ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Siddhartha Roy - Environmental engineer
Siddhartha Roy is an environmental engineer and science communicator who works at the nexus of water quality, public health and environmental justice. He and his team helped uncover the Flint, Michigan Water Crisis.

Why you should listen

Perennially distracted, Siddhartha Roy has spent the last five years studying failures in drinking water infrastructure (leaky pipes), lamenting the way the water industry communicates with the American public and writing about the rise of perverse incentives in research academia. He also serves as the Student Leader of the research team that used citizen science, laboratory experiments, field sampling, investigative journalism and social media to expose the Flint Water Crisis. These efforts led to a declaration of a national public health emergency by President Barack Obama in January 2016, garnered more than $600 million in relief for Flint residents and informed a long overdue debate on "safe" water in America.

Roy is incredulous that quoting a free conference T-shirt in 2014 made him the "Future of Water." He has taken a step back and is now merely a "Rising Star of the Water Industry." He suspects Virginia Tech awarded him their 2017 Graduate Student of the Year award not for his "selfless service contributions and commitment to citizen scholarship," as they claim, but to deter him from spending long hours at cafes staring into space and get back in the laboratory instead. Roy also specializes in speaking with reporters for hours and ensuring only his cusswords get quoted, like this WIRED magazine piece. Grist.org’s Chip Giller notes that Roy "speaks with conviction, passion, and focus" but had Giller paid close attention, he would not have missed Roy’s talents as an accomplished "lead magician."

Roy grew up in India and is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. Find out more about his work and writings here.

More profile about the speaker
Siddhartha Roy | Speaker | TED.com
TEDxVirginiaTech

