Where's our curiosity?: Johnathan Li at TEDxSanJuanCapistrano

Johnny Li
researcher -- advocate
Harvard University, Student

"An inquisitive attitude and steady perseverance can make a significant difference in the world."

Since he was in elementary school, Johnny has had a relentless passion for math and science. Accelerating through the middle and high school math curriculum, he enrolled in classes at the University of California, Irvine when he was in eighth grade. There, he became fascinated by the applicability of mathematics to real-life problems. Driven by a curiosity and an interest in the life sciences, he began conducting mathematical biology research with Dr. John Lowengrub, a math professor at the university. Under Dr. Lowengrub's guidance, Johnny applied math models to study how certain cell attributes can affect the growth of tumor cell clusters.

His work earned him a number of awards, including a finalist position in the Intel Science Talent Search, and his findings are now in the final stages of publication for the Journal of Theoretical Biology. Realizing the importance of math education, Johnny also established the Orange County Math Circle, a student-run organization to provide math resources to underserved areas in the county.

Now at Harvard University, Johnny is studying stem cell biology and statistics. Besides focusing on academics, he volunteers as a tutor for young children in Boston's Chinatown, manages his nonprofit organization Math for Service, serves as an officer of the Harvard College Stem Cell Society, and maintains an active social life. Soon after arriving at Harvard, Johnny joined a lab to study diabetes, a disease affecting many of those close to him. Drawn by his desire to understand and question the world around him, he still spends much of his time conducting research.

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In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)