Science in service to the public good
-
0:01 - 0:03Fresh out of college,
-
0:03 - 0:05I went to work for a consulting firm.
-
0:05 - 0:09During orientation,
the leaders dished out advice. -
0:09 - 0:13Amongst them was one pithy counsel
I will never forget. -
0:13 - 0:17He told us, "Be easy to manage."
-
0:17 - 0:20Considering how naïve
I really was at the time, -
0:21 - 0:22I took his advice to heart.
-
0:22 - 0:24I told myself,
-
0:24 - 0:27"Yes, I will be the ultimate team player.
-
0:27 - 0:29I will do everything I'm told.
-
0:29 - 0:31I will be easy to manage."
-
0:32 - 0:34It wasn't until I arrived
in graduate school -
0:34 - 0:39and witnessed firsthand the criminal
actions of scientists and engineers -
0:39 - 0:42in the water crisis in Flint, Michigan
-
0:42 - 0:46that I realized how dangerous
and yet surprisingly common -
0:46 - 0:48this line of thinking really is.
-
0:49 - 0:50Make no mistake:
-
0:50 - 0:55the Flint water crisis is one of the most
egregious environmental injustices -
0:55 - 0:56of our time.
-
0:56 - 0:57For over 18 months,
-
0:57 - 1:01100,000 residents,
including thousands of young children, -
1:01 - 1:05were exposed to contaminated
drinking water with high levels of lead. -
1:06 - 1:08Lead is a potent neurotoxin
-
1:08 - 1:12which causes cognitive
and developmental disabilities -
1:12 - 1:16and is especially harmful
to growing fetuses and young children. -
1:16 - 1:20We've known about its dangers
since the Roman Empire. -
1:21 - 1:23Amongst a whole host of health issues,
-
1:23 - 1:2712 people died by contracting
Legionnaires' disease. -
1:28 - 1:29Flint's water infrastructure --
-
1:29 - 1:32the complex network
of underground pipes -- -
1:32 - 1:35has been severely damaged.
-
1:35 - 1:38And while the water quality
is slowly improving -
1:38 - 1:40and the pipes are being replaced now,
-
1:40 - 1:42more than two years later,
-
1:42 - 1:44the water is still not safe to drink.
-
1:46 - 1:49So, people are still in shock.
-
1:49 - 1:50They ask themselves,
-
1:51 - 1:52"How could this have happened?"
-
1:53 - 1:58The short answer is: the crisis began
when an emergency manager, -
1:58 - 2:00appointed by Michigan's governor,
-
2:00 - 2:05decided to switch their water source
to a local river to save money. -
2:05 - 2:07But it continued for so long
-
2:07 - 2:11because scientists and engineers
at government agencies -
2:11 - 2:14in the state of Michigan
and in the federal government -
2:14 - 2:17did not follow federal regulations
for treating the water right. -
2:19 - 2:20What was more,
-
2:20 - 2:24they actively cheated on the law
and orchestrated cover-ups. -
2:24 - 2:27They ridiculed residents asking for help,
-
2:27 - 2:31while publicly insisting that the brown,
smelly water coming out of the tap -
2:31 - 2:33was safe to drink.
-
2:34 - 2:39The system at the local, state
and federal levels completely failed -
2:39 - 2:41to protect our most vulnerable,
-
2:41 - 2:45and an entire population
was left to fend for itself. -
2:46 - 2:51Now, amidst this injustice,
Flint residents were rallying together. -
2:51 - 2:54Amongst them were some
amazing women of Flint -- -
2:54 - 2:56mothers concerned about their kids --
-
2:56 - 3:00who came together forming
many grassroots coalitions, -
3:00 - 3:04and these groups started protesting
and demanding change. -
3:04 - 3:08The group also reached out
to outside scientists for help, -
3:08 - 3:10and a few responded.
-
3:10 - 3:14Amongst them was a guy
named Miguel Del Toral, -
3:14 - 3:19a water expert at the US EPA --
the Environmental Protection Agency -- -
3:19 - 3:21who actually wrote this scientific memo
-
3:21 - 3:24and sent it to the state of Michigan
and the federal government -
3:24 - 3:27to bring their attention to this problem.
-
3:27 - 3:30He was characterized a "rogue employee,"
-
3:30 - 3:31and silenced.
