Creativity break: When did you first realize that you liked algebra

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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(whimsical electronic music)

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(clicking)

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- One day, my family
was building this fence

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around my chicken coop.

00:00:17.260 --> 00:00:19.400
'Cause there were problems with raccoons.

00:00:19.400 --> 00:00:22.400
And we wanted to make sure
that the perimeter of the fence

00:00:22.400 --> 00:00:26.950
was twice the the length of the width.

00:00:26.950 --> 00:00:27.787
And I remember thinking,

00:00:27.787 --> 00:00:30.457
"This is exactly like my algebra class.

00:00:30.457 --> 00:00:35.457
"I'm actually doing
things that are useful."

00:00:35.490 --> 00:00:39.040
Algebra wasn't just something
that you do on paper,

00:00:39.040 --> 00:00:42.110
it was actually protecting
the lives of my chickens.

00:00:42.110 --> 00:00:44.150
So I felt like that was a moment for me

00:00:44.150 --> 00:00:47.070
where math is useful to the world,

00:00:47.070 --> 00:00:49.580
and we're solving real problems with it,

00:00:49.580 --> 00:00:51.370
and it's really powerful.

00:00:51.370 --> 00:00:54.230
- So I realized that
I first liked algebra,

00:00:54.230 --> 00:00:57.090
and just math in general,
my first year in college,

00:00:57.090 --> 00:00:58.770
I was a little bit of a late bloomer

00:00:58.770 --> 00:01:00.730
in realizing the importance of math.

00:01:00.730 --> 00:01:02.940
I was taking an early statistics course

00:01:02.940 --> 00:01:04.700
for my psychology degree.

00:01:04.700 --> 00:01:06.690
And I really began to understand

00:01:06.690 --> 00:01:08.910
how the concepts that I were learning

00:01:10.370 --> 00:01:12.900
could help me understand
the world around me better

00:01:12.900 --> 00:01:16.630
in a more concrete, fluid, and rich way.

00:01:16.630 --> 00:01:18.450
And so being able to make that connection

00:01:18.450 --> 00:01:20.710
from these things that I'm
learning in the classroom

00:01:20.710 --> 00:01:21.660
out into the real world,

00:01:21.660 --> 00:01:23.470
so that I can under understand
different phenomenon,

00:01:23.470 --> 00:01:26.650
I can understand how various
things in our culture

00:01:26.650 --> 00:01:29.980
work and progress, really helped me

00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:32.220
and made me feel like I
had a deeper understanding

00:01:32.220 --> 00:01:35.560
for the importance of math and algebra.

00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:37.810
And from that point I've
really been in love.


Creativity break: How do you apply creativity in algebra

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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(gentle music)

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- So if you're trying to
communicate a complex topic,

00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:15.980
such as mathematics or
a mathematical problem

00:00:15.980 --> 00:00:17.410
to the general public,

00:00:17.410 --> 00:00:20.070
who might not be familiar
with the specifics

00:00:20.070 --> 00:00:21.194
behind that problem,

00:00:21.194 --> 00:00:22.950
there are many different ways

00:00:22.950 --> 00:00:25.418
to help you get that concept across.

00:00:25.418 --> 00:00:27.250
And one of the ways that we do this

00:00:27.250 --> 00:00:29.870
in mathematical is to use videos

00:00:29.870 --> 00:00:32.700
and things that are visually
appealing to people.

00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:34.980
So by using lots of visual aids,

00:00:34.980 --> 00:00:37.670
so bright colors and cartoons,

00:00:37.670 --> 00:00:40.610
and word prompts on your screen,

00:00:40.610 --> 00:00:44.620
you can engage and capture
the audience in different ways

00:00:44.620 --> 00:00:45.773
that you might not be able to do

00:00:45.773 --> 00:00:47.700
if you're just speaking

00:00:47.700 --> 00:00:49.830
in terms of equations and mathematics.

00:00:49.830 --> 00:00:51.160
- When we're more creative

00:00:51.160 --> 00:00:53.600
about how we present and
how we talk about math

00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:54.810
it makes it more relatable

00:00:54.810 --> 00:00:57.280
to people from a variety of backgrounds

00:00:57.280 --> 00:00:59.243
and cultures and experiences.

00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:01.710
When we are creative

00:01:01.710 --> 00:01:06.110
in how we explain or how we
relate mathematical concepts,

00:01:06.110 --> 00:01:08.490
we can use things from
sports, entertainment,

00:01:08.490 --> 00:01:11.140
or real world to help
really ground the principles

00:01:11.140 --> 00:01:12.320
that we're learning

00:01:12.320 --> 00:01:14.940
and the theories that we're
learning to something relatable.

00:01:14.940 --> 00:01:17.760
So the more creative we can
be in explaining how math

00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:19.330
is related to the world around us,

00:01:19.330 --> 00:01:22.180
how it's related to things
that we are invested in,

00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:25.010
the more likely it is to resonate
with the people around us.

00:01:25.010 --> 00:01:27.110
- As soon as a problem is posed

00:01:27.110 --> 00:01:30.660
our instinct is to find the solution.

00:01:30.660 --> 00:01:33.340
But remember, often there's
more than one solution

00:01:33.340 --> 00:01:35.401
and usually there's more
than one path to it.

00:01:35.401 --> 00:01:37.984
(gentle music)


Creativity break: Why is creativity important in STEM jobs?

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Language: en

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(soft upbeat music)

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- I think my idea of how
creativity works in STEM jobs

00:00:14.760 --> 00:00:18.270
has changed since I've gone to college.

00:00:18.270 --> 00:00:20.240
I used to think that
all the mathematicians

00:00:20.240 --> 00:00:22.890
would be locked away in some office

00:00:22.890 --> 00:00:24.130
and typing on the computers

00:00:24.130 --> 00:00:26.410
or writing down equations by themselves

00:00:26.410 --> 00:00:28.890
and coming up with
incredibly beautiful ideas

00:00:28.890 --> 00:00:30.160
just by themselves.

00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:32.100
But I'm realizing now that I'm in college

00:00:32.100 --> 00:00:35.210
that mathematics and creativity,

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it's a lot about communication,

00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:37.713
and it's a lot about

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trying to build off of each other's ideas

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and bounce ideas off of each other

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and build upon ideas that
have already been made

00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:48.940
by people decades ago.

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And I think that the facts
that we all come with it,

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with our own perspectives,

00:00:53.590 --> 00:00:58.359
and different ideas and
different ways of being creative

00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:01.020
allows math to advance further,

00:01:01.020 --> 00:01:03.760
because we can all
combine our creative ideas

00:01:03.760 --> 00:01:04.960
into something bigger.

00:01:04.960 --> 00:01:07.700
- We collect data on everything, right?

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And so the ability to use that data

00:01:09.860 --> 00:01:13.510
in a smart, safe, and efficient way

00:01:13.510 --> 00:01:17.170
depends on new applications
of mathematical concepts

00:01:17.170 --> 00:01:19.833
to these new and innovative data sets.

00:01:20.850 --> 00:01:22.150
As we get to that point,

00:01:22.150 --> 00:01:24.438
we'll start to be thinking
outside the box a lot more,

00:01:24.438 --> 00:01:28.560
and we'll be a much more
innovative, digital society,

00:01:28.560 --> 00:01:31.260
but that can't happen unless
we start trying to be creative,

00:01:31.260 --> 00:01:33.839
and not just rely on tried and true.

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(soft upbeat music)


Creativity break: Why is creativity important in algebra?

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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(upbeat music)

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- It's all about solving problems.

00:00:13.620 --> 00:00:16.210
It's not about, like
maybe in previous years

00:00:16.210 --> 00:00:19.760
you've done multiplication
table memorization.

00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:22.350
It's not like memorizing
how to solve problems.

00:00:22.350 --> 00:00:24.880
It's learning the tools
of how to solve problems

00:00:24.880 --> 00:00:28.760
and then using them and building
them up in creative ways.

00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:31.330
So it really does remind me of art

00:00:31.330 --> 00:00:34.340
because if you are doing
a painting or something,

00:00:34.340 --> 00:00:37.280
you have specific tools
about maybe paint brushes

00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:39.700
or different techniques you can use

00:00:39.700 --> 00:00:41.600
to create something bigger.

00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:46.100
So I feel like algebra is really
all about combining things

00:00:46.100 --> 00:00:48.980
that you already know how
to do into something bigger.

00:00:48.980 --> 00:00:53.980
- So the word algebra comes
from the Arabic word algebra

00:00:54.120 --> 00:00:59.120
that literally translates
to reunion of broken parts.

00:00:59.720 --> 00:01:03.470
This is breaking apart of
mathematical representations

00:01:03.470 --> 00:01:05.200
and putting it back together

00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:07.630
in the form of balanced equations

00:01:07.630 --> 00:01:09.530
is the essence of algebra.

00:01:09.530 --> 00:01:12.650
And the beautiful thing
is that this balancing

00:01:12.650 --> 00:01:16.360
and solving of equations can
be done in many different ways

00:01:16.360 --> 00:01:18.423
which is where creativity comes in.


Creativity in algebra

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.976 --> 00:00:03.559
(upbeat music)

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- Hi folks, Sal Khan here.

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And all I have to say is
that algebra is perhaps

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the most pure way of
expressing human thought.

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And like everything
dealing with human thought,

00:00:22.650 --> 00:00:24.443
it's incredibly creative.

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But you don't have to take my word for it.

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We have some of my good friends
to better draw that link

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between algebra and creativity.

00:00:34.871 --> 00:00:37.454
(upbeat music)

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- It's all out solving problems.

00:00:42.460 --> 00:00:45.050
It's not about like,
maybe in previous years,

00:00:45.050 --> 00:00:48.580
you've done multiplication
table memorization.

00:00:48.580 --> 00:00:51.170
It's not like memorizing
how to solve problems.

00:00:51.170 --> 00:00:53.720
It's learning the tools
of how to solve problems

00:00:53.720 --> 00:00:57.600
and then using them, and building
them up in creative ways.

00:00:57.600 --> 00:01:00.170
So it's kind of like, it
really does remind me of art,

00:01:00.170 --> 00:01:03.160
because if you are doing
like a painting or something,

00:01:03.160 --> 00:01:06.120
you have like a specific tools
about maybe paint brushes

00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:07.985
or different techniques you can use

00:01:07.985 --> 00:01:10.440
to create something bigger.

00:01:10.440 --> 00:01:14.940
So I feel like algebra is really
all about combining things

00:01:14.940 --> 00:01:17.800
that you already know how
to do into something bigger.

00:01:17.800 --> 00:01:22.800
- So the word algebra comes
from the Arabic word al-jabr,

00:01:22.930 --> 00:01:27.930
that literally translates
to reunion of broken parts.

00:01:28.560 --> 00:01:32.320
This breaking apart of
mathematic representations

00:01:32.320 --> 00:01:34.030
and putting it back together

00:01:34.030 --> 00:01:36.470
in the form of balanced equations,

00:01:36.470 --> 00:01:38.390
is the essence of algebra.

00:01:38.390 --> 00:01:39.790
And the beautiful thing is that

00:01:39.790 --> 00:01:42.890
this balancing and solving of equations

00:01:42.890 --> 00:01:45.210
can be done in many different ways,

00:01:45.210 --> 00:01:47.805
which is where creativity comes in.

00:01:47.805 --> 00:01:50.388
(upbeat music)

00:01:52.320 --> 00:01:54.970
- So if you're trying to
communicate a complex topic,

00:01:54.970 --> 00:01:57.700
such as mathematics or
a mathematical problem

00:01:57.700 --> 00:02:00.740
to the general public
who might not be familiar

00:02:00.740 --> 00:02:03.340
with the specifics behind that problem,

00:02:03.340 --> 00:02:04.670
there are many different ways

00:02:04.670 --> 00:02:07.530
to help you get that concept across.

00:02:07.530 --> 00:02:10.070
And one of the ways that
we do this in mathematicals

00:02:10.070 --> 00:02:12.120
is to use videos and things

00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:14.420
that are visually appealing to people.

00:02:14.420 --> 00:02:16.700
So by using lots of visual aids,

00:02:16.700 --> 00:02:19.400
so bright colors and cartoons,

00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:22.330
and word prompts on your screen,

00:02:22.330 --> 00:02:25.520
you can engage and capture the audience

00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:27.950
in different ways that you
might not be able to do

00:02:27.950 --> 00:02:29.920
if you're just speaking in terms

00:02:29.920 --> 00:02:31.540
of equations and mathematics.

00:02:31.540 --> 00:02:34.030
- When we're more creative
about how we present,

00:02:34.030 --> 00:02:35.300
and how we talk about math,

00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:37.040
it makes it more relatable to people

00:02:37.040 --> 00:02:41.220
from a variety of backgrounds
and cultures and experiences.

