The Story Collider

On the eve of his first big talk, ecologist Kevin Burgio discovers there’s something seriously wrong with his wardrobe, and research assistant Devine Joyce struggles with feelings of depression, but an experience with a patient changes her outlook.

Mathematician Seth Cottrell sets up an ‘Ask a Mathematician’ booth at Burning Man, and herpetologist Joseph Mendelson struggles to connect with the locals while working in the field in Guatemala.

Jacqueline Trumbull is preparing for a career in research when she gets a call from a casting agent for The Bachelor, and psychologist Monica O’Neal finds herself struggling when it comes to saying goodbye.

Phillip Comella discovers the cause of his “excessive bathroom breaks” while working on his thesis in biomedical science, and neuroscientist Kelley Remole begins suffering from mysterious and paralyzing headaches.

When puppeteer Raymond Carr gets the opportunity to work on a show about dinosaurs, he worries about how his creationist parents will react, and a trip to the Kennedy Space Center reminds science journalist Wade Roush of his early inspiration.

As a kid, Dan Souza finds it hard to appreciate his mother’s nursing expertise until he sees it in action, and when Michaella Thornton shares her struggles with infertility with her farmer father, his response stuns her.

The only thing standing in the way of Jennifer Landa’s dreams of studying art in college is her grade in chemistry, and when she’s accepted into the conservation fellowship of her dreams, Emi Okikawa must leave her family’s home in Hawaii.

An expert in oxytocin, the hormone released during birth, Bianca Jones Marlin is determined to have a natural birth, and science writer Veronika Meduna thought she never wanted to have children, but in her late thirties, she changes her mind.

Born without a right pectoral muscle, John Trumbo has always felt defective, but then he discovers a possible solution, and Emma Yarbrough discovers there’s more to her unusual height than she’d thought.

Erik Klemetti starts to question his decision to become a geologist when a 20,000-foot volcano in Chile, proves difficult to tame, and explorer George Kourounis prepares to enter a fiery sinkhole known as the “Doorway to Hell.”

Science writer Kate Sheridan falls in love with a man who suffers from paralyzing headaches, and math teacher Giselle George-Gilkes is on a trip with her students when she receives terrible news from home.

Gail Thomas clashes with her oncologist while deciding how to fight her cancer, and as a marathon runner, Pierce McManus prides himself on his toughness — but then he begins coughing up blood.

Science journalist Sushma Subramanian experiments with haptic technology to connect with her long-distance fiance, and Nick Andersen’s type 1 diabetes begins to affect his dating life.

Fiona Calvert is a crier — but when she starts her PhD, she promises herself she’ll never cry in front of her colleagues, and after graduating with his PhD, Shane Hanlon struggles to find balance in his science career.

When Cailin Gallinger struggles with her gender identity in college, her volunteer position in a plant lab becomes a lifeline, and in the midst of homelessness and abuse, Rose DF dreams of a life in science. 

Comedian Joseph Scrimshaw is terrified of messing up when his new museum job requires him to bake, and science writer Cassandra WIllyard is frustrated by the restrictions put on her during her pregnancy.

Neuroscientists Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik are surprised by what they learn when they investigate deception at a psychic convention, and while working in the South Sudan, OB-GYN Africa Stewart must wait for an elder's permission before treating a pregnant woman gored by a bull.

When Evelyn Valdez-Ward discovers that she's undocumented, she fears her dreams of becoming a scientist are over, and growing up during the Nigerian Civil War inspires Samuel Achilefu's passion for science. 

In part two of our special bonus episode, we feature stories from Doctors Without Borders OB-GYN Veronica Ades and storyteller Tracey Segarra.

In Part 1 of this special bonus episodes, we feature stories from actress and comedian Jacey Powers, Doctors Without Borders OB-GYN Rasha Khoury, and abortion doula and comedian Molly Gaebe.

Raised as a creationist, Jennifer Colbourne falls in love with evolutionary science, and Herman B. White leaves his hometown of Tuskegee behind to pursue physics -- but his Alabama roots help him make a surprising connection.

As a first-year teacher, Matt Baker feels overwhelmed -- especially when his principal is less than supportive, and a graduate student is sexually assaulted by a labmate.

Author Kate Greathead sets off on a cross-country drive to escape her anxiety, and after years of studying worms, Tracy Chong begins to wonder if they might hold the key to alleviating hunger. 

When Sandi Marx develops cognitive symptoms of lupus, she worries she'll lose the aspects of her personality that she values most, and chemist Toria Stafford's untreated mental illness starts to overwhelm both her science and her personal life. 

