Oklahoma State University hosts TEDx event

Berscheidt said he was pleased with the turnout for the event. Tickets to the conference were sold out weeks in advance, and the atmosphere in the Seretean Center Concert Hall was buoyant, he said.

“There's so much energy in the room, which is a part of the TED experience,” he said.

Much of the conversation generated by the event took place online, even as presenters were speaking. A lively conversation about the events broke out on social media sites Facebook and Twitter, said Matt Fletcher, the university's information coordinator.

A presentation by Oklahoma City architect Rand Elliott garnered particular interest online, Fletcher said. Elliott presented plans for an energy-neutral skyscraper that incorporates wind turbine technology.

OSU President Burns Hargis, an avid follower of TED events, said he was excited about the prospect of hosting the conference when Berscheidt approached him about it. Events like this often spark national conversations, Hargis said, and it's exciting to know that OSU is a part of those discussions.

Uploading presentations from the event to the university's video network expands the event's audience, Hargis said. Many of the speakers at the event, including Pickens, are nationally and internationally known, he said, meaning the videos could draw viewers from around the world.

“They'll be watched in Singapore and Beijing,” Hargis said. “And — who knows — maybe Norman.”