00:02:41.220 --> 00:02:44.820
When we are creative in how we explain,

00:02:44.820 --> 00:02:47.840
or how we relate mathematical concepts,

00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:51.150
we can use things from sports,
entertainment, or real world

00:02:51.150 --> 00:02:53.827
to help really ground the
principles that we're learning,

00:02:53.827 --> 00:02:56.660
and the theories that we're
learning to something relatable.

00:02:56.660 --> 00:02:59.480
So the more creative we can
be in explaining how math

00:02:59.480 --> 00:03:01.050
is related to the world around us,

00:03:01.050 --> 00:03:03.910
how it's related to things
that we are invested in,

00:03:03.910 --> 00:03:06.820
the more likely it is to resonate
with the people around us.

00:03:06.820 --> 00:03:08.850
- As soon as a problem is posed,

00:03:08.850 --> 00:03:12.380
our instinct is to find the solution.

00:03:12.380 --> 00:03:15.050
But remember, often there's
more than one solution.

00:03:15.050 --> 00:03:17.972
And usually there's more
than one path to it.

00:03:17.972 --> 00:03:20.889
(keyboard tapping)

00:03:23.060 --> 00:03:25.860
- One day my family
was building this fence

00:03:25.860 --> 00:03:29.070
around my chicken coop

00:03:29.070 --> 00:03:31.530
'cause there were problems with raccoons.

00:03:31.530 --> 00:03:32.660
And we wanted to make sure that,

00:03:32.660 --> 00:03:34.847
like the the perimeter
of the fence was like,

00:03:34.847 --> 00:03:38.920
twice the the length of the width.

00:03:38.920 --> 00:03:39.753
And I remember thinking,

00:03:39.753 --> 00:03:41.940
this is exactly like my algebra class.

00:03:41.940 --> 00:03:46.270
Like, I'm actually doing
things that are useful.

00:03:46.270 --> 00:03:49.180
And actually, like algebra
wasn't just something

00:03:49.180 --> 00:03:50.013
that you do on paper,

00:03:50.013 --> 00:03:52.370
it's something that like, it
was actually like protecting

00:03:52.370 --> 00:03:53.920
the lives of my chickens.

00:03:53.920 --> 00:03:55.990
So I felt like that was a moment for me

00:03:55.990 --> 00:03:58.920
where like math is useful to the worlds,

00:03:58.920 --> 00:04:01.410
and we're solving real problems with it,

00:04:01.410 --> 00:04:03.180
and it's really powerful.

00:04:03.180 --> 00:04:06.050
- So I realized that I first liked algebra

00:04:06.050 --> 00:04:07.790
and just math in general.

00:04:07.790 --> 00:04:08.930
My first year in college,

00:04:08.930 --> 00:04:10.610
I was a little bit of a late bloomer

00:04:10.610 --> 00:04:12.570
in realizing the importance of math.

00:04:12.570 --> 00:04:14.770
I was taking an early statistics course

00:04:14.770 --> 00:04:16.550
for my psychology degree,

00:04:16.550 --> 00:04:19.660
and I really began to
understand how the concepts

00:04:19.660 --> 00:04:23.400
that I were learning
could help me understand

00:04:23.400 --> 00:04:26.532
the world around me
better in a more concrete,

00:04:26.532 --> 00:04:28.470
fluid and rich way.

00:04:28.470 --> 00:04:30.280
And so being able to make that connection

00:04:30.280 --> 00:04:32.550
from these things that I'm
learning in the classroom,

00:04:32.550 --> 00:04:33.490
out into the real world,

00:04:33.490 --> 00:04:35.300
so I can understand different phenomenon,

00:04:35.300 --> 00:04:37.770
I can understand how various things

00:04:37.770 --> 00:04:40.347
in our culture work and progress,

00:04:40.347 --> 00:04:42.550
really helped me and made me feel

00:04:42.550 --> 00:04:43.704
like I had a deeper understanding

00:04:43.704 --> 00:04:47.390
for the importance of math and algebra.

00:04:47.390 --> 00:04:49.724
And from that point,
I've really been in love.

00:04:49.724 --> 00:04:52.307
(upbeat music)

00:04:54.870 --> 00:04:56.720
- In order to get more creative,

00:04:56.720 --> 00:04:59.840
I would encourage young
people to be not afraid

00:04:59.840 --> 00:05:01.320
of making mistakes.

00:05:01.320 --> 00:05:06.130
It's okay to fail while
exploring a new trail of thought.

00:05:06.130 --> 00:05:08.580
Know that usually there
is more than one solution

00:05:08.580 --> 00:05:09.970
to the problem.

00:05:09.970 --> 00:05:14.970
Math is as much about posing
problems as problem solving.

00:05:15.470 --> 00:05:18.410
And at that point, creativity is noticing

00:05:18.410 --> 00:05:20.830
where there is something
worthwhile investigating.

00:05:20.830 --> 00:05:23.700
- As a student in math, I think
it's important to remember

00:05:23.700 --> 00:05:28.690
that math isn't just like
random symbols on paper.

00:05:28.690 --> 00:05:33.110
Like, math can mean something,
and it's pretty powerful

00:05:33.110 --> 00:05:36.320
that you as a student, can
build something that uses math.

00:05:36.320 --> 00:05:38.820
Creativity in math isn't
just about being able

00:05:38.820 --> 00:05:40.340
to pluck numbers from the air and like,

00:05:40.340 --> 00:05:42.020
oh yes, I know the solution.

00:05:42.020 --> 00:05:45.930
It's about being able to use problems

00:05:45.930 --> 00:05:47.603
that help with your daily life.


Creative algebra at work

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.254 --> 00:00:02.754
(light music)

00:00:11.780 --> 00:00:13.760
- Hi, everyone, Sal Khan here.

00:00:13.760 --> 00:00:16.700
I've always been drawn to creative things.

00:00:16.700 --> 00:00:19.380
I like to see, change
new things in the world,

00:00:19.380 --> 00:00:20.450
and because of that,

00:00:20.450 --> 00:00:22.340
I've been drawn to careers

00:00:22.340 --> 00:00:25.130
where I can most apply my creativity,

00:00:25.130 --> 00:00:27.900
especially in an abstract sense.

00:00:27.900 --> 00:00:31.760
And algebra is perhaps the
purest expression of creativity,

00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:33.700
and that's why I've worked in everything

00:00:33.700 --> 00:00:37.730
from computer programming,
to product design,

00:00:37.730 --> 00:00:40.490
to a hedge fund analyst,

00:00:40.490 --> 00:00:42.130
where you're investing in stocks.

00:00:42.130 --> 00:00:43.040
And in all of them,

00:00:43.040 --> 00:00:47.670
it was incredibly creative
and used a lot of algebra.

00:00:47.670 --> 00:00:49.290
But don't take my word for it.

00:00:49.290 --> 00:00:50.880
You're going to meet some of my friends

00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:53.280
who can tell you a lot
more about the connection

00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:57.202
between algebra and work and creativity.

00:00:57.202 --> 00:00:58.626
(typewriter typing)

00:00:58.626 --> 00:01:01.800
(light music continues)

00:01:01.800 --> 00:01:04.830
- I think my idea of how creativity works

00:01:04.830 --> 00:01:09.420
in STEM jobs has changed
since I've gotten to college.

00:01:09.420 --> 00:01:11.560
I used to think that
all the mathematicians

00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:14.170
would be just locked away in some office

00:01:14.170 --> 00:01:17.060
and typing on their computers
or writing down equations

00:01:17.060 --> 00:01:20.210
by themselves and coming up
with incredibly beautiful ideas

00:01:20.210 --> 00:01:21.480
just by themselves.

00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:23.420
But I'm realizing now that I'm in college

00:01:23.420 --> 00:01:26.530
that mathematics and creativity,

00:01:26.530 --> 00:01:28.190
it's a lot about communication

00:01:28.190 --> 00:01:30.890
and it's a lot about trying to build off

00:01:30.890 --> 00:01:34.330
of each other's ideas and
bounce ideas off of each other

00:01:34.330 --> 00:01:38.510
and build upon ideas that
have already been made

00:01:38.510 --> 00:01:40.260
by people decades ago.

00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:43.820
And I think that the facts
that we all come with it,

00:01:43.820 --> 00:01:46.717
with our own perspectives
and different ideas

00:01:46.717 --> 00:01:49.990
and different ways of being creative,

00:01:49.990 --> 00:01:52.330
allows math to advance further.

00:01:52.330 --> 00:01:55.080
Because we can all
combine our creative ideas

00:01:55.080 --> 00:01:56.270
into something bigger.

00:01:56.270 --> 00:01:58.603
- We collect data on everything.

00:01:59.690 --> 00:02:03.810
The ability to use that
data in a smart, safe,

00:02:03.810 --> 00:02:07.120
and efficient way depends
on new applications

00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:08.490
of mathematical concepts

00:02:08.490 --> 00:02:11.143
to these new and innovative data sets.

00:02:12.180 --> 00:02:13.470
As we get to that point,

00:02:13.470 --> 00:02:16.400
we'll start to be thinking
outside the box a lot more

00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:19.870
and we'll be a much more
innovative digital society.

00:02:19.870 --> 00:02:22.610
But that can't happen unless
we start trying to be creative

00:02:22.610 --> 00:02:25.204
and not just rely on tried and true.

00:02:25.204 --> 00:02:26.552
(typewriter typing)

00:02:26.552 --> 00:02:29.580
(light music continues)

00:02:29.580 --> 00:02:31.440
- Creativity's really important for me

00:02:31.440 --> 00:02:33.840
as a future job, as a
part of my future job.

00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:37.610
I would want to do something that changes

00:02:37.610 --> 00:02:40.680
and then I can use
problem-solving skills constantly.

00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:42.620
I feel like when I make animations

00:02:42.620 --> 00:02:45.510
or when I figure out how
to explain something,

00:02:45.510 --> 00:02:48.040
I am really, I love that,

00:02:48.040 --> 00:02:50.420
because it's, there's so
many different solutions,

00:02:50.420 --> 00:02:53.010
but knowing that you can
try to find and experiment

00:02:53.010 --> 00:02:55.840
with different ones and maybe
create something beautiful

00:02:55.840 --> 00:02:59.220
is really, I don't know, inspiring to me.

00:02:59.220 --> 00:03:01.980
- Mathematigals is an
educational initiative

00:03:01.980 --> 00:03:03.110
that I co-founded

00:03:03.110 --> 00:03:05.960
with a fellow mathematician,
Jess Williams,

00:03:05.960 --> 00:03:08.530
and what we're trying
to do is make maths fun

00:03:08.530 --> 00:03:10.900
and accessible and encourage more girls

00:03:10.900 --> 00:03:13.870
to pursue careers in maths.

00:03:13.870 --> 00:03:15.810
Creativity is essential here

00:03:15.810 --> 00:03:17.670
because we're trying to think of ways

00:03:17.670 --> 00:03:20.620
that people will enjoy maths

00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:23.400
and it will be fun and accessible to them.

00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:25.780
Different creative techniques
that we've been using

00:03:25.780 --> 00:03:28.980
are trying to present
mathematical problems

00:03:28.980 --> 00:03:31.980
in fun, short videos

00:03:31.980 --> 00:03:34.280
and that explain the problem in a way

00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:36.100
that everybody will understand

00:03:36.100 --> 00:03:38.170
and will make them want to learn more

00:03:38.170 --> 00:03:41.140
and discover more about the
topics that we're talking about.

00:03:41.140 --> 00:03:46.140
- I'm really lucky that I
get to be creative every day

00:03:46.140 --> 00:03:49.300
in my work and I have been
since I got into this field

00:03:49.300 --> 00:03:50.460
of data science.

00:03:50.460 --> 00:03:54.340
In general, across the last
decade, my work has really been

00:03:54.340 --> 00:03:58.530
about designing and
testing innovative ways

00:03:58.530 --> 00:04:01.833
to capture human behavior
within game-based assessments.

00:04:02.860 --> 00:04:04.160
My collaborators and I,

00:04:04.160 --> 00:04:07.170
from the time I was in
graduate school to now,

00:04:07.170 --> 00:04:09.460
use a variety of different
modeling techniques

00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:10.440
from various fields.

00:04:10.440 --> 00:04:12.910
We'll pull things from engineering,

00:04:12.910 --> 00:04:16.880
aerospace, more basic mathematical models,

00:04:16.880 --> 00:04:18.710
to help us achieve this goal.

00:04:18.710 --> 00:04:20.330
We get to think outside the box.

00:04:20.330 --> 00:04:23.360
We get to think about how we
can pull in different types

00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:24.940
of thinking from different fields

00:04:24.940 --> 00:04:28.370
to help us better
understand human behavior,

00:04:28.370 --> 00:04:30.463
human cognition, learning.

