This TED Talk features computational biologist and activist Laura Boykin, recorded live at TED Summit 2019.

I get out of bed for two reasons. One, small-scale family farmers need more food. It's crazy that in 2019, farmers that feed us are hungry. And two, science needs to be

more diverse and inclusive. If we're going to solve the toughest challenges on the planet,

like food insecurity, for the millions living in extreme poverty, it's going to take all of us. I want to use

the latest technology with the most diverse and inclusive teams on the planet to help farmers

have more food. I'm a computational biologist. I know what is that and how is it going to help

in hunger? Basically, I like computers and biology,

and somehow putting that together is a job.

I don't have a story of wanting to be a biologist from a young age.

The truth is, I played basketball in college,

and part of my financial aid package was I needed a work-study job.

So one random day, I wandered to the nearest building to my dorm room, and it just so happens

it was the biology building.

I went inside and looked at the job board.

Yes, this is pre-the-internet.

And I saw a three-by-five card advertising a job to work in the herbarium.

I quickly took down the number because it said flexible hours,

and I needed that to work around my basketball schedule.

I ran to the library to figure out what an herbarium was.

And it turns out an herbarium is where they store dead dried plants.

I was lucky to land the job.

So my first scientific job was gluing dead plants onto paper for hours on end.

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