid uncertainty, and the impact it can have when we don’t do this consistently.
Are you ok? Despite being a common question, it can be difficult to answer. Expressing feelings is something most people struggle with, but learning to verbalise them is the key to regulating your emotions. Dr Jacqui Barfoot is an alum of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Science at The University of Queensland, an experienced Occupational Therapist, and Postdoctoral Clinical Researcher. She is passionate about creating a shift in early childhood intervention where parents are at the centre of therapy, supporting lifelong and rich relationships with their children. Jacqui has developed an innovative and practical training package for early childhood practitioners to feel confident incorporating a relationship-focused approach in their therapy as a foundation for all other areas of child development. Jacqui explores why it can be hard to express our feelings and how this can affect the learning and development of children.
Have you ever had a light-bulb moment with an idea that could change the world, but never put it into action because you didn’t know where to start? What if you were just looking the wrong way? Alan Robertson has wild hair, a cute dog, and a commitment to helping more people use the information in their DNA to guide their clinical care. He does this both as an academic researcher, and as the founder of a genomics start-up. Alan is an alum of The University of Queensland, where he has been extensively involved in the start-up ecosystem. He believes that some problems are best solved by universities, some problems are best solved by industry, and some are best solved by the combination of the two. Alan explores how researchers, academics, and people with ideas can all benefit from thinking about commercialisation as an avenue for translation.