An unorthodox life: Asha de Vos at TEDxMonterey

Shattering the traditional mold for "serious" scientists, Asha de Vos, is a charismatic marine biologist who is determined to broaden the scope of consciousness about the natural world by talking about her research in a language anyone can understand. As a female scientist from the developing world, Asha's unusual career is fueled by curiosity and her passion for researching another "unorthodox species" - the blue whales of Sri Lanka. In her ocean-inspired TEDxMonterey talk, Asha de Vos shares the origins of her powerful affinity for the natural world which has led her to new discoveries and international research on the largest mammals in the world. Armed with degrees from the Universities of St. Andrews, Oxford and Western Australia Asha founded The Sri Lankan Blue Whale Project, the first long-term study on an unusual population of blue whales within the Northern Indian Ocean. She has played a pivotal role in conducting research, introducing and creating awareness about this unusual population -- that she calls 'The Unorthodox Whales' -- and is currently a TED Senior Fellow and Duke University Global Fellow in Marine Conservation.
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)