It's tempting to think that scientists are judged based solely on their science, and nothing else. But science is a part of society, so biases and prejudices are there, from both outside and inside. These are stories from The Story Collider about those biases.

These are a mix of stories. Some of biases preventing people from going into science, and finding refuge there. Some are stories of the prejudices of scientists themselves, and the ways those keep people from succeeding, and hold back science. Some have happy endings, some don't. It's a vast and complex topic, and this is a small, but hopefully eye-opening sample.

Bias and the sciences

Stories from the Story Collider team

Talks

storytell

Stories about Neurodiversity

While studying bioengineering, Craig Lehocky discovers he's different from the other students.

Craig Lehocky's tinkering runs deep. He currently develops surgical robots as an M.D. / Ph.D. student at CMU and University of Pittsburgh. Before that, he worked on prosthetic limbs controlled by the brain at the University of Pittsburgh. And even before that, he restored cars, houses, and guitar amplifiers at the University of his Dad. He doesn't know what tinkering his future holds, but hopes it unfolds in Pittsburgh.

Every week the Story Collider brings you a true, personal story about science. Find more and subscribe to our podcast at our website: http://storycollider.org/

Help keep us going! If you love the podcast, please donate here: http://www.patreon.com/thestorycollider

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Craig Lehocky: Do you always talk like that?

As a science teacher, Marjorie Winther has both entertaining and troubling times with her students, but when she brings them to the South she discovers a whole new side of them.

Marjorie Winther has been performing stories and comedy for over ten years. She is the winner of the 2012 First Person Arts Grand Slam. Marjorie has been voted audience favorite at numerous First Person Arts story slams.  She recently performed at the WHYY Connections Festival, The Women in Comedy Festival at Plays and Players and at the Risk! Show in the Free Library Author’s Event.  She also performs stand-up comedy in clubs and at fund-raisers and corporate and community events.  She was a finalist in Laff-A-Lot productions Philly’s Funniest contest. Veteran comic Paul Lyons calls here “warm, real and disarmingly astute.”  When not performing, Marjorie designs and delivers corporate training programs and leads professional workshops. Before moving into the corporate world she taught middle and high school science in the Chicago Public Schools.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Beloit College and a Master’s Degree in English from Southern Illinois University.

Help keep us going! If you love the podcast, please donate here: http://www.patreon.com/thestorycollider

Marjorie Winther: Lighting A Fire

Marine biologist Shayle Matsuda adapts to his new identity as a transgender man while on assignment in the Philippines. 

Shayle Matsuda researches sea slugs as an MSc candidate at the California Academy of Sciences and San Francisco State University.  When not in the lab, he hosts the interactive science happy hour series “Science, Neat” in San Francisco. He uses watercolors and digital media to make science more accessible to wider audiences, and creates and facilitates unique research experiences for high school students underrepresented in STEM.  Shayle’s science communication footprint includes the California Academy of Sciences, Nerd Nite SF, Ignite at AGU, and regional winner of NASA/Nat Geographic’s FameLab competition

Shayle Matsuda: My First Expedition As A Man

Erin Barker's attempt to save a college relationship leads her to a plant biology class where the professor brought an ax to class.

Erin Barker is senior producer of The Story Collider and a host of its live show in New York. She is the first woman to win The Moth's GrandSLAM storytelling competition twice and has appeared in its Mainstage and shows in cities across the country, as well as on its Peabody Award-winning show on PRX, The Moth Radio Hour. One of her stories was included in The Moth's New York Times-bestselling book, The Moth: 50 True Stories. She considers herself a Gryffindor.

Erin Barker: Plants And People

On the first day of grad school for her PhD, a fellow student tells Bianca Jones Marlin that she doesn't really belong there.

Bianca Jones Marlin is a neuroscientist and doctoral candidate at New York University, School of Medicine. She received dual bachelor degrees in biology and adolescent education from St. John's University. Her time as a high school biology teacher led her to the laboratory, where she now studies the neurochemicals that govern communication and dictate social memories. Bianca investigates how the brain changes in the presence of the "love hormone," oxytocin. Her research aims to understand the vital bond between mother and child, and uses oxytocin as a treatment in strengthening fragile and broken parental relationships.
Bianca, a native New Yorker, lives in Manhattan with her scientist husband, Joe, and their cat Santiago Ramon y Cajal, who is named after the famed neuroanatomist.

Bianca Jones Marlin: It's Because She's Black

An offhand sexist comment enrages Renee Hlozek, and leads her to dig into how her colleagues really view people who aren't the stereotypical scientist.

