Last month, TEDxMeritAcademy hosted an inspiring event featuring seven talented teen speakers who showcased their innovative projects aimed at making a positive impact on the world. This year, the event was hosted at the 418 Project in Santa Cruz, CA. Each young visionary shared their unique ideas, from groundbreaking environmental solutions to cutting-edge technologies and social initiatives. Their presentations captivated the audience, highlighting the power of youth-driven innovation and the potential for these projects to transform communities and industries alike. The event served as a platform for these extraordinary teens to inspire others to think creatively and take action toward meaningful change.
Brandon Xu
The 2020 Northern Complex Fire destroyed 318, 935 acres of land and turned the skies over Northern California a dark orange from chemicals trapping carbon dioxide particles. As a middle schooler, Brandon Xu vividly remembers the acrid air and wondered what could be done to mitigate these types of natural disasters in the future. As a senior, he investigated whether mycelium, fungal threads that grow in the soil beneath mushrooms, could be used to create a drywall alternative that holds up to construction standards. Not only will his mycelium wall be better in disaster situations, it also reduces carbon emissions.
Miles Elliott
Globally, we have reached a staggering 400 million tons of plastic consumption each year. Americans use an average of .75 pounds of plastic on a daily basis–that’s like throwing away over 35 pens worth of plastic every day. While some replacement bioplastics exist, Miles Elliott, a senior in the Bay Area, wanted to see if he could add to the conversation by focusing on plastics for household use. He created a bioplastic film alternative made from potato, alfalfa, and kelp and discovered that not only was it a viable replacement, but it even looked as clear as the “real” thing!
Abigail Mathew
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety rates have risen by 25% and one in five teens experiences symptoms of anxiety or depression. When confronted with growing anxiety among her peers, sophomore Abigail Mathew used her enthusiasm for homeopathic remedies to explore an alternative medication without some of the harsh side effects of prescription anxiety meds. Her research led her to passion flower, a plant native to the southeastern US, that has been used in conjunction with other herbs as an anxiety treatment before, but never studied independently. Preliminary studies show a positive correlation between heart rate reduction and passion flower use.
Katie Luong
It is no secret that the education system in the United States is chronically underfunded. Schools across America suffer from massive teacher shortages, a lack of up-to-date technological resources, and a problem with both physical and mental student safety. To solve these problems, Bay Area senior Katie Luong looks to add to the Department of Education budget through a system of taxing the wealthiest 1%, 0.1%, and 0.01% of Americans using a sliding scale based on income. Her formula would see a negligible percentage of those Americans’ taxes being used to benefit millions of children across the country.
Isha Bajpai
Stories connect us, but with the growing digital divide between generations, it is harder for those narratives to be shared. More importantly, there is not a straightforward method for saving those stories for future generations. In an effort to “store the past in the future,” senior Isha Bajpai created Video Time Capsule, an app designed to make it easy for generations to share stories from their past without the confusion present in social media platforms. Inspired by stories of Isha’s family from India, the app provides prompts to help people feel comfortable sharing the stories that make them uniquely themselves.
Kaaviya Aravind
For years, Delhi has been labeled as one of the most polluted cities in the world as a result of burning waste, unchecked vehicle emissions, and firecrackers lit during religious celebrations. But while the air quality is so poor that at times it’s like smoking thirty cigarettes a day, small changes have been made and the daily AQI decreased by 29.4% from 2022 to 2023. Inspired by the communal changes made in her hometown, senior Kaaviya Aravind created PlanetPoints, an app that helps users see how their own small efforts towards sustainability can pay off in a big way.
Last month, TEDxMeritAcademy hosted an inspiring event featuring seven talented teen speakers who showcased their innovative projects aimed at making a positive impact on the world. This year, the event was hosted at the 418 Project in Santa Cruz, CA. Each young visionary shared their unique ideas, from groundbreaking environmental solutions to cutting-edge technologies and social initiatives. Their presentations captivated the audience, highlighting the power of youth-driven innovation and the potential for these projects to transform communities and industries alike. The event served as a platform for these extraordinary teens to inspire others to think creatively and take action toward meaningful change.
Brandon Xu
The 2020 Northern Complex Fire destroyed 318, 935 acres of land and turned the skies over Northern California a dark orange from chemicals trapping carbon dioxide particles. As a middle schooler, Brandon Xu vividly remembers the acrid air and wondered what could be done to mitigate these types of natural disasters in the future. As a senior, he investigated whether mycelium, fungal threads that grow in the soil beneath mushrooms, could be used to create a drywall alternative that holds up to construction standards. Not only will his mycelium wall be better in disaster situations, it also reduces carbon emissions.
Miles Elliott
Globally, we have reached a staggering 400 million tons of plastic consumption each year. Americans use an average of .75 pounds of plastic on a daily basis–that’s like throwing away over 35 pens worth of plastic every day. While some replacement bioplastics exist, Miles Elliott, a senior in the Bay Area, wanted to see if he could add to the conversation by focusing on plastics for household use. He created a bioplastic film alternative made from potato, alfalfa, and kelp and discovered that not only was it a viable replacement, but it even looked as clear as the “real” thing!
Abigail Mathew
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety rates have risen by 25% and one in five teens experiences symptoms of anxiety or depression. When confronted with growing anxiety among her peers, sophomore Abigail Mathew used her enthusiasm for homeopathic remedies to explore an alternative medication without some of the harsh side effects of prescription anxiety meds. Her research led her to passion flower, a plant native to the southeastern US, that has been used in conjunction with other herbs as an anxiety treatment before, but never studied independently. Preliminary studies show a positive correlation between heart rate reduction and passion flower use.
Katie Luong
It is no secret that the education system in the United States is chronically underfunded. Schools across America suffer from massive teacher shortages, a lack of up-to-date technological resources, and a problem with both physical and mental student safety. To solve these problems, Bay Area senior Katie Luong looks to add to the Department of Education budget through a system of taxing the wealthiest 1%, 0.1%, and 0.01% of Americans using a sliding scale based on income. Her formula would see a negligible percentage of those Americans’ taxes being used to benefit millions of children across the country.
Isha Bajpai
Stories connect us, but with the growing digital divide between generations, it is harder for those narratives to be shared. More importantly, there is not a straightforward method for saving those stories for future generations. In an effort to “store the past in the future,” senior Isha Bajpai created Video Time Capsule, an app designed to make it easy for generations to share stories from their past without the confusion present in social media platforms. Inspired by stories of Isha’s family from India, the app provides prompts to help people feel comfortable sharing the stories that make them uniquely themselves.
Kaaviya Aravind
For years, Delhi has been labeled as one of the most polluted cities in the world as a result of burning waste, unchecked vehicle emissions, and firecrackers lit during religious celebrations. But while the air quality is so poor that at times it’s like smoking thirty cigarettes a day, small changes have been made and the daily AQI decreased by 29.4% from 2022 to 2023. Inspired by the communal changes made in her hometown, senior Kaaviya Aravind created PlanetPoints, an app that helps users see how their own small efforts towards sustainability can pay off in a big way.
We have an exciting lineup of speakers this year! Join us to learn about ideas worth spreading.
A Drug-Free Alternative Treatment for IBD by Nicholas Tran
Today, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is rapidly spreading with the Westernization of our diets, causing an influx of unhealthy processed foods which cause catastrophic and irreversible damage to our gut. IBD is lifelong and unpredictable in nature, casting a heavy toll on a patient’s mental health, especially those diagnosed with early onset IBD. Nicholas discusses the gaps within IBD treatment and offers his own solution, an app focused on improving patient quality of life through positive nutrition.
At 14, Nicholas was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. He fundraises to find a cure and organizes events to bring his community together. Nicholas also enjoys playing golf with his dad, and with his free time, he explores ingredients and creates new and friendly recipes that spice up the culinary delights of IBD patients.
Spice, Medicine, or Both?: Turmeric & Health by Neha Surendar
Ayurveda, a 5,000 year old holistic healing system, focuses on balancing bodily systems to maintain health. A critical ingredient in Indian cooking and medicine, turmeric has a long tradition as a versatile spice. As Western healthcare becomes more focused on pharmaceuticals, Neha Surendar believes turmeric and its antioxidative properties should be part of the conversation about treating a variety of conditions. Her talk challenges the audience to consider how turmeric can impact their health.
Neha Surendar is a high school senior who lives in Texas. She competes in Speech & Debate, ranking among the top 25 students in Texas. Neha embraces her Desi culture and recently took an interest in learning about its culinary traditions. Upon graduation, Neha intends to study neuroscience and pursue a career in healthcare.
Using Technology to Address Homelessness by Aidan Levan
In 2022, San Jose spent $116 million on homelessness. As the homeless population rises, action must be taken. Aidan Levan created an app called Loved Ones Are Found to help connect the homeless with their loved ones. Through crowdsourcing, this app can locate the homeless and reconnect them with their families while also getting them off the streets. Whether families are looking for their lost homeless loved one or a homeless person is looking for their family, people can reunite through the app.
Aidan Levan is the creator of the app, Loved Ones Are Found. He is fascinated by mechanical engineering, guitars, and cars. He plays lead guitar in his band, and he enjoys to play rock music. Aidan just came back from South Africa and Vietnam. He loves to travel with his family and play with his two poodles. He hopes to become a mechanical engineer and design cars.
Track a Gun: A Crowdsourcing Solution to Active-Shooter Violence by Kiran Sunil
Over the past 9 months, there have been over 25,000 deaths by gun violence. Kiran created Track A Gun, an app that empowers communities to prevent gun violence. Through crowdsourcing, this app can help people share what they see and hear in real time so victims can decide to run for shelter, hide from the shooter, or protect loved ones during an active-shooter incident. Join Kiran to learn how innovation and the power of collective action can foster safer, more connected communities.
Kiran Sunil is a high school senior from San Jose. He enjoys playing tennis and basketball, as well as participating in programming and robotics competitions. He aspires to continue studying computer science, and pursue a career in software development. He is determined to leverage technology to reduce gun violence.
How Vaping is Affecting More Than Just Your Lungs by Mehtaab Dhillon
Vaping is this generation’s new medium to consume nicotine and weed, and like cigarettes, users are getting more than just nicotine and weed. A concerning portion of the youth is falling victim to the propaganda of Big Tobacco who has framed vaping as a healthy alternative to smoking cigarettes. New research shows that this is the case. With the recent global pandemic, it is important to understand vaping’s effects of vaping on our immune system and with the help of controlled research, expose Big Tobacco’s lies.
Mehtaab Dhillon is a high school senior from the Central Valley. He aspires to become a physician and master communication to become the most effective physician possible. Along with effective communication, Mehtaab wishes to create a healthier society fueled by his passion for Biology and Chemistry. For fun, Mehtaab enjoys distance running and spending time with family.
Trauma on the brain by Daisy Payton
The neurobiological effects of PTSD can vary based on personal touch. PTSD is caused by extreme trauma and is seen most in women and people of color. Research shows that long term experience of traumatic stress has drastic impacts on specific structures of the brain, like the prefrontal cortex. These disruptions can affect the ability to regulate emotion, learn, and form new memories and it looks different in every gender, demographic and stage of development. It is treatable.
Daisy attended the University of San Francisco and received her degree in Psychology and minor in Neuroscience. Currently, she runs her family’s ranch and cares for her hoard of animals. She’s applying to Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience PhD programs this fall and plans to research genetics, neural basis of emotion, and psychopathology.
Proud of these speakers for sharing their ideas about solving our climate crisis and improving healthcare here in the US and around the world. We’ll post their TEDx videos as soon as they’re approved by TED.
Many premature babies die each year because they do not have access to basic care and technology. Nishi created a low-cost neonatal incubator that can maintain a temperature of 34-35 degrees Celsius for up to four hours without the use of technology. So far, her Impact Incubators has distributed 100 incubators in rural areas of India.
