0:00:01.196,0:00:02.549
Fresh out of college,

0:00:02.573,0:00:05.124
I went to work for a consulting firm.

0:00:05.148,0:00:08.852
During orientation,[br]the leaders dished out advice.

0:00:09.287,0:00:12.870
Amongst them was one pithy counsel[br]I will never forget.

0:00:13.369,0:00:16.671
He told us, "Be easy to manage."

0:00:16.695,0:00:20.484
Considering how naïve[br]I really was at the time,

0:00:20.508,0:00:22.275
I took his advice to heart.

0:00:22.299,0:00:23.794
I told myself,

0:00:23.818,0:00:26.674
"Yes, I will be the ultimate team player.

0:00:26.698,0:00:28.641
I will do everything I'm told.

0:00:28.665,0:00:30.551
I will be easy to manage."

0:00:31.658,0:00:34.016
It wasn't until I arrived[br]in graduate school

0:00:34.040,0:00:38.956
and witnessed firsthand the criminal[br]actions of scientists and engineers

0:00:38.980,0:00:41.709
in the water crisis in Flint, Michigan

0:00:41.733,0:00:46.291
that I realized how dangerous[br]and yet surprisingly common

0:00:46.315,0:00:48.333
this line of thinking really is.

0:00:48.698,0:00:49.865
Make no mistake:

0:00:49.889,0:00:54.531
the Flint water crisis is one of the most[br]egregious environmental injustices

0:00:54.555,0:00:55.706
of our time.

0:00:55.730,0:00:57.286
For over 18 months,

0:00:57.310,0:01:01.392
100,000 residents,[br]including thousands of young children,

0:01:01.416,0:01:05.299
were exposed to contaminated[br]drinking water with high levels of lead.

0:01:06.040,0:01:07.916
Lead is a potent neurotoxin

0:01:07.940,0:01:11.680
which causes cognitive[br]and developmental disabilities

0:01:11.704,0:01:15.916
and is especially harmful[br]to growing fetuses and young children.

0:01:16.457,0:01:19.858
We've known about its dangers[br]since the Roman Empire.

0:01:20.799,0:01:23.266
Amongst a whole host of health issues,

0:01:23.290,0:01:27.007
12 people died by contracting[br]Legionnaires' disease.

0:01:27.541,0:01:29.343
Flint's water infrastructure --

0:01:29.367,0:01:32.448
the complex network[br]of underground pipes --

0:01:32.472,0:01:34.540
has been severely damaged.

0:01:35.116,0:01:38.276
And while the water quality[br]is slowly improving

0:01:38.300,0:01:40.351
and the pipes are being replaced now,

0:01:40.375,0:01:42.075
more than two years later,

0:01:42.099,0:01:44.449
the water is still not safe to drink.

0:01:46.276,0:01:49.161
So, people are still in shock.

0:01:49.185,0:01:50.493
They ask themselves,

0:01:50.517,0:01:52.198
"How could this have happened?"

0:01:53.083,0:01:57.870
The short answer is: the crisis began[br]when an emergency manager,

0:01:57.894,0:02:00.319
appointed by Michigan's governor,

0:02:00.343,0:02:04.801
decided to switch their water source[br]to a local river to save money.

0:02:05.327,0:02:07.222
But it continued for so long

0:02:07.246,0:02:10.883
because scientists and engineers[br]at government agencies

0:02:10.907,0:02:13.962
in the state of Michigan[br]and in the federal government

0:02:13.986,0:02:17.495
did not follow federal regulations[br]for treating the water right.

0:02:18.921,0:02:20.119
What was more,

0:02:20.143,0:02:23.645
they actively cheated on the law[br]and orchestrated cover-ups.

0:02:24.045,0:02:26.976
They ridiculed residents asking for help,

0:02:27.000,0:02:31.460
while publicly insisting that the brown,[br]smelly water coming out of the tap

0:02:31.484,0:02:32.757
was safe to drink.

0:02:33.748,0:02:39.413
The system at the local, state[br]and federal levels completely failed

0:02:39.437,0:02:41.429
to protect our most vulnerable,

0:02:41.453,0:02:45.110
and an entire population[br]was left to fend for itself.

