Our population is rapidly increasing, and our food supply can barely keep up. Pests relentlessly attack crops, threatening the stability of our food supply. Pesticides are necessary to stop these pests, but the use of these only harm us and the environment around us. It seems as if it’s an inescapable dilemma — do we protect our environment or our food supply? But do we really need to answer this question at all? In his speech, Ishan discusses the application of the mushroom Cordyceps militaris as a highly effective pesticide that poses no threat to the environment, as well as the health problems that pesticides pose to us as humans.
About Ishan Bhatia:
Ishan Bhatia is a junior in high school and is interested in researching a variety of scientific ideas and topics, as well as specific fields such as biochemistry and neuroscience. He also plays the French Horn and in his free time, he likes to hang out with friends, sing, and play video games.
Come see Ishan Bhatia at TEDxMeritAcademy’s COUNTDOWN at the Rio Theatre on Nov 7th at 1:00-3:00 pm in Santa Cruz, CA.
Our population is rapidly increasing, and our food supply can barely keep up. Pests relentlessly attack crops, threatening the stability of our food supply. Pesticides are necessary to stop these pests, but the use of these only harm us and the environment around us. It seems as if it’s an inescapable dilemma — do we protect our environment or our food supply? But do we really need to answer this question at all? In his speech, Ishan discusses the application of the mushroom Cordyceps militaris as a highly effective pesticide that poses no threat to the environment, as well as the health problems that pesticides pose to us as humans.
About Ishan Bhatia:
Ishan Bhatia is a junior in high school and is interested in researching a variety of scientific ideas and topics, as well as specific fields such as biochemistry and neuroscience. He also plays the French Horn and in his free time, he likes to hang out with friends, sing, and play video games.
Come see Ishan Bhatia at TEDxMeritAcademy’s COUNTDOWN at the Rio Theatre on Nov 7th at 1:00-3:00 pm in Santa Cruz, CA.
Tim Niemier asks if we can come up with a universal way of measuring what we do as individuals, what our governments do, and what our corporations do or don’t do. Do we want to depend on our government or corporations to act and regulate or can we do it ourselves?
About Tim Niemier:
Tim Niemier grew up in Malibu and designed the first sit-on-top kayak, which became a multi-million dollar business, Ocean Kayaks. Tim lives in Bellingham, WA, where he is launching his most recent creation: the Origami Paddler — a paddleboard that folds into thirds for easy transportation. A true environmentalist, Tim has ideas worth spreading.
Come see Tim Niemier at TEDxMeritAcademy’s COUNTDOWN at the Rio Theatre on Nov 7th at 1:00-3:00 pm in Santa Cruz, CA.
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.