TED2019
Federica Bianco: How we use astrophysics to study earthbound problems
费代丽卡•比亚恩科: 我们如何利用天体物理学解决地球问题
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为了研究整个宇宙这样一个复杂的系统，天体物理学家需要精通于从大型数据集里提取出简明的解决方案。他们还可以利用这个专业技能做什么？在一场跨学科的演讲中，TED会员，天体物理学家费代丽卡•比亚恩科（Federica Bianco）解释了她如何利用天体物理学的数据分析法来解决城市和社会问题——并解开恒星之谜。
Federica Bianco - Cross-disciplinary scientist
TED Fellow Federica Bianco is a cross-disciplinary scientist who can't stay still. Full bio
TED Fellow Federica Bianco is a cross-disciplinary scientist who can't stay still. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
I am an astrophysicist.
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我是一名天体物理学家，
00:15
I research stellar explosions
across the universe.
across the universe.
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研究宇宙中的恒星爆炸。
00:19
But I have a flaw:
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但是我有个缺点：
00:21
I'm restless, and I get bored easily.
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我呆不住，而且很容易厌烦。
00:24
And although as an astrophysicist,
I have the incredible opportunity
I have the incredible opportunity
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虽然作为一个天体物理学家，
我有很好的机会去研究整个宇宙。
00:27
to study the entire universe,
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00:29
the thought of doing
only that, always that,
only that, always that,
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但是一想到只能且一直做这一件事，
00:32
makes me feel caged and limited.
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我就感觉被禁锢，被制约。
00:36
What if my issues with
keeping attention and getting bored
keeping attention and getting bored
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但是，如果我注意力不集中、
容易厌烦的毛病
容易厌烦的毛病
00:40
were not a flaw, though?
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不是一个缺点，又会怎样呢？
00:42
What if I could turn them into an asset?
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如果我可以把它们变成
优点，会怎样呢？
优点，会怎样呢？
00:45
An astrophysicist cannot
touch or interact with
touch or interact with
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天体物理学家不能和研究对象
进行接触或者交流，
00:48
the things that she studies.
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00:50
No way to explode a star in a lab
to figure out why or how it blew up.
to figure out why or how it blew up.
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没办法在实验室引爆一颗恒星
来探明其爆炸的原因或方式，
来探明其爆炸的原因或方式，
00:54
Just pictures and movies of the sky.
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而只能依靠天空
的图片和影像进行推理。
的图片和影像进行推理。
00:57
Everything we know about the universe,
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我们对宇宙所知道的一切，
00:59
from the big bang
that originated space and time,
that originated space and time,
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从创造了时间和空间的大爆炸
01:02
to the formation and evolution
of stars and galaxies,
of stars and galaxies,
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到恒星和星系的形成与演变，
01:05
to the structure of our own solar system,
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到我们自己太阳系的结构，
01:08
we figured out studying images of the sky.
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都是我们通过研究天空
的图像得出的结论。
的图像得出的结论。
01:12
And to study a system
as complex as the entire universe,
as complex as the entire universe,
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为了研究整个宇宙这样复杂的系统，
01:15
astrophysicists are experts
at extracting simple models and solutions
at extracting simple models and solutions
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天体物理学家十分善于
从庞大复杂的数据集中
从庞大复杂的数据集中
01:20
from large and complex data sets.
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找出简单的模型和方案。
01:23
So what else can I do with this expertise?
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那我还能靠这个专长做什么？
01:28
What if we turned the camera
around towards us?
around towards us?
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如果我们把镜头转到自己身上，
又会发生什么呢？
又会发生什么呢？
01:33
At the Urban Observatory,
that is exactly what we are doing.
that is exactly what we are doing.
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这正是我们在城市观测台做的事。
01:36
Greg Dobler, also an astrophysicist
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我的丈夫，格雷格•多布勒，
01:38
and my husband,
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也是一名天体物理学家,
01:39
created the first urban observatory
in New York University in 2013,
in New York University in 2013,
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2013年在纽约市建立了
第一个城市观测台，
第一个城市观测台，
01:43
and I joined in 2015.
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而我在2015年加入。
01:45
Here are some of the things that we do.
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下面是一些我们做的工作。
01:48
We take pictures of the city at night
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我们为夜间的城市拍照，
01:50
and study city lights like stars.
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像研究恒星一样研究城市的灯光。
01:53
By studying how light changes over time
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通过研究光线随时间的变化，
01:55
and the color of astronomical lights,
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以及天体光线的颜色，
01:57
I gain insight about the nature
of exploding stars.
of exploding stars.
