On Feb. 20, the University will be hosting its second TEDxBucknellUniversity event. This event is completely student-run and gives students, faculty, and alumni a chance to share what they have learned in the form of short talks using the Sapling Foundation’s TED format.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and aims to spread ideas in communities around the world. The staff of the nonprofit organization believes “passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world.”

The TEDxBucknellUniversity staff is accepting applications until Dec. 4. They have also been reaching out to alumni and faculty to potentially speak at the event this year.

Tom Grigg ’16 is one of the two organizers of this year’s event, along with Annie Oldakowski ’16.

Their goal is to “to bring together bright minds to spark important conversations in our Bucknell community while fostering learning, inspiration, and wonder,” Grigg said. “We want speakers with a wide range of perspectives and experiences. The common theme among these speakers should be a passion for learning and the exploration of new and different ideas.”

The theme for the year’s event is Catalysts. The theme embodies questions including: “How does change build momentum?”; “How is momentum sustained?”; “Can you be a passive activist?”;“Is change driven by personal benefit or intrinsic motivation?”

Peter Puleo ’17, one of last year’s organizers of the event, said that after the applications are distributed, the process of selecting speakers begins. Speakers are then coached by organizers in the weeks leading up to the event, while marketing and advertising crews generate as much buzz as possible. Simultaneously, stage setup is organized and constructed. On the day of the event, an audio-visual crew is hired to film and edit the TEDx videos to match TED’s expectations.