Joella Karen Jose

Student

I am very passionate about science, and I am invested in making it accessible to the general public. I believe that discussions are important in bringing about change and innovation in all fields. In order for these discussions to happen, knowledge needs to be accessible. Science communication, or the art of communicating scientific topics through interesting and accessible mediums, can be life-altering. I discovered my love for science communication through a vast array of content on the Internet, some of which notably consisted of TED and TED-Ed videos on YouTube. I was awestruck by how the educators made complex topics accessible and even fun to a mass audience. I have always been one to question everything, and that led me to pursue a major research degree in Biotechnology. I love plants, and have been working for and learning about Plant Molecular Biology. My work aims to understand how methylation affects auxin transport and the root phenotype. I also like to grow plants, and talk about their quirks; I have an Instagram page dedicated to documenting my plant journey. I enjoy expressing myself through different mediums and strongly believe that people should be able to enjoy different fields without being constricted. I believe that different schools of thought need to come together to find creative solutions to existing problems, since collaboration is where magic occurs. I love the possibility of different perspectives existing and all of them being right at the same time. With the opportunity to curate for TEDx , I hope to bring people with different perspectives and from different fields together, and tell a story of collaboration and innovation.

I volunteered for my university's TEDx conference as a freshman who was looking for new experiences. Over the last two years, as I've experienced the conference both backstage and from the audience, my perspective has undoubtedly changed. I worked to organise the 2022 Conference as a Content & Curation volunteer, and I loved the process of inviting speakers, meeting them, ideating about and editing their talks, and helping them have a wonderful stay at the university. I learnt quite a bit about how to convey ideas effectively. The opportunity to meet incredibly interesting people, of course, was the biggest bonus. Although the conference was the final, tangible, adrenaline-fueled outcome, my favourite part was working with a team of like-minded people to organise it. The Conference of 2023 was especially significant to me for I had the luck and honour to be the person of contact for an impressive scientist, who inspired me as a person and a role model, simultaneously. I left both conferences with genuine connections and wonderful memories. I noticed that, as an aftermath of the events, people discussed ideas that the talks had introduced. This left a lasting impression on me, and led me to apply for the role of Curator for this conference. I am incredibly grateful to be in this position and contribute to something so much greater than myself, something that yields goodness and wisdom.