UH oceanographer presents TED talk at the National Academy of Sciences

Angelicque White, associate professor of oceanography at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) was an invited speaker at TED’s first entirely science-focused Institute event, held at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in Washington, DC. A video of her talk, was made publicly available today.

The theme of the event, Catalyze, highlights the power of science to catalyze progress. “It allows us to explore our biggest questions, generate new ideas and seek out solutions.” At TED@NAS, 19 speakers and performers explored how science is igniting change and fueling our way forward — through radical collaboration, quantum leaps and bold thinking.

White investigates changes affecting microbes—the ocean’s smallest residents that live in every drop of seawater and are vital to the healthy functioning of our planet.

In her talk, White detailed her research on harmful algal blooms and rising carbon dioxide and ensuing ocean acidification, just two of the myriad problems facing our oceans.

“It seems like a lot to take in,” she said “but again the oceans are immensely resilient, we just need to avoid going too far down this path. For just that reason I believe sustained observation of the ocean and indeed the entire planet is the moral imperative for my generation. We are bearing witness to the effects of humans on the natural world and by doing so it gives us a chance to adapt and change if we are willing to do so.”

More about Angel White

White joined the UH Mānoa Department of Oceanography in 2018 and is the principal investigator of the Hawaii Ocean Time-series and an investigator in the Simons Collaboration on Ocean Processes and Ecology. She was named an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow in 2012 and was a recipient of the American Geophysical Union Ocean Sciences Early Career Award in 2015 as well as the Association of the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography Yentsch-Schindler Early Career Award in 2016.

TED@NAS was a partnership between TED, The National Academy of Sciences, The Kavli Foundation and the Simons Foundation.

Learn more

To learn more about ocean microbes and the critical roles they serve for all life on Earth, visit White’s recommended reading list.