-
Not Synced
Fresh out of college,
-
Not Synced
I went to work for a consulting firm.
-
Not Synced
During orientation the leaders
dished out advice.
-
Not Synced
Amongst them was one pithy
council I will never forget.
-
Not Synced
He told us, "Be easy to manage."
-
Not Synced
Considering how naive
I really was at the time,
-
Not Synced
I took his advice to heart,
-
Not Synced
I told myself,
-
Not Synced
"Yes, I will be the ultimate team player,
-
Not Synced
I will do everything I'm told.
-
Not Synced
I will be easy to manage."
-
Not Synced
It wasn't until I arrived
in graduate school
-
Not Synced
and witnessed firsthand the criminal
actions of scientists and engineers
-
Not Synced
in the water crisis in Flint, Michigan
-
Not Synced
that I realized how dangerous
and yet surprisingly common
-
Not Synced
this line of thinking really is.
-
Not Synced
Make no mistake,
-
Not Synced
the Flint water crisis
-
Not Synced
is one of the most egregious
environmental injustices of our time.
-
Not Synced
For over 18 months,
-
Not Synced
100,000 residents,
-
Not Synced
including thousands of young children
-
Not Synced
who were exposed
to contaminated drinking water
-
Not Synced
with high levels of lead.
-
Not Synced
Lead is a potent neurotoxin
-
Not Synced
which causes cognitive
and developmental disabilities
-
Not Synced
and is especially harmful to growing
fetuses and young children.
-
Not Synced
We've known about its dangers
since the Roman Empire.
-
Not Synced
Amongst a whole host of health issues,
-
Not Synced
12 people died by contracting
Legionairre's Disease.
-
Not Synced
Flint's water infrastructure --
-
Not Synced
the complex network
of underground pipes --
-
Not Synced
has been severely damaged.
-
Not Synced
And while the water quality
is slowly improving,
-
Not Synced
and the pipes are being replaced now,
-
Not Synced
more than two years later,
-
Not Synced
the water is still not safe to drink.
-
Not Synced
So, people are still in shock.
-
Not Synced
They ask themselves,
-
Not Synced
"How could this have happened?"
-
Not Synced
The short answer is the crisis began
when an emergency manager,
-
Not Synced
appointed by Michigan's governor,
-
Not Synced
decided to switch their water source
to a local river to save money.
-
Not Synced
But it continued for so long
-
Not Synced
because scientist and engineers
at government agencies
-
Not Synced
in the state of Michigan,
-
Not Synced
and in the federal government,
-
Not Synced
did not follow federal regulations
for treating the water right.
-
Not Synced
What was more,
-
Not Synced
the actively cheated on the law,
-
Not Synced
and orchestrated coverups.
-
Not Synced
They ridiculed residents asking for help
-
Not Synced
while publicly insisting that the brown
smelly water coming out of the tap
-
Not Synced
was safe to drink.
-
Not Synced
The system at the local, state
and federal levels
-
Not Synced
completely failed to protect
our most vulnerable.
-
Not Synced
And an entire population
was left to fend for itself.
-
Not Synced
Now, amidst this justice,
-
Not Synced
Flint residents were rallying together.
-
Not Synced
Amongst them were some
amazing women of Flint,
-
Not Synced
mothers concerned about their kids,
-
Not Synced
who came together forming many
grassroots coalitions,
-
Not Synced
and these groups started protesting
and demanding change.
-
Not Synced
The group also reached out
to outside scientists for help,
-
Not Synced
and a few responded.
-
Not Synced
Amongst them was a guy
named Miguel Del Toral,
-
Not Synced
a water expert at the US EPA --
-
Not Synced
the Environmental Protection Agency --
-
Not Synced
who actually wrote the scientific memo,
-
Not Synced
and sent it to the state of Michigan
and the federal government
-
Not Synced
to bring their attention to this problem.
-
Not Synced
He was characterized a "rogue employee,"
-
Not Synced
and silenced.
-
Not Synced
In collaboration with Flint residents,
the research team here at Tech
-
Not Synced
the research team here at Tech
of students and scientists
-
Not Synced
led by professor Marc Edwards,
-
Not Synced
conducted citywide testing
-
Not Synced
to prove the Flint's water
was indeed contaminated,
-
Not Synced
even toxic in some homes.
-
Not Synced
We substantiated what Flint
had been screaming for months
-
Not Synced
and put it on the Internet
for the world to see.
-
Not Synced
Now, when I was getting involved,
-
Not Synced
when I said yes to this,
-
Not Synced
I had no idea what I was getting into,
-
Not Synced
but every second of this journey
has been totally worth it.
-
Not Synced
This was science
and service to the public.
-
Not Synced
This is what I came
to graduate school for,
-
Not Synced
and this is how I'd rather spend my life.
-
Not Synced
And so this coalition --
-
Not Synced
this unlikely coalition of citizens,
pastors, journalists and scientists
-
Not Synced
came together to uncover the truth
using science, advocacy and activism.
-
Not Synced
A local pediatrician that the instances
of childhood lead poisoning
-
Not Synced
had indeed doubled in Flint
during the crisis.