Siddhartha Roy: Science in service to the public good

Filmed:
1,061,085 views

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.
- Environmental engineer
Siddhartha Roy is an environmental engineer and science communicator who works at the nexus of water quality, public health and environmental justice. He and his team helped uncover the Flint, Michigan Water Crisis. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
Fresh out of college,
0
1196
1353
00:14
I went to work for a consulting firm.
1
2573
2551
00:17
During orientation,
the leaders dished out advice.
2
5148
3704
00:21
Amongst them was one pithy counsel
I will never forget.
3
9287
3583
00:25
He told us, "Be easy to manage."
4
13369
3302
00:28
Considering how naïve
I really was at the time,
5
16695
3789
00:32
I took his advice to heart.
6
20508
1767
00:34
I told myself,
7
22299
1495
00:35
"Yes, I will be the ultimate team player.
8
23818
2856
00:38
I will do everything I'm told.
9
26698
1943
00:40
I will be easy to manage."
10
28665
1886
00:43
It wasn't until I arrived
in graduate school
11
31658
2358
00:46
and witnessed firsthand the criminal
actions of scientists and engineers
12
34040
4916
00:50
in the water crisis in Flint, Michigan
13
38980
2729
00:53
that I realized how dangerous
and yet surprisingly common
14
41733
4558
00:58
this line of thinking really is.
15
46315
2018
01:00
Make no mistake:
16
48698
1167
01:01
the Flint water crisis is one of the most
egregious environmental injustices
17
49889
4642
01:06
of our time.
18
54555
1151
01:07
For over 18 months,
19
55730
1556
01:09
100,000 residents,
including thousands of young children,
20
57310
4082
01:13
were exposed to contaminated
drinking water with high levels of lead.
21
61416
3883
01:18
Lead is a potent neurotoxin
22
66040
1876
01:19
which causes cognitive
and developmental disabilities
23
67940
3740
01:23
and is especially harmful
to growing fetuses and young children.
24
71704
4212
01:28
We've known about its dangers
since the Roman Empire.
25
76457
3401
01:32
Amongst a whole host of health issues,
26
80799
2467
01:35
12 people died by contracting
Legionnaires' disease.
27
83290
3717
01:39
Flint's water infrastructure --
28
87541
1802
01:41
the complex network
of underground pipes --
29
89367
3081
01:44
has been severely damaged.
30
92472
2068
01:47
And while the water quality
is slowly improving
31
95116
3160
01:50
and the pipes are being replaced now,
32
98300
2051
01:52
more than two years later,
33
100375
1700
01:54
the water is still not safe to drink.
34
102099
2350
01:58
So, people are still in shock.
35
106276
2885
02:01
They ask themselves,
36
109185
1308
02:02
"How could this have happened?"
37
110517
1681
02:05
The short answer is: the crisis began
when an emergency manager,
38
113083
4787
02:09
appointed by Michigan's governor,
39
117894
2425
02:12
decided to switch their water source
to a local river to save money.
40
120343
4458
02:17
But it continued for so long
41
125327
1895
02:19
because scientists and engineers
at government agencies
42
127246
3637
02:22
in the state of Michigan
and in the federal government
43
130907
3055
02:25
did not follow federal regulations
for treating the water right.
44
133986
3509
02:30
What was more,
45
138921
1198
02:32
they actively cheated on the law
and orchestrated cover-ups.
46
140143
3502
02:36
They ridiculed residents asking for help,
47
144045
2931
02:39
while publicly insisting that the brown,
smelly water coming out of the tap
48
147000
4460
02:43
was safe to drink.
49
151484
1273
02:45
The system at the local, state
and federal levels completely failed
50
153748
5665
02:51
to protect our most vulnerable,
51
159437
1992
02:53
and an entire population
was left to fend for itself.
52
161453
3657
02:58
Now, amidst this injustice,
Flint residents were rallying together.
53
166200
4760
03:02
Amongst them were some
amazing women of Flint --
54
170984
3131
03:06
mothers concerned about their kids --
55
174139
2001
03:08
who came together forming
many grassroots coalitions,
56
176164
3893
03:12
and these groups started protesting
and demanding change.
57
180081
3825
03:16
The group also reached out
to outside scientists for help,
58
184488
3738
03:20
and a few responded.
59
188250
1536
03:22
Amongst them was a guy
named Miguel Del Toral,
60
190471
3488
03:25
a water expert at the US EPA --
the Environmental Protection Agency --
61
193983
4678
03:30
who actually wrote this scientific memo
62
198685
2563
03:33
and sent it to the state of Michigan
and the federal government
63
201272
3140
03:36
to bring their attention to this problem.
64
204436
2364
03:39
He was characterized a "rogue employee,"
65
207281
2566
03:41
and silenced.
66
209871
1464
03:44
In collaboration with Flint residents,
67
212722
2792
03:47
our research team here at Tech,
68
215538
2334
03:49
of students and scientists
led by professor Marc Edwards,
69
217896
3262
03:53
conducted citywide testing
70
221182
2138
03:55
to prove that Flint's water
was indeed contaminated,
71
223344
3008
03:58
even toxic in some homes.
72
226376
2278
04:01
We substantiated what Flint
had been screaming for months,
73
229535
3139
04:04
and put it on the Internet
for the world to see.
74
232698
3148
04:07
Now, when I was getting involved,
75
235870
2978
04:10
when I said yes to this,
76
238872
1394
04:12
I had no idea what I was getting into.
77
240290
2475
04:15
But every second of this journey
has been totally worth it.
78
243457
3699
04:19
This was science
in service to the public.
79
247180
2765
04:21
This is what I came
to graduate school for,
80
249969
2529
04:24
and this is how I would rather
spend my life.
81
252522
2773
04:27
And so this coalition --
82
255880
2014
04:29
this unlikely coalition of citizens,
pastors, journalists and scientists --
83
257918
4893
04:34