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我窥见恒星爆炸的深层原理。
02:00
By studying city lights the same way,
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同样地，通过研究城市灯光，
02:03
we can measure and predict how much energy
the city needs and consumes
the city needs and consumes
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我们可以估算城市
需要和消耗的电力，
需要和消耗的电力，
02:07
and help build a resilient grid
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可以帮助构建弹性输电网，
02:09
that will support the needs
or growing urban environments.
or growing urban environments.
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以此支持电力需求
和城市发展环境的需要。
和城市发展环境的需要。
02:14
In daytime images,
we capture plumes of pollution.
we capture plumes of pollution.
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在日间图片中，
我们捕捉污染的痕迹。
我们捕捉污染的痕迹。
02:18
Seventy-five percent
of greenhouse gases in New York City
of greenhouse gases in New York City
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纽约市百分之七十五的温室气体
02:21
come from a building like this one,
burning oil for heat.
burning oil for heat.
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来自于像这样
燃烧石油供暖的建筑。
燃烧石油供暖的建筑。
02:26
You can measure pollution
with air quality sensors.
with air quality sensors.
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我们可以用空气质量感应器
测量污染程度，
测量污染程度，
02:28
But imagine putting a sensor
on each New York City building,
on each New York City building,
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但是假设在纽约市
每一栋建筑上都放一个感应器，
每一栋建筑上都放一个感应器，
02:32
reading in data from a million monitors.
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从无数个检测器上读取数据会怎样？
02:35
Imagine the cost.
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想象一下这样做的成本。
02:38
With a team of NYU students,
we built a mathematical model,
we built a mathematical model,
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我们和纽约大学一个学生团队
一起建立了一个数学模型，
一起建立了一个数学模型，
02:41
a neural network that can detect
and track these plumes
and track these plumes
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一个覆盖纽约城市轮廓线，
能够侦测并追踪
能够侦测并追踪
02:44
over the New York City skyline.
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污染痕迹的神经网络。
02:46
We can classify them --
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我们可以把这些痕迹分类：
02:48
harmless steam plumes,
white and evanescent;
white and evanescent;
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无害的水蒸汽痕迹是白色的，
很快就会消失；
很快就会消失；
02:51
polluting smokestacks,
dark and persistent --
dark and persistent --
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有污染性的烟尘是黑色的，
会长期存在——
会长期存在——
02:54
and provide policy makers
with a map of neighborhood pollution.
with a map of neighborhood pollution.
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所以我们给政策制定者绘制了
一张周边地区的污染分布地图。
一张周边地区的污染分布地图。
02:59
This cross-disciplinary project
created transformational solutions.
created transformational solutions.
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这个跨学科的项目催生了
可转换的解决方案，
可转换的解决方案，
03:05
But the data analysis methodologies
we use in astrophysics
we use in astrophysics
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但是我们在天体物理学中
使用的数据分析方法，
使用的数据分析方法，
03:08
can be applied to all sorts of data,
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可以被应用于各种数据，
03:10
not just images.
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不仅仅是图像。
03:12
We were asked to help
a California district attorney
a California district attorney
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有人请我们去帮助加利福尼亚
的一位地方检察官，
的一位地方检察官，
03:14
understand prosecutorial delays
in their jurisdiction.
in their jurisdiction.
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来研究他们管辖范围内
的拖延起诉问题。
的拖延起诉问题。
03:18
There are people on probation
or sitting in jail,
or sitting in jail,
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被判缓刑或坐牢的人，
03:21
awaiting for trial sometimes for years.
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有时要等上几年才会受到审判。
03:24
They wanted to know
what kind of cases dragged on,
what kind of cases dragged on,
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他们想知道哪种案件会拖延，
03:26
and they had a massive data set
to explore to understand it,
to explore to understand it,
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他们有一个巨大的数据集
需要探索和研究，
需要探索和研究，
03:29
but didn't have the expertise
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但是他们没有专业技能，
03:31
or the instruments
in their office to do so.
in their office to do so.
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办公室里也没有相应的仪器。
03:33
And that's where we came in.
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而这就是我们来的原因。
03:35
I worked with my colleague,
public policy professor Angela Hawken,
public policy professor Angela Hawken,
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我和我的同事，公共政策专家
安吉拉•霍肯一起工作，
安吉拉•霍肯一起工作，
03:38
and our team first created
a visual dashboard
a visual dashboard
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我们的团队首先打造了
一个可视化的操作界面，
一个可视化的操作界面，
03:42
for DAs to see and better understand
the prosecution process.
the prosecution process.
