老司机直播

老司机直播 thinkers deliver big ideas at TEDx Toronto

photo of Rieder at TEDx
Calvin Rieder takes the stage at TEDxToronto 2016 to talk about his zero-cost atmospheric water condenser (photo by Engineering Strategic Communications)

When 老司机直播 undergrad Calvin Rieder was just a kid, he went camping with his family. During the night, dew condensed on the inside of his tent, rolled down the fabric wall and made his pillow wet.

To most, this event would mean minor discomfort. But to Rieder, that tiny rivulet of water inspired a design for an atmospheric water condenser 鈥 a portable device that pulls clean, drinkable water out of thin air.

Since waking up that morning in his tent, Rieder鈥檚 passion for developing sustainable solutions to address the urgent need for clean, potable water in developing nations has led him to become a member of the World Youth Parliament for Water, and was recently named in Plan Canada鈥檚 Top 20 Under 20. Now, his drive to promote universal access to clean water has put him centre stage on the famous TEDxToronto red carpet.

鈥淲e have to make changes that have sustainable impact 鈥 if we don鈥檛, we won鈥檛 survive,鈥 he told an audience of more than 1,000 attendees at the October 26 event, organized on the theme of 鈥楽ymbols + Signals鈥. 鈥淚 wanted to get clean water to where it鈥檚 needed, with no negative impact on the environment.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to create one problem while trying to solve another, so I thought about three things: accessibility, affordability and sustainability.鈥

The first morning he went to check on his prototype, he was thrilled by the macabre scene: 鈥淭he collecting basin was full of drowned flies, and I was delighted that there was enough water in there to do that.鈥

Today, Rieder is a second-year engineering student in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering, where he's also working on a solar-powered still that purifies dirty water of both physical and bacterial contaminants. His vision is not only to supply drinkable water to rural, remote and developing nations where water treatment infrastructure is scarce or nonexistent, but to supplement overtaxed urban water resources.

Rieder was one of 18 thinkers, artists, researchers and inventors invited to speak and perform at TEDxToronto, an independently organized event dedicated to the core TED concept of sharing 鈥渋deas worth spreading.鈥

Besides Rieder, six other University of Toronto professors, researchers and alumni shared their unforgettable ideas from the big red carpet.

Aled Edwards, professor in the department of molecular genetics, on the importance of open science:

鈥淢uch of Canadian science, indeed much of global science, is redundant鈥 I鈥檓 an irrelevant cog in the machine. Imagine if we could use our resources more efficiently 鈥 we鈥檇 see massive global benefit.鈥

Nick Saul, alumnus, on our misguided food charity ecosystem:

鈥淲e have to find a way to recognize that when people are struggling, it鈥檚 not because they don鈥檛 have enough to eat. At the root of hunger is poverty鈥 what鈥檚 needed is not charity, but solidarity.鈥

Marcel Danesi, professor in the department of anthropology at the Faculty of Arts & Science, on the significance of emojis to the evolution of human language:

鈥淲hen we鈥檙e communicating informally, and even not so informally, we need to feel as well as think.鈥

Ryan Janzen, PhD candidate in The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, on engineering transportation systems that redesign our world:

鈥淩omans built the aqueducts. What can our civilization create or build that will last? What be our aqueducts, for generations to come?鈥

Sarah Barmak, alumna, on pervasive misunderstanding of female anatomy and sexuality:

鈥淔emale sexuality can鈥檛 be fixed with a pill. That鈥檚 because it鈥檚 not broken 鈥 it鈥檚 misunderstood. If more than half of women have some kind of sexual dysfunction, maybe it鈥檚 our understanding of female sexuality that鈥檚 broken.鈥

Helene Polatajko, professor in the department of occupational science and occupational therapy in the Faculty of Medicine, on helping patients learn to overcome inabilities, rather than correcting what were perceived as errors:

鈥淚t was heretical at the time鈥 We asked 鈥榃hat are they doing differently?鈥 not 鈥榃hat are they doing wrong?鈥 鈥 different and wrong are not the same thing.鈥

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