Ideas worth spreading

What if the best fertilizer was an algorithm?

13,943 views |

Laxmi Parida |

TED@IBM

• November 2016

Beset by plunging biodiversity, pathogens and skyrocketing populations, our global food supply is at risk — but solutions that rely on chemicals and GMOs come with their own problems. Laxmi Parida proposes an organic solution instead: math.

Beset by plunging biodiversity, pathogens and skyrocketing populations, our global food supply is at risk — but solutions that rely on chemicals and GMOs come with their own problems. Laxmi Parida proposes an organic solution instead: math.

About the speaker

Laxmi Parida

Laxmi Parida

Computational geneticist

Dr. Laxmi Parida is a distinguished research staff member in computational genomics at IBM and a visiting professor at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. In her work, she applies highly abstract mathematical and computational models to answer urgent human needs, like finding viable food supply chains and personalizing cancer medicine.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

Read more about the TED Institute