INSIDE OUT: Founder TED.com Richard Saul Wurman

With the publication of his first book in 1962 at the age of 26, RSW began the singular passion of his life: making information understandable. He chaired the International Design in Aspen in 1972, the first Federal Design Assembly in 1973, followed by the National AIA Convention in 1976, before creating and chairing TED (Technology/Entertainment/Design) conferences from 1984-2002. He created and chaired the TEDMED and eg2006 conferences. A B.Arch and M.Arch 1959 graduate with highest honors from the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Wurman’s nearly half-century of achievements includes the publication of his best-selling book Information Anxiety and his award winning ACCESS Travel Guides. Each of his 81 books focus on some subject or idea that he personally had difficulty understanding. His most recent publications include UNDERSTANDING USA, Urban Atlas, Wall Street Journal Access, Information Anxiety2, Diagnostic Tests for Men, Diagnostic Tests for Women, Heart Disease & Cardiovascular Health and Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning, UNDERSTANDING Children and UNDERSTANDING Healthcare (January 2004). He has been awarded several grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Guggenheim Fellowship, two Graham Fellowships, two Chandler Fellowships, and the Chrysler Design Award in 1996. In 1991, RSW received the Kevin Lynch Award from MIT and was honored by a retrospective exhibition of his work at the AXIS Design Gallery in Tokyo, Japan on the occasion of their 10th Anniversary. He received a Doctorate of Fine Arts by the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Art Center College of Design and an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Boston. Presently, RSW is working on his latest project 19.20.21. which he created and chairs with his four partners: Larry Keeley, Jon Kamen, Michael Hawley, and Robert Friedman.