Announcing the 2009 TED Prize Winners: An Oceanographer, An Astronomer, and A Maestro
TED and the TED Prize are proud to unveil the three remarkable winners of the 2009 TED Prize: deep-ocean explorer Sylvia Earle, astronomer Jill Tarter, and Maestro José Antonio Abreu. Each of them is a leader in his/her chosen field of work, with an unconventional viewpoint and a vision to transform the world.
Their lives and their words are inspiring.
Sylvia Earle, called “Her Deepness” by the New Yorker and the New York Times, “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress, and “Hero for the Planet” by Time, is an oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer with a deep commitment to research through personal exploration.
“We’ve got to somehow stabilize our connection to nature so that in 50 years from now, 500 years, 5,000 years from now there will still be a wild system and respect for what it takes to sustain us.”
Jill Tarter, Director of the SETI Institute’s Center for SETI Research and holder of the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI. She has devoted her career to hunting for signs of sentient beings elsewhere, and almost all aspects of this field have been affected by her work.
“ ‘Are we alone?’ Humans have been asking [this question] forever. The probability of success is difficult to estimate but if we never search the chance of success is zero.”
José Abreu, a retired economist, trained musician, and social reformer founded El Sistema (“the system”) in 1975 based on the conviction all Venezuelan kids can benefit from participating in classical music. After thirty years and 10 different political administrations, El Sistema is now a nationwide organization of 102 youth orchestras, 55 children’s orchestras, and 270 music centers.
“Music has to be recognized as an…agent of social development in the highest sense, because it transmits the highest values – solidarity, harmony, mutual compassion. And it has the ability to unite an entire community and to express sublime feelings.”
Learn more about them here.
Each wins $100,000 plus “One Wish to Change The World. No Restrictions.” Their wishes will be unveiled at TED2009 on February 5th, 2009.
We can’t wait!
The TED prizes are a brilliant initiative that are genuinely promoting innovative ways to make the world a better place. All the winners are worthy but I object to the your portrayal of the El Sistema intiiative. It seems to me that you are lauding the ‘civilisation’ of impoverished children through classical music. Institutions of elite culture including TED, museums, universities, symphony orchestras etc. promoting elite culture over traditional ethnic culture is vulgar and for me it resonates with colonial/imperial exploitation . This is a successsful education intiative. Poor children don’t need classical music, they need educational opportunities – like this one. Lets not portray this as a civilising process.
Thanks for posting in a form I could read on my iPhone.
Can’t wait to hear the wishes.
Simon -
Thanks for your comment. The intention was never to say that these children need civilization but rather through classical music children are able to learn and grow. i will review the language to see if there are any fixes I can use to better clarify.
[...] children’s orchestra founder Jose Abreu. The three were announced last week as the 2009 TED Prize Winners; earning each of them $100,000 to contribute to their respective causes, and more importantly, the [...]