'Tech for Good' ends on a high with a special season finale from London

HONG KONG, Nov. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Tech for Good' is ending the season on a high note with a first-of-its-kind grand finale episode taped in front of a live audience.

Earlier this year, CNN invited readers and viewers to vote for their favorite 'Tech for Good' articles and segments, with some guests from the most popular stories receiving an invitation to close out the season in London. Three standout researchers joined CNN correspondent, Anna Stewart, on the stage at Samsung KX to share their inspiring stories of how they are creating a lasting impact and making the world a better place.

A barometer for global climate change, coral reefs are extremely sensitive to rising ocean temperatures. Marine ecologist and PhD candidate, Taylor Whitman, has developed coral seeding devices designed to restore and protect fragile reef ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Her pioneering work transplants thermally tolerant corals to areas that have been impacted by widespread bleaching, with innovative technology providing protective features to help boost their chance of survival. Taylor's goal is to introduce this technology globally to repopulate dying coral colonies and safeguard the livelihoods of local communities dependent on the reefs.

Moving from the sea to sky, space enthusiast and student engineer, Hannes Schatzmann, is looking to revolutionize the traditionally wasteful space industry by introducing sustainable and reusable hardware, making space exploration both more efficient and accessible. Seeking to disrupt the status quo, Hannes and his fellow students have developed a guided recovery system for rockets featuring steerable parachutes capable of precise landings, allowing for rockets to be reused again and again. Operating in uncharted territory, the entire development process has been something that Hannes and his team have had to figure out by themselves.

Finally, Project Scientist Neil Nathan, is using drones coupled with AI technology to detect and learn more about great white sharks, addressing misconceptions about these amazing animals in the process. Neil hopes to enhance public safety not only for surfers and beachgoers but also to help protect sharks from humans. With ambitions to scale this technology globally, Neil envisions a future where humans and sharks coexist safely and responsibly, benefiting both marine ecosystems and local communities.

The episode concludes with a dynamic Q&A session with the studio audience where the guests shared their inspiring insights, emphasizing collaboration, curiosity, and perseverance as key elements for creating a better future.

Tech for Good trailer: https://tinyurl.com/4j8ptynf
Tech for Good images: https://tinyurl.com/bp89x685
Tech for Good microsite: https://cnn.it/3PB5DSq

Airtimes for 30-minute special:
Saturday, 30^th November at 7:30pm HKT
Sunday, 1^st December at 10:30am HKT
Monday, 2^nd December at 2:30am and 12pm HKT 

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source: CNN International