Science prodigy Jack Andraka – who developed a pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancer early-detection sensor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine when he was just 15 years old – will share his talent and enthusiasm with live audiences in Brisbane on his first trip to Australia.
Jack won the Gordon E. Moore Award in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his sensor, has met US President Barrack Obama, and is now an international speaker.
The 16 year-old will join other speakers at TEDxQUT “Ideas to Change the World” on Saturday 10 August.
Event organiser, Kathy Nickels said Jack’s love of science and his enthusiasm to change the world was a perfect match with the TEDxQUT theme.
“The result of his ideas, learning, and initiative may save lives where others were lost due to slow diagnosis of illnesses like pancreatic cancer – which had claimed his close family friend” she said.
In the spirit of “ideas worth spreading,” TED created TEDx, a program of local, self-organised events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. TEDxQUT will combine TEDTalks video and live speakers to spark deep discussion and connection.
TEDxQUT Talks will be posted after the event on the TEDx YouTube channel. Speaker details are available via www.tedxqut.com
QUT is dedicated to supporting student interest, understanding, and development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics studies and careers.
The University will host a public Innovation Alley in the Science and Engineering Centre for product showcases and demonstrations including unmanned airborne vehicles (UAV); ‘AgBot’ autonomous agricultural robot; ‘build-your-own’ solar car; ideas video booth, ‘Stomp’ interactive floor map, mobile app development, quantum levitation, and other interactive technologies.
Guest blog post by TEDxQUT.
