The Story Collider

This week we present two stories about people who had to accept a delay in their personal journeys.Part 1: Veterinarian Rodrigo Solis thinks he's found the perfect job -- taking care of horses in the Mexican Army -- until a new commander takes over.Part 2: Weeks before an important performance, opera singer Laura Crocco notices there's something wrong with her voice.Rodrigo Solis received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in Mexico in 2006 and spent one semester abroad studying at the University of California-Davis. He then went on to earn a Master’s of Sustainable Development at the Technological Institute of Higher Studies Monterrey. He’s currently a 5th year PhD candidate in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University in Canada where he studies monarch butterfly conservation. Since 2018, he has been a fellow at the ReNewZoo graduate training program. He recently started a part-time position with eButterfly, an online citizen science platform that tracks butterflies

This week we present two stories from people who had disastrous moments with their own genitals.Part 1: Lonely after her move to New York City, Adrien Behn finds a friend in her copper IUD.Part 2: While recovering from prostate cancer surgery, Dana Strout finds a creative solution to his incontinence.Adrien Behnis a triple threat storyteller: she is a podcaster, writer, and live story performer. She has been featured in the New York Times and has self-produced her first podcast, Strangers Abroad, a narrative travel podcast. You can find her performing around the city or in her kitchen making pies.Dana Strout is a Maine native, with roots in this state going back over 300 years. He is a practicing attorney in the Camden/Rockport area, specializing in construction law. He is a photographer working in 19th and early 20th century processes, and was an on air programmer for many years on WERU Community Radio. He currently lives with his wife Dorie and two cats in Camden, and enjoys gymnastics, a warped sense of hu

This week we present two stories from people gripped with concern for others.Part 1: When biologist Andrew Holding's new baby stops feeding, his scientific instincts are put to the test.Part 2: After finding out her mother has breast cancer, high school teacher Nakeysha Roberts Washington gets hit with the news that one of her students has a brain tumor.Andrew Holding is a Senior Research Associate at Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Institute and a Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge. His research programme brings together his experience of cutting edge mass spectrometry, DNA and RNA sequencing techniques with computational biology to investigate the function of the nuclear receptors. Andrew has worked on many science outreach and public engagement projects including founding and organising Skeptics in the Pub in Cambridge, which holds monthly talks by various speakers with the aim of highlighting the application of critical thinking and scientific method.Nakeysha Roberts Washington, M.S. Ed is the owner and

Part 1:  After turning down a tenure position, Sarah Brady struggles to adapt to her new life as the spouse of a physician. Part 2:  As he grows up, Ed Greco's two great loves -- his high school sweetheart, and physics -- come into conflict. Sarah Brady is a storyteller, teaching artist, and writer who relocated to England from the United States a year and a half ago due to her paediatrician husband's job. To say that science has had an impact on her family would be an understatement.For the last ten years, Ed Greco has taught physics at Georgia Tech where he has been active in the development of new curriculum for undergraduate students. A native Floridian, he moved to Atlanta in 2000 with his high school sweetheart to attend graduate school. When not in the classroom, he coordinates the outreach activities for the school of physics and serves as radio show co-host “Fat Daddy Sorghum” on WREK’s Inside the Black Box where he enjoys sharing his passion for science with the Atlanta community. Photography, Conch

This week we present two stories about people making choices informed by the naïvety of youth. Part 1: On a dull night in Orlando, young Josh Flaum decides to experiment with drugs he can buy over the counter.Part 2: After Will Tran accidentally cheats his way to a high school math award, he has to grapple with whether or not to come clean.Josh Flaum is a comedy writer local to Los Angeles. He has written for G4 Network's 'Attack of the Show', Nerdist, Legendary Entertainment, has worked as a consultant for Disney Imagineering, co-created the award-winning web series 'Written By A Kid', and is currently working for Caffeine.tv writing for a partly-scripted, partly-improvised, live, weekly, interactive hour-long comedy chat show done entirely in virtual reality called 'Live From The 8th Dimension'. He recently shattered his right anterior sinus bone, so that's why he looks the way he does (if you were wondering). If you like photos of cats, you're welcome to follow him on Instagram at @joshflaum.Will Tran is n

This week we present two stories of scientists having to find a strength within themselves.Part 1: BiologistH eather Hamlin leaves the safety of the lab for her first field assignment: tagging alligators.Part 2: As an unconsenting "face of diversity," Dan Simpson contemplates the role of his gay identity in his academic life.Heather Hamlin earned her BS in Biology, and an MS in Marine  Bio-resources from the University of Maine before working as a Senior Biologist at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota Florida. She earned her  Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 2007, and then worked as a  post-doctoral scholar at the same institution studying the effects of  environmental pollutants on the endocrine system of aquatic animals. In  2010 she joined the Medical University of South Carolina’s School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor examining how contaminants can alter maternal-fetal health. Eager to get back to Maine, she returned in 2011  to the University of Maine’s School of Marine Sciences, where she

This week we share two stories from people who have go on wild goose chases to find their dads. Part 1: In his last year of medical school in Colombia, Gabriel Duran Rehbein finds out his father has been kidnapped.Part 2: After seeing her dad lose control of his mind, art student Minerva Contreras decides to study the brain, in hopes of understanding him.Gabriel Duran Rehbein, MD describes himself as a huge nerd and a pathological optimist. He is currently making full use of both those characteristics as a Research Fellow in the Viviane Tabar Lab at MSKCC, where his work focuses on the development of a novel real-time drug screening platform for primary brain tumors using patient-derived three-dimensional explant cultures. He obtained his MD from Universidad de los Andes in his native city of Bogotá, Colombia. When he is not in the lab, Gabriel enjoys reading, attending concerts and spending time with friends. He is always on the lookout for places to go salsa dancing.”  Minerva Contreras is a senior at Unive

This week we present two stories from people who were underwater both literally and metaphorically.Part 1: Barbara Abernathy has always felt at home in the ocean, but when she undergoes a bone marrow transplant, her doctor tells her she can't go into the water for a year. Part 2: With only two days to find and extract a sample from one of the oldest coral colonies in the world, Konrad Hughen finds himself at the bottom of the ocean with a broken drill bit.Barbara Abernathy, PhD, LMHC, is the President and CEO of the Pediatric Oncology Support Team, Inc. (POST), a nonprofit helping children and their families cope with the devastating effects of cancer. Being a cancer survivor herself, she brings a personal touch to the children and families battling childhood cancer. She has 30 years’ experience in nonprofits, 21 of those years at POST. She has a PhD in Counselor Education and Leadership from Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Master of Education in Counseling from the University of South Alabama, A Master of

This week we bring you two stories of people who had to reckon with the fact that their first choice wasn’t available.Part 1: When the local science museum looks to hire performers, David Nett believes he's the perfect man for the job.Part 2: After finding out her uterus never developed, scientist Chivonne Battle searches for an alternative way to become a mother.David Nett has spent over 20 years in Los Angeles writing, producing,  and acting in TV, film, and theater. Currently, he’s the writer for Geek  & Sundry’s "Starter Kit,” the VP of Entertainment Development for  ArcMedia, co-owner of Hero’s Journey Fitness with his wife, Christy, and  the Dungeon Master for two ongoing Dungeons & Dragons campaigns,  one that he’s been running since 1987. He wants to thank his parents,  who did not utter a single angry word (to his face) when he left his  academic scholarships behind to study acting.  Chivonne Battle is a VT graduate student with a B.S. in Material Science  & Engineering (VT, ’05), ultimat

This week we present two more stories about people who need help to deal with mental health.Part 1: Comedian Zack Stovall reevaluates his past battles with his mother in light of a new diagnosis.Part 2: Audrey Kearns' big opportunity to appear as a panelist at a "nerd-convention" turns disastrous when she has an unexpected reaction to a new antidepressant.Zack Stovall is a writer, producer, cartoonist, and  comedian. He currently produces the Story Collider and has performed  stand-up and sketch comedy across the South, Midwest, and New York. Zack  has written for St. Louis Magazine and Vulture, and is the author of a  collection of cartoons, 'Fancy Things.' He currently lives in New York  City with his wife, Rebekah, and their goldendoodle, Newman. Zack tweets as @zstovall and lost most of his hair sometime in 2009. Audrey Kearns is a writer, actor and producer. She majored in both  theatre and political science at the University of Florida. The  political science degree was to make her mother happy because

