Jess Sevetson, Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience, explains how we can develop better treatments for brain damage by creating three-dimensional “mini-brains” the size of a grain of sand and exposing them to pathological conditions.

Sevetson is one of 12 graduate students who participated in Research Matters, an annual "TED Talk"-style event that challenges students to explain why their current research matters — to the field and to themselves — in five minutes or less.