The Story Collider

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales about birds that had a big impact in their lives. Part 1: Paula Croxson uses her neuroscience background to get rid of the pigeon family that has taken up residence on her window sill. Part 2: As a new urban park ranger, Tim Lopez gets a call to capture a swan on the loose. Paula Croxson is a neuroscientist, science communicator, musician and open water swimmer. She received an M.A. from the University of Cambridge and a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford before moving to New York to run a neuroscience lab. She changed career direction around 5 years ago to focus on public engagement with science, first at Columbia University and then at the Dana Foundation. She is also the flautist in alternative rock band Marlowe Grey and nerdy rock band Pavlov’s Dogz. The swimming is apparently for “fun”. Tim Lopez is a storyteller and educator born and raised in Los Angeles. His stories have been featured on the Moth Radio Hour, KCRW in Los Angeles, and CBS Radio nationwide. He is currently an Interpretive Park Ranger at Channel Islands National Park, where he brings the stories of the natural environment and the history of California to life. He is also a Jeopardy! champion and is legally obligated to mention that fact as often as possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to mental health problems, there aren't really "cures," but in this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share how they figured out what worked for them. Part 1: Deandra Anjahlee decides to study psychology to try to understand what is happening with her mind. Part 2: After all other treatments fail to treat Nick Caruso’s 25-year long depression, he gives transcranial magnetic stimulation a shot. Deandra Anjahlee is a community centered educator, leader, and fresh storyteller. She is a proud Brooklynite with Caribbean roots. Themes of identity and equity ground her work on and off stage. She is passionate about creating safe spaces for intergenerational learning, growth and joy. Her storytelling evokes laughter, nostalgia, and encourages introspection. When she’s not on stage, you can find her sneaking explicit music in at your kid’s prom, or catching the last bits of sunlight in Prospect Park. Nick Caruso is a proud Michigan native living in Brooklyn bliss with his amazing partner and a bunch of plants. He's a lifelong lover of comedy and cinema, an entertainer at heart, and a career writer/editorial director/multimedia presenter. Nick is passionate about the intersection of storytelling and education and is always on the hunt for professional (or not) opportunities to craft and communicate new, additive narratives. He’s also an ordained minister, amateur mechanic, and aspiring 'Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me' panelist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we bring you two stories about frustrations in the field, whether it's a failure to find dinosaur fossils or a struggle with a painful medical condition. Part 1: Paleontologist David Evans and his team start to feel defeated after three days of searching fruitlessly for fossils.  Part 2: After cave geologist Gabriela Serrato Marks develops fibromyalgia, exploring caves becomes a challenge. David C. Evans holds the Temerty Chair in Vertebrate Palaeontology and oversees dinosaur research at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto. David is an Ontario-born researcher who is recognized as an authority on the rich dinosaur fossil record of Canada. As a curator, David helped develop the ROM's dinosaur galleries, and was Lead Curator of the major travelling exhibition Ultimate Dinosaurs. He has been featured on numerous television shows, and most recently, David was co-creator of the HISTORY series Dino Hunt Canada. David’s research focuses on the evolution, ecology and diversity of dinosaurs, and their relationship to environmental changes leading up to the end Cretaceous extinction event. Active in the field, he has participated in expeditions all over the world, including the Africa, Mongolia, and Canada, and has helped discover 10 new dinosaur species in the last five years- including the remarkable horned dinosaur Wendiceratops from southern Alberta, and the wickedly armoured Zuul named after the Ghostbusters movie monster. Gabi is a science communicator with a passion for expanding inclusion in STEM. As a co-founder of Stellate Communications, she helps academics multiply the impact of their research and engage with new communities. She also co-edited Uncharted, an anthology of personal stories from disabled scientists (Columbia University Press). Gabi is based in Boston and spends her free time drinking iced coffee with her husband and two cats, Spock and Moose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Science can sometimes feel like an exclusive club that only certain people are allowed into. In this week’s episode, produced in partnership with the Allen Institute, both of our storytellers try to find their place in science. Part 1: After getting accepted to a PhD program, Max Departee can’t help but feel like he’s not good enough to be there. Part 2: Han Arbach is worried coming out as non-binary will ruin their scientific career. Max Departee is a research scientist from the Pacific Northwest who has always had a fascination with the natural world. A curious nature and outdoor spirt led him to attend Montana State University where, between fly-fishing on local rivers and skiing the Rockies, he earned his Bachelors Degree in Biotechnology. Max's career and training as a scientist have taken him many places, from a PhD program in North Carolina, to a small Biotech Start-up in Washington, and back to his home town of Seattle where he now works at the Allen Institute for Brain Science. Han Arbach grew up dreaming of becoming an astronaut after watching the space shuttle land at the military base their family was stationed at. As they continued to grow up and became a “frequent flyer” in the orthopedics department for various injuries, their aspirations shifted towards medical training. Encouraged by fantastic AP Biology and Chemistry teachers in high school they pursued a biochemistry major at Mount Holyoke College. Here they were encouraged by a chemistry professor to try out research. This fostered a newfound love for discovery and research, and with it a new dream career path of becoming a scientist. Han completed their Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Washington studying tail regeneration and nuclear structure in tadpoles. They then did Postdoctoral work at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center using viruses as a tool to probe facets of cell biology. Now, they are a Program Officer at the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group. Outside of work, you will find them raising two dogs with their partner, attempting to befriend crows, and being a poor but enthusiastic gardener.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices