1
00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:13,360
My name is Egle Cekanaviciute, and I 
study how being in space affects cells,  

2
00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:20,720
animals, and astronauts. I specifically like to 
study how space radiation affects the human brain.  

3
00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:27,680
This is a brain cell that is also called 
a neuron. Now, together these cells  

4
00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:35,360
and lots of other cells, supportive cells that 
are called glia, form the brain. So I grow  

5
00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:41,760
these kinds of cells in a dish and then expose 
them to space radiation. The simulated one,  

6
00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:47,280
the imitated one, on the ground and see what 
happens to them. That will help [us] understand  

7
00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:53,120
how radiation may affect astronauts' brains. 
It will also be important to people on Earth  

8
00:00:53,840 --> 00:01:00,960
because, in general, the effects of space flight 
and space radiation are similar to growing old. 

9
00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:08,000
One of my earliest memories that I have is of my 
dad showing me Mars and Venus in the winter sky,  

10
00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:13,920
which was back in Lithuania, which is where I grew 
up—and then watching shuttle launches on TV. I  

11
00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:19,840
fell in love with NASA and with space exploration 
very early on. I think it's very important to  

12
00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:25,360
make free time and do other things that are 
not just your work and not just science. So,  

13
00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:30,560
I write stories that are fantasy and science 
fiction, including sometimes about space.  

14
00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:36,240
Space just tends to creep into them somehow. 
I also read a lot of books. I've been reading  

15
00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:42,000
every single day, even if it's just a little bit, 
basically since I learned to read. In addition to,  

16
00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:48,880
you know, exploring space, I like exploring the 
Earth. So, I go hiking and running and biking.  

17
00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:56,240
I like traveling the world, and I enjoy learning 
languages. Just keep asking questions and finding  

18
00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:02,880
things out. Figure out which questions are 
the most exciting to you about the world,  

19
00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:09,520
and then go into science that helps answer them. 
And then you will never be bored. Keep persevering  

20
00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:15,440
and persisting through your failures because 
you are going to fail. You should be failing  

21
00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:20,240
because if you are not, that means you're 
doing something that is too easy for you.  

22
00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:28,880
I often tell people I will not get to live to see 
cities on Mars, but what I do now will be tiny,  

23
00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:35,760
tiny steps towards making them happen 
and will survive long after me. And it  

24
00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:41,680
is amazing that I get to think that way. It is 
amazing that I get to contribute to something  

25
00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:49,840
that is such a large scale and affects all of 
humanity and not just NASA and not just me.

26
00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:10,320
you