How anyone can use computer science principles to solve everyday problems | Rameez Virji | TEDxYYC
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0:08 - 0:11Today, I'm going to show you how anyone -
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0:11 - 0:13and yes, I mean anyone -
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0:13 - 0:16can use computer science
to solve everyday problems -
0:16 - 0:19and how I used it
to solve a problem in medicine. -
0:21 - 0:23My story begins with my late grandfather.
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0:24 - 0:27Anyone who knew him knew that he was
a very happy and very jolly man, -
0:27 - 0:30always ready to go out and try something.
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0:31 - 0:35Despite his excitement about most people
and most things, however, -
0:36 - 0:38he was terrified of needles.
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0:38 - 0:42Even though he was very particular
about his health, -
0:42 - 0:45his enetophobia, or fear of needles,
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0:45 - 0:48made him refuse
to get regular vaccinations. -
0:49 - 0:53Now, my grandfather
is hardly alone in this regard. -
0:53 - 0:55Many people, young and old,
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0:55 - 0:56(Laughter)
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0:56 - 0:57are terrified of needles.
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0:57 - 0:59You guys know what I'm talking about.
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0:59 - 1:00(Laughter)
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1:00 - 1:03Clearly, this is a problem
that needed to be solved, -
1:03 - 1:05and that's exactly what I was thinking
-
1:05 - 1:09when I was challenged to design something
for Canada's aging population -
1:09 - 1:12at a summer program
I attended when I was 17. -
1:13 - 1:16The world needed something
better than a hypodermic needle -
1:16 - 1:18to deliver medicine.
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1:18 - 1:22The problem was that I didn't know
how to develop medicine. -
1:22 - 1:24My background and passion
lay in computers. -
1:25 - 1:26But what if there was a way
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1:26 - 1:29that I could use computer science
to solve this problem? -
1:30 - 1:33Now, using computer science
to solve a medical problem -
1:33 - 1:35might seem far-fetched at first,
-
1:35 - 1:38but computer science
is actually a great way -
1:38 - 1:41to approach a problem
that may seem difficult to solve. -
1:41 - 1:44So, what exactly is computer science?
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1:44 - 1:46Well, computer science
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1:46 - 1:49is the study of automatic,
algorithmic processes that scale. -
1:50 - 1:53Now, that might sound like
something out of a science fiction novel, -
1:53 - 1:55but it's really quite simple.
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1:56 - 2:00Computer scientists study
how to manipulate large amounts of data -
2:00 - 2:03effectively and efficiently
through algorithms, -
2:04 - 2:07or more simply, through patterns
of instructions on that data. -
2:08 - 2:10So, how can we use this field
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2:10 - 2:13to solve problems
outside of the field of computing? -
2:14 - 2:18Well, one of the best,
biggest advantages of computer science -
2:18 - 2:21is the problem-solving paradigm
that it teaches. -
2:21 - 2:23Computer scientists are taught
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2:23 - 2:26how to look at complicated problems
in a less complicated light. -
2:27 - 2:28One of the strategies that I used
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2:28 - 2:32in trying to solve this problem
of vaccinating people who hate needles -
2:32 - 2:39was to boil the problem down into its base
variables and ignore all irrelevant data. -
2:40 - 2:43In computer science,
this is called determining scope. -
2:44 - 2:46If something is out of scope,
-
2:46 - 2:50then it often adds unnecessary confusion
and irrelevant data to the problem, -
2:50 - 2:54making it harder to understand
how the problem can actually be solved. -
2:55 - 2:57So, what were the specific factors
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2:57 - 3:00that were stopping us
from using something other than a needle? -
3:00 - 3:04I noticed that a lot of the people
that approached this problem -
3:04 - 3:06tended to get really bogged down
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3:06 - 3:11in trying to solve every, every question
to do with vaccinations, -
3:11 - 3:16rather than the specific question of,
"How can we deliver this medicine better?" -
3:16 - 3:19And that would be
like trying to study for an exam -
3:19 - 3:21by rereading the entire textbook
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3:21 - 3:24instead of just your highlighted
and summarized notes. -
3:24 - 3:27So, by considering factors
that were relevant to the problem, -
3:27 - 3:31I was able to understand the problem
in a much simpler light. -
3:31 - 3:35Another strategy which I used
was the concept of "use cases." -
3:35 - 3:40In computer science, use cases
are used to consider the problem -
3:40 - 3:44from the perspective of different people
who will be benefiting from the solution. -
3:44 - 3:49So, for example, in my case,
I considered the case of my grandfather, -
3:49 - 3:53who was terrified of needles and needed
an alternate solution for immunization. -
3:54 - 3:58However, I also considered the case
of people in developing countries, -
3:58 - 4:01who might not be so much
in need of a comfortable solution -
4:01 - 4:05as they are a solution
that is convenient and cost-effective -
4:05 - 4:07and easy to transport and deliver.