This week we present two stories about people’s struggles with their own mental health.Part 1: After passing out on the NYC subway, comedian Mike Brown is forced to take a deeper look at his mental health.Part 2: Emily Yarrison survives her suicide attempt and has to ask herself a whole new set of questions.Mike Brown is a New York comic who travels the country and still doesn’t know how to drive. He currently hosts "You Good? with Mike Brown: A Mental Health Podcast" on Loud Speakers Network. He has appeared on NBC, MTV, TBS, Adult Swim, E!, SIRIUS XM and has been a guest on popular podcasts such as Keith and the Girl, The Black Guy Who Tips and The Hilarious World of Depression. Mike has performed in multiple festivals including the New York Comedy Festival and San Francisco SketchFest where he was named one of Rooftop’s Comics to Watch. He has written for Decoded with Franchesca Ramsey (MTV), written/created/starred in critically-acclaimed web series "Can't Stop, Won't Stop," along with costarring in numer

This week we present a story of scientist becoming a mother.Part 1: Heather Williams trades in her physicist labcoat for motherhood, and wonders if she can return.Heather Williams is a principal medical physicist at The Christie hospital in Manchester, UK, where she oversees imaging and therapy in the Nuclear Medicine Department and specialises in Positron Emission Tomography. Heather is an advocate for science communication to non-expert audiences and is passionate about supporting Women in STEM. The latter lead her to set up ScienceGrrl back in 2012, a grassroots national network with 10 local chapters throughout the UK that help match scientists with speaking opportunities close to them. Williams is a current member of the IOP's Women in Physics group committee and represents the Institute of Physics within the European Platform for Women Scientists (EPWS). In 2017 she was awarded the IOP Phillips Award for distinguished service to the IOP through the Women in Physics Group. When she’s not working, Heather

This week we present two stories about people finding strength in their own voice.Part 1:  A parent-teacher conference leads Eugenia Duodu to question whether she can be a scientist. Part 2: At 13 years old Misha Gajewski has to undergo a jaw surgery to fix a face she is just getting used to. Eugenia Duodu is the Toronto-based CEO of Visions of Science, which  inspires kids from low-income and marginalized communities to pursue  careers in STEM. As a youth born and raised in a low-income community,  she strives to maintain a strong connection to her local and global  community by being a mentor and advocate. Her goal is to help make a  long-lasting positive impact in communities through STEM engagement and  in-turn allow youth to unlock their potential. Eugenia holds a PhD in  Chemistry from the University of Toronto.  Misha is a freelance journalist whose work has been featured on Vice,  BBC and CTV News, among others. She is also a journalism Professor at  Seneca College and a scriptwriter for the popular Y

This week, for National Pet Parents day, we bring you two stories of our relationships with our cats.Part 1:  In a battle over her apartment's air quality, cat foster mom Tracy Rowland discovers how to use her kitten's parasite as a weapon.  Part 2: Gianmarco Soresi learns more about cats than he ever wanted to when his girlfriend adopts five.Tracy is a 3-time Moth StorySLAM champion who first appeared on the  Story Collider stage in 2011, with a tale that tangentially had to do  with monkeys. She's also part of the producing and hosting team behind  The Liar Show, a long-running NYC institution.  Tracy works days as a  writer and video editor, where her promos and shorts have appeared on  NBC, Cartoon Network, and Al Jazeera America. She won a local Emmy in  2010, but her mom still thinks it was the regular kind.  Check out more at www.tracyrowland.com.Gianmarco Soresi is a New York based stand up comic, storyteller and actor. He’s  headlined Carolines on Broadway, Stand Up NY, EastVille Comedy Club, DC Come

This week we present two stories of the children we used to be and how they grew up.Part 1: As a sixth grader, Anna Neu decides she's going to fall in love at science camp.Part 2: At age nine, Anicca Harriot plans to study both the heart and space, but as she gets older, that plan becomes more challenging than she expected.Anna Neu has several interests including improv, sketch  comedy and voiceover work. She is a trained dancer and Michael Howard  Studio Conservatory taught actor. She performs at the Magnet Theater on  weekends in shows such as The Armando Diaz Experience and has been on  several house teams there. Her voice can be heard on a handful of  episodes of The Truth Podcast. Also a Moth Story Slam winner.  Anicca Harriot is currently working on her PhD in  Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the University of Maryland  School of Medicine. Her research focuses on mechanotransduction – the  science of how mechanical stresses and physical forces, like gravity,  affect cell signaling and function.