came together to uncover the truth
using science, advocacy and activism.
84
262835
4400
04:39
A local pediatrician figured out
85
267685
2133
04:41
that the instances of childhood
lead poisoning had indeed doubled
86
269842
4339
04:46
in Flint during the crisis.
87
274205
1811
04:49
And the state of Michigan was forced
to acknowledge the problem
88
277124
3687
04:52
and take steps to correct it.
89
280835
2520
04:55
This group and many others
got Flint's kids protected.
90
283379
3536
05:00
A few months later,
91
288006
1170
05:01
President Obama came in
and declared a federal emergency,
92
289200
3469
05:04
and now Flint is getting
more than 600 million dollars
93
292693
3508
05:08
in healthcare, nutrition, education
94
296225
3399
05:11
and overhauling
their water infrastructure.
95
299648
2318
05:15
However, the arrogance and the callous
disregard for public health
96
303130
5757
05:20
shown by scientists and engineers
at these government agencies
97
308911
4428
05:25
is beyond belief.
98
313363
1403
05:27
These unhealthy cultures
that are festering in these groups,
99
315719
3542
05:31
where the focus is on meeting
regulations and checking boxes
100
319285
3945
05:35
as opposed to protecting public health,
101
323254
2150
05:37
is just appalling.
102
325428
1473
05:39
Just consider this email
that an EPA employee wrote,
103
327596
4301
05:43
where she goes,
104
331921
2222
05:46
"I'm not so sure Flint is a community
we want to go out on a limb for."
105
334167
4148
05:51
The dehumanization of an entire population
could not be more obvious.
106
339990
4346
05:56
Now, contrast that to the first
canon of engineering,
107
344851
4909
06:01
which, in my opinion, should be
the first law of humanity:
108
349784
3261
06:05
"To hold paramount the health,
safety and welfare of the public,"
109
353069
4077
06:09
above all else.
110
357170
1670
06:10
This is the Hippocratic Oath
we've rarely acknowledged,
111
358864
3444
06:14
let alone embraced.
112
362332
1358
06:16
And so when scientists and engineers,
very much like medical doctors,
113
364549
4226
06:20
screw up,
114
368799
1249
06:22
people can get hurt --
115
370072
1841
06:23
even die.
116
371937
1371
06:25
If our professionals and even
students fail to get that,
117
373332
4545
06:29
society pays a huge price.
118
377901
2054
06:33
Buried deep in history lies
a character I deeply admire --
119
381652
4201
06:37
an engineer named Peter Palchinsky.
120
385877
3141
06:41
He lived in the time of the Soviet Union.
121
389042
2897
06:44
And Palchinsky repeatedly got in trouble
for his radical honesty
122
392367
4992
06:49
and willingness to point out major flaws
in the Soviets' mindless pursuit
123
397383
5555
06:54
of rapid industrialization.
124
402962
1933
06:57
Everyone was expected to follow orders
coming from the top.
125
405729
4018
07:01
Anyone asking questions
or offering feedback was unwelcome.
126
409771
3899
07:06
The Soviets had created the largest army
of engineers the world had ever seen,
127
414354
5278
07:11
and yet most of them were mere cogs
in a gigantic machine heading for doom.
128
419656
5041
07:17
Palchinsky, on the other hand,
implored engineers
129
425464
3042
07:20
to look at the economic, political
and social consequences of their actions;
130
428530
5336
07:25
in other words, be more public-focused.
131
433890
2989
07:28
His fearless voice of reason
was seen as a threat
132
436903
3799
07:32
to the political establishment,
133
440726
1817
07:34
and Joseph Stalin
had him executed in 1929.
134
442567
3770
07:39
Palchinsky's view on technocrats
is very different
135
447691
4162
07:43
from one that is still very popular,
still very common --
136
451877
5350
07:49
that of a dispassionate researcher
working in his ivory tower lab,
137
457251
5709
07:54
or a nerdy engineer
working in his cubicle.
138
462984
2967
07:58
Brilliant, no doubt,
139
466518
2292
08:00
yet somehow cut off from the world,
140
468834
1930
08:02
shows little emotion --
141
470788
2212
08:05
kind of like Spock
from "Star Trek," you know?
142
473024
3333
08:08
This guy.
143
476947
1236
08:10
(Laughter)
144
478207
1597
08:11
Let's try and do the Spock salute.
145
479828
1771
08:14
I don't think I'll succeed ...
146
482276
1586
08:16
See, I can't be Spock.
147
484999
1641
08:18
Thank goodness I can't be Spock.
148
486664
2138
08:20
(Laughter)
149
488826
1150
08:23
I was reminded of this distinction
because a recent article came out
150
491332
4757
08:28
in a very reputed scientific journal,
151
496113
3226
08:31
which kind of characterized our Flint work
as driven by "youthful idealism,"
152
499363
5323
08:36
and "Hollywood's dramatic sensibilities."
153
504710
2679
08:39
It asks scientists to protect
their research funding and institutions
154
507413
5491
08:44
at all costs, no matter
how just the cause.
155
512928
3351
08:48
And if you think you have to get
involved in something,
156
516303
3322
08:51
even if it's an emergency,
157
519649
2035
08:53
try finding an activist group or an NGO,
158
521708
4153
08:57
and obtain the full support
of the academic community --
159
525885
2996
09:00
whatever that means --
160
528905
1338
09:02
before you get involved.
161
530267
1712
09:04
Not one mention of our moral
and professional obligation
162
532627
4145
09:08
of preventing harm to the public,
163
536796
2063
09:10
or the fact that we have
all this expertise,
164
538883
3369
09:14
resources and, for some, even tenure
165
542276
3025
09:17
to, you know, accomplish this task.
166
545325
2646
09:20
I'm not saying every scientist
should be an activist.
167
548777
2728
09:23
There are real and sometimes very painful
consequences of speaking up.
168
551529
4819
09:28
But to denounce this idea,
this possibility so completely
169
556372
4831
09:33
so that you can protect research funding,
170
561227
