Latest / Stuff Mom Never Told You / Activists Around the World: Kiara Nirghin

Transcript

Activists Around the World: Kiara Nirghin · Stuff Mom Never Told You

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Stephane
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Never told your protection if I heart radio, Yes, and
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: welcome to another episode of Activists around the World. Um,
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: and we are here to celebrate the brilliance of Kiara
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: organ and activists, a scientists, inventor, and speaker and so
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: many more other things that could be under a belt
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: at her age of twenty two. I think I'm like,
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Okay Tree, and yeah, we are talking about this brilliant
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: all of those things I just said. Um, and apparently
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: she just recently graduated from college, so congratulations. Not listening
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: to our podcasts are in the airwaves nonetheless, wherever you are,
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: so yeah. Kia Law with a list of the accomplishments,
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: like we said, is a leader and innovator in the
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: STEM world, and something she has advocated for is for
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: more young women to be in this field, which yes,
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: we heart that. In a recent article she wrote for
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: The Economists and organ Rites about the issues of the
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: gender divide and STEM saying young women and girls around
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: the world are disproportionately discouraged from studying subjects like science, technology, engineering,
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: and mathematics STEM or pursuing careers in these fields. As adults.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: The gender divide is stark in the workplace, and she
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: continues on closing this gender divide is key to a
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: better future. Solutions to some of our world's most pressing
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: problems could be out there in the minds of girls
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: around the world, but if they can't gain access to
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: quality education in these fields, the world is never going
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: to know about them. And yeah, she would know about
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: finding solutions as her own invention has made a vast
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: difference in the food shortage in her community. So at
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: the age of sixteen, and Urgan won the Google Science
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: Fair for her invention, which was a polymer technology that
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: can keep soil and crops hydrated for longer periods of
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: time during drought conditions. While being hospitalized due to a
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: serious illness, Norgan decided to put her time to use.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: At the time, Johannesburg was suffering through one of the
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: worst droughts in decades, which had caused a food shortage,
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: and as climate change has become a leading cause in
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: hunger and food shortages, it wasn't just a problem in
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: South Africa, and Johannesburg was declared a disaster area due
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: to this. But Nrgan began her research and she realized
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: how she wanted to solve such a huge problem. Um quote.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: I was young at the time, but I knew that
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: the solutions being put in place were not groundbreaking. So
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: I started looking at the problem and saw how I
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: could break it down into something that I could solve.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and she did. After being released from the hospital,
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: she began her experiments. Um And though there were things
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: within the agricultural industry, the SAP or super absorbent polymers
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: are not actually affordable uh, nor are they environmentally friendly
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: as they are oftentimes non biodegradable. So Nurgan took her
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: ideas to change all of that using a mixed sure
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: of orange pills, which has high levels of pecton making
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: it super absorbent, and avocado pills, which contain natural oils
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: to help with the same process, allowing it to be
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: a natural SAP. Again. The super absorbent polymer, as she
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: explains her innovation quote, retains the same amount of water
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: as chemical SAPs, and it improves soil quality because it's biodegradable.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: It also increases food security because in theory, farmers can
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: make it themselves, which you know we love that too,
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: and even better, She's able to get the supplies from
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: the waste of juice manufacturing, making it sustainable and low
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: cost UM And due to the newness of this invention,
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: Organ has been watching closely to see if any issues
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: about chemical products happen or the such, and so she's
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: constantly watching because it is a fairly new idea UM
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: and she has received well earned attention for her works
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: through this and has become a leader for other girls
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: to enter the STEM filled speaking at ted Dogs, with
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: the You and Women Organization and other platforms around the world,
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Organ continues to use her voice to bring attention to
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: the needs for equal opportunities for women in these fields.
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: In her article with You and Women on equality, she says, quote,
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: I spoke up about this issue because the idea of
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: young girls not being able to pursue what interests them
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: as their male counterparts can do is absurd yet extremely rife.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Having more young girls in STEM it would bring growth
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: to innovation related industries and benefit many communities. And on
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: top of all of this, she wrote a book UM
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: which we will add to our book club lists, titled
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Youth Revolution, which talks about tackling gender inequality in STEM.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: Published in twenty nineteen, and for a bit more insight
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: about the book, Quote Youth Revolution not only covers her
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: journey from the hospital bed to the stage as the
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: winner of the Science Award, but also looks at issues
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: surrounding stagnant youth innovation while considering the dangers of lacking
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: diversity and stem science, technology, engineering, and mass. It also
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: includes contributions from prominent women in science and education, among
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: them Malata Usify, VP of Education and University Program for
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: Google and the recipient of the Loreal Unesco Award for
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: Women in Science. Youth Revolution is a deeply human and
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: truly inspirational, real life story that will enter all teenagers
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: and adults alike. Improves that even ordinary teenagers can do
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: extraordinary things. Right. Um, and we don't talk much about this,
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: but yeah, one of her push in advocating is to
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: have young people being a part of this making sure
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: we recognize obviously as she as a testimony to that,
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: oftentimes younger generations know how to bring about solutions. They
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: have innovative ideas and we should be listening and uh
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: really taking an advantage. I say that loosely to those
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: young minds and how they can make change. We love
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: to see it so very unaccomplished around these years, but
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: love seeing how they can grow and can do such
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: amazing work and how life changing this type of process
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: and innovation can be, especially when it comes to the
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: food shortage which has only been highlighted by the pandemic
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: um And of course, this amazing leader, speaker, writer, innovator,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: scientists has plenty of accolades under her name, including the
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: Green Tech Festival, Youngster's Innovation Award, UH, Glamor Magazine's College
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: Woman of the Year, Malala Fund, Guest Author and Youth Contributor,
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: United Nations Speaker of the United Nations Headquarters on International
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Women's Day. She's got a great little article. Uh. She
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: is the Forbes Generation Disruptor. I love that title because
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: Cosmopolitans nineteen under nineteen. Uh. She's Top Women in Tech
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: for the Inspiring Fifty, the South African of the Year
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: in twenty eighteen for the Youth category, Young Champion of
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: the Earth nominee, and the United Nations in eighteen Women's
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: Summit honoree by Forbes Women in twenty seventeen. Time Magazine's
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: Top thirty Most Influential in twenty seventeen, as well as
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: she was on the Young Power List UH in twenty
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: seventeen for The Guardian. So yeah, she has made a
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: name for herself. I'm sad that it takes so much
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: research to find her, even though she is well known.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: Of course, she does have amazing bits out there with
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: different podcasts. She has been on Ted Talks uh and
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: many other things. I'm sure you will continue to see her.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: She just recently graduated from Stanford I believe. Congratulations um,
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: and I'm sure we're gonna hear many more things from her. Yes. Yeah,
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: it's an amazing story, such a needed invention, and I'm
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: excited to hear more about what she does. And I'm
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: excited to read this book that sounds fantastic. In the meantime, listeners,
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: if you have someone we should highlight in this mini series,
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: please let us know. You can emails at stephaniea mom
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: Stuff at I hurt mea dot com. You can find
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: us on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast or on Instagram
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: at stuff I've Never Told You. Thanks as always to
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: our super producer, Christina. Thank you Christina, and thanks to
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: you for listening. Stuff Ie Never Told The Restection by
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: Heart Radio from more podcast I Heart Radio. You can
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: visity I Heard your app, Apple podcast, or wherever you
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows. YO