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4:09 - 4:12Alternatively, I considered
the case of people with diabetes, -
4:12 - 4:15who have to use needles
every day, with every meal, -
4:15 - 4:17who might be in need
of a more convenient method. -
4:17 - 4:20So by identifying
the factors that matter the most -
4:20 - 4:21to the people that face the problem,
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4:22 - 4:24you can come up with
a more tailored solution -
4:24 - 4:26and perhaps even understand issues
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4:26 - 4:29that you may not have
considered initially. -
4:29 - 4:34One more strategy I used was
to boil the problem down into two parts: -
4:34 - 4:37the physical perspective
and the logical one. -
4:37 - 4:40Some parts of a problem might be unlimited
in how you can tackle them, -
4:40 - 4:43and some may have
some physical limitations. -
4:43 - 4:47For example, in my case, developing
an oral vaccine delivery technique -
4:47 - 4:50would have to be something
that a human can swallow, -
4:50 - 4:52so that's a physical limitation.
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4:53 - 4:57But how this system is to deliver
the payload to the bloodstream -
4:57 - 5:01is something that is more susceptible
to creativity and imagination. -
5:01 - 5:04So by identifying which parts
of the problem are limiting -
5:04 - 5:06and which are limitless,
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5:06 - 5:07I was able to understand
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5:07 - 5:11which parts of the problem
were more flexible and able to be changed. -
5:11 - 5:12And in computer science,
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5:12 - 5:15this is similar to a concept
called functional abstraction, -
5:15 - 5:19and it's a great way to understand
which limitations are actual limits -
5:19 - 5:21and which might be more self-imposed.
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5:21 - 5:24So, by determining
the scope of the problem, -
5:24 - 5:27or by understanding the factors that
were actually relevant to the problem, -
5:27 - 5:31I was able to understand what the problem
I was solving actually was. -
5:31 - 5:33By considering different use cases,
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5:33 - 5:38I was able to understand that, not only
would my solution have to be convenient, -
5:38 - 5:40but it would also
have to be cost-effective -
5:40 - 5:42and easy to transport and deliver.
-
5:43 - 5:47And by abstracting the problem
into logical and physical factors, -
5:47 - 5:51I was able to focus my creativity
onto the parts of the problem -
5:51 - 5:54that were more susceptible
to out-of-the-box thinking. -
5:54 - 5:57So, by using these
computer science principles -
5:57 - 5:59on this non-technological problem,
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5:59 - 6:03I was able to come up with a pill
for vaccines and other medicines -
6:03 - 6:07which was safer, cheaper,
easier to transport and deliver, -
6:07 - 6:11and much less scary
than a hypodermic needle. -
6:11 - 6:16I believe that this model can be used
to solve problems big and small. -
6:16 - 6:19Like, wouldn't it be great if,
using computer science, -
6:19 - 6:21we could solve problems in medicine,
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6:21 - 6:24in arts, in business,
or even just at home? -
6:24 - 6:28If we are all courageous enough
to use these computer science principles -
6:28 - 6:30to tackle our everyday challenges,
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6:30 - 6:34we can solve problems faster
and reach ahead to a better future. -
6:35 - 6:36Thank you.
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6:36 - 6:37(Applause)
- Title:
- How anyone can use computer science principles to solve everyday problems | Rameez Virji | TEDxYYC
- Description:
-
Computer science teaches a problem-solving paradigm that can be very useful for finding innovative solutions to everyday challenges. Based on his own experience of inventing the world’s first non-invasive flu vaccine, Rameez tells us how he used computer science to identify a problem, tailor a solution to those who needed it most, and recognize when he needed to think out-of-the-box.
Rameez Virji is best known for his patented invention of the world's first non-invasive vaccine delivery system for protein-based viruses, Formulation V720™. Rameez’s career in technology started at the early age of 13 years old, when he founded Big Tree World, a software and web design company. Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 20 Under 20 in 2012, Rameez continues to drive towards his vision with his organization, Medicine for a Better Tomorrow, to make the vaccine pill accessible in third-world countries.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 06:41
Peter van de Ven approved English subtitles for How anyone can use computer science principles to solve everyday problems | Rameez Virji | TEDxYYC | ||
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Lisa Thompson edited English subtitles for How anyone can use computer science principles to solve everyday problems | Rameez Virji | TEDxYYC | ||
Lisa Thompson edited English subtitles for How anyone can use computer science principles to solve everyday problems | Rameez Virji | TEDxYYC |