Mel Rosenberg. Researcher, Lecturer,
Inventor of Two Phase Mouthwash,
Jazz Musician and Children's Book Author.
When I was young, I dreamed of being a children's book writer and musician. Instead I became a scientist and inventor. My Ph.D. dealt with the ability of certain microorganisms to adhere to oil droplets.
I went on to invent a two phase oil-water mouthwash which in turn led me to study the causes and treatment of bad breath. In my forties, I began to publish my children's books, and to perform as a jazz musician and singer.
Nowadays I give lectures and courses on a variety of subjects and teach others to be successful international speakers.
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Research & Inventions
As a scientist, I spent most of my career as a microbiologist at Tel Aviv University studying how to measure, diagnose and treat bad breath. I published and almost perished, having smelled the breath, armpits and feet of well over 5,000 people. Maybe 10,000, but who's counting? I have a popular lecture entitled "Bad Breath, Body Odor and Sex."
As an inventor I failed quite often, causing some explosions and surviving one test crash. But I did manage to invent a two-phase mouthwash which became popular in the UK, the US and elsewhere. I love to talk about "What I Learned from One Success and One Hundred Failures." Spoiler alert: You can't learn very much from success! I even have an 11-minute documentary video with emma Crouch on How Inventions Really Happen.
Teaching
I believe that teaching should start somewhere and go anywhere. I love to teach across disciplines. It is not uncommon to see me bring a guitar or saxophone to a class on a scientific or medical subject.
I learned in kindergarten that in order to survive I would need to get the right answers in class, and at the same time doubt everything that I was taught. I learned to 'think between boxes'. Nowadays I lecture about how teaching should be, and why it isn't.
Innovation
Since childhood, I've been trying out new ways to do things, often because I could not or would not master the ordinary ways. I invented many products, techniques and contraptions, most (but thankfully not all) of which went belly up. Or blew up.
I've organized and hosted TEDx events, scripted three TED-Ed animations (seen by over 8.5 million people) and co-founded Ourboox, a free platform for creating and sharing e-books, with over 100,000 authors.
Storytelling
Storytelling is connected with everything I do. Every presentation, every product, every musical piece, every text, every picture and photo, tells a story. Together with Ran Shternin, my wife Shuli and I recently established Ourboox.com which is the world's simplest platform for creating free interactive flipbooks. I also help others tell their stories, whether through TEDx or other initiatives I have organized.
Music
Music is the narrative of my life, both as a listener and performer. In particular, I love the swing music of the great American song book and the sixties.
I sing and play piano, alto and tenor sax and guitar, but not all at the same time. I've produced two CDs and have appeared internationally, and at jazz festivals here in Israel.