Everyone has the capacity for continuous personal growth. Autodidactic learning and auto-experimentation are vectors each of us can apply to learn anything. In the modern era, where information is so widely available and accessible, it falls solely upon each of us to obtain as much information as possible. I also advocate that learning does not stop at the acquisition of information. The final element of all learning is the application of acquired knowledge. A person must try in order to learn. In this TEDx talk I redefine the concepts of self-learning and experimentation, evidence their potential through historical and personal examples, and challenge the viewers to create change in their own lives by adopting these practices.

A true native of Northern Virginia. Connor was born in Fairfax, Virginia and lived the first year of his life in Herndon, before moving to Manassas. He attended Linton Hall School in Bristow, Virginia and went to Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington before leaving for Virginia Tech to obtain his Bachelor’s Degree in Materials Science and Engineering. Now Native to Tyson’s Corner, Connor works full time at the NIH as Biologist/Geneticist scouring the human genome for indicators of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases. He splits his free time between study world music, principally of the Irish Traditional variety, on guitar, mandolin, and accordion, and coaching Crossfit and Olympic Weightlifting at Crossfit Fairfax.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx