Siddhartha Roy: Science in service to the public good
Сиддхартха Рой: Наука на службе общественного благополучия
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
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the leaders dished out advice.
I will never forget.
я никогда не забуду.
легко руководить».
I really was at the time,
in graduate school
actions of scientists and engineers
учёных и инженеров
в г. Флинт, штат Мичиган,
and yet surprisingly common
и в то же время удивительно типичным
egregious environmental injustices
вопиющих экологических несправедливостей
including thousands of young children,
drinking water with high levels of lead.
and developmental disabilities
познавательных и умственных способностей
to growing fetuses and young children.
для плода в утробе и малышей.
since the Roman Empire.
со времён Римской империи.
целого ряда проблем со здоровьем,
Legionnaires' disease.
of underground pipes --
is slowly improving
постепенно улучшается,
when an emergency manager,
когда антикризисный управляющий,
to a local river to save money.
их источник воды к местной реке.
at government agencies
в правительственных агентствах
and in the federal government
for treating the water right.
and orchestrated cover-ups.
и утаивали нарушения.
просящими о помощи,
smelly water coming out of the tap
зловонную воду из крана
and federal levels completely failed
от городских до федеральных,
was left to fend for itself.
на произвол судьбы.
Flint residents were rallying together.
жители Флинта объединились.
amazing women of Flint --
many grassroots coalitions,
and demanding change.
to outside scientists for help,
named Miguel Del Toral,
Мигель Дель Тораль,
the Environmental Protection Agency --
по охране окружающей среды США,
and the federal government
и федеральное правительство,
к этой проблеме.
led by professor Marc Edwards,
профессора Марка Эдвардса,
was indeed contaminated,
had been screaming for months,
о чём месяцами кричали жители,
for the world to see.
на всеобщее обозрение.
has been totally worth it.
in service to the public.
to graduate school for,
spend my life.
pastors, journalists and scientists --
пасторов, журналистов и учёных —
using science, advocacy and activism.
правдолюбия и активной позиции.
lead poisoning had indeed doubled
свинцом удвоились
to acknowledge the problem
пришлось признать проблему
got Flint's kids protected.
защитила детей города Флинт.
and declared a federal emergency,
чрезвычайное положение,
more than 600 million dollars
более 600 миллионов долларов
their water infrastructure.
системы водоснабжения.
disregard for public health
чёрствости и неуважения к здоровью граждан
at these government agencies
правительственных агентств
that are festering in these groups,
словно гной, у групп людей,
regulations and checking boxes
соблюдение правил и заполнение анкет
that an EPA employee wrote,
написанными сотрудницей
we want to go out on a limb for."
ради населения такого города, как Флинт».
could not be more obvious.
canon of engineering,
с первой заповедью инженера,
the first law of humanity:
первым законом человечности:
safety and welfare of the public,"
и благополучия граждан» —
we've rarely acknowledged,
редко признаваемая,
very much like medical doctors,
так же как и врачи,
students fail to get that,
не могут понять этого,
a character I deeply admire --
которым я восхищаюсь, —
for his radical honesty
в неприятности из-за своей честности
in the Soviets' mindless pursuit
бездумной погони Советов
coming from the top.
приказы «верхушки».
or offering feedback was unwelcome.
или выдвигал предложения, были неугодны.
of engineers the world had ever seen,
армию инженеров в мире,
in a gigantic machine heading for doom.
гигантской машины на пути к гибели.
implored engineers
and social consequences of their actions;
и социальные последствиях их действий;
к проблемам общества.
was seen as a threat
казался угрозой
had him executed in 1929.
is very different
сильно отличался
still very common --
working in his ivory tower lab,
оторванный от реальности,
working in his cubicle.
from "Star Trek," you know?
«Звёздный путь», понимаете?
because a recent article came out
недавно вышедшая статья
в ней говорилось,
as driven by "youthful idealism,"
«идеализм юности»
their research funding and institutions
финансирование исследований и институты
how just the cause.
involved in something,
что вам надо вмешаться,
или общественную организацию
of the academic community --
и профессиональном долге
and professional obligation
когда людям наносится вред,
all this expertise,
прочной позицией
should be an activist.
должен быть активистом.
consequences of speaking up.
и иногда печальным последствиям.
this possibility so completely
самой идеи, возможности,
финансирования исследований
о корысти и трусости,
we would want to pass to our students.
которые мы бы хотели передать студентам.
"OK, all this sounds great,
«В теории звучит отлично,
organizational cultures,
корпоративную культуру
and professionals
как общественное благо —
our students right?
is focused more on creating
нацелена на создание тех,
calls "excellent sheep" --
назвал «первоклассными баранами» —
timid, directionless
не имеющих цели
when we were kids,
during high school and college
в старших классах и колледже
so that we can polish our résumé
and who we want to be.
чем мы хотим заняться и кем стать.
in our college graduates
у наших выпускников
in the past two decades,
существенно снизилась,
of disengagement
and the public.
and solve complex problems
и решать сложные проблемы,
or be a citizen of this world.
или быть гражданином этого мира.
were explicit job preparation,
подготовкой к работе,
and painful it was at times.
больно, душило меня.
to great engineers, to great scientists,
для инженера, для учёного —
on ethical decision-making,
принятия решений,
that I deeply love and admire.
который я люблю и которым восхищаюсь.
«Проект героического мышления».
тюремному эксперименту,
school-going children around the world
школьников по всему миру
as heroes-in-waiting,
to develop skills and virtues
навыки и моральные принципы,
and engineering like that --
и инженерному делу в таком ключе —
are seen as key values,
рассматриваются как основные ценности,
to public indifference,
like we saw in Flint.
как мы увидели во Флинте.
slash engineer could look like:
будет выглядеть так:
to master the sciences
their knowledge and decisions have;
their moral courage at all times,
свою силу духа,
and controversy
is to the public and the planet.
обществу и планете.
stand up like we did in Flint --
спасителями или героями в СМИ,
actors that you and I can trust.
намерениями, которым можно верить.
such a public-focused mindset
направленного на нужды общества уклада
and during activities
и во время прочих занятий
will hold onto those ideals
будут придерживаться этих идеалов,
academia, policy making --
университетская среда, политика —
the president of a country.
президента страны.
challenges lie ahead of us;
проблемы человечества;
is just one example.
лишь один пример.
compassionate upstanders
в большем числе сочувствующих соратников,
scientists and engineers
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Siddhartha Roy - Environmental engineerSiddhartha 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.
Siddhartha Roy | Speaker | TED.com