2396
09:35
simply screams of self-serving cowardice,
171
563647
2625
09:38
and these are not the ideals
we would want to pass to our students.
172
566296
5201
09:44
And so you may think,
"OK, all this sounds great,
173
572570
3362
09:47
but you'll never completely change
organizational cultures,
174
575956
3623
09:51
or imbibe mindsets in students
and professionals
175
579603
4047
09:55
to look at their work as a public good --
176
583674
2637
09:58
science in service to the public."
177
586335
2060
10:01
Maybe so.
178
589067
1463
10:02
But could a big reason for that be
179
590554
2242
10:04
that we are not training
our students right?
180
592820
2660
10:08
Because if you look closely,
181
596021
2302
10:10
our education system today
is focused more on creating
182
598347
4912
10:15
what ex-Yale professor Bill Deresiewicz
calls "excellent sheep" --
183
603283
5055
10:20
young people who are smart and ambitious,
184
608362
2855
10:23
and yet somehow risk-averse,
timid, directionless
185
611241
4904
10:28
and, sometimes, full of themselves.
186
616169
2802
10:30
Now, kids ... you know,
187
618995
1919
10:32
we fell in love with science
when we were kids,
188
620938
2616
10:35
and yet we somehow spend most of our time
during high school and college
189
623578
4302
10:39
just jumping through hoops
190
627904
1497
10:41
and doing things
so that we can polish our résumé
191
629425
3467
10:44
instead of sitting down
192
632916
1670
10:46
and reflecting on what we want to do
and who we want to be.
193
634610
4519
10:53
And so,
194
641132
1266
10:55
the markers of empathy
in our college graduates
195
643624
3635
10:59
have been dropping dramatically
in the past two decades,
196
647283
3143
11:02
while those of narcissism are on the rise.
197
650450
2726
11:05
There is also a growing culture
of disengagement
198
653200
2671
11:07
between engineering students
and the public.
199
655895
2933
11:11
We are trained to build bridges
and solve complex problems
200
659611
5274
11:16
but not how to think or live
or be a citizen of this world.
201
664909
5014
11:21
My undergraduate years
were explicit job preparation,
202
669947
4393
11:26
and I cannot tell you how suffocating
and painful it was at times.
203
674364
4206
11:31
And so,
204
679928
1612
11:33
some people think the solution
to great engineers, to great scientists,
205
681564
3577
11:37
is more technical training.
206
685165
1804
11:38
Maybe so.
207
686993
1233
11:40
But where are the discussions
on ethical decision-making,
208
688250
3494
11:43
or building character,
209
691768
1825
11:45
or discerning right from wrong?
210
693617
2840
11:49
Consider this project
that I deeply love and admire.
211
697622
4366
11:54
It's called, "Heroic Imagination Project."
212
702012
2778
11:56
A brainchild of Dr. Phil Zimbardo,
213
704814
2623
11:59
famous for the Stanford Prison Experiment,
214
707461
2778
12:02
this program seeks to train
school-going children around the world
215
710263
5245
12:07
to look at themselves
as heroes-in-waiting,
216
715532
3440
12:10
or heroes-in-training.
217
718996
1916
12:12
So, these young minds work over time
to develop skills and virtues
218
720936
5351
12:18
so that when the opportunity comes,
219
726311
2160
12:20
no matter what that opportunity be,
220
728495
2570
12:23
to stand up and do the right thing.
221
731089
2608
12:26
In other words,
222
734360
1287
12:27
anyone can be a hero.
223
735671
1917
12:30
Think about that idea for a second.
224
738407
2117
12:33
Why don't we teach science
and engineering like that --
225
741131
3108
12:36
where heroism and public service
are seen as key values,
226
744263
4378
12:40
because indeed, it's often heroism
227
748665
2618
12:43
that is not only the antidote
to public indifference,
228
751307
3748
12:47
but also to systemic evil
like we saw in Flint.
229
755079
3957
12:52
And so, dream with me
230
760137
1434
12:53
what a 21st-century scientist
slash engineer could look like:
231
761595
4157
12:57
individuals who are driven
to master the sciences
232
765776
3553
13:01
so that they can serve society,
233
769353
1974
13:03
and are also aware
234
771351
1194
13:04
of the tremendous power
their knowledge and decisions have;
235
772569
3476
13:08
folks who are developing
their moral courage at all times,
236
776540
3743
13:12
and who realize that conflict
and controversy
237
780307
3786
13:16
are not necessarily bad things
238
784117
2104
13:18
if our ultimate loyalty
is to the public and the planet.
239
786245
3655
13:22
These are the people who will
stand up like we did in Flint --
240
790821
5042
13:27
not to be saviors or heroes in the media,
241
795887
3735
13:31
but altruistic and fundamentally good
actors that you and I can trust.
242
799646
6951
13:39
Imagine fostering
such a public-focused mindset
243
807717
4793
13:44
in classes, on service trips
and during activities
244
812534
3455
13:48
during college or even high school,
245
816013
2342
13:50
so that these young minds
will hold onto those ideals
246
818379
3814
13:54
when they actually enter the real world,
247
822217
2472
13:56
whether that be consulting,
academia, policy making --
248
824713
4123
14:00
or even becoming
the president of a country.
249
828860
2792
14:05
Some of mankind's greatest
challenges lie ahead of us;
250
833542
3548
14:09
contaminated drinking water
is just one example.
251
837114
3007
14:12
We could definitely use more --
252
840591
2070
14:14
nay, we desperately need more --
compassionate upstanders
253
842685
4987
14:19
and public-focused
scientists and engineers
254
847696
3134
14:22
who will strive to the do right thing,
255
850854
2009
14:24
and not be easy to manage.
256
852887
2012
14:26
Thank you.
257
854923
1171
14:28
(Applause)
258
856118
4524
Translated by Leslie Gauthier
Reviewed by Camille Martínez

