TEDxMinneapolis

Every day, we wake up to challenges within us and between us. Anticipated and unexpected.

Humanistic, environmental, scientific, and political challenges that rock us to our core. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or stuck or alone. There is no escape hatch or single path to a magical promised land. There’s only resilience. The guiding light of curiosity. And the fortitude to pursue a way forward.

This isn’t about trusting blindly or putting on a fake smile. It’s about open conversation, shared discovery, and embracing a clear-eyed sense of hope. And learning from others who have found – or are in the process of finding – their way through.

The event features multiple speakers, including Department of Entomology Professor and Head Sujaya Rao, PhD. Before she was the head of the department of entomology at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Sujaya Rao worked with farmers for over two decades to find insect pest management and pollination solutions. In the midst of her efforts, she realized that the goal of eliminating insect pests in crops conflicted with the need to conserve bees. By educating the public on the nutritional and agricultural benefits of insects as food, Dr. Rao hopes to gather support for eating bugs as a more sustainable way of feeding the global population, which is projected to be 9 billion plus humans in the year 2050.