-
3:33 - 3:36In collaboration with Flint residents,
-
3:36 - 3:38our research team here at Tech,
-
3:38 - 3:41of students and scientists
led by professor Marc Edwards, -
3:41 - 3:43conducted citywide testing
-
3:43 - 3:46to prove that Flint's water
was indeed contaminated, -
3:46 - 3:49even toxic in some homes.
-
3:50 - 3:53We substantiated what Flint
had been screaming for months, -
3:53 - 3:56and put it on the Internet
for the world to see. -
3:56 - 3:59Now, when I was getting involved,
-
3:59 - 4:00when I said yes to this,
-
4:00 - 4:03I had no idea what I was getting into.
-
4:03 - 4:07But every second of this journey
has been totally worth it. -
4:07 - 4:10This was science
in service to the public. -
4:10 - 4:12This is what I came
to graduate school for, -
4:13 - 4:15and this is how I would rather
spend my life. -
4:16 - 4:18And so this coalition --
-
4:18 - 4:23this unlikely coalition of citizens,
pastors, journalists and scientists -- -
4:23 - 4:27came together to uncover the truth
using science, advocacy and activism. -
4:28 - 4:30A local pediatrician figured out
-
4:30 - 4:34that the instances of childhood
lead poisoning had indeed doubled -
4:34 - 4:36in Flint during the crisis.
-
4:37 - 4:41And the state of Michigan was forced
to acknowledge the problem -
4:41 - 4:43and take steps to correct it.
-
4:43 - 4:47This group and many others
got Flint's kids protected. -
4:48 - 4:49A few months later,
-
4:49 - 4:53President Obama came in
and declared a federal emergency, -
4:53 - 4:56and now Flint is getting
more than 600 million dollars -
4:56 - 5:00in healthcare, nutrition, education
-
5:00 - 5:02and overhauling
their water infrastructure. -
5:03 - 5:09However, the arrogance and the callous
disregard for public health -
5:09 - 5:13shown by scientists and engineers
at these government agencies -
5:13 - 5:15is beyond belief.
-
5:16 - 5:19These unhealthy cultures
that are festering in these groups, -
5:19 - 5:23where the focus is on meeting
regulations and checking boxes -
5:23 - 5:25as opposed to protecting public health,
-
5:25 - 5:27is just appalling.
-
5:28 - 5:32Just consider this email
that an EPA employee wrote, -
5:32 - 5:34where she goes,
-
5:34 - 5:38"I'm not so sure Flint is a community
we want to go out on a limb for." -
5:40 - 5:44The dehumanization of an entire population
could not be more obvious. -
5:45 - 5:50Now, contrast that to the first
canon of engineering, -
5:50 - 5:53which, in my opinion, should be
the first law of humanity: -
5:53 - 5:57"To hold paramount the health,
safety and welfare of the public," -
5:57 - 5:59above all else.
-
5:59 - 6:02This is the Hippocratic Oath
we've rarely acknowledged, -
6:02 - 6:04let alone embraced.
-
6:05 - 6:09And so when scientists and engineers,
very much like medical doctors, -
6:09 - 6:10screw up,
-
6:10 - 6:12people can get hurt --
-
6:12 - 6:13even die.
-
6:13 - 6:18If our professionals and even
students fail to get that, -
6:18 - 6:20society pays a huge price.
-
6:22 - 6:26Buried deep in history lies
a character I deeply admire -- -
6:26 - 6:29an engineer named Peter Palchinsky.
-
6:29 - 6:32He lived in the time of the Soviet Union.
-
6:32 - 6:37And Palchinsky repeatedly got in trouble
for his radical honesty -
6:37 - 6:43and willingness to point out major flaws
in the Soviets' mindless pursuit -
6:43 - 6:45of rapid industrialization.
-
6:46 - 6:50Everyone was expected to follow orders
coming from the top. -
6:50 - 6:54Anyone asking questions
or offering feedback was unwelcome. -
6:54 - 7:00The Soviets had created the largest army
of engineers the world had ever seen, -
7:00 - 7:05and yet most of them were mere cogs
in a gigantic machine heading for doom. -
7:05 - 7:09Palchinsky, on the other hand,
implored engineers -
7:09 - 7:14to look at the economic, political
and social consequences of their actions; -
7:14 - 7:17in other words, be more public-focused.
