Join us on Wednesday, November 6 at The Wild Detectives in Bishop Arts for a night of personal stories about science told live.
Doors open at 6:30 PM and show starts at 7 PM. Seating is a mix of chairs and standing room, please arrive early for the best seats.
Hosted by Aparna Kumar and Anna Kuchment. Story Collider's Dallas shows are presented by The Dallas Morning News and supported by Lyda Hill Philanthropies.
Stories by:
Amanda Masino, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Biology and Chair of Natural Science at Huston-Tillotson University, a historically Black college or university (HBCU) in Austin, Texas. Amanda is a geneticist whose approach to research applies science to community-engaged transformative goals. She uses this “Science+ Social Justice” model to research affordable housing impacts, urban wildlife as environmental sentinels, and heart health disparities. Amanda co-created and directs HT’s STEM Research Scholars Program, which in last 5 years has provided over 90 HT undergraduates with in-depth funded research experiences, and a St. David’s Foundation- funded program to diversify health fields. She is Executive Director of the Austin Community Data Coalition, a non-profit that organizes collaborations for community research, and Co-Director of the Dumpster Project, a K-12 environmental learning program.
Leah Waters is a multiplatform editor at The Dallas Morning News and also advises journalism programs at Frisco Heritage High School. Waters received her M.A. in Journalism from University of North Texas’ Mayborn School of Journalism in 2017. She also majored in journalism at Angelo State University in 2010, where she was the campus newspaper’s editor-in-chief. Waters currently serves as the Texas Association of Journalism Educators’ State Director and as a vice president of the Association of Texas Photography Instructors. She is a first amendment advocate and testified this session in support of a bill that would restore student press rights in Texas.
John S. Mead is a biology teacher who serves as the McDermott Master Teacher in Science at the St. Mark’s School of Texas. As a lifelong enthusiast of human origins, he has grown into an outspoken voice for expanding and improving evolution education. He regularly educates various groups about the ongoing Homo naledi discovery. As a part of his evolution education outreach, John consults with several national and local evolution education groups He was awarded the 2018 National Association of Biology Teachers Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Texas and is the recipient of the 2019 BSCE/ BEACON Evolution Education award.
Myria Perez was always fascinated with dinosaurs. Her passion led her to volunteer at the Houston Museum of Natural Science at twelve. There, she found mentors, learned to prepare fossils, cared for museum specimens, and went on excavations. She worked on a variety of fossils at SMU including marine reptiles. She conducted research and was a part of a Smithsonian Institution exhibition on Cretaceous reptiles from Angola. Myria graduated from SMU with a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. She now works as a Fossil Preparator at the Perot Museum of Natural Science.
Ellen Fultz is a DFW native working in sales and marketing. Wanting to combine her overly-dramatic existence with her love for being the center of attention, she found her home in Dallas Comedy House’s storytelling program. Her flair for comedy and love of stories has opened many doors for her, including being a comedian at the Dallas Comedy Festival 2 years running, teaching the storytelling class at DCH, as well as being the showrunner for three storytelling shows around Dallas.