Maine Science Festival
The Story Collider is excited to be a part of the Maine Science Festival in Bangor, Maine, for the first time in 2016! Please join us for this FREE show to hear true, personal stories about science from storytellers that range from a high school student to a cancer survivor to the director of Maine's state crime lab.
Stories by:
Claire Lupien is a senior at Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro, Maine. She's totally intrigued by all things science. In addition, Claire loves music and the performing arts, and she sings, plays the flute, and is involved in her school's theater program. Her current project is directing her original play for the local One Act Play Festival. Claire is looking forward to going off to college next year to study Chemical Engineering.
Somehow Jeni Lloyd cannot escape the color pink; as an 11 year breast cancer survivor and sales director with a pink cosmetic company, her life converged to allow her to use her skills to support cancer research as a fundraiser with EMHS Foundation. She is a regular guest on the George Hale/Ric Tyler Show offering hope in small doses. When not slaying cancer Jeni binges on Turner Classic Movies.
Aric Rogers was born near Seattle, Washington in 1973. In his youth, he developed an interest in meteorology and became an atmospheric scientist early in his professional career. After awakening to the incredible advances in biology and medicine, he went back to school and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Davis Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine at the MDI Biological Laboratory. His lab investigates the biology underlying the aging process and how genes become active or inactive to enhance longevity, resist disease, and increase the healthy period of life.
Lt. Bill Harwood is the director of the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory. He has over 26 years of experience in forensics and law enforcement. Lt. Harwood began his career as a forensic chemist at the Crime Laboratory in 1989 after graduating from the University of Maine at Orono with degrees in Medical Technology and Zoology. He examined physical evidence and testified as an expert witness over the next 5 years.
He became a Maine State Trooper in 1994 patrolling Kennebec and Lincoln Counties. He was promoted to Maine State Police Detective in 1998 conducting child abuse investigations for the Kennebec County District Attorney’s Office while also serving as a homicide investigator for central Maine communities. He was promoted to Sergeant of the Crime Laboratory in 2002. He supervised the Firearms and Latent Print units while also serving as the Quality Manager and Assistant Director until 2008. He was then promoted to Lieutenant in charge of headquarters Special Projects until his assignment as crime laboratory director in 2010.
Lt. Harwood has served as a Crisis and Hostage Negotiator, Staff Sergeant Cadre Supervisor at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, State Police Emergency Response Team member for the Maine Emergency Management Agency and serves as the administrator of the Maine State Police Evidence Response Team.
Charles Rodda is a Minnesota-native. He moved to Maine six days after his 18th birthday to begin an apprenticeship in horse-powered logging. He is a certified arborist, avid cyclist, experienced canoeist, mediocre soccer player, eager gardener, aspiring chef, active educator, and certified Wilderness First Responder.
Charles has studied Environmental Policy, Structural Geology and Geophysics at Bates College and The University of Maine, and is currently a PhD student in the Climate Change Institute and the School of Earth and Climate Sciences at UMaine. His current work focuses on climate changes recorded in glaciers in Peru and Central Asia.