The Story Collider

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, Conchology, foraging for wild edibles, and exploring Appalachia on a motorcycle are just a few of his varied pastimes. Mostly, however, he enjoys spending quality times with his loving family.

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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 not a scientist, but he got close a few times. In high school, he interned at the National Institute of Mental Health working on a study of Alzheimer’s. He matriculated to New York University as a neuroscience major, but then quickly switched to the art school. Whoops. Will is a creative director in Los Angeles. He enjoys sunsets, long walks on the beach, and standing on stage to share profoundly personal stories with hundreds of strangers for no discernible reason other than the temporary appeasement of some deep, dark, inner desire to please. He also has a dog named Finch.

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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 is an  associate professor. Heather’s current research seeks to understand how  human-induced changes in the environment, whether it be climate change,  ocean acidification, or pollutants can affect the reproduction and  development of aquatic animals, many of which are important to Maine’s economy.

Dan Simpson is a statistician. He left Australia for Europe after his PhD in 2009 and is currently an Assistant Professor and the Canadian  Research Chair in Spatiotemporal Modelling at the University of Toronto. 

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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 Universidad Autonoma  de Queretaro, where she is majoring in Biotechnology Engineering with a  focus in Biomedical Sciences. Her undergrad research has lead her to  explore different areas within neurobiology such as the molecular  biology of glioblastoma at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, and  neurodegenerative diseases at UCSD Sanford Consortium for Regenerative  Medicine. Before discovering her passion for science, Minerva completed  an AA in Filmmaking; she believes this was an important contribution to  her appreciation for diversity and humanities. Her future goals include  pursuing a doctoral degree in Neurosciences, as well as creatively  communicating science to the general public, especially future  generations, in a relatable fashion. As of next fall, she will be a grad student in the Neurosciences PhD program at UCSD.  In her spare time, she enjoys going  on hikes with her dogs, strength training, and spending time with her  family and friends.   

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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 Science in Biology from FAU, and a Bachelor of Education in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University. She is adjunct faculty at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and FAU. Other professional experience includes pediatric AIDS, bereavement, family counseling, parent education, and treatment of severely abused children. Barbara has presented as an invited speaker at many national and international professional conferences and numerous community and school settings. Her interview with Heal magazine was published in the Spring 2018 issue under the title: “Surviving Survivorship.” She has authored three scholarly peer-reviewed articles. She was awarded the Giraffe Award for women “who stick their neck out for others” by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County. She also won the 2017 Heroes in Medicine Award presented by the Palm Beach Medical Society and the 2018 MPN Heroes award given by the American Society of Hematology in December. 

Konrad Hughen is a Senior Scientist in the department of Marine  Chemistry and Geochemistry at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution  (WHOI).  He received a double B.Sc. in Biology and Geology at the  University of California, Santa and was awarded a NASA Graduate Research  Fellowship, leading to his Ph.D. at the University of Colorado,  Boulder.  Konrad was also awarded a NOAA Climate and Global Change  Postdoctoral Fellowship, which he pursued at Harvard University before  joining the scientific faculty at WHOI. As a geochemist and  paleoclimatologist, Konrad’s research interests involve the development  and application of proxy indicators for reconstructing climatic and  environmental change, focusing on materials from modern coral tissues to  centuries-old coral drill cores.  His investigations have taken him all  over the world, including recent expeditions to Micronesia, Red Sea,  Maldives, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and Cuba.   

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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), ultimately in pursuit of a Planning,  Governance, & Globalization Ph.D. Her career is based in  engineering, however, growing up unexposed and embedded in the cyclic  behaviors resulting from poverty, lives in her heart. Chivonne’s life  changed when she connected her background to the social engineering  world, in hopes of tackling the physiological and psychological impact  of socio-economic despair. On this team, she seeks and unveils truth in  working with communities/local governments with infrastructural  concerns; while journeying on to reverse the effects of poverty. 

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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 her mother  thought that living as an actor would be god-awful. She was right.  Audrey is the founder and editor-in-chief of the influential pop culture  website, Geek Girl Authority. She hosts and produces the podcasts Geeky  Fun Time, Kneel Before Aud and 5 Truths and a Lie. She is a Los Angeles  producer and host of The Story Collider. She also wrote, produced and  performed in the successful one-person comedy Obsessively Okay which  somehow managed to combine her battles with Obsessive Compulsive  Disorder with her love for Star Trek cosplay. If that's not nerdy enough  for you, then just ask her to show you the two separate inhalers she  carries with her at all times 

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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 numerous viral videos amassing over 10,000,000+ views. Mike is really good at talking and tweeting. On socials: @yomikebrown and @yougoodpod  // Online: yomikebrown.com 

Emily is a high school English teacher in Alexandria, VA. She works with newly arrived immigrants and now knows bad words in many languages. She is a Moth StorySLAM winner and will be competing in the Washington DC GrandSLAM in November.  Emily spends her free time volunteering at Camp Quest Chesapeake as well as traveling internationally by herself because she would apparently like to worry her mother to death. You can find her online at @emilyyarrison.

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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 enjoys running, cycling, hiking and spending time with her sons.  

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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 Youtube channel  SciShow. Misha has a degree in business and psychology from Western  University and a Masters in science journalism from City University  London. She also has a cat named Satan and when she’s not writing in her  pyjamas she can be found exploring the world or repurposing old  furniture. She is @mishagajewski 

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