0:02:46.200,0:02:50.960
Now, amidst this injustice,[br]Flint residents were rallying together.

0:02:50.984,0:02:54.115
Amongst them were some[br]amazing women of Flint --

0:02:54.139,0:02:56.140
mothers concerned about their kids --

0:02:56.164,0:03:00.057
who came together forming[br]many grassroots coalitions,

0:03:00.081,0:03:03.906
and these groups started protesting[br]and demanding change.

0:03:04.488,0:03:08.226
The group also reached out[br]to outside scientists for help,

0:03:08.250,0:03:09.786
and a few responded.

0:03:10.471,0:03:13.959
Amongst them was a guy[br]named Miguel Del Toral,

0:03:13.983,0:03:18.661
a water expert at the US EPA --[br]the Environmental Protection Agency --

0:03:18.685,0:03:21.248
who actually wrote this scientific memo

0:03:21.272,0:03:24.412
and sent it to the state of Michigan[br]and the federal government

0:03:24.436,0:03:26.800
to bring their attention to this problem.

0:03:27.281,0:03:29.847
He was characterized a "rogue employee,"

0:03:29.871,0:03:31.335
and silenced.

0:03:32.722,0:03:35.514
In collaboration with Flint residents,

0:03:35.538,0:03:37.872
our research team here at Tech,

0:03:37.896,0:03:41.158
of students and scientists[br]led by professor Marc Edwards,

0:03:41.182,0:03:43.320
conducted citywide testing

0:03:43.344,0:03:46.352
to prove that Flint's water[br]was indeed contaminated,

0:03:46.376,0:03:48.654
even toxic in some homes.

0:03:49.535,0:03:52.674
We substantiated what Flint[br]had been screaming for months,

0:03:52.698,0:03:55.846
and put it on the Internet[br]for the world to see.

0:03:55.870,0:03:58.848
Now, when I was getting involved,

0:03:58.872,0:04:00.266
when I said yes to this,

0:04:00.290,0:04:02.765
I had no idea what I was getting into.

0:04:03.457,0:04:07.156
But every second of this journey[br]has been totally worth it.

0:04:07.180,0:04:09.945
This was science[br]in service to the public.

0:04:09.969,0:04:12.498
This is what I came[br]to graduate school for,

0:04:12.522,0:04:15.295
and this is how I would rather[br]spend my life.

0:04:15.880,0:04:17.894
And so this coalition --

0:04:17.918,0:04:22.811
this unlikely coalition of citizens,[br]pastors, journalists and scientists --

0:04:22.835,0:04:27.235
came together to uncover the truth[br]using science, advocacy and activism.

0:04:27.685,0:04:29.818
A local pediatrician figured out

0:04:29.842,0:04:34.181
that the instances of childhood[br]lead poisoning had indeed doubled

0:04:34.205,0:04:36.016
in Flint during the crisis.

0:04:37.124,0:04:40.811
And the state of Michigan was forced[br]to acknowledge the problem

0:04:40.835,0:04:43.355
and take steps to correct it.

0:04:43.379,0:04:46.915
This group and many others[br]got Flint's kids protected.

0:04:48.006,0:04:49.176
A few months later,

0:04:49.200,0:04:52.669
President Obama came in[br]and declared a federal emergency,

0:04:52.693,0:04:56.201
and now Flint is getting[br]more than 600 million dollars

0:04:56.225,0:04:59.624
in healthcare, nutrition, education

0:04:59.648,0:05:01.966
and overhauling[br]their water infrastructure.

0:05:03.130,0:05:08.887
However, the arrogance and the callous[br]disregard for public health

0:05:08.911,0:05:13.339
shown by scientists and engineers[br]at these government agencies

0:05:13.363,0:05:14.766
is beyond belief.

0:05:15.719,0:05:19.261
These unhealthy cultures[br]that are festering in these groups,

0:05:19.285,0:05:23.230
where the focus is on meeting[br]regulations and checking boxes

0:05:23.254,0:05:25.404
as opposed to protecting public health,

0:05:25.428,0:05:26.901
is just appalling.