This week we present two stories about scientists who became the face of the scientific community.Part 1: When conservation scientist Laura Kehoe writes about a surprising chimp behavior, the media takes it wildly out of context and the situation spirals out of control.Part 2: When The Colbert Report calls about her research, marine biologist Skylar Bayer finds an unexpected collaborator and friend in the fisherman helping her get scallops.Laura Kehoe is  a post-doctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia & University of Victoria, where she's busy developing a cost-effective conservation plan for the over 100 species of concern in the Fraser  River estuary, Vancouver. Laura’s research has the overall goal of  finding pathways to balance human resource use with the conservation of biodiversity. To do this, she develops & applies approaches grounded  in spatial statistics, spatial ecology, & conservation decision  science. Laura is the founder of a campaign to regenerate degraded farml

The week we present two stories of people being confronted with chaos and looking for peace.Part 1: Overwhelmed by setbacks as she pursues her academic ambitions, Tricia Hersey discovers an unexpected solution to her stress.Part 2: Cell biologist Sarah Hird's first pregnancy becomes a crisis in her scientific faith when doctors warn her that there may be something severely wrong with her baby.Tricia Hersey is a Chicago native living in Atlanta  with over 20 years experience working with communities as a teaching  artist, poet, performance artist and community activist. She believes  impromptu spectacles and site specific installations can bring awareness  to social justice issues that paralyze our communities. Tricia has  research interests that include black liberation theology, womanism and somatics. Her work has been seen with Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Park District, Columbia College Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre, United  States Peace Corps and Google Chicago. Tricia has a Bachelor of Science  in Publ

This week we present two stories about being the new one in a new place.Part 1: After moving to a brand-new school in the seventh grade, Edith Gonzalez struggles to maintain her straight-A status with a new, scary biology teacher.Part 2: When social scientist Meltem Alemdar leaves her home in Turkey to pursue her education in the US, she struggles to find her identity.Edith Gonzalez is a native Nuyorican with four graduate degrees in various sub-disciplines of anthropology. By day, she is an historical  archaeologist studying bio-prospecting in the 18th-century English-speaking Caribbean. By night, she has a "slight" obsession with Lord of the Rings, and the dance intersection of late 70's disco and early 80's punk.  She is a veteran of MOTH and Take Two Storytelling  (among others). As a two-time Smut Slam champion, she also enjoys telling dirty stories to a room full of strangers.  Meltem Alemdar is a social scientist and native of Ankara, Turkey. She came to Atlanta in 2000 to attend Georgia Tech's Languag

This week, we are presenting two stories from people who took to the open ocean.Part 1: As an irresponsible 17-year-old, Brian D. Bradley volunteers to spend two days living at the bottom of the ocean for a research study.Part 2: As an undergrad, Beryl Kahn takes a semester at sea after a bad breakup and gets rocked by the swells of the sea -- and her emotions.Brian Bradley started writing because he couldn’t draw.  At first he wanted to be a poet, but he quickly discovered that poems  are pretty difficult. Next, he tried dramatic stage plays, but the  results were kind of embarrassing.  Finally, he gave up and started  writing television for shows like MadTV, Scrubs and Happy Endings. He  co-created for television Uncle Buck for ABC and is the writer/producer  of a number of TV pilots he’s very proud to have been paid for, but that  you will probably never see. He’s very pleased to have a chance to  share a story for Story Collider and he still can’t draw.  Beryl Kahn is finishing up her second year as a Mas

Part 1: A power outage on campus leads physics student Zoya Vallari to take a stand against her university's female-only curfew.Part 2: Firefighter Nick Baskerville is eager to prove himself when he arrives on the scene of his first fire.Zoya Vallari is a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech where she studies  fundamental particles called neutrinos. She received a PhD in particle  physics from Stony Brook University in December 2018. She's the  winner of Three Minute Thesis competition at her graduate school and was  awarded the International fellowship by American Association of  University Women. Physics and dance are the two most important ways  in which she relates to the world, though books come a close third. She  loves mangoes, wine and sunshine. She is proud of her ability to lucid  dream.  Nick has had the honor of serving in the United States Air Force for a  total of 14 years. He has 19 years of fire service time, with 16 years  of that being in a career department in Northern Virginia. Nick is a  state