How we use astrophysics to study earthbound problems | Federica Bianco

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: SF Huang

I am an astrophysicist.

我是天體物理學家。

I research stellar explosions across the universe.

我研究整個宇宙中的恆星爆炸。

But I have a flaw:

但我有個缺點：

I'm restless, and I get bored easily.

我閒不下來，且很容易感到無聊。

And although as an astrophysicist, I have the incredible opportunity

雖然身為天體物理學家， 我有很棒的機會

to study the entire universe,

可以研究整個宇宙，

the thought of doing only that, always that,

光是想到只能研究整個宇宙， 且一直要研究整個宇宙，

makes me feel caged and limited.

就讓我覺得受困和受限。

What if my issues with keeping attention and getting bored

不過，如果我要一直保持專注 以及容易無聊的問題，

were not a flaw, though?

其實並不是缺點呢？

What if I could turn them into an asset?

如果我能將它們轉變為資產呢？

An astrophysicist cannot touch or interact with

天體物理學家無法觸碰 所研究的東西或與其互動，

the things that she studies.

No way to explode a star in a lab to figure out why or how it blew up.

更不可能在實驗室中引爆恆星 來研究它為何或如何爆炸。

Just pictures and movies of the sky.

只有太空的圖片和影片。

Everything we know about the universe,

我們對宇宙所知的一切，

from the big bang that originated space and time,

從產生出空間和時間的大爆炸，

to the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies,

到恆星及銀河的形成和演化，

to the structure of our own solar system,

到我們自己太陽系的結構，

we figured out studying images of the sky.

我們透過研究太空影像來解答。

And to study a system as complex as the entire universe,

要研究像宇宙這樣極其複雜的系統，

astrophysicists are experts at extracting simple models and solutions

天體物理學家便是那個 能從複雜的大型資料集中，

粹取出簡單模型和解決方案的專家。

from large and complex data sets.

So what else can I do with this expertise?

所以，我的這項專長還有什麼用途？

What if we turned the camera around towards us?

如果我們把鏡頭轉向我們自己呢？

At the Urban Observatory, that is exactly what we are doing.

我們「都市天文台」就在做這件事。

Greg Dobler, also an astrophysicist

我的丈夫葛雷格‧多柏勒 也是位天體物理學家，

and my husband,

created the first urban observatory in New York University in 2013,

於 2013 年在紐約大學 建造了第一座都市天文台，

and I joined in 2015.

我在 2015 年加入。

Here are some of the things that we do.

我們做的工作包括：

We take pictures of the city at night

我們拍攝夜間的城市，

and study city lights like stars.

把城市的燈光當成星體來研究。

By studying how light changes over time

研究光如何隨著時間而變化，

and the color of astronomical lights,

以及天體發光的顏色，

I gain insight about the nature of exploding stars.

我就能夠深入了解爆炸恆星的本質。

By studying city lights the same way,

用同樣的方式來研究城市的光，

we can measure and predict how much energy the city needs and consumes

我們就能測量和預測城市 需要及會消耗多少能源，

and help build a resilient grid

協助建造有彈性的電力網，

that will support the needs of growing urban environments.

來供給需求或支援 不斷發展的都市環境。

In daytime images, we capture plumes of pollution.

在白天的影像中， 我們捕捉到污染的羽狀煙雲，

Seventy-five percent of greenhouse gases in New York City

在紐約市有 75% 的溫室氣體

come from a building like this one, burning oil for heat.

來自像這樣的建築物燃油取暖。

You can measure pollution with air quality sensors.

可用空氣品質感測器來測量污染值。

But imagine putting a sensor on each New York City building,

但想像在紐約的每一棟大樓中 都放置一個感測器，

reading in data from a million monitors.

並從一百萬個螢幕上閱讀資料。

Imagine the cost.

想像一下這成本。

With a team of NYU students, we built a mathematical model,

我們和紐約大學的學生團隊 合作建造了一個數學模型，

a neural network that can detect and track these plumes

一個能偵測和追蹤在紐約天際線上的

over the New York City skyline.

