PAM: Passion. Academics. Media. & Hans Rosling

Matt Nickerson and Todd Petersen created the concept of PAM - Passion. Academics. Media. - as an ideal for their students' final presentations.

They have a "change the world or go home" ethos, similar to Hugh MacLeod, who says, "The idea doesn't have to be big. It just has to change the world."

Dr. Hans Rosling correlates statistics of per capita income, health and reproductive rights in his native Sweden. His presentation GapCast#1: Health, Money & Sexual Rights in Sweden is a fantastic example of a PAM talk.

He's a master teacher.

He uses huge data depositories and his Gapminder software, Flash player and "weatherman green screen" techniques to compare the same stats from other countries over time.

To understand Gapminder, see his 2006 TED talk "Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen." (20 minute video)

"New insights on poverty and life around the world" (19 minutes) is his 2007 encore.