Dr. Renee Hlozek is the Lyman Spitzer Jr. Postdoctoral Fellow in Theoretical Astrophysics in at Princeton University; the Spitzer-Cotsen Fellow in the Princeton Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts and is currently a Senior TED Fellow. Her research focuses on theoretical cosmology; as a member of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope she measures the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation to decipher the initial conditions of the universe. When not investigating the cosmos, she loves to sing (loudly), read and bake. She makes a mean Negroni.

Renee Hlozek: Who Looks Like A Scientist?

Maryam Zaringhalam's scheme to cheat her way into the smart class makes clear a huge flaw in the education system.

Maryam Zaringhalam is a molecular biologist and graduate student at The Rockefeller University. In the lab, Maryam tinkers with parasites and computers to understand how small changes to our genetic building blocks can affect how we look and function. When she's not doing science, Maryam runs ArtLab, a series that pairs scientists with artists, and podcasts with Science Soapbox, exploring science and policy.

Maryam Zaringhalam: Cheating My Way To Smart

Neuroscientist Paula Croxson is determined to finish her first open-water swimming race -- despite the dangers.

Paula Croxson is a neuroscientist at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she researches the brain mechanisms and chemicals that are responsible for memory. She's particularly interested in complex, autobiographical life memories. Paula is from the UK and before coming to New York she received an M.A. in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Oxford. When she's not doing science, she plays the flute, and she blogs for Psychology Today.

Paula Croxson: How Cold Is Too Cold?

In the midst of homelessness and abuse, Rose DF dreams of a life in science. 

Rose DF is a born explorer with a passion for accessible and inclusive science and education. A first generation scientist born and raised in the Dominican Republic, currently pursuing studies in Biophysics. After opening up about her life for a feature in "Stories in Science" Rose's social media presence has increased since, and she now uses it to raise awareness in the topics of inclusivity and diversity in STEM as she constantly challenges some of the stereotypes associated with being an "non-traditional" academic and a Latina in the US.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on September 21, 2018, in an episode titled "Science Saved My Life: Stories about life-saving passion." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/8/24/science-saved-my-life-stories-about-life-saving-passion

Rose DF: Dreaming of Science

Fiona Calvert is a crier — but when she starts her PhD, she promises herself she’ll never cry in front of her colleagues.

Fiona Calvert is a third-year PhD student at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute where she focusses on the role of the immune system in Alzheimer’s disease. She uses stem cells to understand how genetic mutations can affect the functions of microglia, a vital immune cell in the brain. As well as being fascinated and constantly amazed by the biology of the brain, Fiona is also passionate about science communication and loves any opportunity to talk about the wonderful world of microglia!   

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on September 28, 2018, in an episode titled "Overwhelmed: Stories about being in over our heads." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/8/24/overwhelmed-stories-about-being-in-over-our-heads

Fiona Calvert: Crying in Public

After graduating with his PhD, Shane Hanlon struggles to find balance in his science career.

Shane M Hanlon is a scientist turned communicator who masquerades as a storyteller. He got a PhD studying frogs and turtles, tried his hand in government, and is now a scientist who teaches scientists how to talk to non-scientists. Shane is also DC's oldest (but not bestest) Story Collider co-host & producer. He happily lives in Virginia (but still loves DC), tries to get outside with his partner and dog as much as possible, and is medicore at writing witty biographies. Find him @ecologyofshane.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on September 28, 2018, in an episode titled "Overwhelmed: Stories about being in over our heads." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/8/24/overwhelmed-stories-about-being-in-over-our-heads

Shane Hanlon: Doing All the Things

As a newly minted PhD student in geology, Erik Klemetti starts to question his decisions when Aucanquilcha, a 20,000-foot volcano in Chile, proves difficult to tame.

Erik Klemetti is an associate professor of Geosciences and volcanologist at Denison University. He works on volcanoes all over the planet, from Chile to New Zealand to the Cascades of Oregon and California. His research focuses on how crystals record the events inside a volcano before and between eruptions. For the past 9 years, he’s been teaching all the “hard rock” classes at Denison. He also writes for Discover Magazine. His blog, Rocky Planet, have been running since Fall 2017. Before that, he wrote Eruptions, a blog about volcanoes, for Wired Science for 9 years. You can also find him on Twitter (@eruptionsblog), variously tweeting about volcanoes, baseball (mostly Red Sox and Mariners) and his love of punk.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on October 26, 2018, in an episode titled "Fear: Stories of daring adventures." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/8/24/fear-stories-of-daring-adventures

Erik Klemetti: Just Here for the Rocks

Explorer George Kourounis finds himself growing increasingly anxious as he prepares to enter a fiery sinkhole known as the “Doorway to Hell.”