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Siddhartha Roy - Environmental engineer
Siddhartha Roy is an environmental engineer and science communicator who works at the nexus of water quality, public health and environmental justice. He and his team helped uncover the Flint, Michigan Water Crisis.

Why you should listen

Perennially distracted, Siddhartha Roy has spent the last five years studying failures in drinking water infrastructure (leaky pipes), lamenting the way the water industry communicates with the American public and writing about the rise of perverse incentives in research academia. He also serves as the Student Leader of the research team that used citizen science, laboratory experiments, field sampling, investigative journalism and social media to expose the Flint Water Crisis. These efforts led to a declaration of a national public health emergency by President Barack Obama in January 2016, garnered more than $600 million in relief for Flint residents and informed a long overdue debate on "safe" water in America.

Roy is incredulous that quoting a free conference T-shirt in 2014 made him the "Future of Water." He has taken a step back and is now merely a "Rising Star of the Water Industry." He suspects Virginia Tech awarded him their 2017 Graduate Student of the Year award not for his "selfless service contributions and commitment to citizen scholarship," as they claim, but to deter him from spending long hours at cafes staring into space and get back in the laboratory instead. Roy also specializes in speaking with reporters for hours and ensuring only his cusswords get quoted, like this WIRED magazine piece. Grist.org’s Chip Giller notes that Roy "speaks with conviction, passion, and focus" but had Giller paid close attention, he would not have missed Roy’s talents as an accomplished "lead magician."

Roy grew up in India and is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. Find out more about his work and writings here.

More profile about the speaker
Siddhartha Roy | Speaker | TED.com