00:04:31.800 --> 00:04:33.840
It's really exciting and really novel,

00:04:33.840 --> 00:04:35.090
and it's something that,

00:04:35.090 --> 00:04:36.610
because of the field that I'm in,

00:04:36.610 --> 00:04:39.556
I've been able to do this
now for multiple years.

00:04:39.556 --> 00:04:41.632
(typewriter typing)

00:04:41.632 --> 00:04:44.460
(light music continues)

00:04:44.460 --> 00:04:45.883
- Whenever I wanna have,

00:04:46.770 --> 00:04:49.500
come up with a solution to a
problem and I don't have it,

00:04:49.500 --> 00:04:54.270
my immediate reaction is to
go outside and go on a walk.

00:04:54.270 --> 00:04:56.420
I love walking in all kinds of weather.

00:04:56.420 --> 00:04:59.430
It's kind of, it's just,

00:04:59.430 --> 00:05:01.510
I feel like with the peace and calm,

00:05:01.510 --> 00:05:05.260
moving away from the problem
and stepping away from it,

00:05:05.260 --> 00:05:09.350
sometimes I get way better
ideas and it inspires me.

00:05:09.350 --> 00:05:10.720
But I also think there's
something to be said

00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:13.560
about not being inspired.

00:05:13.560 --> 00:05:15.260
Not always is amazing. (laughing)

00:05:15.260 --> 00:05:18.940
I feel like sometimes I
get struck with inspiration

00:05:18.940 --> 00:05:22.060
for how I want to explain
a Khan Academy video

00:05:22.060 --> 00:05:23.880
or how I wanna approach a piece of art

00:05:23.880 --> 00:05:27.000
or how I want to approach a math problem.

00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:28.820
But sometimes, it doesn't come.

00:05:28.820 --> 00:05:30.990
So I feel like what the best solution is

00:05:30.990 --> 00:05:32.920
when you are trying to get
into that creative zone

00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:34.820
and you can't is to just do it

00:05:34.820 --> 00:05:38.089
and try to do something anyway.

00:05:38.089 --> 00:05:41.120
Write something or write your equations.

00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:42.540
Try to figure it out.

00:05:42.540 --> 00:05:44.770
And if you make mistakes, that's okay.

00:05:44.770 --> 00:05:45.980
Because it's something to jump off of,

00:05:45.980 --> 00:05:49.370
and maybe, sometimes seeing
what you already know

00:05:49.370 --> 00:05:52.200
down on paper can help you
come up with better ideas

00:05:52.200 --> 00:05:53.860
and could help you be more creative.

00:05:53.860 --> 00:05:56.170
- Forcing yourself to
just conjure a solution

00:05:56.170 --> 00:05:57.520
simply does not work.

00:05:57.520 --> 00:05:59.310
Instead, take a break from a task.

00:05:59.310 --> 00:06:01.730
Pick something else up,
like a physical sport

00:06:01.730 --> 00:06:03.150
or even video games.

00:06:03.150 --> 00:06:05.210
And then come back to
the original problem.

00:06:05.210 --> 00:06:06.665
That can do wonders.

00:06:06.665 --> 00:06:08.490
(typewriter typing)

00:06:08.490 --> 00:06:11.823
(light music continues)

00:06:13.647 --> 00:06:17.100
- One of my biggest passions
is documentary filmmaking.

00:06:17.100 --> 00:06:19.390
I've been making videos
since I was in middle school.

00:06:19.390 --> 00:06:23.440
And I remember being, it
was always a challenge,

00:06:23.440 --> 00:06:25.070
because sometimes I wanted to do things,

00:06:25.070 --> 00:06:27.220
but I didn't have the equipment to do it.

00:06:27.220 --> 00:06:30.680
I really wanted to record
myself in a certain way,

00:06:30.680 --> 00:06:33.810
but there was no way for
anyone to hold the microphone,

00:06:33.810 --> 00:06:37.190
or I didn't have a dolly or
any expensive camera equipment.

00:06:37.190 --> 00:06:40.230
So, I remember,

00:06:40.230 --> 00:06:41.440
I think the most important thing to do

00:06:41.440 --> 00:06:43.200
is just use what you have.

00:06:43.200 --> 00:06:47.040
I would tape a cross-country
ski pole to my ceiling

00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:49.210
and hold the microphone that way.

00:06:49.210 --> 00:06:52.160
Or I would put a pillow in a box

00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:54.270
and then speak into the
microphone with that

00:06:54.270 --> 00:06:56.460
as my makeshift sound studio

00:06:56.460 --> 00:07:01.460
or make a tripod out of a pile of books.

00:07:01.460 --> 00:07:04.870
And I feel like it's
kinda the same with math.

00:07:04.870 --> 00:07:08.150
You are, sometimes, you
don't know how to solve

00:07:08.150 --> 00:07:10.100
a really big problem,

00:07:10.100 --> 00:07:12.730
and you only have all the
tools you've been taught

00:07:12.730 --> 00:07:13.880
up to that point.

00:07:13.880 --> 00:07:16.999
And maybe there is a
fancier way of getting

00:07:16.999 --> 00:07:19.180
to the solution, but a lotta the time,

00:07:19.180 --> 00:07:21.780
it's just about combining
things that you already have

00:07:21.780 --> 00:07:24.090
in your, that you've already learned,

00:07:24.090 --> 00:07:25.550
and coming up with a solution that way.

00:07:25.550 --> 00:07:29.250
And sometimes, that comes
up with some really creative

00:07:29.250 --> 00:07:32.332
and unexpected solutions to problems.

00:07:32.332 --> 00:07:33.610
(typewriter typing)

00:07:33.610 --> 00:07:36.210
(light music continues)

00:07:36.210 --> 00:07:39.830
- Algebra is really the unifying thread

00:07:39.830 --> 00:07:42.460
of almost all of mathematics.

00:07:42.460 --> 00:07:44.370
You may think algebra is boring,

00:07:44.370 --> 00:07:47.300
but it is the one tool you can use

00:07:47.300 --> 00:07:50.950
to not only understand
but unlock the universe.

00:07:50.950 --> 00:07:54.190
Creative algebra is used
in computer game design.

00:07:54.190 --> 00:07:58.170
It powers how artificial
intelligence works.

00:07:58.170 --> 00:08:00.340
Mastering algebra will provide you

00:08:00.340 --> 00:08:02.710
with the ability to decode and understand

00:08:02.710 --> 00:08:04.680
many complex systems.

00:08:04.680 --> 00:08:07.490
In my opinion, if you can master algebra,

00:08:07.490 --> 00:08:08.838
you can master anything.

00:08:08.838 --> 00:08:12.142
(light music continues)


The future of creativity in algebra

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.903
(upbeat music)

00:00:11.990 --> 00:00:13.850
- Hi everyone, Sal Khan here.

00:00:13.850 --> 00:00:16.090
If you look at most of human history,

00:00:16.090 --> 00:00:20.400
the top artists, the top
musicians were also mathematicians

00:00:20.400 --> 00:00:23.600
and also scientists and also engineers.

00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:28.160
And this convergence between
creativity and mathematics

00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:31.820
and science and engineering
is only accelerating.

00:00:31.820 --> 00:00:35.370
In the careers of the future,
algebra and creativity

00:00:35.370 --> 00:00:37.720
are gonna be that much more empowering,

00:00:37.720 --> 00:00:39.070
but don't take my word for it.

00:00:39.070 --> 00:00:41.030
You're about to meet
some of my close friends

00:00:41.030 --> 00:00:42.870
who can better draw that link

00:00:42.870 --> 00:00:47.123
between algebra and creativity
and the work of the future.

00:00:47.123 --> 00:00:49.790
(upbeat music)

00:00:53.017 --> 00:00:55.240
- The math underpins
everything in our universe,

00:00:55.240 --> 00:00:58.800
so it impacts every corner of our society.

00:00:58.800 --> 00:01:00.990
But over the past decade in particular,

00:01:00.990 --> 00:01:03.450
the advances in computer technology

00:01:03.450 --> 00:01:05.640
and introduction of machine learning

00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:08.930
and artificial intelligence
has been massive

00:01:08.930 --> 00:01:10.730
and we're only learning more and more

00:01:10.730 --> 00:01:12.910
and building better and better systems,

00:01:12.910 --> 00:01:15.150
and math underpins all of that

00:01:15.150 --> 00:01:17.910
and it's fundamental to
all of those systems.

00:01:17.910 --> 00:01:21.840
And in fact, computer science
is inherently linear algebra,

00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:25.730
so it's really foundational
to those scientific advances.

00:01:25.730 --> 00:01:29.000
- One relatively recent
example that really inspired me

00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:31.330
was the first real photo that scientists

00:01:31.330 --> 00:01:34.100
were able to capture of a black hole,

00:01:34.100 --> 00:01:37.360
the mysterious remnants of giant stars

00:01:37.360 --> 00:01:40.140
that lurk all over the universe.

00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:42.410
And it's the way that
scientists used creativity

00:01:42.410 --> 00:01:45.690
and math to solve the problem
that was so fascinating.

00:01:45.690 --> 00:01:47.780
You see, these black holes are so distant

00:01:47.780 --> 00:01:49.870
that there is no single telescope

00:01:49.870 --> 00:01:52.680
that is large enough to be
able to actually see them.

00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:55.560
And the scientists came
up with this clever idea,

00:01:55.560 --> 00:01:58.290
creating a network of small telescopes

00:01:58.290 --> 00:02:01.000
distributed all across the
globe that were synchronized

00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:05.280
to capture and focus the
same object at the same time

00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:08.130
creating a giant virtual telescope.

00:02:08.130 --> 00:02:10.800
Now the aperture of this
giant virtual telescope

00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:15.150
is nearly the same size as
a diameter of the Earth.

00:02:15.150 --> 00:02:17.520
And with that in place, the
scientists and engineers

00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:20.230
were able to capture all
the bits and pieces of data

00:02:20.230 --> 00:02:22.690
and put it all together
into the first image

00:02:22.690 --> 00:02:25.810
of a black hole that is
53 million light years,

00:02:25.810 --> 00:02:30.060
which is 318 quintillion miles away.

00:02:30.060 --> 00:02:33.384
Now that's an impressive
use of creativity and math.

00:02:33.384 --> 00:02:36.051
(upbeat music)

00:02:38.880 --> 00:02:41.540
- In the future, in
order to add innovation,

00:02:41.540 --> 00:02:42.730
students are gonna need skills

00:02:42.730 --> 00:02:44.900
such as creative problem solving,

00:02:44.900 --> 00:02:48.370
so not looking at things
from the same perspective,

00:02:48.370 --> 00:02:51.060
being able to ideate, so
come up with new ideas

00:02:51.060 --> 00:02:52.610
and divergent thinking, right,

00:02:52.610 --> 00:02:54.290
the ability to come up with ideas

00:02:54.290 --> 00:02:57.350
that are drastically
different from each other.

00:02:57.350 --> 00:02:59.320
Beyond creative problem
solving, students will also

00:02:59.320 --> 00:03:01.600
need to show adaptability.

00:03:01.600 --> 00:03:03.730
So the ability to pivot as the world

00:03:03.730 --> 00:03:06.430
and constraints around us kind of pivot.

00:03:06.430 --> 00:03:08.890
The STEM field is constantly evolving

00:03:08.890 --> 00:03:10.790
and it's growing as we
gain more knowledge,

00:03:10.790 --> 00:03:13.100
so students' ability to
be creative and adapt

00:03:13.100 --> 00:03:16.470
as the field adapts will
be critical for success,

00:03:16.470 --> 00:03:18.780
and for the ability to
innovate as we move forward.

00:03:18.780 --> 00:03:20.410
- Communication skills are always

00:03:20.410 --> 00:03:23.570
going to be essential for
furthering innovation.

00:03:23.570 --> 00:03:25.490
And this is because if you want to make

00:03:25.490 --> 00:03:27.650
a scientific advancement, you have to have

00:03:27.650 --> 00:03:29.260
a lot of people on your side.

00:03:29.260 --> 00:03:31.370
So you have to have funding bodies,

00:03:31.370 --> 00:03:33.210
you have to have other scientists,

00:03:33.210 --> 00:03:36.190
you have to have people
interested in what you're doing.

00:03:36.190 --> 00:03:39.110
So this means you have to
have the communication tools

00:03:39.110 --> 00:03:43.730
to communicate with all of
those different areas of people.

00:03:43.730 --> 00:03:45.870
So different ways that you
can learn to communicate

00:03:45.870 --> 00:03:48.790
with them are through
things like presentations,

00:03:48.790 --> 00:03:51.840
through visual aids, through videos.

