Who’s impacted by science

For Siobhan Braybrook, being a scientist is as much about following your endless curiosity as it is about exploring the complex inner machinations of living things. An associate professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology who studies the development, growth mechanisms and pattern formations in plants and seaweeds, she always endeavors to spark the wonder of scientific research in her students.

"To me, science is almost the same as being a magician," Braybrook said. "For a long time, what we believed was magic in the world we now can explain through science and scientific principles."

In the latest episode of "Science Interrupted," a special series from the UCLA College's "Tell Us What You Know" podcast, Braybrook discusses how her research could one day help us grow more resilient crops, support healthy oceans and inspire greener materials; and why safeguarding the academic freedom and discretion to pursue curiosity-driven research - not profit - is crucial for us all.

"I'm a first-generation college student, just like roughly one-third of UCLA's undergraduate population," Braybrook said. "I wasn't raised surrounded by academics or professional scientists, but I was raised by two people who taught me to care about my planet and the people around me, and also to be deeply curious and reverent about the natural world."