*For some reason, the video embed code messed up the paragraph spacing*
I really liked this TED talk because it highlighted an aspect of our daily lives that we don’t often explicitly talk about. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Talking to Strangers, he discusses the dynamic between individuals, and how many aspects of that dynamic are based on false conceptions.
For example, many people think that they can identify liars. However, when put to the test, I believe the study concluded that less than 30% of people were able to successfully identify a liar. This TED talk went into depth about the widespread nature of our misperceptions regarding our ability to spot liars, provided relevant, famous examples to analyze, and methods (that may or may not work) of actually spotting a liar.
Brainstorming
– Diversity in STEM
The past few years have demonstrated different universities’ ability to create spaces in STEM that are more representative of the world that we live in. It’d be interesting to see what contributed to that gradual shift, and there’s a lot of data/programs available to demonstrate the shift: PSU’s Millennium Scholars Program, UMBC Meyerhoff Scholars, etc.
– Social Media in Daily Life 
The role that social media plays in our daily lives has undoubtedly increased exponentially in the past few years. Twenty years ago, it would have been crazy to think that people would be able to communicate so easily and frequently. Moreover, it would’ve been crazy to consider the impact that those communications could have on politics, economics, etc. There’s a decent amount of research that’s been done on this topic, so I’d start there with research.
I like the TED talk that you chose simply because it connects to the book you are currently discussing, what you could have done however is showed us what kind of things you took away from the talk, especially the things you’d like to inlcude in a TED talk of your own. The topics so far are precise and very interesting so I can’t wait to see how this develops!
Mustapha, I really liked how you picked and connected the TED talk to the book you talk about in your passion blog. I also found the talk super interesting, as misidentification of liars is a root problem for miscommunication for many people, and can even be the bain of families or friendships. I think you should also look into and note the good presentation skills the speaker has, and make sure to incorporate some into your own presentation! I really liked your first topic on “Diversity in STEM” due to the connection you form to yourself, through the Millennium Scholar Program. I look forward to seeing how you approach your topic choice in the future!