-
7:17 - 7:21His fearless voice of reason
was seen as a threat -
7:21 - 7:23to the political establishment,
-
7:23 - 7:26and Joseph Stalin
had him executed in 1929. -
7:28 - 7:32Palchinsky's view on technocrats
is very different -
7:32 - 7:37from one that is still very popular,
still very common -- -
7:37 - 7:43that of a dispassionate researcher
working in his ivory tower lab, -
7:43 - 7:46or a nerdy engineer
working in his cubicle. -
7:47 - 7:49Brilliant, no doubt,
-
7:49 - 7:51yet somehow cut off from the world,
-
7:51 - 7:53shows little emotion --
-
7:53 - 7:56kind of like Spock
from "Star Trek," you know? -
7:57 - 7:58This guy.
-
7:58 - 8:00(Laughter)
-
8:00 - 8:02Let's try and do the Spock salute.
-
8:02 - 8:04I don't think I'll succeed ...
-
8:05 - 8:07See, I can't be Spock.
-
8:07 - 8:09Thank goodness I can't be Spock.
-
8:09 - 8:10(Laughter)
-
8:11 - 8:16I was reminded of this distinction
because a recent article came out -
8:16 - 8:19in a very reputed scientific journal,
-
8:19 - 8:25which kind of characterized our Flint work
as driven by "youthful idealism," -
8:25 - 8:27and "Hollywood's dramatic sensibilities."
-
8:27 - 8:33It asks scientists to protect
their research funding and institutions -
8:33 - 8:36at all costs, no matter
how just the cause. -
8:36 - 8:40And if you think you have to get
involved in something, -
8:40 - 8:42even if it's an emergency,
-
8:42 - 8:46try finding an activist group or an NGO,
-
8:46 - 8:49and obtain the full support
of the academic community -- -
8:49 - 8:50whatever that means --
-
8:50 - 8:52before you get involved.
-
8:53 - 8:57Not one mention of our moral
and professional obligation -
8:57 - 8:59of preventing harm to the public,
-
8:59 - 9:02or the fact that we have
all this expertise, -
9:02 - 9:05resources and, for some, even tenure
-
9:05 - 9:08to, you know, accomplish this task.
-
9:09 - 9:12I'm not saying every scientist
should be an activist. -
9:12 - 9:16There are real and sometimes very painful
consequences of speaking up. -
9:16 - 9:21But to denounce this idea,
this possibility so completely -
9:21 - 9:24so that you can protect research funding,
-
9:24 - 9:26simply screams of self-serving cowardice,
-
9:26 - 9:31and these are not the ideals
we would want to pass to our students. -
9:33 - 9:36And so you may think,
"OK, all this sounds great, -
9:36 - 9:40but you'll never completely change
organizational cultures, -
9:40 - 9:44or imbibe mindsets in students
and professionals -
9:44 - 9:46to look at their work as a public good --
-
9:46 - 9:48science in service to the public."
-
9:49 - 9:51Maybe so.
-
9:51 - 9:53But could a big reason for that be
-
9:53 - 9:55that we are not training
our students right? -
9:56 - 9:58Because if you look closely,
-
9:58 - 10:03our education system today
is focused more on creating -
10:03 - 10:08what ex-Yale professor Bill Deresiewicz
calls "excellent sheep" -- -
10:08 - 10:11young people who are smart and ambitious,
-
10:11 - 10:16and yet somehow risk-averse,
timid, directionless -
10:16 - 10:19and, sometimes, full of themselves.
-
10:19 - 10:21Now, kids ... you know,
-
10:21 - 10:24we fell in love with science
when we were kids, -
10:24 - 10:28and yet we somehow spend most of our time
during high school and college -
10:28 - 10:29just jumping through hoops
-
10:29 - 10:33and doing things
so that we can polish our résumé -
10:33 - 10:35instead of sitting down
-
10:35 - 10:39and reflecting on what we want to do
and who we want to be. -
10:41 - 10:42And so,
-
10:44 - 10:47the markers of empathy
in our college graduates -
10:47 - 10:50have been dropping dramatically
in the past two decades, -
10:50 - 10:53while those of narcissism are on the rise.