0:05:27.596,0:05:31.897
Just consider this email[br]that an EPA employee wrote,

0:05:31.921,0:05:34.143
where she goes,

0:05:34.167,0:05:38.315
"I'm not so sure Flint is a community[br]we want to go out on a limb for."

0:05:39.990,0:05:44.336
The dehumanization of an entire population[br]could not be more obvious.

0:05:44.851,0:05:49.760
Now, contrast that to the first[br]canon of engineering,

0:05:49.784,0:05:53.045
which, in my opinion, should be[br]the first law of humanity:

0:05:53.069,0:05:57.146
"To hold paramount the health,[br]safety and welfare of the public,"

0:05:57.170,0:05:58.840
above all else.

0:05:58.864,0:06:02.308
This is the Hippocratic Oath[br]we've rarely acknowledged,

0:06:02.332,0:06:03.690
let alone embraced.

0:06:04.549,0:06:08.775
And so when scientists and engineers,[br]very much like medical doctors,

0:06:08.799,0:06:10.048
screw up,

0:06:10.072,0:06:11.913
people can get hurt --

0:06:11.937,0:06:13.308
even die.

0:06:13.332,0:06:17.877
If our professionals and even[br]students fail to get that,

0:06:17.901,0:06:19.955
society pays a huge price.

0:06:21.652,0:06:25.853
Buried deep in history lies[br]a character I deeply admire --

0:06:25.877,0:06:29.018
an engineer named Peter Palchinsky.

0:06:29.042,0:06:31.939
He lived in the time of the Soviet Union.

0:06:32.367,0:06:37.359
And Palchinsky repeatedly got in trouble[br]for his radical honesty

0:06:37.383,0:06:42.938
and willingness to point out major flaws[br]in the Soviets' mindless pursuit

0:06:42.962,0:06:44.895
of rapid industrialization.

0:06:45.729,0:06:49.747
Everyone was expected to follow orders[br]coming from the top.

0:06:49.771,0:06:53.670
Anyone asking questions[br]or offering feedback was unwelcome.

0:06:54.354,0:06:59.632
The Soviets had created the largest army[br]of engineers the world had ever seen,

0:06:59.656,0:07:04.697
and yet most of them were mere cogs[br]in a gigantic machine heading for doom.

0:07:05.464,0:07:08.506
Palchinsky, on the other hand,[br]implored engineers

0:07:08.530,0:07:13.866
to look at the economic, political[br]and social consequences of their actions;

0:07:13.890,0:07:16.879
in other words, be more public-focused.

0:07:16.903,0:07:20.702
His fearless voice of reason[br]was seen as a threat

0:07:20.726,0:07:22.543
to the political establishment,

0:07:22.567,0:07:26.337
and Joseph Stalin[br]had him executed in 1929.

0:07:27.691,0:07:31.853
Palchinsky's view on technocrats[br]is very different

0:07:31.877,0:07:37.227
from one that is still very popular,[br]still very common --

0:07:37.251,0:07:42.960
that of a dispassionate researcher[br]working in his ivory tower lab,

0:07:42.984,0:07:45.951
or a nerdy engineer[br]working in his cubicle.

0:07:46.518,0:07:48.810
Brilliant, no doubt,

0:07:48.834,0:07:50.764
yet somehow cut off from the world,

0:07:50.788,0:07:53.000
shows little emotion --

0:07:53.024,0:07:56.357
kind of like Spock[br]from "Star Trek," you know?

0:07:56.947,0:07:58.183
This guy.

0:07:58.207,0:07:59.804
(Laughter)

0:07:59.828,0:08:01.599
Let's try and do the Spock salute.

0:08:02.276,0:08:03.862
I don't think I'll succeed ...

0:08:04.999,0:08:06.640
See, I can't be Spock.

0:08:06.664,0:08:08.802
Thank goodness I can't be Spock.

0:08:08.826,0:08:09.976
(Laughter)

0:08:11.332,0:08:16.089
I was reminded of this distinction[br]because a recent article came out

0:08:16.113,0:08:19.339
in a very reputed scientific journal,

0:08:19.363,0:08:24.686
which kind of characterized our Flint work[br]as driven by "youthful idealism,"

0:08:24.710,0:08:27.389
and "Hollywood's dramatic sensibilities."

