Talks at Google

After a successful career at Microsoft, Patrick Awuah looked back to his native Ghana and decided that the ills of the country could only by solved by educating the next generation of business and government leaders, providing them with training in critical thinking and ethics that the current generation lacked. To put his plan into action, he founded Ashesi University in Accra, West Africa's first liberal arts school. Now in its 19th year, Ashesi empowers young Africans to develop the motivation and the skills they need to create their own solutions to Africa's challenges. Ashesi students are known worldwide for applying their computer science and business skills in innovative ways to address local challenges. Nearly all Ashesi graduates have chosen to stay in Africa (over 95%), where they are known for ethical integrity and for their innovative and entrepreneurial talents. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video. From May 22nd, 2012.

This episode features Dr. Donna Christensen & Dr. Lauren Smith who discuss the significance of Minority Health Month from its inauguration, to the work that is being done for BIPOC communities today. The Honorable Donna M. Christensen retired from the US House of Representatives in 2015 after serving nine terms over 18 years. She is the first female physician to serve as a Member in the history of the U.S Congress. Lauren Smith, MD, MPH, is the Chief Health Equity and Strategy Officer for the CDC Foundation. In this role, Smith brings more than 25 years experience working at the intersection of health care delivery and management, public policy and public health fields. She partners with the CDC Foundation’s other senior leaders to develop and drive strategic efforts to embed health equity across the Foundation’s COVID-19 response activities with an explicit focus on addressing systemic racism and its impact on vulnerable populations’ resilience amidst the pandemic. Moderated by Dr. Garth Graham. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

Ice has been around for billions of years but it has taken less than three centuries for human growth and industry to bring it to the point of extinction. Henry Pollack, professor of geophysics at the University of Michigan for more than forty years and one of the world’s leading experts on the temperature of the Earth, argues that ice is natures best thermometer and perhaps its most sensitive and unambiguous indicator of climate change. When ice gets sufficiently warm, it melts. Ice asks no questions, presents no arguments, reads no newspapers, and listens to no debates. It is not burdened by ideology and carries no political agendas. It just melts. Without taking significant measures, agriculture and drinking water are at risk, as are millions who live on the coast and are in danger of becoming climate refugees. A World Without Ice is the first book of its kind that tackles the idea of climate change from the ice standpoint including how we got to the melting of the ice caps, what it means, ramifications and what we can do about it. The topic is fascinating and the evidence of a meltdown stunning. Originally published in 2007, the year he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with fellow members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and former vice president Al Gore. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

Dr. Cassandra Coburn joins us to discuss her book Enough: How Your Food Choices Will Save the Planet. Our food production systems are the single biggest cause of environmental change, while diseases linked to our eating habits are at epidemic levels and increasing. Enough uses the latest scientific research to address the vital question: can we provide a growing population with a healthy diet from sustainable food systems? Fortunately for us all, the answer is yes and the book shows exactly how we can tackle both of these urgent, interconnected challenges at the same time. Using a seminal piece of research published in 2019, Dr. Coburn reveals the hidden consequences of our food choices, and how we can easily make changes which are better for ourselves and the planet. She details which food groups we should be eating and which we should avoid - and why. Changing our way of eating is something that every one of us has the power to do. Enough is a clear, ultimately hopeful and hugely important roadmap for both our own health - and the planet's. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

Named as one of TIME’s Most Influential People (2018), Peggy Whitson has an incredible list of record-breaking accomplishments to her name. She is the first woman to command the International Space Station, twice(!) in 2008 & 2013, the first female and first non-military Chief Astronaut, she has performed 10 spacewalks, the most of any female astronaut, and at 665 days, Dr. Whitson has spent more time in space than any other American. Moderated by Leigh Gallagher. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

In honor of International Woman's Day, Therese Caouette and Paula Bock from the nonprofit PARTNERS ASIA share the realities of human trafficking and examine proven methodologies to combat modern-day slavery. By connecting local organizations to global funding, PARTNERS ASIA is able to forge relationships with local leaders who work to serve the needs of invisible populations, such as refugees, migrants, ethnic minorities, & LGBTQ individuals who are living primarily along the Thailand-Myanmar border. More information about PARTNERS ASIA can be found at PartnersAsia.org Originally published in October of 2012. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

Chef Marcus Samuelsson discusses his book The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food: A Cookbook. In The Rise, Chef Marcus gathers together an unforgettable feast of food, culture, and history to highlight the diverse deliciousness of Black cooking today. Driven by a desire to fight against bias, reclaim Black culinary traditions, and energize a new generation of cooks, Marcus shares his own journey alongside 150 recipes in honor of dozens of top chefs, writers, and activists—with stories exploring their creativity and influence. For more on Chef Marcus, please visit https://marcussamuelsson.com/  Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

Daphne Miller talks about her new book Farmacology: What Innovative Family Farming Can Teach Us About Health and Healing. Family physician Daphne Miller long suspected that farming and medicine were intimately linked. Increasingly disillusioned by mainstream medicine's mechanistic approach to healing and fascinated by the farming revolution that is changing the way we think about our relationship to the earth, Miller left her medical office and traveled to seven innovative family farms across the country to better understand the connections between sustainable agriculture and the health of her patients. The product of her adventures is Farmacology: What Innovative Family Farming Can Teach Us About Health and Healing, a compelling new vision for health and healing and a treasure trove of farm-to-body lessons that have immense value in our daily lives. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

Chess Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi discusses his career and experience playing chess at the highest level. Vidit Gujrathi started playing chess at the age of 7, and has since won 4 National Youth Medals, 4 Asian Youth Silver Medals, and 3 medals in World Youth Championships. In 2006, he achieved the title of International Master after finishing second in the National Chess Championship 2008. He attained the title of ‘Grandmaster’ in January 2013. Since 2015, Vidit has been a prominent member of the Indian Chess Team and has represented India in two World Cups, two World Team championships & three major chess Olympiads. He is the fourth Indian ever to have crossed the Elo rating threshold of 2700 in 2017. Vidit also represented India in various International Grandmaster events, having won 5 of the competitions in Biel, Malmo, Tata Steel, Lake Sevan, and Prague. In August 2020, Vidit was the Captain of the Indian Chess Team that won historic gold at FIDE Online Chess Olympiad. This was the first Gold for India at the Chess Olympiad. He is currently ranked #3 in India, #25 in the world. Moderated by Anand Rangarajan. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky, visited Google in 2008 to discuss his book Sound Unbound, his collection and thoughts on how music, art, and literature have blurred the lines between what an artist can do and what a composer can create. In Sound Unbound, Miller asked artists to describe their work and compositional strategies in their own words. These were reports from the front lines on the role of sound and digital media in an information-based society. From August of 2008. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.