Curing a deadly childhood disease, sharing her love of science, and a sleek ’68 Corvette drive this biochemist

Spend a brief amount of time with biochemist Rachelle Crosbie-Watson and you ’ll quickly realize that “drive” is one of her favorite words.With equal enthusiasm, she ’ll describe studying “the small molecules that drive life,” and her 1968 convertible Corvette being “a blast to drive.” The symmetry is hard to miss: Crosbie-Watson drives a classic muscle car to UCLA, where she studies the biochemical reactions that drive muscle cell functions. Her lab is hotly pursuing new drugs that one day may halt the progression of a deadly childhood muscle-wasting disease, allowing kids with the disorder to lead normal lives.The popular digital network, Mashable, recently profiled Crosbie-Watson for its “How She Works” series, which shadows a day in the life of women professionals working in fields related to science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM.Mashable With her fiery pink hair, charismatic personality and affinity for high-speed cars, Crosbie-Watson doesn ’t resemble most people’s vision of a biochemist. But her talent for crafting fresh approaches to solving thorny scientific puzzles is exactly what makes her such an ingenious scientist.“What I love most about my job is the opportunity to be creative,” Crosbie-Watson said. “To solve the biggest problems in the world, we need individuals with different viewpoints to chime in. Working with people who are learning science for the first time — coupled with the thrill of discove ry — makes ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news