0:08:27.413,0:08:32.904
It asks scientists to protect[br]their research funding and institutions

0:08:32.928,0:08:36.279
at all costs, no matter[br]how just the cause.

0:08:36.303,0:08:39.625
And if you think you have to get[br]involved in something,

0:08:39.649,0:08:41.684
even if it's an emergency,

0:08:41.708,0:08:45.861
try finding an activist group or an NGO,

0:08:45.885,0:08:48.881
and obtain the full support[br]of the academic community --

0:08:48.905,0:08:50.243
whatever that means --

0:08:50.267,0:08:51.979
before you get involved.

0:08:52.627,0:08:56.772
Not one mention of our moral[br]and professional obligation

0:08:56.796,0:08:58.859
of preventing harm to the public,

0:08:58.883,0:09:02.252
or the fact that we have[br]all this expertise,

0:09:02.276,0:09:05.301
resources and, for some, even tenure

0:09:05.325,0:09:07.971
to, you know, accomplish this task.

0:09:08.777,0:09:11.505
I'm not saying every scientist[br]should be an activist.

0:09:11.529,0:09:16.348
There are real and sometimes very painful[br]consequences of speaking up.

0:09:16.372,0:09:21.203
But to denounce this idea,[br]this possibility so completely

0:09:21.227,0:09:23.623
so that you can protect research funding,

0:09:23.647,0:09:26.272
simply screams of self-serving cowardice,

0:09:26.296,0:09:31.497
and these are not the ideals[br]we would want to pass to our students.

0:09:32.570,0:09:35.932
And so you may think,[br]"OK, all this sounds great,

0:09:35.956,0:09:39.579
but you'll never completely change[br]organizational cultures,

0:09:39.603,0:09:43.650
or imbibe mindsets in students[br]and professionals

0:09:43.674,0:09:46.311
to look at their work as a public good --

0:09:46.335,0:09:48.395
science in service to the public."

0:09:49.067,0:09:50.530
Maybe so.

0:09:50.554,0:09:52.796
But could a big reason for that be

0:09:52.820,0:09:55.480
that we are not training[br]our students right?

0:09:56.021,0:09:58.323
Because if you look closely,

0:09:58.347,0:10:03.259
our education system today[br]is focused more on creating

0:10:03.283,0:10:08.338
what ex-Yale professor Bill Deresiewicz[br]calls "excellent sheep" --

0:10:08.362,0:10:11.217
young people who are smart and ambitious,

0:10:11.241,0:10:16.145
and yet somehow risk-averse,[br]timid, directionless

0:10:16.169,0:10:18.971
and, sometimes, full of themselves.

0:10:18.995,0:10:20.914
Now, kids ... you know,

0:10:20.938,0:10:23.554
we fell in love with science[br]when we were kids,

0:10:23.578,0:10:27.880
and yet we somehow spend most of our time[br]during high school and college

0:10:27.904,0:10:29.401
just jumping through hoops

0:10:29.425,0:10:32.892
and doing things[br]so that we can polish our résumé

0:10:32.916,0:10:34.586
instead of sitting down

0:10:34.610,0:10:39.129
and reflecting on what we want to do[br]and who we want to be.

0:10:41.132,0:10:42.398
And so,

0:10:43.624,0:10:47.259
the markers of empathy[br]in our college graduates

0:10:47.283,0:10:50.426
have been dropping dramatically[br]in the past two decades,

0:10:50.450,0:10:53.176
while those of narcissism are on the rise.

0:10:53.200,0:10:55.871
There is also a growing culture[br]of disengagement

0:10:55.895,0:10:58.828
between engineering students[br]and the public.

0:10:59.611,0:11:04.885
We are trained to build bridges[br]and solve complex problems

0:11:04.909,0:11:09.923
but not how to think or live[br]or be a citizen of this world.

0:11:09.947,0:11:14.340
My undergraduate years[br]were explicit job preparation,

0:11:14.364,0:11:18.570
and I cannot tell you how suffocating[br]and painful it was at times.

0:11:19.928,0:11:21.540
And so,

0:11:21.564,0:11:25.141
some people think the solution[br]to great engineers, to great scientists,

0:11:25.165,0:11:26.969
is more technical training.