00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:54.550
When you're preparing for
communication tools of the future,

00:03:54.550 --> 00:03:57.600
it's quite difficult to
know what those will be.

00:03:57.600 --> 00:04:00.210
So if we think back to 10 years ago,

00:04:00.210 --> 00:04:02.460
we didn't have things like TikTok,

00:04:02.460 --> 00:04:04.100
which is now a huge avenue

00:04:04.100 --> 00:04:06.960
for communicating things to young people.

00:04:06.960 --> 00:04:09.310
So that is something that
we've had to adapt to

00:04:09.310 --> 00:04:12.300
and to learn and tailor our communication

00:04:12.300 --> 00:04:15.640
during this new area of media.

00:04:15.640 --> 00:04:18.900
So having versatility,
if students are able

00:04:18.900 --> 00:04:21.780
to take the skills that
they have and apply them

00:04:21.780 --> 00:04:24.890
to new areas of communication,
they'll be prepared

00:04:24.890 --> 00:04:27.058
for the communication tools of the future.

00:04:27.058 --> 00:04:29.725
(upbeat music)

00:04:33.357 --> 00:04:35.210
- There are so many
ways that you can expand

00:04:35.210 --> 00:04:37.280
your creative and math skills without even

00:04:37.280 --> 00:04:38.730
really realizing that you're doing it.

00:04:38.730 --> 00:04:42.510
Like for me, I'm a big board game fan,

00:04:42.510 --> 00:04:44.840
and I realized that there's so many games

00:04:44.840 --> 00:04:49.740
that involve math and learning
how to solve problems.

00:04:49.740 --> 00:04:54.150
And sometimes just when you're cooking.

00:04:54.150 --> 00:04:56.940
I love to bake, and so I
feel like I'm constantly

00:04:56.940 --> 00:05:01.040
using fractions and learning
how to do proportions,

00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:02.650
just because I'm doing things that I love.

00:05:02.650 --> 00:05:05.060
So I feel like the best way to expand

00:05:05.060 --> 00:05:07.410
your mathematical and creative skills

00:05:07.410 --> 00:05:09.220
are just doing what you love to do,

00:05:09.220 --> 00:05:12.503
because probably it has
some kind of math in it,

00:05:12.503 --> 00:05:14.680
and some kind of creativity.

00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:17.970
- Try to connect what you're
learning to your real life.

00:05:17.970 --> 00:05:20.560
It's really easy to be in the classroom

00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:23.280
and think that it's
siloed, and it's orthogonal

00:05:23.280 --> 00:05:25.300
from the world around you.

00:05:25.300 --> 00:05:27.870
The more we can connect
what we're learning

00:05:27.870 --> 00:05:29.790
in the classroom to our real life,

00:05:29.790 --> 00:05:32.410
whether it be sports or entertainment,

00:05:32.410 --> 00:05:36.070
politics, news, whatever,
the connection that you make

00:05:36.070 --> 00:05:38.220
between math and your real
life will really help you

00:05:38.220 --> 00:05:40.590
appreciate the skills and the methods

00:05:40.590 --> 00:05:42.530
and find ways to transfer them

00:05:42.530 --> 00:05:45.229
outside of just the classroom alone.

00:05:45.229 --> 00:05:47.896
(upbeat music)

00:05:51.300 --> 00:05:54.240
- One of the newest ways of
thinking about problem solving

00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:58.970
for me is something that my
math professor would tell me.

00:05:58.970 --> 00:06:02.450
He would say, "Don't
be afraid to be stuck."

00:06:02.450 --> 00:06:06.760
And I think that a lot of the
time when we are doing math

00:06:06.760 --> 00:06:10.200
and we get stuck, sometimes it can be,

00:06:10.200 --> 00:06:12.980
you can feel like, "Wow,
this is a reflection of me

00:06:12.980 --> 00:06:14.570
and my mathematical abilities.

00:06:14.570 --> 00:06:16.660
Wow, maybe I shouldn't be doing math."

00:06:16.660 --> 00:06:20.100
But really a lot of the
time, it's just an indication

00:06:20.100 --> 00:06:23.010
that you need to spend
more time doing the math

00:06:23.010 --> 00:06:25.150
or figuring out what
the problem is exactly.

00:06:25.150 --> 00:06:26.600
If you haven't gotten stuck yet,

00:06:26.600 --> 00:06:30.310
then you probably will
get stuck at some point.

00:06:30.310 --> 00:06:33.220
So being stuck is just a part of math

00:06:33.220 --> 00:06:36.970
and it's kind of learning what to do

00:06:36.970 --> 00:06:39.817
when you are stuck is a really big part

00:06:40.954 --> 00:06:42.320
of being creative in math,

00:06:42.320 --> 00:06:44.980
and being able to solve
problems in the future.

00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:49.690
- One example that I often use is I often

00:06:49.690 --> 00:06:54.690
try to solve problems both in
the traditional algebraic way

00:06:56.670 --> 00:07:01.670
but I also try to visualize
problems in 2D and 3D space

00:07:02.870 --> 00:07:04.210
to solve them more visually.

00:07:04.210 --> 00:07:07.440
And so I think the more ways that you can

00:07:07.440 --> 00:07:09.840
figure out how to solve a problem,

00:07:09.840 --> 00:07:12.380
the more ways that you
can eventually sort of

00:07:12.380 --> 00:07:15.100
save in your toolbox and use later on

00:07:15.100 --> 00:07:17.260
to solve other problems.

00:07:17.260 --> 00:07:19.950
- There's lots of different
tools and resources

00:07:19.950 --> 00:07:23.410
like apps and puzzle games
that are gonna help you

00:07:23.410 --> 00:07:25.350
think about problems in new ways

00:07:25.350 --> 00:07:27.850
and help develop that critical thinking

00:07:27.850 --> 00:07:30.470
that you need to be able
to apply your skills

00:07:30.470 --> 00:07:32.780
to a lot of different areas.

00:07:32.780 --> 00:07:35.150
And sometimes even starting at the answer

00:07:35.150 --> 00:07:37.450
and working backwards through the problem

00:07:37.450 --> 00:07:40.980
can help you see a different
way of getting to the answer.

00:07:40.980 --> 00:07:42.250
- Students can combine new ways

00:07:42.250 --> 00:07:43.670
of thinking about problem solving

00:07:43.670 --> 00:07:45.440
by trying to look at it
from different angles.

00:07:45.440 --> 00:07:47.200
Anytime you approach a problem,

00:07:47.200 --> 00:07:49.720
If you're just looking at
it from your perspective,

00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:52.940
you're not gonna get a holistic
view of the solution space.

00:07:52.940 --> 00:07:56.390
So try to have perspectives
and look at the problem

00:07:56.390 --> 00:07:58.760
from multiple angles to understand

00:07:58.760 --> 00:08:00.610
all the ways in which it could be viewed.

00:08:00.610 --> 00:08:02.810
The more holistically you view a problem,

00:08:02.810 --> 00:08:05.100
the more paths you look
at, the more efficient

00:08:05.100 --> 00:08:07.300
and effective you're
gonna be at solving it.

00:08:08.393 --> 00:08:11.060
(upbeat music)

00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:15.640
- One of these that is
most interesting to me

00:08:15.640 --> 00:08:18.840
is the field of robotics
and the different ways

00:08:18.840 --> 00:08:22.220
machine learning will impact our society.

00:08:22.220 --> 00:08:25.670
So robotics combines lots
of math, lots of science,

00:08:25.670 --> 00:08:29.340
lots of technology, but
also socioeconomic factors

00:08:29.340 --> 00:08:31.700
such as human and robot trust.

00:08:31.700 --> 00:08:35.700
So how humans feel about
robots, how they trust them,

00:08:35.700 --> 00:08:37.960
and human/robot teams in the workplace,

00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:42.800
so how humans and robots work
together to accomplish a task.

00:08:42.800 --> 00:08:45.550
And creativity will be
hugely important here,

00:08:45.550 --> 00:08:47.990
so creativity is not
only gonna be important

00:08:47.990 --> 00:08:49.450
in designing the robots,

00:08:49.450 --> 00:08:52.880
they're very intricate,
very complex systems,

00:08:52.880 --> 00:08:55.010
and it'll require creativity to know

00:08:55.010 --> 00:08:58.040
exactly how to design
them to do their jobs,

00:08:58.040 --> 00:09:01.060
but also how to integrate
them into our everyday lives

00:09:01.060 --> 00:09:04.560
which is a total different
facet of creativity.

00:09:04.560 --> 00:09:06.540
And it's actually a new way of thinking

00:09:06.540 --> 00:09:08.740
because it hasn't really been done yet.

00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:10.747
So even though there are robots around us

00:09:10.747 --> 00:09:13.070
and we've seen them, you've got the Roomba

00:09:13.070 --> 00:09:15.210
who hoovers your living room,

00:09:15.210 --> 00:09:18.420
really where we're heading is
for robots to be everywhere

00:09:18.420 --> 00:09:20.980
and to be a really integral
part of our society.

00:09:20.980 --> 00:09:24.340
So preparing for that
change and using creativity

00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:25.990
to figure out the best way to do that

00:09:25.990 --> 00:09:29.078
will be a really important step
in innovation in the future.

00:09:29.078 --> 00:09:31.745
(upbeat music)


Creativity in biology

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.717 --> 00:00:05.717
(gentle rock music)
(marker scratches)

00:00:11.860 --> 00:00:14.130
- Hi, everyone, Sal Khan here.

00:00:14.130 --> 00:00:16.740
Biology is the study of living systems,

00:00:16.740 --> 00:00:17.950
and you can look all around you

00:00:17.950 --> 00:00:20.740
and even at yourself to
recognize that living systems

00:00:20.740 --> 00:00:21.660
and biology

00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:24.500
and nature is fundamentally creative.

00:00:24.500 --> 00:00:26.720
And for us to understand it,

00:00:26.720 --> 00:00:29.360
we have to be even more creative.

00:00:29.360 --> 00:00:31.340
But don't take my word for it.

00:00:31.340 --> 00:00:32.610
I'm gonna introduce you to some

00:00:32.610 --> 00:00:33.570
of my close friends

00:00:33.570 --> 00:00:37.290
who can even better draw
this link between biology

00:00:37.290 --> 00:00:38.283
and creativity.

00:00:39.305 --> 00:00:43.010
(keyboard keys clicking)
(marker scratching)

00:00:43.010 --> 00:00:45.350
- Creativity is super important in biology

00:00:45.350 --> 00:00:46.563
because it's hugely important

00:00:46.563 --> 00:00:48.470
(keyboard keys clicking)
in the process of evolution.

00:00:48.470 --> 00:00:50.900
Evolution often takes a winding path

00:00:50.900 --> 00:00:52.650
to get to what we see now,

00:00:52.650 --> 00:00:54.697
and if we wanna follow this path

00:00:54.697 --> 00:00:57.210
in an attempt to understand it,

00:00:57.210 --> 00:00:59.260
sometimes we've gotta be as resourceful

00:00:59.260 --> 00:01:01.340
and clever as evolution has been.

00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:04.560
That requires creativity
in how we solve problems,

00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:07.740
and even creativity in
the questions we ask.

00:01:07.740 --> 00:01:10.350
- Creativity is so important

00:01:10.350 --> 00:01:12.880
for anybody who is thinking
(keyboard keys clicking)

00:01:12.880 --> 00:01:14.750
about, who is studying biology.

00:01:14.750 --> 00:01:17.520
Because the question we're
trying to understand is not

00:01:17.520 --> 00:01:19.700
just, take in all the information

00:01:19.700 --> 00:01:21.960
that we know about biology.

00:01:21.960 --> 00:01:25.430
We want people to imagine what biology,

00:01:25.430 --> 00:01:26.932
what the natural world,

00:01:26.932 --> 00:01:29.226
what the physical world, you know,

00:01:29.226 --> 00:01:32.160
what our bodies can actually do,

00:01:32.160 --> 00:01:33.980
what our brains can do.

00:01:33.980 --> 00:01:35.190
And to be able to do that,

00:01:35.190 --> 00:01:38.420
you need to think out of
the box, you need to think

00:01:38.420 --> 00:01:41.040
about things that haven't
been thought about before,

00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:42.810
and that is why biology,

00:01:42.810 --> 00:01:46.490
that is why creativity is so critical

00:01:46.490 --> 00:01:48.690
for anybody studying biology.

00:01:48.690 --> 00:01:51.400
- Creativity isn't
exclusive just to the arts,

00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:53.113
but it also spans into science

00:01:53.113 --> 00:01:53.946
(keyboard keys clicking)
and technology

00:01:53.946 --> 00:01:54.779
and engineering

00:01:54.779 --> 00:01:55.670
and mathematics.

