Inventing Tomorrow

The six high school students who attend the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles in Laura Nix’s inspiring documentary all have the potential to make the world a better place. In Bangka, Indonesia, Nuha Anfaresi says that tin mining fuels her country’s economy but devastates the environment. In order to excavate the tin, which is used in a wide range of electronic devices, legal and illegal operations are carried out that produce lead, which in turn poisons marine life. Nuha has created a filter to minimize the damage. Jared Goodwin, a third-generation Hawaiian, has created a map identifying arsenic deposits on Hilo created by dry board factory runoff, a problem that is exacerbated by tsunamis. Through ponds, the arsenic seeps into the soil, causing adverse health effects. Sahithi Pingali, hailing from Bangalore, India, laments that hundreds of lakes have disappeared due to sewage contamination produced by the tech boom, while many that remain are flammable due to phosphates and other untreated chemicals. She has created an app to make testing easy and accessible. Concerned about the smog generated by diesel fuel, Jesus Martinez, Jose Elizalde, and Fernando Sanchez, from Monterrey, Mexico, have created paint with photo-catalytic properties to counteract the effects of carbon dioxide. In L.A., all six contestants present their inventions to judges—which puts their communications skills to the test—and it’s hard not to root for all of them. The underlying subtext here is clear: the future scientists who will be most likely to save the environment need a supportive family, access to college-level resources, and events like ISEF to help bring their ideas to fruition. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (K. Fennessy)