0:11:26.993,0:11:28.226
Maybe so.

0:11:28.250,0:11:31.744
But where are the discussions[br]on ethical decision-making,

0:11:31.768,0:11:33.593
or building character,

0:11:33.617,0:11:36.457
or discerning right from wrong?

0:11:37.622,0:11:41.988
Consider this project[br]that I deeply love and admire.

0:11:42.012,0:11:44.790
It's called, "Heroic Imagination Project."

0:11:44.814,0:11:47.437
A brainchild of Dr. Phil Zimbardo,

0:11:47.461,0:11:50.239
famous for the Stanford Prison Experiment,

0:11:50.263,0:11:55.508
this program seeks to train[br]school-going children around the world

0:11:55.532,0:11:58.972
to look at themselves[br]as heroes-in-waiting,

0:11:58.996,0:12:00.912
or heroes-in-training.

0:12:00.936,0:12:06.287
So, these young minds work over time[br]to develop skills and virtues

0:12:06.311,0:12:08.471
so that when the opportunity comes,

0:12:08.495,0:12:11.065
no matter what that opportunity be,

0:12:11.089,0:12:13.697
to stand up and do the right thing.

0:12:14.360,0:12:15.647
In other words,

0:12:15.671,0:12:17.588
anyone can be a hero.

0:12:18.407,0:12:20.524
Think about that idea for a second.

0:12:21.131,0:12:24.239
Why don't we teach science[br]and engineering like that --

0:12:24.263,0:12:28.641
where heroism and public service[br]are seen as key values,

0:12:28.665,0:12:31.283
because indeed, it's often heroism

0:12:31.307,0:12:35.055
that is not only the antidote[br]to public indifference,

0:12:35.079,0:12:39.036
but also to systemic evil[br]like we saw in Flint.

0:12:40.137,0:12:41.571
And so, dream with me

0:12:41.595,0:12:45.752
what a 21st-century scientist[br]slash engineer could look like:

0:12:45.776,0:12:49.329
individuals who are driven[br]to master the sciences

0:12:49.353,0:12:51.327
so that they can serve society,

0:12:51.351,0:12:52.545
and are also aware

0:12:52.569,0:12:56.045
of the tremendous power[br]their knowledge and decisions have;

0:12:56.540,0:13:00.283
folks who are developing[br]their moral courage at all times,

0:13:00.307,0:13:04.093
and who realize that conflict[br]and controversy

0:13:04.117,0:13:06.221
are not necessarily bad things

0:13:06.245,0:13:09.900
if our ultimate loyalty[br]is to the public and the planet.

0:13:10.821,0:13:15.863
These are the people who will[br]stand up like we did in Flint --

0:13:15.887,0:13:19.622
not to be saviors or heroes in the media,

0:13:19.646,0:13:26.597
but altruistic and fundamentally good[br]actors that you and I can trust.

0:13:27.717,0:13:32.510
Imagine fostering[br]such a public-focused mindset

0:13:32.534,0:13:35.989
in classes, on service trips[br]and during activities

0:13:36.013,0:13:38.355
during college or even high school,

0:13:38.379,0:13:42.193
so that these young minds[br]will hold onto those ideals

0:13:42.217,0:13:44.689
when they actually enter the real world,

0:13:44.713,0:13:48.836
whether that be consulting,[br]academia, policy making --

0:13:48.860,0:13:51.652
or even becoming[br]the president of a country.

0:13:53.542,0:13:57.090
Some of mankind's greatest[br]challenges lie ahead of us;

0:13:57.114,0:14:00.121
contaminated drinking water[br]is just one example.

0:14:00.591,0:14:02.661
We could definitely use more --

0:14:02.685,0:14:07.672
nay, we desperately need more --[br]compassionate upstanders

0:14:07.696,0:14:10.830
and public-focused[br]scientists and engineers

0:14:10.854,0:14:12.863
who will strive to the do right thing,

0:14:12.887,0:14:14.899
and not be easy to manage.

0:14:14.923,0:14:16.094
Thank you.

0:14:16.118,0:14:20.642
(Applause)