Story Collider is back in DC for five true, personal stories exploring the chain reactions that shape our lives — from the sparks that turned us on (or off) from science to those that literally set us ablaze. This show is hosted with support from our presenting partner, the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Hosted by Shane M Hanlon & Maryam Zaringhalam at Penn Social DC.
Doors open at 6:30pm. Show starts at 7:00pm. Please note: seating is first come, first serve.
Stories by:
Lindsay Cooper came to Story Collider in 2018 as our operations manager and now, as Executive Director, oversees Story Collider’s strategic direction, financial operations, fundraising efforts, education program, and client engagement. She began her 20+ years in nonprofit work as a whale biologist where she followed endangered North Atlantic right whales up and down the U.S. east coast, then went on to administer a prestigious marine conservation fellowship program. Now she takes her three kids to visit the Smithsonian’s Sant Ocean Hall in DC, where they can view one of her photographs in the right whale exhibit. She will always have a deep passion for conservation science and mission-driven nonprofit work. Lindsay has learned so much from her time at Story Collider with her talented colleagues, and she thoroughly enjoys co-teaching workshops, practicing her own storytelling skills, and attending our live shows. Besides hanging out with her kids, Lindsay takes time to volunteer for the local swim team and school PTAs. She loves coffee, pajamas, and any chance to sit and read a book by a lake.
Jason Howard Heat is a mortality motivated creator and existential adventurer who wants to inspire people to live life more! An award winning writer, director, and producer, Jason is also a professional wrestling commentator and the Executive Producer of the Federated Wrestling Alliance in MD. As a storyteller he is a 3 time Moth StorySLAM winner and has performed with Story Extreme, The Perfect Liars Club, Stoop Storytelling, and more.
Terry McGlynn has researched ants in a Costa Rican rainforest over the past three decades. His favorite ants are the bulldog ants of Australia. He is a National Geographic Explorer, research associate at the Natural History Museum of LA County, Professor of Biology at California State Dominguez Hills, and an elected Fellow of the Ecological Society of America. Terry is currently spending a year in DC to get a taste of federal science as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, working in the US Geological Survey to support community efforts to minimize the harm from natural hazards. He wrote The Chicago Guide to Science Teaching and a whole mess of scientific papers about ants, but there's one about velvet worms, another about deer, a couple about plants, some about people, and now he's getting into how ants and birds use infrared reflectance to stay cool. Terry writes about making science more equitable and accessible in the newsletter Science for Everyone. He lives with his spouse in Pasadena, California with no pets but they are on good terms with a pair of backyard scrub jays named Margaret and Mordecai.
Meg Shieh is a chemical biologist who develops fluorescent sensors and detection methods to study the molecules that regulate human health and disease. Her scientific journey has taken her through several pivots: from malaria and mosquitoes at Duke and Harvard, to sulfur redox chemistry at Brown, where she earned her Ph.D. in chemistry, and now to neuroscience and structural biology as a postdoctoral fellow at the NIH. Her doctoral work earned her Brown's Joukowsky Family Foundation Outstanding Dissertation Award and took her across eight countries in Europe, East Asia, and South America to conduct research and give scientific talks. She was also selected as an NIH F31 Predoctoral Fellow and Young Scientist for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, named a CAS Future Leader, and received the ACS DBC Young Investigator Award. Outside of lab, Meg loves traveling, discovering a city's hidden gems, trying new restaurants, befriending dogs (and their people), and mentoring young scientists who are still figuring out what they want to do with their lives.
Anjana Sinha is an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow with training in public health and biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Her experience spans global health, women’s health and medical device innovation. She believes the quickest way to connect with someone is through laughter and loves bringing people together through art, games, design, and creative projects.