-
Not Synced
And the state of Michigan was forced
to acknowledge the problem
-
Not Synced
and take steps to correct it.
-
Not Synced
This group,
-
Not Synced
and many others,
-
Not Synced
got Flint's kids protected.
-
Not Synced
A few months later,
-
Not Synced
President Obama came in and declared
a federal emergency,
-
Not Synced
and now Flint is getting more
than 600 million dollars
-
Not Synced
in healthcare, nutrition, education
-
Not Synced
and overhauling their
water infrastructure.
-
Not Synced
However, the arrogance
-
Not Synced
and the callous disregard
for public health
-
Not Synced
shown by scientists and engineers
at these government agencies
-
Not Synced
is beyond belief.
-
Not Synced
These unhealthy cultures
that are festering in these groups,
-
Not Synced
where the focus is on meeting
regulations and checking boxes
-
Not Synced
as opposed to protecting
public health is just appalling.
-
Not Synced
Just consider this email
that an EPA employee wrote
-
Not Synced
where she goes,
-
Not Synced
"I'm not so sure Flint is a community
we want to go out on a limb for."
-
Not Synced
The dehumanization of an entire
population could not be more obvious.
-
Not Synced
Now, contrast that to the first
canon of engineering,
-
Not Synced
which in my opinion should be
the first law of humanity.
-
Not Synced
"To hold paramount the health,
safety and welfare of the public,"
-
Not Synced
above all else.
-
Not Synced
This is the Hypocratic oath we've
rarely acknowledged, let alone embraced.
-
Not Synced
And so when scientists and engineers,
-
Not Synced
very much like medical doctors,
-
Not Synced
screw up,
-
Not Synced
people can get hurt --
-
Not Synced
even die.
-
Not Synced
If our professionals and even
students fail to get that,
-
Not Synced
society pays a huge price.
-
Not Synced
Buried deep in history lies
a character I deeply admire.
-
Not Synced
An engineer named Peter Palchinsky.
-
Not Synced
He lived in the time of the Soviet Union.
-
Not Synced
And Palchinsky repeatedly got in trouble
for his radical honesty
-
Not Synced
and willingness to point out major
flaws in the Soviet's mindless pursuit
-
Not Synced
of rapid indusstrialization.
-
Not Synced
Everyone was expected to follow orders
coming from the top.
-
Not Synced
Anyone asking questions or offering
feedback was unwelcome.
-
Not Synced
The Soviets had created the largest
army of engineers the world had ever seen,
-
Not Synced
and yet most of them were mere cogs
in a gigantic machine,
-
Not Synced
heading for doom.
-
Not Synced
Palchinsky on the other hand,
-
Not Synced
implored engineers to look at
the economic, political
-
Not Synced
and social consequences of their actions.
-
Not Synced
In other words,
-
Not Synced
be more public-focused.
-
Not Synced
His fearless voice of reason
was seen as a threat
-
Not Synced
to the political establishment,
-
Not Synced
and Joseph Stalin
had him executed in 1929.
-
Not Synced
Palchinsky's new on technocrats
is very different
-
Not Synced
from one that is still very popular,
-
Not Synced
still very common.
-
Not Synced
That of a dispassionate researcher
working in his ivory tower lab,
-
Not Synced
or a nerdy engineer
working in his cubicle.
-
Not Synced
Brilliant, no doubt,
-
Not Synced
yet somehow cut off from the world,
-
Not Synced
shows little emotion --
-
Not Synced
kind of like Spock from "Star Trek,"
-
Not Synced
you know?
-
Not Synced
This guy?
-
Not Synced
(Laughter)
-
Not Synced
Let's [try] the Spock salute.
-
Not Synced
I don't think I'll succeed ...
-
Not Synced
see I can be Spock.
-
Not Synced
Thank goodness, I can be Spock.
-
Not Synced
(Laughter)
-
Not Synced
I was reminded of this distinction
because a recent article came out
-
Not Synced
in a very reputable scientific journal,
-
Not Synced
which kind of characterized our Flint work
-
Not Synced
as driven by "youthful idealism,"
-
Not Synced
and "Hollywood's dramatic sensibilities."
-
Not Synced
It asked scientists to protect their
research funding and institutions
-
Not Synced
at all costs,
-
Not Synced
no matter how just the cause.
-
Not Synced
And if you think you have to
get involved with something,
-
Not Synced
even if it's an emergency,
-
Not Synced
try finding and activist group or an NGO,
-
Not Synced
and obtain the full support
of the academic community --
-
Not Synced
whatever that means --
-
Not Synced
before you get involved.
-
Not Synced
Not one mention of our moral
and professional obligation
-
Not Synced
of preventing harm to the public,
-
Not Synced
or the fact that with all this expertise,
-
Not Synced
resources and for some even tenure,
-
Not Synced
to, you know, accomplish this task.
-
Not Synced
I'm not saying every
scientist should be activist.
