Join us in the back patio of Smitty’s Bar in Washington DC for four true, personal stories about science.
Doors open at 6:30 pm and stories start at 7 pm.
Hosted by Maryam Zaringhalam and Shane M Hanlon.
stories by:
Dr. Gretchen Goldman is the Climate Change Research and Technology Director at the US Department of Transportation. Previously, Dr. Goldman served at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as the Assistant Director for Environmental Science, Engineering, Policy, and Justice, where she led Federal efforts on scientific integrity, Indigenous Knowledge, climate and equity, air quality, and environmental justice. Dr. Goldman spent a decade as the Research Director for the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, where she led research and policy efforts on climate, environmental, and science policy decision-making. She has testified before Congress, sat on the board of 500 Women Scientists, and chaired the Air and Climate Public Advisory Committee for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. In 2022, Dr. Goldman made the Georgia Tech alumni 40 Under 40 List and was named in Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year in 2020. Dr. Goldman holds a PhD and MS in environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a BS in atmospheric science from Cornell University.
Len Kruger has performed stories with DC-area storytelling groups such as Story District, Better Said Than Done, the Moth DC, and Perfect Liars Club. You can listen to his previous Story Collider performance on the February 28, 2020 Story Collider Podcast (“Leap of Faith: Stories About Finding and Losing Faith”). Len also writes fiction and has had short stories published in Zoetrope All Story, The Barcelona Review, the Potomac Review, and Gargoyle. His debut novel, Bad Questions, was the winner of the 2023 Washington Writers’ Publishing House Fiction Award and will be published in October. He lives in Washington DC with his wife Cynthia Folcarelli and their Shih Tzu, Howie. More at www.lenkruger.com
Liz Landau has been working with NASA to tell inspiring stories of exploring the cosmos since 2014. At NASA Headquarters in Washington, she contributes her writing and editing expertise to a variety of website, podcast, and video projects. A former CNN journalist, Liz additionally writes freelance articles for the New York Times, Washington Post, and Smithsonian Magazine. Her favorite number is pi.
Ruth M Vega is an environmental scientist who has been working for several organizations on water quality research and environmental contaminants analysis since moving to the United States to pursue a PhD almost 20 years ago. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling around the world with her husband to discover new places, foods, and cultures.
Greg Stevens is a Washington, DC native and veteran standup comedian for over 20 years. Greg has been entertaining audiences around the country, with his introspective, and observational humor. Storytelling and music are what connects people together, and Greg loves bringing people together.