University of North Texas 
February 18, 2022
Eleven speakers spread their ideas and inspired the audience — in person and online
— to make a difference in the world at the TEDxUNT: Create the Change event held in
October. They encouraged us to be more curious, to look at old things in new ways,
to follow our own call to adventure and more. Melanie Ecker, assistant professor and
director of the Ecker Lab: Smart Polymers for Biomedical Applications in UNT’s Department
of Biomedical Engineering, was there to persuade the audience that some plastics are
smart. Ione Hunt von Herbing, associate professor and director of the Marine Conservation
and Aquatic Physiological Laboratory in UNT’s Department of Biological Sciences, encouraged
the audience to pursue their own adventures — just like when she knew she wanted to
be a scientist when she was 3 years old.
Read more about the speakers and watch videos at tedxunt.org