Feeling isolated in her new job as a particle accelerator operator, Cindy Joe finds comfort in her unconventional pet, and Patrick Honner starts to doubt his lifelong love of math when grad school becomes a lonely experience.

Writer Matthew Dicks is startled to learn that his dog is in surgery -- and that he agreed to it the night before, and climatologist Simon Donner misses the ride to his field site in Madagascar, and must find his way there on his own. 

Science communicator Anthony Morgan receives an invitation to be vacuum-sealed to the bottom of a helicopter -- for science, and as a medical student, Elorm Avakame befriends a patient who is dying from alcoholism.

Comedian Josh Gondelman is threatened with a lawsuit after he reviews a new sexual enhancement product, and neuroscientist Heather Berlin and rapper Baba Brinkman try to use science to figure out if they belong together.

On her first day working in the Obama White House, microbiologist Jo Handelsman receives some bad news, and after a confrontation with a student, math teacher Sage Forbes-Gray begins to question whether she's the ally she thought she was.

Science educator Charlie Cook experiments with coming out to students, and marine biologist Shayle Matsuda adapts to his new identity as a transgender man while on assignment in the Philippines.

After her father, a well-known intellectual, passes away, neurobiologist Eva Higginbotham tries to live up to his academic standards, and Nisse Greenberg travels home to care for his father after a brain injury.

Writer Alison Smith reconnects with her estranged father after he develops Alzheimer's disease, and science journalist Peter Brannen mourns the loss of his mother while studying the earth’s biggest mass extinction.

Growing up, Moni Avello struggles to understand her younger sister, who has Asperger's syndrome, and for Morgan Givens, the onset of puberty feels like an alien invasion. 

Chase Masterson's role on Star Trek Deep Space 9 inspires her to think about how she can help others, and Bethany Van Delft and her fiance reckon with the zombie apocalypse.

Growing up, Amanda Gorman is determined to eliminate her speech impediment, and as an aspiring scientist brought up in a family of artists, Elisa Schaum feels like a black sheep.

Marine biologist Jessica Hoey tries to keep her daughter’s belief in mermaids alive, and Jamie Brickhouse begins to notice some startling changes in his mother's behavior.

Mathematician and comic book writer Jason Rodriguez feels torn between cultural and professional identities, and as a graduate student, Josh Silberg begins to question whether he's cut out for science.

Aletha Maybank's childhood experiences with institutional racism inspire her work as a physician, and Joselin Linder shares a unique and deadly genetic mutation with just fourteen other people in the world.

Planetary geologist Sara Mazrouei misses out on a dream opportunity -- because of where she was born, and marine ecologist Madhavi Colton faces down despair as the challenges of conservation overwhelm her.

Climate scientist Kim Cobb is exploring a cave in Borneo when rocks begin to fall, and neurobiologist Lyl Tomlinson is startled when he's accused of stealing cocaine from his former lab.

Journalist Judith Stone worries she'll cause conflict writing about cultural differences aboard the International Space Station, and nurse Anna Freeman attempts to advise a Syrian hospital over a shaky Skype connection.

Mari Provencher's family is rocked by changes -- starting with her mother's decision to become an entomologist, and psychologist Amber Hewitt realizes her passion lies outside of academia.

Alison Williams' blossoming passion for chemistry is sidetracked by a professor's thoughtless comment, and climate scientist Sarah Myhre speaks out against a senior scientist's problematic statements about climate change.

Ted Olds fears he’ll fail to graduate after his parents sacrificed to send him to engineering school, and Kayla Glynn’s challenging relationship with her science-loving grandfather alters the course of her life.

Adam Ruben and his friends create a Rube Goldberg machine for a school project, and science writer Leah Shaffer discovers an interesting way to manage her chronic illness -- hookworms.

Saad Sarwana tries to juggle careers in physics and comedy, and Jean Zarate is torn between science and music until a tragic event brings both into perspective.

Astrophysicist Jesse Shanahan tries to uncover the mysteries behind both black holes and her own chronic pain, and comedian Sarah Pearl checks into a psychiatric hospital after having suicidal thoughts.

Rattled by a recent heartbreak, neuroscientist Prabarna Ganguly makes a mistake in the lab, and marine ecologist Kirsten Grorud-Colvert has an unexpected encounter with a hammerhead shark. 

Political scientist Ethan Hollander interviews a Nazi war criminal, and as a graduate student, Cather Simpson is startled when her adviser lies about their work.

Kate Marvel's dream of being a genius inspires her to study astrophysics at Cambridge, and when Joe Normandin begins to question his sexuality as a teenager, he turns to neuroscience for help.

Lew Lefton tries to succeed as both a math professor and a math comedian, and Vanessa Vakharia faces her first day as student teacher of a math class.