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让地方检察官看到
并更好地理解诉讼流程。
并更好地理解诉讼流程。
03:46
But also, we ourselves
analyzed their data,
analyzed their data,
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但是我们自己也分析了他们的数据，
03:49
looking to see if the duration
of the process
of the process
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希望能查明在他们管辖范围中
诉讼流程的耗时
诉讼流程的耗时
03:52
suffered from social inequalities
in their jurisdiction.
in their jurisdiction.
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是否受社会不公影响。
03:56
We did so using methods
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我们采取的方法，
03:57
that I would use to classify
thousands of stellar explosions,
thousands of stellar explosions,
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是我给数以千计
恒星爆炸分类时用的，
恒星爆炸分类时用的，
04:00
applied to thousands of court cases.
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而这个方法又被应用到
数以千计的案件中。
数以千计的案件中。
04:03
And in doing so,
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通过这种方法，
我们创建了一个可以
被应用到其他地区的模型，
被应用到其他地区的模型，
04:04
we built a model that can be applied
to other jurisdictions
to other jurisdictions
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只要他们愿意探究其趋势。
04:07
who are willing to explore their biases.
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04:09
These collaborations between
domain experts and astrophysicists
domain experts and astrophysicists
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区域专家和天体物理学家的合作，
04:13
created transformational solutions
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产生了具有转变意义的解决方案，
04:15
to help improve people's quality of life.
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以此帮助改善人们的生活质量。
04:19
But it is a two-way road.
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但这是一条双向道。
04:20
I bring my astrophysics background
to urban science,
to urban science,
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我把我的天体物理学背景知识
应用到城市科学中，
应用到城市科学中，
04:23
and I bring what I learn in urban science
back to astrophysics.
back to astrophysics.
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同时把学到的知识
用回到天体物理学中。
用回到天体物理学中。
04:27
Light echoes:
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光有回声：
04:30
the reflections of stellar explosions
onto interstellar dust.
onto interstellar dust.
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是恒星爆炸在星际尘埃上
留下的反射痕迹。
留下的反射痕迹。
04:36
In our images, these reflections appear
as white, evanescent, moving features,
as white, evanescent, moving features,
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在我们的图像中，这些反射呈现出白色，
带有逐渐消失，正在移动的特征，
带有逐渐消失，正在移动的特征，
04:41
just like plumes.
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就像污染痕迹。
04:43
I am adapting the same models
that detect plumes in city images
that detect plumes in city images
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我正在把利用城市图像
检测污染痕迹的模型，
检测污染痕迹的模型，
04:47
to detect light echoes
in images of the sky.
in images of the sky.
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改造成利用星空图
检测光回声的相似模型。
检测光回声的相似模型。
04:52
By exploring the things
that interest and excite me,
that interest and excite me,
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通过探索使我感兴趣又激动的事物，
04:55
reaching outside of my domain,
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走出我的专业领域，
04:57
I did turn my restlessness into an asset.
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我确实把我呆不住
的性格变成了一个优点。
的性格变成了一个优点。
05:01
We, you, all have a unique perspective
that can generate new insight
that can generate new insight
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我们都有一种独特的视角，
可以带来新的深刻见解，
可以带来新的深刻见解，
05:06
and lead to new, unexpected,
transformational solutions.
transformational solutions.
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从而找到新的，难以预料的，
具有转换意义的解决方案。
具有转换意义的解决方案。
05:10
Thank you.
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谢谢。
05:12
(Applause)
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（掌声）
Translated by Theo Jong
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Federica Bianco - Cross-disciplinary scientistTED Fellow Federica Bianco is a cross-disciplinary scientist who can't stay still.
Why you should listen
Astrophysicist, professor, professional boxer and TED Fellow Federica Bianco studies stellar explosions, using the same methodologies to understand urban and social problems. She uses data-science to both study the universe and tackle problems on earth, like pollution in New York City, prosecutorial justice and how city lights can create resilient electric grids and.
Bianco splits her time as a professor at the University of Delaware in the Department of Physics and Astrophysics (where she runs a lab focusing on light curves), the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration and the Urban Observatory, where she uses her astrophysics skills to study urban problems. She is also the coordinator the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) Science Collaboration, a network of more than 1,500 scientists. The LSST, under construction in Chile, will go online in 2023 to survey the night sky and image the southern hemisphere sky at unprecedented depth and resolution. The collaboration will study everything about it, from the thousands of changes it will discover in the sky every night to billions of stars and galaxies, many that have never been seen before.
Bianco has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, was a Smithsonian predoctoral and James Arthur postdoctoral fellow and was the recipient of a Department of Energy "Innovative Development in Energy-Related Applied Science" grant. When she isn't doing science, you will find her in the boxing ring, where she has made a name for herself as "The MadScientist." She is known for fighting her heart out both in and out of the ring.
Federica Bianco | Speaker | TED.com