00:01:55.670 --> 00:01:56.503
Creativity

00:01:56.503 --> 00:01:58.440
and science comes down to,

00:01:58.440 --> 00:02:00.760
thinking about a problem or a situation,

00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:02.550
and how best to approach that problem

00:02:02.550 --> 00:02:04.700
or situation from multiple angles.

00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:07.440
So, when you approach a
problem in the real world,

00:02:07.440 --> 00:02:11.060
it won't be multiple choice,
like you may have in school.

00:02:11.060 --> 00:02:13.150
It actually would be
something that requires you

00:02:13.150 --> 00:02:15.880
to think about that particular situation,

00:02:15.880 --> 00:02:17.240
and apply other things you've learned

00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:18.430
about it to be creative,

00:02:18.430 --> 00:02:20.570
and to come up with answers

00:02:20.570 --> 00:02:22.870
that may not have been
familiar to you before.

00:02:23.814 --> 00:02:28.080
(keyboard keys clicking)
(marker scratching)

00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:29.960
- One question that people ask me is,

00:02:29.960 --> 00:02:32.670
how do I apply creativity

00:02:32.670 --> 00:02:33.924
to the presentations

00:02:33.924 --> 00:02:35.650
(keyboard keys clicking)
that I give?

00:02:35.650 --> 00:02:39.860
And my secret sauce is to come up

00:02:39.860 --> 00:02:43.260
with a visual image that anybody,

00:02:43.260 --> 00:02:44.490
I don't if you're the adult,

00:02:44.490 --> 00:02:46.410
whether you're a fifth
grader or second grader,

00:02:46.410 --> 00:02:48.810
that you can grasp that concept.

00:02:48.810 --> 00:02:50.350
And here's my favorite one.

00:02:50.350 --> 00:02:52.980
So every single time you move your body,

00:02:52.980 --> 00:02:55.090
there's whole bunches of neurochemicals

00:02:55.090 --> 00:02:57.700
that are released in your brain.

00:02:57.700 --> 00:03:00.080
And you've heard of these
neurochemicals: dopamine,

00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:02.650
noradrenaline, serotonin.

00:03:02.650 --> 00:03:04.170
And so, that's the fact,

00:03:04.170 --> 00:03:06.190
but the image that I give is

00:03:06.190 --> 00:03:08.550
that every single time you move your body,

00:03:08.550 --> 00:03:11.330
it's like giving your brain
a wonderful bubble bath

00:03:11.330 --> 00:03:14.100
of neurochemicals that enrich your brain,

00:03:14.100 --> 00:03:17.700
that change that neurochemical milieu,

00:03:17.700 --> 00:03:18.870
and that is the image

00:03:18.870 --> 00:03:22.020
that everybody that comes
to my talks leaves with,

00:03:22.020 --> 00:03:23.191
and inspires them a little bit

00:03:23.191 --> 00:03:24.970
(gentle electronic music)
to move their body more.

00:03:24.970 --> 00:03:27.170
So can you come up with that image,

00:03:27.170 --> 00:03:29.770
that playful, fun,

00:03:29.770 --> 00:03:32.840
but factually accurate image

00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:34.610
that conveys your message.

00:03:34.610 --> 00:03:36.860
That will be your secret sauce too.

00:03:36.860 --> 00:03:41.120
- Have you heard that the
bees aren't doing great?

00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:43.040
Well, I've been studying that,
(keyboard keys clicking)

00:03:43.040 --> 00:03:44.270
and trying to understand

00:03:44.270 --> 00:03:46.930
how their complex health issues connect

00:03:46.930 --> 00:03:48.690
to a curious little parasite

00:03:48.690 --> 00:03:52.500
that's in nearly every
honeybee colony worldwide.

00:03:52.500 --> 00:03:55.910
It's called Varroa Destructor, by the way.

00:03:55.910 --> 00:03:58.960
Now, before I started this study,

00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:00.490
we thought the that it was an open

00:04:00.490 --> 00:04:02.950
and shut case, that the
parasite was sucking

00:04:02.950 --> 00:04:06.840
out the bee's blood, sort
of like a tick on a puppy,

00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:10.620
but I thought something more
strange might be going on.

00:04:10.620 --> 00:04:13.000
The damage that it caused just didn't seem

00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:16.010
like the damage that would
be caused by blood removal.

00:04:16.010 --> 00:04:19.000
The feeding process is super
difficult to see though,

00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:22.420
so, I had this idea.

00:04:22.420 --> 00:04:25.880
I fed different color
glowing food to the bees

00:04:25.880 --> 00:04:26.713
in their pollen

00:04:26.713 --> 00:04:27.730
and their sugar water,

00:04:27.730 --> 00:04:30.750
to color their organs specific colors.

00:04:30.750 --> 00:04:34.250
Then, when the parasite fed on the bees,

00:04:34.250 --> 00:04:36.510
I could tell which organ it was eating,

00:04:36.510 --> 00:04:39.760
based on which color was
in its digestive system,

00:04:39.760 --> 00:04:43.430
and it turns out that they
were eating the bee's liver,

00:04:43.430 --> 00:04:46.641
by the way, which is pretty weird,

00:04:46.641 --> 00:04:49.890
but, this kind of work
is actually pretty fun.

00:04:49.890 --> 00:04:51.520
And it was definitely a place

00:04:51.520 --> 00:04:54.248
where creativity was rewarded in biology.

00:04:54.248 --> 00:04:59.248
(keyboard keys clicking)
(marker scratching)

00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:04.380
Some of the world's greatest
discoveries have been reached

00:05:04.380 --> 00:05:06.005
by applying creative thinking

00:05:06.005 --> 00:05:08.940
(keyboard keys clicking)
to scientific questions.

00:05:08.940 --> 00:05:10.330
Here's a good example.

00:05:10.330 --> 00:05:13.480
I have been super
inspired by the creativity

00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:15.840
of the Geiger-Marsden
gold foil experiments,

00:05:15.840 --> 00:05:17.280
since I was in high school.

00:05:17.280 --> 00:05:20.380
They have helped us understand
the structure of an atom,

00:05:20.380 --> 00:05:23.190
and atoms make up pretty much everything

00:05:23.190 --> 00:05:25.720
we can interact with,
biological or otherwise.

00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:28.660
Like, you can't see an atom,

00:05:28.660 --> 00:05:31.670
so, you've gotta get
creative to figure out

00:05:31.670 --> 00:05:33.590
how its pieces are all laid out.

00:05:33.590 --> 00:05:34.700
We used to think

00:05:34.700 --> 00:05:38.770
that its positive charge was
pretty evenly spread out,

00:05:38.770 --> 00:05:41.810
but this research team fired a beam

00:05:41.810 --> 00:05:44.440
of positively charged
particles at gold atoms,

00:05:44.440 --> 00:05:46.850
and found that a bunch
of them bounced off,

00:05:46.850 --> 00:05:50.300
while even more of them
passed straight through.

00:05:50.300 --> 00:05:53.740
And this suggested that
the positive charge

00:05:53.740 --> 00:05:56.200
in the atom was concentrated
in a small part,

00:05:56.200 --> 00:05:58.860
because some of the positive
particles were upheld,

00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:02.980
like the two positive poles
of like, two separate magnets,

00:06:02.980 --> 00:06:06.240
but much of the rest of the
atom must be empty space,

00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:08.720
because a bunch of the
particles passed right through.

00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:11.010
Because of this absolutely genius way

00:06:11.010 --> 00:06:13.050
of visualizing what we can't see,

00:06:13.050 --> 00:06:15.480
we now know the structure of the stuff

00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:18.833
that makes up the observable universe.

00:06:18.833 --> 00:06:20.140
(upbeat synthpop music)
And, because

00:06:20.140 --> 00:06:22.160
of this pioneering research,

00:06:22.160 --> 00:06:25.310
we've got everything from nuclear power

00:06:25.310 --> 00:06:28.601
to MRI machines, even the
life saving technology

00:06:28.601 --> 00:06:31.543
that's inside of the smoke
detectors in your home.

00:06:31.543 --> 00:06:35.840
(keyboard keys clicking)
(marker scratching)

00:06:35.840 --> 00:06:39.719
So, the first step discoveries
is always the same.

00:06:39.719 --> 00:06:41.640
(keyboard keys clicking)
Figure out your question.

00:06:41.640 --> 00:06:44.650
Maybe you wanna know where
fireflies go during the day,

00:06:44.650 --> 00:06:47.610
or how mosquitoes find people to bite.

00:06:47.610 --> 00:06:50.810
And then you should create a hypothesis.

00:06:50.810 --> 00:06:52.177
Maybe mosquitoes find people

00:06:52.177 --> 00:06:54.230
by following the smell of sweat

00:06:54.230 --> 00:06:57.339
and their breath, then
consider what must be true

00:06:57.339 --> 00:07:00.090
for your hypothesis to be true.

00:07:00.090 --> 00:07:03.120
You might not be able to test a mosquito's

00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:07.290
smell receptors directly, but
if your hypothesis is true,

00:07:07.290 --> 00:07:08.359
people who are exercising,

00:07:08.359 --> 00:07:10.090
and thus exhaling a lot,

00:07:10.090 --> 00:07:11.460
and producing more sweat,

00:07:11.460 --> 00:07:13.253
should attract more mosquitoes.

00:07:14.207 --> 00:07:17.410
Actually, I probably
shouldn't encourage you

00:07:17.410 --> 00:07:19.333
to experiment on humans.

00:07:20.300 --> 00:07:24.630
Why don't you maybe try the
firefly question instead?

00:07:24.630 --> 00:07:26.839
- Young people can get
creative in science,

00:07:26.839 --> 00:07:28.650
(keyboard keys clicking)
by using not just science

00:07:28.650 --> 00:07:30.000
but other things that they're learning

00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:30.833
from their life,

00:07:30.833 --> 00:07:31.960
and connecting it to science

00:07:31.960 --> 00:07:33.670
or connecting science to other things

00:07:33.670 --> 00:07:35.840
in their life such as art,

00:07:35.840 --> 00:07:37.448
and other things that are outside

00:07:37.448 --> 00:07:40.210
of the traditional STEM fields.

00:07:40.210 --> 00:07:42.680
For example, when you're looking at,

00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:44.540
or wondering about how something works,

00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:48.240
like an mRNA vaccine, or
how the organ systems work,

00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:50.960
you can use other aspects of your life,

00:07:50.960 --> 00:07:53.370
and learn to make, or draw analogies

00:07:53.370 --> 00:07:54.960
between different systems.

00:07:54.960 --> 00:07:57.330
That's a really important
aspect of being creative

00:07:57.330 --> 00:07:58.870
and using critical thinking,

00:07:58.870 --> 00:08:00.550
because a lot of systems are similar

00:08:00.550 --> 00:08:02.830
to other systems, even though
they use different names

00:08:02.830 --> 00:08:04.270
or look very different,

00:08:04.270 --> 00:08:05.820
and you can expand on your knowledge

00:08:05.820 --> 00:08:08.290
on something by being creative,

00:08:08.290 --> 00:08:10.190
or using other things outside of science

00:08:10.190 --> 00:08:12.640
to draw connections
between different fields

00:08:12.640 --> 00:08:13.733
and different things.


Creative biology at work

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:02.723
(upbeat music)

00:00:11.990 --> 00:00:13.920
- Hi everyone, Sal Khan here.

00:00:13.920 --> 00:00:18.530
From finding novel cures for
a seemingly incurable disease

00:00:18.530 --> 00:00:21.210
to diagnosing what's going on with someone

00:00:23.126 --> 00:00:23.959
if you're a physician or a nurse,

00:00:23.959 --> 00:00:26.859
you can imagine there is
incredible creativity in biology.

00:00:27.710 --> 00:00:29.290
And don't take my word for it.

00:00:29.290 --> 00:00:31.090
You're now going to
meet some of my friends

00:00:31.090 --> 00:00:33.110
who can tell you more
about that connection

00:00:33.110 --> 00:00:36.083
between biology and creativity.

00:00:40.580 --> 00:00:44.150
- All science careers involve creativity,

00:00:44.150 --> 00:00:45.130
think about it.

00:00:45.130 --> 00:00:47.520
We're asking and answering questions,

00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:50.210
and we're solving the world's problems.

00:00:50.210 --> 00:00:54.600
So the more creatively we can
solve the world's problems,

00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:58.160
the more new ideas and
concepts and approaches

00:00:58.160 --> 00:01:00.950
we can use to address
the world's problems,

00:01:00.950 --> 00:01:02.100
the better off we'll be.

00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:04.070
- Creativity is the guiding force

00:01:04.070 --> 00:01:05.620
on the path to good science.

00:01:05.620 --> 00:01:08.090
So there isn't a science job out there

00:01:08.090 --> 00:01:10.620
that doesn't benefit from creativity.

