The American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) hosted the TEDx Youth Baghdad forum, celebrating and supporting a versatile assembly of talented and distinguished Iraqi youngsters, in the presence of AUIB President, Dr. Michael Mulnix, and a number of local and international officials and dignitaries. In addition to the US Deputy Chief of Mission in Baghdad and the British Ambassador and a representative of the Canadian Embassy.
President Mulnix expressed AUIB’s pride at hosting the TEDx Baghdad event, affirming the University’s strong and continuous support for young talent and budding intellect, as well as the inspiring determination of young challenged achievers, of the kind celebrated and promoted by the TEDx Youth international forum.
In turn, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Greg Logerfo, expressed his pleasure at attending the forum, saying that “the U.S. Embassy is proud to be a sponsor of this event, which showcases some of the very best individuals and ideas in Iraq.”
The event opened with a spectacular performance by a 12-year-old schoolgirl pianist, followed by presentations of remarkable and inspiring success stories in various scientific, artistic and athletic fields, on part of young gifted individuals, sometimes challenged, but infinitely determined. Of these were teams of young Iraqi programmers, working with cutting-edge information and communications technologies, a couple of teenage inventors of a mechatronic “Speaking Glove” that translates hand signals of mute individuals into audio, and a young Paralympic swimming champion who won several medals in Iraqi and Asian competitions, unimpeded by his severed leg.