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Shoham Arad: What Does It Take To Turn An Idea Into A Movement?

About the Episode

Anyone can have a big idea. But how do those big ideas come to fruition and grow? Director of the TED Fellows program Shoham Arad walks us through several speakers who turned a spark into a movement.

About Shoham AradShoham Arad is a designer and the Director of the TED Fellows Program. Through the program, she leads a network spanning 100 countries, as well as 500 Fellows who represent every discipline from medicine and astrophysics to contemporary art and poetry.

She has helped over 300 speakers reach audiences of millions around the world. Arad also teaches design at Parsons and RISD, and serves as a collaborator, advisor, and board member at international arts and social impact organizations.

Featured Speakers

Mundano: Trash cart superheroes

Recycling and trash collectors around the world provide a vital service. But they're often undervalued in society. Graffiti artist and TED Fellow Mundano tried to make them visible, through art and an app.

Andrew Bastawrous: Get your next eye exam on a smartphone & A new way to fund health care for the most vulnerable

About 39 million people in the world are blind, but the vast majority don't need to be. TED Fellow and ophthalmologist Andrew Bastawrous created a smartphone system and hardware to deliver eye care anywhere.

Jedidah Isler: The untapped genius that could change science for the better

Jedidah Isler dreamt of becoming an astrophysicist as a young girl, but the odds were against her. As a TED Fellow, she shares the challenging journey she took to become Yale's first Black female astrophysicist.

Nighat Dad: How Pakistani women are taking the Internet back

TED Fellow Nighat Dad became a lawyer in Pakistan, despite the pushback from her patriarchal community. After seeing threats and discrimination against Pakistani women online, she set up Pakistan's first cyber harassment helpline.

Christine Sun Kim: The enchanting music of sign language

Artist and TED Fellow Christine Sun Kim was born deaf. Through her art, she explores similarities between American Sign Language and music, and demonstrates how sound can be felt.

This episode of TED Radio Hour was produced by Diba Mohtasham and Fiona Geiran. It was edited by James Delahoussaye. You can follow us on Twitter @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadio@npr.org. [Copyright 2021 NPR]

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