Join us for an evening of true personal science stories about different perspectives. How changing your perspective can help you adapt to change, solve a problem or gain new insight.
Hosted by Saad Sarwana and Raj Sivaraman, in partnership with the Arizona Science Center as part of their “Science with a Twist!” night. This special edition Science With a TWIST includes general admission into Arizona Science Center, OceanXperience.
Stories by:
Amy Segal works in finance by day but by night finds herself drawn to storytelling shows on the Lower East Side. Born and raised in Phoenix, she is a three-time Moth Slam winner, was included in The Story Collider podcast’s Best of 2022 roundup and is developing a one-woman show which she performed at the MarshStream International SoloFest. She once was handed a prize of $200 in one-dollar bills at a OneUp! storytelling competition and still has them in her sock drawer
Jono Zalay began his standup career in Boston, while simultaneously earning his Doctorate in Neuroscience (he gave cocaine to rats). Since dropping his science hobby to pursue comedy full-time, Jono has performed on The Late Late Show, been named one of Comedy Central’s ‘Comics to Watch,’ and earned international press for his pranks on the DMV. Jono now lives in Los Angeles where he performs and writes for TV, including series airing on ABC, Hulu, & Amazon.
Chris Impey is a University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. He has over 450 publications on education, observational cosmology, galaxies, and quasars, and his research has been supported by $20 million in NASA and NSF grants. He has won eleven teaching awards and has taught four online classes with over 380,000 enrolled and 6 million minutes of video lectures watched. Chris Impey is a past Vice President of the American Astronomical Society, and he has won its career Education Prize. He’s also been NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholar, Carnegie Council’s Arizona Professor of the Year, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. He has written 120 popular articles on cosmology, astrobiology, and education, two textbooks, a novel called Shadow World, and nine popular science books. Chris was born in Edinburgh and lives in Tucson, Arizona.
Heather Monigan is a resilient lady with a sharp wit who has learned to laugh in the face of adversity. Her hobbies include staying happily married, keeping two teens alive and spontaneous home remodels. In her spare time, she is an Engineering Executive in the semiconductor industry for over 24 years and active in the tech community. She currently serves as Chair of the IEEE Phoenix Section and is the Phoenix Section’s International Development Lead for Engineers Without Borders. Heather also serves on the Grand Canyon University President’s STEM Advisory Board and the GCU Engineering Advisory Council.
She is an adjunct engineering professor for Grand Canyon University. Ms. Monigan holds an MBA and BSCE and never got the memo to “relax”.
Michael Berger is married to Heather Monigan, which is what got him this gig. He also considers that his greatest achievement. Like most everyone else out in Phoenix he is an ex-Midwesterner, hailing from Dayton, Ohio. Since moving to Phoenix in 2004 he acquired a son, a daughter, a doctorate, and too many cats. Since his parents were both in education he decided to start his career there and never left, now working as the Dean of the College of Doctoral Studies for Grand Canyon University. In his limited free time he enjoys playing games of all kinds, the odd bit of creative writing, working out, and attempting ridiculous obstacle course races. Michael doesn’t mind public speaking but has difficulty memorizing scripts. Hopefully this won’t be a problem for Heather.
Angelica Lindsey-Ali is a daughter of Detroit, dancer, writer, shapeshifter, and Afrofuturist. She is a cultural activist who has traveled the world, finding bits of herself strewn across the globe. She recently returned from a 5-year stint in the Middle East where she introduced a whole generation of high schoolers to the wonders of Fela queens, urban homesteading, and African dance. Angelica spends her free time watching Nollywood movies, thrifting, and sharing tidbits of her life on the stage. She is the host of The Moth’s monthly StorySLAM in Phoenix