Duke School Under the Oak Magazine, Fall 2017

A. To create the physical animation for the
TED-ED video, I worked with Katie Christo, the
director of technology curriculum and innovation,
to create a stop motion animation, drawn on a
white board. Though it was a bit of a risk for my
prior experience, it was extremely rewarding. The
animation is not a fluid video, but a collection
of approximately 1,500 photos, taken over the
course of seven hours at my kitchen table. The
process was an enormous learning opportunity
that I was only able to complete with the help
of incredible teachers and the patience of my
parents as our kitchen table turned into a tech
studio for a weekend.
Q. You were the only student to complete
and share your video publicly at Duke School.
Your video sparked a lot of interest on social
media amongst Duke School students, parents,
administrators, and even the TED-Ed team! What
did it mean to you to be able to share your
research with others?
A. I remember, a little while ago, someone
asking me why astrobiology mattered. Sure,
it could be interesting, but similar to a topic
like quantum mechanics, it can also become
tiresome if you are not a physicist with multiple
degrees and an incredible attention span. Why
should a person with no personal affiliation care
deeply about astrobiology? I found this question
fascinating, and quite legitimate at that. Truthfully,
it’s hard for me to say why I find the search for life
beyond ourselves so dazzling — why I feel that
the answers to it all will illuminate human origins,
that we are not separate, but a part of this wider
world. To truly understand your connection to all
of it, astrobiology must be experienced, not told.
But I tried my best to answer the question. Since
the human species had even the slightest idea
of how to make sense of it all, we have looked
for life beyond ourselves. It is not that Europa is
simply a passion of mine, it is that Europa is part
of something bigger, something timeless and
universally true. Europa is one part of trying to
find something bigger than ourselves. To truly
understand what it means to be human, we
must realize our unthinkable insignificance within
the cosmos, an insignificance so huge it cannot
be contemplated, but an insignificant just as
beautiful because of what we are part of. Sharing
my TED-Ed video with others meant that maybe
some small piece of this would unearth itself, and
maybe change people in the process.
Q. Will you continue to be a part of Duke
School’s TED-Ed club? If so, do you have an idea
of what you’ll like to explore next?
A. The TED-Ed club experience at Duke
School was an incredible one. With the support
of wonderful teachers and an idea, I was able
to create something that represents me and my
passions, and this gave me the ability to unleash
this upon the world and community around me.
I continue to attempt study of the cosmos, and I
have upcoming projects focused on connections
between hydrothermal ecosystems on Earth
and possible habitable areas on Europa and
Enceladus, a moon of Saturn. I hope to continue
using the TED structure and ideas in my research,
and to share my passions with others, providing
our beautiful insignificance within the cosmos. I
can’t wait to see where it takes me!
UNDER THE OAK
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