We’re turning15 Years old!
For 15 years, The Story Collider has been bringing true, personal stories about science to audiences around the world—and now, we’re celebrating in style! Join us on June 3, 2025, at Caveat in New York City for a special anniversary celebration and fundraiser featuring an unforgettable lineup: the storytellers you voted as your all-time favorites.
This one-night-only event will bring together some of the most powerful, hilarious, and moving stories from our 15-year history, told by the performers who made them unforgettable. Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or just discovered Story Collider, this is a night you won’t want to miss.
Come raise a glass with us, relive some of the best moments in Story Collider history, and help support the future of science storytelling.
Tickets are on sale now. VIP tickets, which include a pre-show reception with open bar and refreshments, are available, as well as the opportunity to purchase a table.
Can’t come? Donate here!
Your favorite storytellers (as voted by you!)
Bianca Jones Marlin
is a neuroscientist and professor at Columbia University whose research investigates the biological basis of social connection across generations. A Howard Hughes Medical Institute Freeman Hrabowski Scholar, she serves as the Herbert and Florence Irving Assistant Professor of Cell Research in the Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute. Her work explores how life experiences—particularly those involving learning, emotion, and parental care—are biologically transmitted from one generation to the next. Using a combination of neural imaging, behavioral analysis, and molecular genetics, Dr. Marlin uncovers how parental experiences shape the developing brain and behavior of offspring via transgenerational epigenetic inheritance.
Her groundbreaking research has earned recognition from Popular Science’s Brilliant 10, the STAT Wunderkind Award, and the Donald B. Lindsley Prize in Behavioral Neuroscience. Her work and perspectives have been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, PBS Nova, National Geographic, The Washington Post, and StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson. A long-time contributor to The Story Collider, Dr. Marlin has shared stories that illuminate the deep connections between science, identity, and lived experience.
For more about Dr. Marlin, visit www.biancajonesmarlin.com.
Devon Kodzis
has been called a joyful bumblebee. Professionally they have had job titles as an educator, journalist, animal trainer, nanny, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Their passions include reading about food, and shouting at the television with their cats. They want to go on a walk and talk about animal behavior. They apologize a lot, and are sorry for that. Devon began storytelling at Dallas Comedy House in the fall of 2016. They have been teaching storytelling and comedy workshops since 2017, and have taught students living on every continent except for Antarctica.
Jameer Pond
Brooklyn, New York born award-winning storyteller, director and interviewer Jameer Pond has spent his whole life walking in his passion; engaging with people through diverse storytelling. Throughout his career, he’s created viral series such as Buzzfeed’s Black People Try, co-hosted BET’s first morning talk show Black Coffee, directed several cover videos across Condé Nast’s array of publications, including Sir Lewis Hamilton and Simone Biles, and has won a Shorty Award. You can currently catch him traveling the world, telling his dynamic stories with The Moth.
Maryam Zaringhalam
is a molecular biologist by training who traded in her pipettes for the world of science policy and advocacy. She’s on a mission to make science more open and inclusive through her work both as a science communicator and policymaker. She’s a Senior Producer for the Story Collider in DC and previously served as the Assistant Director for Public Access and Research Policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2023 to 2024. She has a cat named Tesla, named after the scientist and not the car. You can learn more about her at https://webmz.nyc.
Joe Normandin
earned a B.A. in Biology with a Specialization in Neuroscience from Boston University, where he worked as an undergraduate research assistant in labs studying the behavioral genetics of sexual orientation in people and female sexual behavior in a rat model. He earned a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences - Neurobiology and Behavior from Georgia State University, where he explored how the brain regulates sexual reflexes. He found evidence of a brain circuit that provides an anatomical/functional basis for the oft-reported side effects of delayed orgasm in those taking antidepressants. He is now a Principal Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Neuroscience Institute at Georgia State University. Dr. Normandin values the wonderful public education and support he received as a young gay man growing up in Massachusetts. Even with that education and support, he struggled with his identity as a gay person. In high school, a psychology class introduced him to neuroscience, which led to a search for research that he thought would validate his sexual orientation. This search set him on a path towards becoming a neuroscientist, and ultimately led to questions he explores in the classroom: Are people born gay? Does it matter? Dr. Normandin is also an avid gamer and has saved the universe many times.
Thank you to our host committee
Latasha Wright, Ana Maria Porras, Barbara Lom, Amy Segal, Dawn Fraser, Sandy Mitchell, Ken Haller, Eric Jankowski, Leslie & Andy Schultz, Krishna Pakala, Louis Jennings, Ross Heinemeyer, Erin Barker, Genre: Urban Arts, Doug Barker, Gastor Almonte, Paula Croxson & Fred Lonsdale.
FAQ
Will there be food and drinks? Yes! There will be light snacks for you to enjoy throughout the night, and a cash bar.
Can I attend virtually? Yes! A livestream of the event will begin shortly after 8:00 pm, and you will be able to experience everything that happens on stage.
What are your COVID protocols at the venue? Caveat does everything they can to keep you safe. Their staff keeps Caveat clean and disinfected between shows, and they recently installed a powerful air filtration system. Right now, they no longer requiring proof of vaccination for all shows, but masks are welcome and encouraged. If you are exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms, are feeling unwell, or have been exposed to someone with Covid-19 within 5 days of your visit, we ask that you stay home and contact us to discuss refund or ticket transfer options.
How do I get there? Caveat is located at 21A Clinton Street, Manhattan, 10002. Caveat is fully accessible. Access their elevator by calling (212)-228-2100 (also posted on the door).
What should I wear? It’s our 15th anniversary, but it’s also a Tuesday, so wear what makes you happy and comfortable! Some of us will be in ties and long dresses, some of us in jeans and flannel shirts, and you are welcome to come as you are.