00:01:10.620 --> 00:01:13.300
Like you could be an engineer,

00:01:13.300 --> 00:01:15.100
building more efficient transistors

00:01:15.100 --> 00:01:17.170
for tinier and tinier phones.

00:01:17.170 --> 00:01:18.590
You could be a climate scientist

00:01:18.590 --> 00:01:21.470
figuring out how we can
reduce our carbon footprint

00:01:21.470 --> 00:01:23.730
and save the world from
climate catastrophe,

00:01:23.730 --> 00:01:25.700
or an agricultural researcher

00:01:25.700 --> 00:01:28.550
deducing efficient ways
to feed the planet,

00:01:28.550 --> 00:01:31.169
or maybe, an entomologist like me,

00:01:31.169 --> 00:01:33.380
understanding how relationships

00:01:33.380 --> 00:01:36.010
between organisms keep us all healthy.

00:01:36.010 --> 00:01:38.980
Creativity is important
in all of these careers.

00:01:38.980 --> 00:01:43.980
- One really cool job is
working for a science museum.

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And so the people who are
like the chief directors

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or bioscientists, or what
have you for science museums

00:01:51.160 --> 00:01:55.670
usually have a biology or a
science background of some kind,

00:01:55.670 --> 00:01:58.600
maybe have gone through even being a PhD

00:01:58.600 --> 00:02:01.070
or a post doctoral fellow.

00:02:01.070 --> 00:02:06.070
And their job is to design
exhibits for visitors to museums

00:02:08.290 --> 00:02:13.077
and come up with engaging ways
to share ideas in science.

00:02:13.077 --> 00:02:16.060
And so I just think
that's a really cool job

00:02:17.760 --> 00:02:19.760
that you might not immediately think of.

00:02:21.200 --> 00:02:24.320
(upbeat music)

00:02:24.320 --> 00:02:25.410
- As we move forward,

00:02:25.410 --> 00:02:30.410
as scientists, as biologists,
the old adage is true.

00:02:31.820 --> 00:02:36.070
A picture is worth a thousand words.

00:02:36.070 --> 00:02:40.100
So what is that image, that graph,

00:02:40.100 --> 00:02:43.500
that graphic, or even that imagery

00:02:45.380 --> 00:02:49.770
that really gets to the core of your idea?

00:02:49.770 --> 00:02:51.770
It almost gets to advertising.

00:02:51.770 --> 00:02:56.770
You want that image to stick
in your listener's minds.

00:02:57.470 --> 00:03:01.320
That both lets them understand

00:03:01.320 --> 00:03:05.400
the undeniably complex concept
that you're trying to convey,

00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:08.230
but also makes it memorable.

00:03:08.230 --> 00:03:12.470
And developing that skill
to come up with that picture

00:03:12.470 --> 00:03:15.680
that is truly worth a thousand words

00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:19.960
is going to be the skill
that we will all need

00:03:19.960 --> 00:03:21.080
going into the future.

00:03:21.080 --> 00:03:23.720
- Creativity plays a role in my life

00:03:23.720 --> 00:03:25.890
pretty much every single day,

00:03:25.890 --> 00:03:27.780
by reminding me not to stop

00:03:27.780 --> 00:03:29.380
just because I've reached a setback.

00:03:29.380 --> 00:03:32.760
Like hitting a wall as
you're moving towards a goal

00:03:32.760 --> 00:03:35.310
doesn't have to be the end for that goal.

00:03:35.310 --> 00:03:37.980
To me, it just means
that the path to success

00:03:37.980 --> 00:03:40.030
isn't gonna be quite as straightforward

00:03:40.030 --> 00:03:41.300
as I originally thought.

00:03:41.300 --> 00:03:43.920
Like, the way around
that wall may require me

00:03:43.920 --> 00:03:46.590
to climb over it, or tunnel under it,

00:03:46.590 --> 00:03:49.220
or maybe even dig straight through it.

00:03:49.220 --> 00:03:51.150
But if I'm creative enough,

00:03:51.150 --> 00:03:54.420
I can probably find a way
to get to the other side.

00:03:54.420 --> 00:03:56.490
And this plays out for me in the lab,

00:03:56.490 --> 00:03:58.740
literally every single day.

00:03:58.740 --> 00:04:01.520
It fuels tenacity that can see you

00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:02.930
through things like graduate school

00:04:02.930 --> 00:04:04.730
if you ever choose to go that route.

00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:11.220
- I allow my brain to do the work

00:04:11.220 --> 00:04:13.510
to get into my creative zone.

00:04:13.510 --> 00:04:15.810
When I have a problem to resolve,

00:04:15.810 --> 00:04:17.260
sometimes I just sleep on it

00:04:17.260 --> 00:04:20.880
and I let my subconscious mind work

00:04:20.880 --> 00:04:24.730
through resolving problems,
and solving problems.

00:04:24.730 --> 00:04:29.027
Our brains are always at
work like trying defragment

00:04:30.590 --> 00:04:33.620
and break apart the
things that we encounter.

00:04:33.620 --> 00:04:36.680
So I spend a little time thinking

00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:40.050
about how I can approach
things creatively.

00:04:40.050 --> 00:04:42.790
And then, I spend a
little time not thinking

00:04:42.790 --> 00:04:45.350
about those things and allowing my brain,

00:04:45.350 --> 00:04:48.480
and my subconscious mind
to have an opportunity

00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:50.010
to do the work for me.

00:04:50.010 --> 00:04:52.560
A lot of times when I
come back afterwards,

00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:53.870
I've got a great idea.

00:04:53.870 --> 00:04:57.460
I've got the answers, and
I have new ways to solve

00:04:57.460 --> 00:05:00.040
and resolve things that
I've been thinking about.

00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:02.020
- To get into my creative zone,

00:05:02.020 --> 00:05:03.910
I do something that I'd like to call

00:05:03.910 --> 00:05:06.110
productive procrastination.

00:05:06.110 --> 00:05:09.340
I start what I'm working
on way before it's due,

00:05:09.340 --> 00:05:11.230
and then in fits and starts,

00:05:11.230 --> 00:05:14.860
I work while giving my mind permission

00:05:14.860 --> 00:05:19.800
to wander to things that
absolutely are not on the agenda.

00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:24.200
It's encouraged some of my
most creative experiences,

00:05:24.200 --> 00:05:27.180
some of my best songwriting,
educational videos,

00:05:27.180 --> 00:05:29.580
and even scientific breakthroughs
while I was supposed

00:05:29.580 --> 00:05:32.300
to be working on something
totally unrelated.

00:05:32.300 --> 00:05:34.280
And this won't work for everyone,

00:05:34.280 --> 00:05:35.960
but my mind is most creative

00:05:35.960 --> 00:05:38.603
when it's free to go on
unplanned adventures.

00:05:39.490 --> 00:05:41.210
Good music also helps.

00:05:41.210 --> 00:05:44.980
A great playlist, to me, is
worth its weight and gold.

00:05:44.980 --> 00:05:46.610
My playlists are special

00:05:46.610 --> 00:05:49.638
because they only include
instrumental music

00:05:49.638 --> 00:05:53.300
and songs in languages that
I don't actually speak.

00:05:53.300 --> 00:05:54.840
So my thoughts don't get too pulled

00:05:54.840 --> 00:05:56.293
into the lyrics themselves.

00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:06.760
- I've used creative communication
to solve problems related

00:06:06.760 --> 00:06:10.150
to especially people
learning different science.

00:06:10.150 --> 00:06:13.720
For example, in chemistry,
people sometimes have a hard time

00:06:13.720 --> 00:06:18.480
understanding subatomic
particles and molecules and atoms

00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:22.210
and making those connections
between quantities and numbers.

00:06:22.210 --> 00:06:23.990
So instead of jumping right into that,

00:06:23.990 --> 00:06:25.710
which can be very difficult for people,

00:06:25.710 --> 00:06:28.010
I've learned to be
creative and use analogies

00:06:28.010 --> 00:06:30.040
or relating that to something
that is more accessible,

00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:34.240
such as cooking or money
or building something.

00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:36.080
And then when people
can make their relation

00:06:36.080 --> 00:06:38.540
between something large and familiar

00:06:38.540 --> 00:06:41.960
to something small or
subatomic and unfamiliar,

00:06:41.960 --> 00:06:44.860
it makes it easier for them
to make those connections

00:06:44.860 --> 00:06:46.520
and build upon that knowledge.

00:06:46.520 --> 00:06:49.070
- So, several years ago,
I started making videos

00:06:49.070 --> 00:06:52.690
of myself explaining biology
and entomology in language

00:06:52.690 --> 00:06:55.690
that was accessible and
familiar to people my age

00:06:55.690 --> 00:06:58.490
and people who don't fit
the stereotypical model

00:06:58.490 --> 00:06:59.850
of a scientist.

00:06:59.850 --> 00:07:02.560
It's a choice that I'm really
glad that I made actually.

00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:06.040
I've received so much
positive feedback about videos

00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:08.440
no more complicated than me holding a bug

00:07:08.440 --> 00:07:13.290
in front of a camera, and
actually, just like this.

00:07:13.290 --> 00:07:17.930
Me literally holding a
bug in front of a camera

00:07:17.930 --> 00:07:20.123
and explaining what makes it tick.

00:07:21.010 --> 00:07:23.840
Note to self, I should make a video

00:07:23.840 --> 00:07:26.420
about what makes ticks tick.

00:07:26.420 --> 00:07:27.253
That'd be pretty cool.

00:07:27.253 --> 00:07:28.960
Wait, sorry. That's
neither here nor there.

00:07:28.960 --> 00:07:32.120
The point of what I'm saying is the choice

00:07:32.120 --> 00:07:34.190
not to excise my personality,

00:07:34.190 --> 00:07:36.530
the choice to bring all of my quirkiness

00:07:36.530 --> 00:07:40.070
into how I communicate is what
seems to make the difference.

00:07:40.070 --> 00:07:41.640
A big part of being creative

00:07:41.640 --> 00:07:44.010
really can be just figuring out

00:07:44.010 --> 00:07:45.740
how to bring all of you

00:07:45.740 --> 00:07:47.740
to whatever it is that you choose to do.

00:07:52.130 --> 00:07:55.290
- I think biology is so critical

00:07:55.290 --> 00:07:58.010
for everybody to learn

00:07:58.010 --> 00:08:03.010
because it defines who we are
as human beings, as animals.

00:08:04.750 --> 00:08:07.670
It defines the whole animal kingdom.

00:08:07.670 --> 00:08:10.820
And then it goes on to define
the whole plant kingdom,

00:08:10.820 --> 00:08:12.770
the insect kingdom.

00:08:12.770 --> 00:08:17.770
Understanding those principles
of how living things

00:08:19.300 --> 00:08:24.300
are organized is not only a
beautiful thing to understand,

00:08:24.340 --> 00:08:28.810
but it gives deep insight
and deep appreciation

00:08:28.810 --> 00:08:31.150
for our own lives.

00:08:31.150 --> 00:08:36.150
And I think that is the core
of why I find it so important

00:08:36.970 --> 00:08:41.970
that everybody study this
beautiful area of academia.

00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:46.930
- Biology is super important
to learn for so many reasons.

00:08:46.930 --> 00:08:49.653
But the reason that stands
out most to me is, well,

00:08:51.750 --> 00:08:54.580
the rarity of life outside
of our little corner

00:08:54.580 --> 00:08:55.890
of the universe.

00:08:55.890 --> 00:08:59.900
You might not know what I mean,
but stick with me for a sec.

00:08:59.900 --> 00:09:04.080
So we are positively surrounded by biology

00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:05.810
every day here on Earth,

00:09:05.810 --> 00:09:07.490
but we haven't encountered life,

00:09:07.490 --> 00:09:10.910
or even evidence of life outside
of this little blue marvel,

00:09:10.910 --> 00:09:14.950
even though there is so much
cosmic real estate out there.

00:09:14.950 --> 00:09:17.340
Life is really complicated.

00:09:17.340 --> 00:09:20.650
And that goes for starting
and sustaining life.

00:09:20.650 --> 00:09:22.940
Somehow, ancient organisms
made it work here,

00:09:22.940 --> 00:09:24.760
but that doesn't mean that it's easy.

00:09:24.760 --> 00:09:28.260
All of us carry on this
legacy of life, finding a way.

00:09:28.260 --> 00:09:32.700
But one day, maybe life will
have to find a way through us.

00:09:32.700 --> 00:09:35.590
Maybe Earth becomes
inhospitable for some reason,

00:09:35.590 --> 00:09:38.840
and we have to figure out
how to live somewhere else.

00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:42.340
On that day, success
will depend on how well

00:09:42.340 --> 00:09:45.020
we understand the heaps of obstacles

00:09:45.020 --> 00:09:48.403
that the stubbornness of
life has already overcome.