George Kourounis is a renowned global explorer and storm chaser who specializes in documenting extreme forces of nature including: tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, deserts, caves, avalanches and more. He is an Explorer In Residence for The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the Chairman of the Explorers Club Canadian Chapter, and has received several awards and medals for his efforts. He frequently finds himself driving into the eye of fierce storms, or descending ropes into actively erupting volcanic craters, often while hosting television programs including “Angry Planet” and others.  He has given four TEDx talks, and has addressed the United Nations Environmental Emergencies Forum. George’s expeditions have taken him to 65 countries on all seven continents to such far-flung places as: Madagascar, Turkmenistan, Vanuatu, Greenland, North Korea, Myanmar, and Antarctica.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on October 26, 2018, in an episode titled "Fear: Stories of daring adventures." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/8/24/fear-stories-of-daring-adventures

George Kourounis: The Doorway to Hell

Born without a right pectoral muscle due to Poland syndrome, John Trumbo has always felt defective, but then he discovers a possible solution.

John Trumbo is a senior healthcare writer with a bachelor’s in communications and a concentration in journalism from James Madison University. He also holds a master’s in nonfiction writing from the Johns Hopkins University. Specialty areas of study included Crafting Nonfiction Voice, the Literature of Science, Essay and Memoir, Review and Opinion Writing, Teaching Writing and more. Professionally, John writes about transforming the care experience with the help of innovative health IT solutions that put patients first. follow him @JohnMTrumbo.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on November 2, 2018, in an episode titled "Bodies: Stories about the skin we're in." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/9/2/bodies-stories-about-the-skin-were-in

John Trumbo: The M&M Man

Growing up tall and suffering from psoriasis, Emma Yarbrough struggles with feeling conspicuous — but then she discovers there’s more to her unusual height than she’d thought.

Emma Yarbrough is a theater artist, writer, and story enthusiast based in Atlanta, GA. A graduate of Emory University, she just couldn't let go of that liberal arts lifestyle and now serves as the communications specialist for the Arts at Emory. When she's not performing or cooking up a new piece of theater, you can find her wandering the tree-lined streets of Atlanta. It shouldn't be hard to spot her. She's quite tall. @emmayarbs

This story originally aired on The Story Collider's podcast on November 2, 2018, in an episode titled "Bodies: Stories about the skin we're in." Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/9/2/bodies-stories-about-the-skin-were-in

Emma Yarbrough: Tall for a Reason

Christine Gentry's rural, Vietnam vet father rarely talked about important issues, but a series of remarkable moments with animals and nature teach her four lessons she'll never forget.

"Lesson number 2: Aint no use crying about things you can't do nothin' about."

Christine Gentry: Four lessons from my dad

After passing out on the NYC subway, comedian Mike Brown is forced to take a deeper look at his mental health.

Mike Brown is a New York comic who travels the country and still doesn’t know how to drive. He currently hosts "You Good? with Mike Brown: A Mental Health Podcast" on Loud Speakers Network. He has appeared on NBC, MTV, TBS, Adult Swim, E!, SIRIUS XM and has been a guest on popular podcasts such as Keith and the Girl, The Black Guy Who Tips and The Hilarious World of Depression. Mike has performed in multiple festivals including the New York Comedy Festival and San Francisco SketchFest where he was named one of Rooftop’s Comics to Watch. He has written for Decoded with Franchesca Ramsey (MTV), written/created/starred in critically-acclaimed web series "Can't Stop, Won't Stop," along with costarring in numerous viral videos amassing over 10,000,000+ views. Mike is really good at talking and tweeting. On socials: @yomikebrown and @yougoodpod // Online: yomikebrown.com﻿ 

This story originally aired on The Story Collider’s podcast on May 17, 2019, in an episode titled “Mental Health: Stories about having crises of the mind - Part 1”. Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2019/5/13/mental-health-stories-about-having-crises-of-our-mental-worlds-part-1

Mike Brown: Best Seat in the House

Emily Yarrison survives her suicide attempt and has to ask herself a whole new set of questions.

Emily is a high school English teacher in Alexandria, VA. She works with newly arrived immigrants and now knows bad words in many languages. She is a Moth StorySLAM winner and will be competing in the Washington DC GrandSLAM in November. Emily spends her free time volunteering at Camp Quest Chesapeake as well as traveling internationally by herself because she would apparently like to worry her mother to death. You can find her online at @emilyyarrison. 

