Student Lightning Talks

 

Student Lightning Talks are TED-style showcases that give current students and recent graduates to opportunity to present a 10–15-minute place-based economic development idea or project.

Presenters will identify a concrete problem in a specific place, outline a clear intervention, and discuss what it would take to implement the solution.

Presentations should include:

  • An implementation path (stakeholders, timeline, enablers, risks)

  • Clear outcomes (jobs, housing, productivity, equity, climate/resilience, etc.)

  • A specific instrument (policy, program, financing stack, zoning/tool, partnership, etc.)

  • A named place (city, corridor, district, reservation, region)

Guidelines:

  • Eligibility: current or recent graduate students with the ability to present in-person at Yale SOM on 2/20/26

  • Format & Time: 10–15-minute presentations with teams of 1-3

  • Travel & Benefits: Free symposium tickets for presenters, day-travel reimbursement available, discounted tickets for peers/colleagues

Submit a Student Lightning Talk proposal
 

Questions? Contact Samira Anant, Economic Development Symposium Chair: samira.anant@yale.edu