About Nishi Dharia:
Nishi Dharia is a senior in high school from Milpitas, CA. Next year in college, she plans to major in Biochemistry and hopes to become a gynecologist after medical school. She also loves fashion designing and plans to explore this industry in her spare time.
Come see Nishi Dharia at TEDxMeritAcademy at the Rio Theatre on Nov 7th at 1:00-3:00 pm in Santa Cruz, CA.
In 2020, over 18,000 structures were burned in wildfires across the country. These fires are often caused by small individual embers and not just engulfed by direct flame contact. As a result, the building materials used can be the difference between protecting a home and losing it to fire. Anush Anand identifies the problem with vinyl products and illustrates the risk homeowners take when relying on vinyl through statistics, reasoning, and a demonstration. He also discusses solutions and proposes potential legislation to have a positive, long-lasting impact on home protection in the future.
About Anush Anand:
Anush Anand is a high school senior in Sunnyvale, California and enjoys community service, soccer, and Boy Scouts. He also competes in FBLA and Robotics and works as a youth soccer referee. Anush hopes to dramatically reduce the vinyl used in home protection and plans on continuing to advocate for fire prevention.
Come hear Alisha’s talk on Sunday, November 7th, 2019 at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz.
Our world is transforming into a dangerous place full of people dying from carcinogens in our drinking water. This water contamination occurs as a result of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which is a process where high pressure fracking fluid is injected underground to extract fuel and natural gas. The fracking fluid contains over 1100 chemicals, and these chemicals seep into our drinking water. Alisha discusses the adverse health implications of these contaminants as well as her progress in finding a water filtration solution.
About Alisha Bhatia:
Alisha Bhatia is a junior in high school who is interested in biochemistry, neuroscience, and psychology. She also enjoys spending time with friends and family, watching movies, and taking personality tests. Her goal is to spread awareness about the urgency of the clean water crisis yet provide hope in the midst of these challenging times.
Come hear our brilliant and innovative speakers share their ideas worth spreading at our COUNTDOWN hosted by TEDxMeritAcademy. This year we’re focusing on climate crisis and healthcare solutions.
Rio Theatre
Santa Cruz, CA
Sunday, Nov 7th
1:00-3:00 pm
Get your tickets at tedxmeritacademy.com/tickets
In today’s podcast, TEDx speaker Sethumadhav Perumalla talks about his new book “Trumpists: The Art of the Tweet”. It’s a great interview that covers a lot ground, including how Generation Z responds to misinformation, and how this affects our democracy and our future.
To listen to today’s podcast, find GakkoMom on iTunes and subscribe to it, or listen below:
In September, Merit Academy hosted TEDxMeritAcademy at DNA’s Comedy Lab in Santa Cruz.
Zachary George was a featured speaker, and his TEDx Talk is embedded below.
“What If We Restructured the School Calendar?” by Zachary George
Zachary proposes that we alter the traditional school schedule by replacing long summer vacation with seven, evenly distributed, one-week breaks. This revised schedule would have the same amount of learning time, just spread out to encourage a better work/life balance. By adopting Zachary’s new schedule, students will benefit by not losing academic momentum during the summer, having a consistent and supportive schedule, experiencing less burnout, and increasing their school attendance. Zachary’s schedule is not only advantageous to students but also to parents and teachers.
About Zachary George: Zachary George is a high school senior and does many activities outside of school relating to teaching through mentoring, leadership positions, and tutoring at his local high school and middle school. Zachary hopes to help improve his teaching skills and the world of education.
Our TEDxMeritAcademy debut at the Rio Theatre was a huge success!
With 9 dynamic speakers, 1 music video, and 2 TED pre-recorded speakers, we introduced innovative solutions to climate change, overpopulation, and plastic up-cycling, as well as exploring black holes in the universe and contemplating racism in America.
We’ll post our TEDx videos soon to share these ideas worth spreading!