This story originally aired on The Story Collider’s podcast on May 17, 2019, in an episode titled “Mental Health: Stories about having crises of the mind - Part 1”. Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2019/5/13/mental-health-stories-about-having-crises-of-our-mental-worlds-part-1

Emily Yarrison: No Ward for Sad Ladies

Audrey Kearns' big opportunity to appear as a panelist at a "nerd-convention" turns disastrous when she has an unexpected reaction to a new antidepressant.

Audrey Kearns is a writer, actor and producer. She majored in both theatre and political science at the University of Florida. The political science degree was to make her mother happy because her mother thought that living as an actor would be god-awful. She was right. Audrey is the founder and editor-in-chief of the influential pop culture website, Geek Girl Authority. She hosts and produces the podcasts Geeky Fun Time, Kneel Before Aud and 5 Truths and a Lie. She is a Los Angeles producer and host of The Story Collider. She also wrote, produced and performed in the successful one-person comedy Obsessively Okay which somehow managed to combine her battles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with her love for Star Trek cosplay. If that's not nerdy enough for you, then just ask her to show you the two separate inhalers she carries with her at all times 

This story originally aired on The Story Collider’s podcast on May 24, 2019, in an episode titled “Mental Health: Stories about having crises of the mind - Part 2”. Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2019/5/20/mental-health-stories-about-having-crises-of-the-mind-part-2

Audrey Kearns: Fighting a Dragon

As a grad student, Ari Daniel Shapiro has to tag some narwhals to collect data. The problem: it's in the arctic, the devices have never been tested, and if he fails he'll never be able to do research again.

"The thing is, you have to get the tag back to get the data."

Ari Daniel Shapiro: Narwhal tagging in the arctic

As a child, TC Waisman is told that she is on the autism spectrum, but her mother refuses to accept the diagnosis.

Since 1998, TC has worked with leaders in large organizations to enhance their personal leadership capacity and make transformational changes to their leadership practice. Coaching and training leaders and public speaking about adaptive leadership for over 20 years, TC has learned to support her clients’ development using organizational best practices and evidence-based research.

TC is an ICF certified coach, holds a Masters degree in Leadership & Training, and is currently undertaking her doctoral degree in leadership in a post-secondary context. Inspired by her late autism diagnosis at 48 years old, her research focuses on how higher education leaders, faculty, and staff can enhance services and outcomes for autistic students in higher learning. 

Since beginning her research two years ago, TC has co-founded a not-for-profit society for neurodiverse individuals, spoken on autism related topics, published an academic literature review on 'autism and the implications for higher learning', and was recently appointed as an editorial board member of the new scientific journal Autism in Adulthood. TC is now a doctoral candidate and is in the midst of her research.

TC is of Indigenous Fijian and Nepalese origin and moved to Vancouver in 1976 where she lives with Dean her partner of 30 years. TC is a proud mother to her fiercely funny 23 year old daughter Sunshine and is the author of the book 75 Traits of Great Leaders. TC is on target to complete her doctoral degree in 2020.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider’s podcast on November 8, 2019, in an episode titled “Late Diagnosis: Stories about being diagnosed as an adult”. Find the transcript and other information here:
https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2019/11/5/late-diagnosis-stories-about-being-diagnosed-as-an-adult

TC Waisman: "Something Called Asperger’s"

Growing up, Craig Fay develops strategies to hide how terrible he is at math.

Craig Fay is a Toronto based engineer turned stand up comedian with a “keen insight that allows him to take subjects familiar to everyone and turn them into something new and laughable” (Exclaim). He has appeared on CBC’s Laugh Out Loud, performed at the world famous Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and is co-host of "The Villain Was Right" podcast, which recently won a Canadian Podcasting Award for Outstanding Debut For a Series. Craig’s debut comedy album “Helicopter Rich” was praised as “observational and self-reflective…worth playing multiple times over” (Exclaim) and is available now on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon and Spotify. You can follow Craig on Twitter For (@CraigFayComedy), like him on Facebook (/CraigFayComedy), or sign up for his email newsletter at CraigFay.com. Or just Google him. You’ll probably just Google him.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider’s podcast on November 8, 2019, in an episode titled “Late Diagnosis: Stories about being diagnosed as an adult”. Find the transcript and other information here:
https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2019/11/5/late-diagnosis-stories-about-being-diagnosed-as-an-adult

Craig Fay: This List of Symptoms

Whether we wear a lab coat or haven't seen a test tube since grade school, science is shaping all of our lives. And that means we all have science stories to tell. Every year, we host dozens of live shows all over the country, featuring all kinds of storytellers - researchers, doctors, and engineers of course, but also patients, poets, comedians, cops, and more. Some of our stories are heartbreaking, others are hilarious, but they're all true and all very personal. Welcome to The Story Collider!