UK's most northerly TED-inspired event for Inverness

Ayliean MacDonald is bringing a TEDx event to her home town

Inverness is to host the UK's most northerly TEDx event.

Technology Entertainment and Design (TED) conferences involve 18 minute-long talks from speakers which have included Stephen Hawking, Bono and JK Rowling.

"X" events are arranged independently, but with the blessing, of the TED programme.

University of Aberdeen graduate and maths teacher Ayliean MacDonald has set up TEDxInverness for 30 July.

It will be held at Bogbain Farm on the outskirts of the city.

The UK's only forensic jeweller, Dundee-based Maria Maclennan, will be among its guest speakers.

'Excellent ideas'

Inverness-born Ms MacDonald, 23, said: "I started organising this event around a year ago with a view to promote the great community of Inverness and show all of the excellent ideas it has to offer.

"TEDx talks are a maximum of 18 minutes long and can be anything from a scientific talk to a performance, you never know what you are going to get.

"The Inverness talks will be filmed and put on the TED website."

Further x events are being planned for Scotland.

Ms MacDonald said: "This will be the furthest north talk in the UK so far, but soon we will welcome TEDxShetland and TEDxStromness."

Human remains

Guest speaker Ms Maclennan, from Ross-shire, is based at University of Dundee's Visual Research Centre.

She has helped police and local authorities to identify human remains from forensic examinations of jewellery found on the bodies.

Part of the inspiration for her line of research was archaeologists who use jewellery as an aide to interpreting ancient human remains.

Other speakers at TEDxInverness will include Emma Wood, author of The Hydro Boys, and Mark Davidson who wrote The Art of Common Sense and The Philosophy Game.

Auditory neuroscientist Dr Michael Dempster will talk about the use of modern Scots language.