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Today, I'm going to show you how anyone -

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and yes, I mean anyone -

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can use computer science[br]to solve everyday problems

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and how I used it[br]to solve a problem in medicine.

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My story begins with my late grandfather.

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Anyone who knew him knew that he was[br]a very happy and very jolly man,

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always ready to go out and try something.

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Despite his excitement about most people[br]and most things, however,

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he was terrified of needles.

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Even though he was very particular[br]about his health,

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his enetophobia, or fear of needles,

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made him refuse[br]to get regular vaccinations.

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Now, my grandfather[br]is hardly alone in this regard.

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Many people, young and old,

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(Laughter)

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are terrified of needles.

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You guys know what I'm talking about.

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(Laughter)

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Clearly, this is a problem[br]that needed to be solved,

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and that's exactly what I was thinking

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when I was challenged to design something[br]for Canada's aging population

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at a summer program[br]I attended when I was 17.

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The world needed something[br]better than a hypodermic needle

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to deliver medicine.

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The problem was that I didn't know[br]how to develop medicine.

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My background and passion[br]lay in computers.

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But what if there was a way

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that I could use computer science[br]to solve this problem?

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Now, using computer science[br]to solve a medical problem

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might seem far-fetched at first,

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but computer science[br]is actually a great way

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to approach a problem[br]that may seem difficult to solve.

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So, what exactly is computer science?

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Well, computer science

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is the study of automatic,[br]algorithmic processes that scale.

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Now, that might sound like[br]something out of a science fiction novel,

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but it's really quite simple.

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Computer scientists study[br]how to manipulate large amounts of data

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effectively and efficiently[br]through algorithms,

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or more simply, through patterns[br]of instructions on that data.

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So, how can we use this field

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to solve problems[br]outside of the field of computing?

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Well, one of the best, [br]biggest advantages of computer science

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is the problem-solving paradigm[br]that it teaches.

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Computer scientists are taught

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how to look at complicated problems[br]in a less complicated light.

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One of the strategies that I used

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in trying to solve this problem[br]of vaccinating people who hate needles

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was to boil the problem down into its base[br]variables and ignore all irrelevant data.

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In computer science,[br]this is called determining scope.

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If something is out of scope,

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then it often adds unnecessary confusion[br]and irrelevant data to the problem,

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making it harder to understand[br]how the problem can actually be solved.

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So, what were the specific factors

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that were stopping us[br]from using something other than a needle?

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I noticed that a lot of the people[br]that approached this problem

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tended to get really bogged down

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in trying to solve every, every question[br]to do with vaccinations,

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rather than the specific question of,[br]"How can we deliver this medicine better?"

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And that would be[br]like trying to study for an exam

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by rereading the entire textbook

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instead of just your highlighted[br]and summarized notes.

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So, by considering factors[br]that were relevant to the problem,

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I was able to understand the problem[br]in a much simpler light.

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Another strategy which I used[br]was the concept of "use cases."

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In computer science, use cases[br]are used to consider the problem

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from the perspective of different people [br]who will be benefiting from the solution.

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So, for example, in my case,[br]I considered the case of my grandfather,

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who was terrified of needles and needed[br]an alternate solution for immunization.

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However, I also considered the case[br]of people in developing countries,

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who might not be so much[br]in need of a comfortable solution

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as they are a solution[br]that is convenient and cost-effective

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and easy to transport and deliver.

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Alternatively, I considered[br]the case of people with diabetes,

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who have to use needles[br]every day, with every meal,

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who might be in need[br]of a more convenient method.

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So by identifying[br]the factors that matter the most

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to the people that face the problem,

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you can come up with[br]a more tailored solution

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and perhaps even understand issues

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that you may not have[br]considered initially.

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One more strategy I used was[br]to boil the problem down into two parts:

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the physical perspective [br]and the logical one.

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Some parts of a problem might be unlimited[br]in how you can tackle them,

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and some may have[br]some physical limitations.

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For example, in my case, developing[br]an oral vaccine delivery technique

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would have to be something[br]that a human can swallow,

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so that's a physical limitation.

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But how this system is to deliver[br]the payload to the bloodstream

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is something that is more susceptible[br]to creativity and imagination.

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So by identifying which parts[br]of the problem are limiting

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and which are limitless,

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I was able to understand

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which parts of the problem[br]were more flexible and able to be changed.

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And in computer science,

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this is similar to a concept[br]called functional abstraction,

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and it's a great way to understand[br]which limitations are actual limits

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and which might be more self-imposed.

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So, by determining[br]the scope of the problem,

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or by understanding the factors that[br]were actually relevant to the problem,

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I was able to understand what the problem[br]I was solving actually was.

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By considering different use cases,

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I was able to understand that, not only[br]would my solution have to be convenient,

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but it would also[br]have to be cost-effective

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and easy to transport and deliver.

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And by abstracting the problem[br]into logical and physical factors,

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I was able to focus my creativity[br]onto the parts of the problem

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that were more susceptible[br]to out-of-the-box thinking.

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So, by using these[br]computer science principles

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on this non-technological problem,

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I was able to come up with a pill[br]for vaccines and other medicines

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which was safer, cheaper, [br]easier to transport and deliver,

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and much less scary[br]than a hypodermic needle.

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I believe that this model can be used[br]to solve problems big and small.

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Like, wouldn't it be great if, [br]using computer science,

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we could solve problems in medicine,

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in arts, in business,[br]or even just at home?

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If we are all courageous enough[br]to use these computer science principles

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to tackle our everyday challenges,

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we can solve problems faster[br]and reach ahead to a better future.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)