-
Not Synced
There are real and sometimes very painful
consequences of speaking up,
-
Not Synced
but to denounce this idea,
-
Not Synced
this possiblity so completely
-
Not Synced
so that you can protect research funding,
-
Not Synced
simply screams of self-serving cowardice,
-
Not Synced
and this is not the ideals
that we want to pass to our students.
-
Not Synced
And so you make think
all this sounds great,
-
Not Synced
but you'll never completely change
organizational cultures,
-
Not Synced
or imbibe mindsets in students
and professionals
-
Not Synced
to look at their work as a public good --
-
Not Synced
science in service to the public.
-
Not Synced
Maybe so,
-
Not Synced
but could a big reason for that be
-
Not Synced
that we are not training
our students right?
-
Not Synced
Because if you look closely,
-
Not Synced
our education system today
is focused more on creating
-
Not Synced
what ex-Yale professor Bill Dorizowitz
-
Not Synced
calls "Excellent sheep,"
-
Not Synced
young people who are smart and ambitious,
-
Not Synced
and yet somehow risk-averse,
timid, directionless,
-
Not Synced
and sometimes, full of themselves.
-
Not Synced
Now, kids --
-
Not Synced
we fell in love with science
when we were kids,
-
Not Synced
and yet we somehow spend most of our time
during high school and college,
-
Not Synced
just jumping through hoops,
-
Not Synced
and doing things so that we
can polish our resume
-
Not Synced
instead of sitting down,
-
Not Synced
and reflecting on what we want to do,
-
Not Synced
and who we want to be.
-
Not Synced
And so ...
-
Not Synced
the markers of empathy
in our college graduates
-
Not Synced
have been dropping dramatically
in the past two decades,
-
Not Synced
while those of narcissism are on the rise.
-
Not Synced
There is also a growing culture
of disengagement
-
Not Synced
between engineering students
and the public.
-
Not Synced
We are trained to build bridges
and solve complex problems,
-
Not Synced
but not how to think or live
or be a citizen of this world.
-
Not Synced
My undergraduate years were
explicit job preparation,
-
Not Synced
and I cannot tell you how suffocating
and painful it was at times.
-
Not Synced
Some people think the solution
to great engineers,
-
Not Synced
to great scientists,
-
Not Synced
is more technical training.
-
Not Synced
Maybe so.
-
Not Synced
But where are the discussions
on ethical decision making?
-
Not Synced
Or building character?
-
Not Synced
Or discerning right from wrong?
-
Not Synced
Consider this project
that I deeply love and admire.
-
Not Synced
It's called "Heroic Imagination Project,"
-
Not Synced
a brainchild of Dr.Phil Zimbardo,
-
Not Synced
famous for the Stamford Prison Experiment.
-
Not Synced
This program seeks to train
school-going children around the world
-
Not Synced
to look at themselves
as heroes-in-waiting,
-
Not Synced
or heroes-in-training.
-
Not Synced
So, these young minds work over time
to develop skills and virtues
-
Not Synced
so that when the opportunity comes,
-
Not Synced
no matter what that opportunity is,
-
Not Synced
to stand up and do the right thing.
-
Not Synced
In other words,
-
Not Synced
anyone can be a hero.
-
Not Synced
Think about that idea for a second.
-
Not Synced
Why don't we teach science
and engineering like that --
-
Not Synced
where heroism and public service
are seen as key values,
-
Not Synced
because indeed it's often heroism
-
Not Synced
that is not only the antidote
to publice indifference,
-
Not Synced
but also to systemic evil
like we saw in Flint?
-
Not Synced
And so dream with me
-
Not Synced
what a 21st-century scientist
slash engineer could look like.
-
Not Synced
Individuals who are driven
to master the sciences
-
Not Synced
so that they can serve society,
-
Not Synced
and are also aware of the tremendous power
their knowledge and decisions have.
-
Not Synced
Folks who are developing
their moral courage at all times,
-
Not Synced
and who realize that conflict
and controversy
-
Not Synced
are not necessarily bad things
-
Not Synced
if our ultimate loyalty is to
the public and the planet.
-
Not Synced
These are the people who will stand up
like we did in Flint.
-
Not Synced
Not to be saviors or heroes in the media,
-
Not Synced
but altruistic and fundamentally
good actors that you can I can trust.
-
Not Synced
Imagine fostering such
a public-focused mindset
-
Not Synced
in classes, on service trips and through
activities during college,
-
Not Synced
or even high school,
-
Not Synced
so that these young minds
will hold onto those ideals
-
Not Synced
when they actually enter the real world,
-
Not Synced
whether that be consulting,
academia, policy making,
-
Not Synced
or even becoming
the president of a country.
-
Not Synced
Some of mankind's greatest
challenges lie ahead of us,
-
Not Synced
contaminated drinking water
is just one example.
-
Not Synced
We could definitely use more --
-
Not Synced
nay, we desperately need more
compassionate upstanders
-
Not Synced
and public-focused scientists
and engineers
-
Not Synced
who will strive to the do right thing,
-
Not Synced
and not be easy to manage.
-
Not Synced
Thank you.
-
Not Synced
(Applause)