羽狀煙雲的類神經網路模型。

We can classify them --

我們能將它們分類——

harmless steam plumes, white and evanescent;

無害的蒸汽煙雲 白色且容易消散；

polluting smokestacks, dark and persistent --

會造成污染的煙囪煙雲 又黑又持久——

and provide policy makers with a map of neighborhood pollution.

並提供政策制訂者鄰里污染地圖。

This cross-disciplinary project created transformational solutions.

這個跨學科的計畫 創造出了轉型解決方案。

But the data analysis methodologies we use in astrophysics

但我們在天體物理學中 所使用的資料分析方法論

can be applied to all sorts of data,

可以應用到各種資料上， 不單是影像而已。

not just images.

We were asked to help a California district attorney

我們曾受邀去協助一位加州的檢察官，

understand prosecutorial delays in their jurisdiction.

了解他們轄區中的起訴延遲狀況。

There are people on probation or sitting in jail,

有些假釋的人或在監獄中的人

awaiting for trial sometimes for years.

等著受審一等就是數年。

They wanted to know what kind of cases dragged on,

他們想要知道哪種類型的案件會拖延，

and they had a massive data set to explore to understand it,

他們有很大型的資料集 可以用來探究這個問題，

but didn't have the expertise

但他們沒有專業技能，

or the instruments in their office to do so.

辦公室中也沒有工具可以協助分析。

And that's where we came in.

那就是我們上場的時候。

I worked with my colleague, public policy professor Angela Hawken,

和我合作的同事是 公共政策教授安吉拉‧霍金，

and our team first created a visual dashboard

我們的團隊首先創造出 一個視覺化的儀表板，

for DAs to see and better understand the prosecution process.

讓地方檢察官可以 看見並更了解起訴過程。

But also, we ourselves analyzed their data,

但，我們自己也會去分析他們的資料，

looking to see if the duration of the process

去研究在他們的轄區中，

suffered from social inequalities in their jurisdiction.

起訴過程所花的時間 是否和社會不平等有關。

We did so using methods

我們所採用的方法

that I would use to classify thousands of stellar explosions,

是我用分類數千個恆星爆炸的方法，

applied to thousands of court cases.

應用到數千個法庭案件上。

And in doing so,

透過這個方法，我們建造了 能應用到其他轄區上的模型，

we built a model that can be applied to other jurisdictions

who are willing to explore their biases.

讓他們也能探究他們的偏見。

These collaborations between domain experts and astrophysicists

領域專家和天體物理學的這些合作

created transformational solutions

創造出了轉型解決方案，

to help improve people's quality of life.

來協助改善人們的生活品質。

But it is a two-way road.

但，這條路是雙向的。

I bring my astrophysics background to urban science,

我把我的天體物理學 背景帶到都市科學，

and I bring what I learn in urban science back to astrophysics.

把我在都市科學所學到的 帶回到天體物理學。

Light echoes:

光回波 （回光）：

the reflections of stellar explosions onto interstellar dust.

恆星爆炸在星塵上的反射。

In our images, these reflections appear as white, evanescent, moving features,

在我們的影像中，這些反射會呈現

白色、容易消散、移動的特徵，

just like plumes.

像羽狀煙雲一樣。

I am adapting the same models that detect plumes in city images

我把偵測城市影像上 羽狀煙雲的模型

to detect light echoes in images of the sky.

用來偵測太空影像中的光回波。

By exploring the things that interest and excite me,

透過探索讓我感到興趣 也感到興奮的事物，

reaching outside of my domain,

跨出我的領域，

I did turn my restlessness into an asset.

我確實將閒不下來的特質轉變成資產。

We, you, all have a unique perspective that can generate new insight

你我都有獨特的觀點

可以產生新的洞見，

and lead to new, unexpected, transformational solutions.

近而引導出全新的、 意想不到的轉型解決方案。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）