Scientific researcher, Morgan Vague, tells us about her discovery of plastic-eating bacteria that could soon become part of the solution to our global plastic pollution program. Throughout school,

Scientific researcher, Morgan Vague, tells us about her discovery of plastic-eating bacteria that could soon become part of the solution to our global plastic pollution program. Throughout school, Morgan Vague remembers teachers telling her she should avoid math and science, because she wasn’t “smart enough”. After high school, Morgan tired of avoiding math and science and enrolled at Houston Community College. There, she worked through remedial math courses starting with pre-algebra up to calculus and took the basic science courses she had missed out on. Craving a rigorous academic environment, Morgan applied and was accepted to Reed College. A microbiology course showed her how beautifully applicable biology could be and ignited her passion for science. She graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 2018 and is currently a research assistant at Reed College, where she works on bacterial biodegradation- using bacteria to aid in the fight against plastic pollution. In her spare time, Morgan enjoys boxing, ice hockey, studying languages and history, playing with her adorable pet puggle, and exploring the gorgeous PNW. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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