Physics Prof. Neil Johnson's lecture featured as a TEDxTalk Editor's Pick

TEDxTalks has selected “Beyond Black Swans,” a lecture from Physics Professor Neil Johnson as one of its Editor's Picks for this week. TED is a nonprofit devoted to disseminating ideas worth spreading, and TEDxTalks are independent, local events that bring big ideas to communities throughout the world. Just four videos from thousands of submissions are selected each week as Editor's Picks, and Johnson's is the first selected from a UM professor. Previous TEDxTalks Editor's Picks selections include innovators, entrepreneurs, activists and top scholars from institutions including Oxford, Yale, and Harvard.

Johnson analyzes large data sets to give meaning to a range of complex systems. He uses various math and graphing tools to identify hidden macro-level trends from among the many individual data points within complex systems such as traffic jams, tumor formations, brain functions, viral video downloads, and market crashes. In "Beyond Black Swans," Johnson demonstrates trends hidden within the data about seemingly random tragedies including war and terrorism.

The editors of TEDxTalks said, “Amongst the thousands of strong TEDxTalks, yours stood out for being a truly exceptional and inspiring idea worth spreading…”

January 9, 2012