By Kristin Suratt on Thursday, May 24th, 2018 in 2018, Crown Hall, Documentary, Mendocino Village, News.
The six young scientists profiled in Inventing Tomorrow come from Indonesia, Hawaii, India, and Mexico. In their own communities, they take on some of the most complex environmental issues facing the world today. In the film, we watch them prepare scientific research for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. (ISEF). At the fair, they join more than 1800 young scientists from 80 countries and regions, who present scientific solutions for topics ranging from robotics to computer science.
Joy LaClair interviews producers Laura Nix, Diane Becker and Melanie Miller on her KZYX radio program, Forthright Radio.
Inventing Tomorrow will screen at Crown Hall, Mendocino on Saturday, June 2 at 12:30 pm
Young Scientists Display Tenacity, Curiosity, and Determination
The students take water samples from contaminated lakes, dig up the dirt in public parks, board illegal pirate mining ships, and test their experiments in a lab. Each young scientist displays tenacity, curiosity, and determination to build a better future for the planet and their generation. They ask questions about the issues they see in their communities, and propose innovative solutions to fix them. Each student spends close to 600 hours on their project, guided by dedicated university mentors. At home with their parents, grandparents, and siblings, they compare the world their elders knew with the frightening reality of the one they might inherit.
Film Portrays Student’s Intellectual and Emotional Journeys
Yet, these young scientists are still teenagers, who must grapple with their own personal issues. We see them in classrooms, at their after-school jobs, behind the wheel as they learn to drive, in their rooms hanging out with friends, and learn about the daunting obstacles they face just to get to the fair. As each finalist prepares to leave home, some for the very first time, we witness their individual intellectual and emotional journeys as they make their way to ISEF 2017 in Los Angeles.
Innovative Solutions for Real Problems in Their Home Communities
A young woman in India creates an app for data collection, spearheading a “citizen science” phenomenon that could be emulated anywhere in the world. A young scientist in polluted Monterey, Mexico invents a photo-catalytic paint that takes carbon out of the atmosphere, and a youth in Kilo, Hawaii studies a pond contaminated with arsenic that is spread widely each time a Tsunami hits the island. Once they land in Los Angeles, the students join a vibrant, motivated community of young scientists from around the globe. They meet peers who are just as bright and determined as they are, and tension builds as they practice how to defend their research in front of 1000 volunteer judges, all specialists in their fields.
