NASA Astronaut Leland Melvin on His Journey to Space
Leland Melvin is a former pro football player and astronaut, but he overcame a lot of adversity to get there. In this inspiring, riveting Talk, Leland Melvin describes the NASA injury that left him temporarily deaf, his journey to space and what he discovered about life and humanity once he got there.
More Videos From This Event
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Tennis Coach Kamau Murray on the Solution for SuccessKamau Murray, Brad Keywell
Climate Activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez on How Young People Can Save the WorldXiuhtezcatl Martinez, Javontay Peoples
Jennifer Garner on How to Help Children in PovertyJennifer Garner, Aminatou Sow, Mark K. Shriver -
How Small Talk Can Make You Live LongerCeleste Headlee
Mysteries Under the SeaDavid Gallo
Tererai Trent’s Powerful DreamsTererai Trent -
Impression Master Ross Marquand on Finding YourselfRoss Marquand
Taking Traditions to the Future in the KitchenFrancisco Migoya, Ann Friedman
Zoë Quinn Interview: Women and Game DevZoë Quinn, Aminatou Sow -
How Healthcare Can Be FixedBJ Miller
Acrobatics by Dana Dugan
Performance by Chicago Dance Crash -
Piano Performance by Paul Hamilton
An Inside Look at the Fight for RefugeesBecca Heller
How Did People Lose Trust in the News, and What’s Next?Eli Pariser -
NASA Astronaut Leland Melvin on His Journey to SpaceLeland Melvin
Virtual Reality and the Future of StorytellingEugene Chung
Dance Performance by Benjamin Holliday Wardell -
Dominique Fils-Aimé performs "Feeling Good"
Your impact checklist
Here are a list of things you can do before and after the event to join the conversation.
- Read about how Kamau Murray coached Sloane Stephens to her "impossible" 2017 U.S. Open win. And more about their history.
- Look for Zoe Quinn’s book Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life, and How We Can Win the Fight Against Online Hate
- Read how video games are tied to sexism among teens.
- Check out Ross Marquand’s celeb impressions on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
- Explore Becca Heller’s International Refugee Assistance Project.
- Add to your library Leland Melvin’s book Chasing Space.
- Take the day to explore by visiting a museum.
- Learn more about Xiuhtezcatl Martinez’s Earh Guardians by visiting the official page.
- Check out Celeste Headlee's book We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter
- Check out Dror Benshetrit’s various projects on his official website.
- Take a look at Francisco Migoya’s revolutionary cookbooks Modernist Cuisine.
- Explore the bounds of your taste buds and cook a brand new recipe.
- Check out BJ Miller’s PBS Newshour take on dying and living.
- Volunteers are the backbone of Chicago Ideas Week. Part of our Community of Curiosity, they help with everything from scanning tickets to staffing an activity station. To help out, visit chicagoideas.com/volunteer
Edison Talks: the Uncharted
Our premier daylong event is now open to the public.
Join us a Edison Talks this year, where we’ll explore our theme, the Uncharted, with more than a dozen speakers and performers who are pushing boundaries in their fields.
Exploring the uncharted not only requires courage, empathy and perseverance. It must also be fueled by curiosity, diligence and discipline.
It is looking upward and outward to imagine dimensions not yet within our consciousness. It is letting go of expectation and opening yourself to endless possibility. It is often riddled with inefficiency, experimentation and failure, but if you postpone judgment and embrace the unknown, the rewards include fresh perspectives, breakthroughs, insights and serendipitous encounters. It is discovery. When we choose mapping over tracing, we begin to realize that endpoints do not exist. It’s simply the ends of the known.
We hope to see you there!
