The inaugural Malvern TEDx evening!

On April 26th, 2017, I had the great pleasure of being invited to talk as part of the very first Malvern TEDx evening, held at the Coachhouse Theatre in Great Malvern.  It was a really enjoyable event, and the talks are now on YouTube for you all to view!

I gave a top-level overview of how so many of the products and devices we consume or encounter on a daily basis are specifically designed by chemists and other scientists, so that they work the way we need or want them to. From a can of deodorant to a bar of chocolate or a cup of coffee, the particles within these items are the sizes they are for a good reason – the products have been optimized to give the consumer what they expect.  A good example is the coffee particles in espresso coffee, which are smaller than those in filter coffee, for example, giving them a larger surface area:volume ratio, and enabling them to release more flavour and also more caffeine.

Beside my own talk, there were excellent presentations by Paul Farrer on how to produce a collaborative multi-country music project for a prime-time television show in the back of the car returning from holiday (!), and also from Katie Alcott about her charity which delivers the basic right to clean water to people in less fortunate parts of the world.

Thank you to Adrian Burden for organizing this event. Adrian also organizes the excellent Malvern Festival of Innovation which is back for its 6th edition in October 2017.

I hope you enjoy the video, and while you’re there, please view Paul’s and Katie’s talks as well.

What is TED?

The TEDx Program is designed to help communities, organizations, and individuals to spark conversation and connection through local TED-like experiences.

x = independently organized TED event