-
10:53 - 10:56There is also a growing culture
of disengagement -
10:56 - 10:59between engineering students
and the public. -
11:00 - 11:05We are trained to build bridges
and solve complex problems -
11:05 - 11:10but not how to think or live
or be a citizen of this world. -
11:10 - 11:14My undergraduate years
were explicit job preparation, -
11:14 - 11:19and I cannot tell you how suffocating
and painful it was at times. -
11:20 - 11:22And so,
-
11:22 - 11:25some people think the solution
to great engineers, to great scientists, -
11:25 - 11:27is more technical training.
-
11:27 - 11:28Maybe so.
-
11:28 - 11:32But where are the discussions
on ethical decision-making, -
11:32 - 11:34or building character,
-
11:34 - 11:36or discerning right from wrong?
-
11:38 - 11:42Consider this project
that I deeply love and admire. -
11:42 - 11:45It's called, "Heroic Imagination Project."
-
11:45 - 11:47A brainchild of Dr. Phil Zimbardo,
-
11:47 - 11:50famous for the Stanford Prison Experiment,
-
11:50 - 11:56this program seeks to train
school-going children around the world -
11:56 - 11:59to look at themselves
as heroes-in-waiting, -
11:59 - 12:01or heroes-in-training.
-
12:01 - 12:06So, these young minds work over time
to develop skills and virtues -
12:06 - 12:08so that when the opportunity comes,
-
12:08 - 12:11no matter what that opportunity be,
-
12:11 - 12:14to stand up and do the right thing.
-
12:14 - 12:16In other words,
-
12:16 - 12:18anyone can be a hero.
-
12:18 - 12:21Think about that idea for a second.
-
12:21 - 12:24Why don't we teach science
and engineering like that -- -
12:24 - 12:29where heroism and public service
are seen as key values, -
12:29 - 12:31because indeed, it's often heroism
-
12:31 - 12:35that is not only the antidote
to public indifference, -
12:35 - 12:39but also to systemic evil
like we saw in Flint. -
12:40 - 12:42And so, dream with me
-
12:42 - 12:46what a 21st-century scientist
slash engineer could look like: -
12:46 - 12:49individuals who are driven
to master the sciences -
12:49 - 12:51so that they can serve society,
-
12:51 - 12:53and are also aware
-
12:53 - 12:56of the tremendous power
their knowledge and decisions have; -
12:57 - 13:00folks who are developing
their moral courage at all times, -
13:00 - 13:04and who realize that conflict
and controversy -
13:04 - 13:06are not necessarily bad things
-
13:06 - 13:10if our ultimate loyalty
is to the public and the planet. -
13:11 - 13:16These are the people who will
stand up like we did in Flint -- -
13:16 - 13:20not to be saviors or heroes in the media,
-
13:20 - 13:27but altruistic and fundamentally good
actors that you and I can trust. -
13:28 - 13:33Imagine fostering
such a public-focused mindset -
13:33 - 13:36in classes, on service trips
and during activities -
13:36 - 13:38during college or even high school,
-
13:38 - 13:42so that these young minds
will hold onto those ideals -
13:42 - 13:45when they actually enter the real world,
-
13:45 - 13:49whether that be consulting,
academia, policy making -- -
13:49 - 13:52or even becoming
the president of a country. -
13:54 - 13:57Some of mankind's greatest
challenges lie ahead of us; -
13:57 - 14:00contaminated drinking water
is just one example. -
14:01 - 14:03We could definitely use more --
-
14:03 - 14:08nay, we desperately need more --
compassionate upstanders -
14:08 - 14:11and public-focused
scientists and engineers -
14:11 - 14:13who will strive to the do right thing,
-
14:13 - 14:15and not be easy to manage.
-
14:15 - 14:16Thank you.
-
14:16 - 14:21(Applause)
- Title:
- Science in service to the public good
- Speaker:
- Siddhartha Roy
- Description:
-
We give scientists and engineers great technical training, but we're not as good at teaching ethical decision-making or building character. Take, for example, the environmental crisis that recently unfolded in Flint, Michigan -- and the professionals there who did nothing to fix it. Siddhartha Roy helped prove that Flint's water was contaminated, and he tells a story of science in service to the public good, calling on the next generation of scientists and engineers to dedicate their work to protecting people and the planet.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 14:20
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Science in service to the public good | ||
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for Science in service to the public good | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Science in service to the public good | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Science in service to the public good | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Science in service to the public good | ||
Camille Martínez accepted English subtitles for Science in service to the public good | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for Science in service to the public good | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for Science in service to the public good |