A Talk with John Glenn: Space, Education and More.

When you think about technology, any number of innovations may come to mind. But arguably some of our country’s greatest advances in technology have been expressed in our exploration of space. And locally, no one has touched that ’space’ quite like John Glenn. And few have given the state of our education system as much thought either.

At TED Global earlier this year, Bill Gates, instead of giving a traditional TED Talk, was interviewed live by TED Curator Chris Anderson. The TEDx Columbus curatorial team thought this lesser-known TED format would be ideal for this national hero to share his ideas unscripted. What it was like to orbit into space at 11,000 miles an hour in a device that had less technology than the cell phone in your pocket, will be among some of the compelling topics that Mike Curtin, Associate Publisher Emeritus of The Columbus Dispatch, will explore as moderater of this headline TEDx Columbus Talk with John Glenn.

Click here for a complete biography of John Glenn.

TEDxColumbus Live Blog: John Glenn: October 20, 2009
John Glenn is concerned for our children’s education (and future). How will we be compared to other nations in 80 years? Glenn, who spoke with Mike Curtin, Associate Publisher Emeritus of The Columbus Dispatch, focused much of his discussion on this topic. He is concerned about how our educational system will compare to that of other countries going forward. One of his main points was that young people can aspire to do whatever they want to do.

The audience obviously relished in being in the presence of such a national icon. My colleague, Amy, and I were fortunate enough to have dinner with Glenn and his wife of 66 years, Annie. They are a wonderful couple (and, FYI, John Glenn has an iPhone).