WEBVTT

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My name is Egle Cekanaviciute, and I
study how being in space affects cells,

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animals, and astronauts. I specifically like to
study how space radiation affects the human brain.

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This is a brain cell that is also called
a neuron. Now, together these cells

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and lots of other cells, supportive cells that
are called glia, form the brain. So I grow

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these kinds of cells in a dish and then expose
them to space radiation. The simulated one,

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the imitated one, on the ground and see what
happens to them. That will help [us] understand

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how radiation may affect astronauts' brains.
It will also be important to people on Earth

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because, in general, the effects of space flight
and space radiation are similar to growing old.

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One of my earliest memories that I have is of my
dad showing me Mars and Venus in the winter sky,

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which was back in Lithuania, which is where I grew
up—and then watching shuttle launches on TV. I

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fell in love with NASA and with space exploration
very early on. I think it's very important to

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make free time and do other things that are
not just your work and not just science. So,

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I write stories that are fantasy and science
fiction, including sometimes about space.

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Space just tends to creep into them somehow.
I also read a lot of books. I've been reading

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every single day, even if it's just a little bit,
basically since I learned to read. In addition to,

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you know, exploring space, I like exploring the
Earth. So, I go hiking and running and biking.

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I like traveling the world, and I enjoy learning
languages. Just keep asking questions and finding

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things out. Figure out which questions are
the most exciting to you about the world,

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and then go into science that helps answer them.
And then you will never be bored. Keep persevering

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and persisting through your failures because
you are going to fail. You should be failing

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because if you are not, that means you're
doing something that is too easy for you.

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I often tell people I will not get to live to see
cities on Mars, but what I do now will be tiny,

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tiny steps towards making them happen
and will survive long after me. And it

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is amazing that I get to think that way. It is
amazing that I get to contribute to something

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that is such a large scale and affects all of
humanity and not just NASA and not just me.

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you