The future of creativity in biology

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.380 --> 00:00:03.047
(upbeat music)

00:00:11.900 --> 00:00:13.850
- Hi everyone, Sal Khan here.

00:00:13.850 --> 00:00:16.330
I think we're about to enter
what will be considered

00:00:16.330 --> 00:00:18.170
the golden age of biology,

00:00:18.170 --> 00:00:21.110
where not only do we understand
or are starting understand

00:00:21.110 --> 00:00:22.830
the genetic basis of things,

00:00:22.830 --> 00:00:25.310
but we also have the power to control it.

00:00:25.310 --> 00:00:26.640
And if you're controlling it

00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:29.480
then the creativity gets
to a whole other level.

00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:33.360
So in the decades to come,
creativity and biology,

00:00:33.360 --> 00:00:35.060
and also other areas of STEM,

00:00:35.060 --> 00:00:38.390
like mathematics and
computing are all going to

00:00:38.390 --> 00:00:42.540
converge to really transform
humanity as we know it.

00:00:42.540 --> 00:00:43.890
But don't take my word for it,

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I'm about to introduce
you to some close friends

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who can even better draw this link

00:00:48.630 --> 00:00:52.207
between the future of biology
and the future of creativity.

00:00:52.207 --> 00:00:54.874
(upbeat music)

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- I think it's really exciting

00:00:59.970 --> 00:01:03.560
how biology and creativity have combined,

00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:08.560
particularly in the area
of health and outcomes

00:01:08.650 --> 00:01:12.070
and how do we help people with blindness?

00:01:12.070 --> 00:01:15.380
How do we help people who are paraplegic

00:01:15.380 --> 00:01:19.130
where we can start to read
the electrical activity

00:01:19.130 --> 00:01:22.790
of their intended movement
and have a robot do that.

00:01:22.790 --> 00:01:27.790
So they can gain, you
know, that activity again

00:01:27.850 --> 00:01:31.210
and have that power in their lives again.

00:01:31.210 --> 00:01:35.300
I think that is a classic
and beautiful example

00:01:35.300 --> 00:01:39.630
of the combination of
biology and creativity

00:01:39.630 --> 00:01:42.710
making our lives better every single day

00:01:42.710 --> 00:01:45.790
- Butterflies use something
called structural color

00:01:45.790 --> 00:01:48.390
which involves bending
light to generate color

00:01:48.390 --> 00:01:50.530
instead of using a bunch of pigment.

00:01:50.530 --> 00:01:53.090
So it definitely saves the
butterflies a bunch of energy

00:01:53.090 --> 00:01:54.450
in making that pigment.

00:01:54.450 --> 00:01:56.720
But now, because of some observant

00:01:56.720 --> 00:01:59.930
and innovative scientists,
it's saving us energy too.

00:01:59.930 --> 00:02:02.770
It's being used in
screens around the world

00:02:02.770 --> 00:02:05.210
to make them more efficient
at projecting color,

00:02:05.210 --> 00:02:07.140
which reduces the carbon footprint

00:02:07.140 --> 00:02:09.720
as some of our most common electronics.

00:02:09.720 --> 00:02:12.770
And how about the
creativity of using mRNA,

00:02:12.770 --> 00:02:16.150
which is pretty much just
biological text messages

00:02:16.150 --> 00:02:18.500
to give our bodies a heads up

00:02:18.500 --> 00:02:20.940
that they need to recognize
dangerous viruses.

00:02:20.940 --> 00:02:23.040
It's the technology being used

00:02:23.040 --> 00:02:26.851
in some of our most
innovative vaccines right now.

00:02:26.851 --> 00:02:29.518
(upbeat music)

00:02:32.607 --> 00:02:35.430
- I think it's going to
be even more important

00:02:35.430 --> 00:02:40.430
to have the widest range of
skill sets that you could have.

00:02:40.890 --> 00:02:45.890
So less specialization,
more a jack of all trades,

00:02:48.840 --> 00:02:53.840
including design, design
thinking, design work,

00:02:54.690 --> 00:02:57.623
together with that programming experience.

00:02:59.330 --> 00:03:04.330
So that you can jump into the
new technological advances

00:03:04.330 --> 00:03:06.270
that are being made every day.

00:03:06.270 --> 00:03:10.290
We're gonna be so much
more in virtual reality,

00:03:10.290 --> 00:03:13.760
can you not just use it,
but can you program it?

00:03:13.760 --> 00:03:17.470
- I think the most important
ones will be curiosity

00:03:17.470 --> 00:03:20.230
and keen eyed to observational skills.

00:03:20.230 --> 00:03:23.300
See, curiosity fuels the question why

00:03:23.300 --> 00:03:26.150
which is an essential
part of every innovation,

00:03:26.150 --> 00:03:28.860
and keen observational skills allow us

00:03:28.860 --> 00:03:31.660
not to waste our efforts
reinventing the wheel.

00:03:31.660 --> 00:03:35.530
Life has already solved so
many of the toughest problems

00:03:35.530 --> 00:03:37.620
that the world can possibly throw at it.

00:03:37.620 --> 00:03:40.990
So why not figure out how
biology has overcome an obstacle

00:03:40.990 --> 00:03:42.543
and adapt or improve on that?

00:03:42.543 --> 00:03:45.210
(upbeat music)

00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:51.950
I'd encourage every single
one of you to spend some time

00:03:51.950 --> 00:03:53.660
immersed in a different culture

00:03:53.660 --> 00:03:56.350
or maybe even spend some time working

00:03:56.350 --> 00:03:58.160
in a totally different part of the world

00:03:58.160 --> 00:03:59.360
from where you grew up.

00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:03.320
Now, it doesn't have to
be quite that drastic.

00:04:03.320 --> 00:04:08.090
It could be as simple as
investing in relationships

00:04:08.090 --> 00:04:10.040
with people from other parts of the world.

00:04:10.040 --> 00:04:11.290
And while you're at it,

00:04:11.290 --> 00:04:13.570
I'd encourage you to learn
a different language.

00:04:13.570 --> 00:04:17.070
Both of those experiences, I think,

00:04:17.070 --> 00:04:18.770
will stretch your mind in ways

00:04:18.770 --> 00:04:22.180
that help you consider
other possibilities.

00:04:22.180 --> 00:04:24.520
- Students can expand their creative

00:04:24.520 --> 00:04:26.300
and scientific skill sets

00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:29.300
by thinking beyond the classroom
and beyond the textbook,

00:04:29.300 --> 00:04:32.250
using that information from
classroom and from the textbook

00:04:32.250 --> 00:04:34.790
and from other formal information sources

00:04:34.790 --> 00:04:38.400
and expanding that to learn
more about both today's world

00:04:38.400 --> 00:04:40.880
and the world that you
imagine for the future.

00:04:40.880 --> 00:04:43.660
That involves using those
skills such as communication

00:04:43.660 --> 00:04:46.040
and problem solving and critical thinking

00:04:46.040 --> 00:04:48.800
to wonder not just about
what is already known,

00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:51.090
but to wonder about what is not yet known,

00:04:51.090 --> 00:04:56.090
which involves using creativity
to think and to wonder.

00:04:56.800 --> 00:04:58.960
And that also means
communicating with other people

00:04:58.960 --> 00:05:01.289
to see how they wanna
shape the world as well.

00:05:01.289 --> 00:05:03.956
(upbeat music)

00:05:06.830 --> 00:05:09.290
- We have the opportunity to work together

00:05:09.290 --> 00:05:12.003
with a variety of different voices,

00:05:12.940 --> 00:05:14.910
colleagues from all over the world

00:05:14.910 --> 00:05:19.630
who have different
strengths that they bring,

00:05:19.630 --> 00:05:22.240
different perspectives
that they bring about life

00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:24.330
and about how the world operates.

00:05:24.330 --> 00:05:26.640
And only when we bring
those voices together,

00:05:26.640 --> 00:05:29.080
will we have a more complete picture

00:05:29.080 --> 00:05:31.520
about how the living world works.

00:05:31.520 --> 00:05:36.520
So in order to really solve
the problems of the future,

00:05:37.150 --> 00:05:40.120
we're going to need to work
together as a global community

00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:42.260
- Problems are not solved in isolation,

00:05:42.260 --> 00:05:45.380
they're solved in collaborative
groups with other people

00:05:45.380 --> 00:05:47.850
and they're solved to be realistic.

00:05:47.850 --> 00:05:50.300
So you have to consider not
just your own discipline

00:05:50.300 --> 00:05:54.240
or your own science, but also
some economics and ethics

00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:56.280
and other things that
relate to the real world,

00:05:56.280 --> 00:05:59.410
to help you reach a real
world, but sensible solution.

00:05:59.410 --> 00:06:00.740
So it requires combining

00:06:00.740 --> 00:06:02.660
all those different ways of thinking,

00:06:02.660 --> 00:06:05.110
being communicative and problem solving

00:06:05.110 --> 00:06:06.460
and working with other people

00:06:06.460 --> 00:06:08.140
so that you can reach solutions

00:06:08.140 --> 00:06:09.470
that actually benefit the world.

00:06:09.470 --> 00:06:12.560
Because some solutions are
gonna be great on paper,

00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:15.380
but in practice, they
aren't really practical.

00:06:15.380 --> 00:06:19.290
So that's why using new ways
of thinking to solve problems

00:06:19.290 --> 00:06:20.580
is really important.

00:06:20.580 --> 00:06:23.733
- As an example, for
me, in my PhD project,

00:06:25.320 --> 00:06:27.350
even though my background
has been in biology,

00:06:27.350 --> 00:06:32.140
the problem that really
captured my interests

00:06:32.140 --> 00:06:37.140
and that I wanted to pursue
involves mechanics and physics.

00:06:37.580 --> 00:06:42.160
And so it required learning
a lot of some deep theories

00:06:43.200 --> 00:06:46.200
and ideas in physics that I
wouldn't have thought of before.

00:06:46.200 --> 00:06:48.090
And now I kind approach,

00:06:48.090 --> 00:06:49.870
it sort of changed the way that I approach

00:06:49.870 --> 00:06:51.470
biological problems.

00:06:51.470 --> 00:06:54.710
Now I have this physics lens
that I didn't have before,

00:06:54.710 --> 00:06:59.700
and that expands the of
experiments I can think of

00:06:59.700 --> 00:07:02.308
or hypotheses that I could
have for how something works.

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(upbeat music)

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- What are those biological solutions

00:07:13.890 --> 00:07:16.710
that can be solved with creativity

00:07:16.710 --> 00:07:18.640
that would change the world?

00:07:18.640 --> 00:07:23.640
And I always go to those
health, biological changes.

00:07:25.670 --> 00:07:30.670
The cure for cancer,
the cure for blindness,

00:07:30.700 --> 00:07:35.700
the cure for name, Alzheimer's
disease, for example.

00:07:36.130 --> 00:07:40.950
The modulation of our crops

00:07:40.950 --> 00:07:44.720
that would allow us to
feed the world, everybody,

00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:46.500
so there's no starvation.

00:07:46.500 --> 00:07:51.410
That is the goal that
all of our creativity,

00:07:51.410 --> 00:07:55.410
kind of taken together, is headed towards.

00:07:55.410 --> 00:07:59.460
I think that's inspiring,
I think that is doable,

00:07:59.460 --> 00:08:02.730
and with all the tools that
we've been talking about,

00:08:02.730 --> 00:08:06.853
technology, storytelling, and inspiration,

00:08:08.690 --> 00:08:11.450
all of that together is
going to get us there.

00:08:11.450 --> 00:08:13.200
- A creative approach to biology

00:08:13.200 --> 00:08:16.440
can help solve the problems of the future.

00:08:16.440 --> 00:08:20.940
I mean, if you think
about natural systems,

00:08:20.940 --> 00:08:24.750
they don't have any waste,
they recycle everything.

00:08:24.750 --> 00:08:26.820
Everything that goes into a natural system

00:08:26.820 --> 00:08:28.740
is used completely.

00:08:28.740 --> 00:08:32.650
And there are a lot of areas
in which we can learn from that

00:08:32.650 --> 00:08:36.500
as people and the systems
that we create and design.

00:08:36.500 --> 00:08:40.710
So if we can design ways to
more efficiently use water,

00:08:40.710 --> 00:08:44.180
recycle and reduce the
amount of waste we produce,

00:08:44.180 --> 00:08:47.708
that's gonna be one of the
most important innovations

00:08:47.708 --> 00:08:49.080
of the future, right?

00:08:49.080 --> 00:08:52.570
Providing fresh and clean water

00:08:52.570 --> 00:08:55.040
to a growing population for this world.

00:08:55.040 --> 00:08:57.990
- New innovations that I
think will help us approach

00:08:57.990 --> 00:09:00.170
science creatively in the future,

00:09:00.170 --> 00:09:03.860
really involve data
such as machine learning

00:09:03.860 --> 00:09:05.440
and artificial intelligence,

00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:09.530
and using data to help humans
make decisions collaboratively

00:09:09.530 --> 00:09:10.590
with either other humans,

00:09:10.590 --> 00:09:13.080
but also with artificial intelligence.

00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:15.470
There's so much data
that exists in the world,

00:09:15.470 --> 00:09:18.520
collected from scientific
and engineering observations,

00:09:18.520 --> 00:09:21.146
that we can take this information

00:09:21.146 --> 00:09:23.910
to help us make better
decisions in the future.

00:09:23.910 --> 00:09:26.190
Because it's gonna be a
combination of people thinking

00:09:26.190 --> 00:09:28.010
but also machines thinking,

00:09:28.010 --> 00:09:30.923
and that can help us make
more powerful conclusions.


Creativity break: why is learning biology important?

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.293 --> 00:00:03.293
(pencil scribbling)

00:00:05.471 --> 00:00:08.638
(gentle upbeat music)

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- I think biology is so
critical for everybody to learn

00:00:15.349 --> 00:00:20.349
because it defines who we are
as human beings, as animals.

00:00:22.550 --> 00:00:25.450
It defines the whole animal kingdom,

00:00:25.450 --> 00:00:28.271
and then it goes on to define
the whole plant kingdom,

00:00:28.271 --> 00:00:30.570
the insect kingdom.

00:00:30.570 --> 00:00:33.490
Understanding those principles

00:00:33.490 --> 00:00:38.490
of how living things are organized

00:00:38.590 --> 00:00:42.130
is not only a beautiful
thing to understand,

00:00:42.130 --> 00:00:45.845
but it gives deep insight
and deep appreciation

00:00:45.845 --> 00:00:48.950
for our own lives,

00:00:48.950 --> 00:00:53.950
and I think that is the core
of why I find it so important

00:00:54.780 --> 00:00:59.780
that everybody study this
beautiful area of academia.

00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:04.730
- Biology is super important
to learn for so many reasons.

00:01:04.730 --> 00:01:07.463
But the reason that stands
out most to me is, well,

00:01:08.805 --> 00:01:11.520
the rarity of life outside

00:01:11.520 --> 00:01:13.690
of our little corner of the universe.

00:01:13.690 --> 00:01:15.650
You might not know what I mean,

00:01:15.650 --> 00:01:17.315
but stick with me for a sec.

00:01:17.315 --> 00:01:20.690
So we are positively surrounded

00:01:20.690 --> 00:01:23.620
by biology every day here on Earth,

00:01:23.620 --> 00:01:26.300
but we haven't encountered
life or even evidence

00:01:26.300 --> 00:01:28.700
of life outside of this
little blue marvel,

00:01:28.700 --> 00:01:32.750
even though there is so much
cosmic real estate out there.

00:01:32.750 --> 00:01:35.140
Life is really complicated,

00:01:35.140 --> 00:01:38.440
and that goes for starting
and sustaining life.

00:01:38.440 --> 00:01:40.740
Somehow ancient organisms
made it work here,

00:01:40.740 --> 00:01:42.560
but that doesn't mean that it's easy.

00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:46.070
All of us carry on this
legacy of life finding a way,

00:01:46.070 --> 00:01:50.500
but one day maybe life will
have to find a way through us.

00:01:50.500 --> 00:01:53.490
Maybe Earth becomes
inhospitable for some reason

00:01:53.490 --> 00:01:56.630
and we have to figure out
how to live somewhere else.

00:01:56.630 --> 00:01:59.130
On that day, success will depend

00:01:59.130 --> 00:02:01.810
on how well we understand the heaps

00:02:01.810 --> 00:02:03.670
of obstacles that the stubbornness

00:02:03.670 --> 00:02:06.163
of life has already overcome.


Creativity break: why is creativity important in biology?

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.583
(upbeat music)

00:00:06.187 --> 00:00:09.650
(keyboard clicking)

00:00:09.650 --> 00:00:11.990
- Creativity is super important in biology

00:00:11.990 --> 00:00:14.980
because it's hugely important
in the process of evolution.

00:00:14.980 --> 00:00:17.550
Evolution often takes a winding path

00:00:17.550 --> 00:00:18.971
to get to what we see now,

00:00:18.971 --> 00:00:21.770
and we wanna follow this path

00:00:21.770 --> 00:00:23.850
in an attempt to understand it.

00:00:23.850 --> 00:00:26.590
Sometimes we've gotta be
as resourceful and clever

00:00:26.590 --> 00:00:27.960
as evolution has been.

00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:30.816
That requires creativity
in how we solve problems,

00:00:30.816 --> 00:00:34.400
and even creativity in
the questions we ask.

00:00:34.400 --> 00:00:37.834
- Creativity is so important for anybody

00:00:37.834 --> 00:00:41.380
who is thinking about,
who is studying biology,

00:00:41.380 --> 00:00:43.800
because the question
we're trying to understand

00:00:43.800 --> 00:00:46.330
is not just take in all the information

00:00:46.330 --> 00:00:48.610
that we know about biology.

00:00:48.610 --> 00:00:52.070
We want people to imagine what biology,

00:00:52.070 --> 00:00:55.110
what the natural world,
what the physical world,

00:00:55.110 --> 00:01:00.110
what our bodies can actually
do, what our brains can do.

00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:03.987
And to be able to do that, you
need to think out of the box.

00:01:03.987 --> 00:01:05.690
You need to think about things

00:01:05.690 --> 00:01:07.670
that haven't been thought about before.

00:01:07.670 --> 00:01:11.540
And that is why biology,
that is why creativity

00:01:11.540 --> 00:01:15.013
is so critical for
anybody studying biology.


Creativity break: how do you apply creativity to biology?

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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(upbeat music)

00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:12.160
- One question that people ask me

00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:14.794
is how do I apply creativity

00:00:14.794 --> 00:00:18.090
to the presentations that I give?

00:00:18.090 --> 00:00:23.090
And my secret sauce is to
come up with a visual image

00:00:24.670 --> 00:00:26.930
that anybody, I don't
care if you're the adult,

00:00:26.930 --> 00:00:28.840
whether you're a fifth
grader or second grader,

00:00:28.840 --> 00:00:32.780
that you can grasp that concept,
and here's my favorite one.

00:00:32.780 --> 00:00:35.420
So every single time you move your body,

00:00:35.420 --> 00:00:37.510
there's whole bunches of neurochemicals

00:00:37.510 --> 00:00:40.150
that are released in your brain.

00:00:40.150 --> 00:00:41.970
And you've heard of these neurochemicals,

00:00:41.970 --> 00:00:44.960
dopamine, noradrenaline, serotonin.

00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:48.460
And so that's the fact,
but the image that I give

00:00:48.460 --> 00:00:50.980
is that every single
time you move your body,

00:00:50.980 --> 00:00:53.770
it's like giving your brain
a wonderful bubble bath

00:00:53.770 --> 00:00:56.540
of neurochemicals that enrich your brain

00:00:56.540 --> 00:01:00.140
that change that neurochemical milieu,

00:01:00.140 --> 00:01:01.960
and that is the image that everybody

00:01:01.960 --> 00:01:04.460
that comes to my talks leaves with

00:01:04.460 --> 00:01:07.410
and inspires them a little
bit to move their body more.

00:01:07.410 --> 00:01:09.610
So can you come up with that image,

00:01:09.610 --> 00:01:14.610
that playful fun, but
factually accurate image

00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:17.040
that conveys your message?

00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:19.290
That will be your secret sauce too.

00:01:19.290 --> 00:01:23.550
- Have you heard that the
bees aren't doing great?

00:01:23.550 --> 00:01:26.710
Well, I've been studying
that and trying to understand

00:01:26.710 --> 00:01:28.970
how their complex health issues

00:01:28.970 --> 00:01:31.140
connect to a curious little parasite

00:01:31.140 --> 00:01:34.940
that's in nearly every
honeybee colony worldwide.

00:01:34.940 --> 00:01:38.350
it's called Varroa destructor, by the way.

00:01:38.350 --> 00:01:41.950
Now, before I started
this study, we thought

00:01:41.950 --> 00:01:44.010
that it was an open and shut case

00:01:44.010 --> 00:01:46.570
that the parasite was
sucking out the bee's blood,

00:01:46.570 --> 00:01:49.280
sort of like a tick on a puppy,

00:01:49.280 --> 00:01:53.050
but I thought something more
strange might be going on.

00:01:53.050 --> 00:01:55.700
The damage that it caused
just didn't seem like

00:01:55.700 --> 00:01:58.450
the damage that would be
caused by blood removal.

00:01:58.450 --> 00:02:01.430
The feeding process is super
difficult to see though,

00:02:01.430 --> 00:02:04.860
so I had this idea.

00:02:04.860 --> 00:02:07.700
I fed different color glowing food

00:02:07.700 --> 00:02:10.180
to the bees in their pollen
and their sugar water

00:02:10.180 --> 00:02:13.200
to color their organs specific colors.

00:02:13.200 --> 00:02:16.830
Then when the parasite fed on the bees,

00:02:16.830 --> 00:02:18.960
I could tell which organ it was eating

00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:22.200
based on which color was
in its digestive system.

00:02:22.200 --> 00:02:25.890
And it turns out they were
eating the bees' liver,

00:02:25.890 --> 00:02:29.460
by the way, which is pretty weird.

00:02:29.460 --> 00:02:32.330
But this kind of work
is actually pretty fun,

00:02:32.330 --> 00:02:34.830
and it was definitely a
place where creativity

00:02:34.830 --> 00:02:36.900
was rewarded in biology.

00:02:36.900 --> 00:02:39.567
(upbeat music)


Creativity break: what types of science jobs involve creativity?

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:01.201 --> 00:00:03.784
(upbeat music)

00:00:10.070 --> 00:00:13.750
- All science careers involve creativity.

00:00:13.750 --> 00:00:14.620
Think about it.

00:00:14.620 --> 00:00:17.010
We're asking and answering questions,

00:00:17.010 --> 00:00:19.690
and we're solving the world's problems.

00:00:19.690 --> 00:00:24.040
So the more creatively we can
solve the world's problems,

00:00:24.040 --> 00:00:26.800
the more new ideas and concepts

00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:30.420
and approaches we can use to
address the world's problems,

00:00:30.420 --> 00:00:31.600
the better off we'll be.

00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:33.550
- Creativity is the guiding force

00:00:33.550 --> 00:00:35.110
on the path to good science.

00:00:35.110 --> 00:00:37.570
So there isn't a science job out there

00:00:37.570 --> 00:00:40.090
that doesn't benefit from creativity.

00:00:40.090 --> 00:00:42.780
Like you can be an engineer,

00:00:42.780 --> 00:00:45.340
building more efficient
transistors for tinier

00:00:45.340 --> 00:00:46.660
and tinier phones.

00:00:46.660 --> 00:00:48.060
You could be a climate scientist,

00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:50.950
figuring out how we can
reduce our carbon footprint

00:00:50.950 --> 00:00:53.210
and save the world from
climate catastrophe,

00:00:53.210 --> 00:00:55.370
or an agricultural researcher.

00:00:55.370 --> 00:00:58.010
Reducing efficient ways
to feed the planet.

00:00:58.010 --> 00:01:00.550
Or maybe an entomologist like me.

00:01:00.550 --> 00:01:04.200
Understanding how
relationships between organisms

00:01:04.200 --> 00:01:05.470
keep us all healthy.

00:01:05.470 --> 00:01:08.700
Creativity is important
in all of these careers.

00:01:08.700 --> 00:01:09.950
- One really cool job is,

00:01:11.210 --> 00:01:13.740
is working for a science museum.

00:01:13.740 --> 00:01:16.080
And so the people who are like the

00:01:16.080 --> 00:01:18.622
the chief directors or bioscientist,

00:01:18.622 --> 00:01:21.930
or what have you for science
museums usually have a biology

00:01:21.930 --> 00:01:25.160
or a science background of some kind,

00:01:25.160 --> 00:01:28.080
maybe you've have gone
through even being a PhD

00:01:28.080 --> 00:01:29.833
or postdoctoral fellow.

00:01:31.967 --> 00:01:35.300
And their job is to design exhibits for,

00:01:35.300 --> 00:01:37.770
for visitors to museums

00:01:37.770 --> 00:01:42.770
and come up with engaging ways
to share ideas in science.

00:01:42.800 --> 00:01:45.540
And so I see that's a really cool job

00:01:47.230 --> 00:01:49.230
that you might not immediately think of.

00:01:50.655 --> 00:01:52.427
(upbeat music)