Newborn and premature baby specialist Nitin Ron learns a surprising lesson from one of his young patients.Nitin Ron is a neonatologist (baby doctor) and loves high altitude trekking and mountaineering. He is an associate professor of pediatrics at New York Methodist Hospital, and loves to use innovative methods to teach medical students. He is lead…

Brion Randolph's journey to becoming a doctor begins with a box full of kittens.Dr. Brion Randolph is currently the Chief of Medical Oncology at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) in Newnan, Georgia. He joined CTCA as a medical oncologist and hematologist when the hospital opened in August 2012 and is now Chief of Medical Oncology. He also …

Growing up on a cattle ranch, Amanda Stockton dreams of searching for life elsewhere in the universe.Dr. Amanda Stockton is an assistant professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her work walks the line between engineering and science to develop instrumentation capable of looking for organic mole…

Used to the controlled uncertainties of his work, science writer Tom Levenson is forced to confront the dramatic uncertainty of whether he’ll be able to adopt a son.Tom Levenson writes books (most recently The Hunt for Vulcan) and makes films, about science, its history, and whatever else catches his magpie's love of shiny bits. His work has been h…

Professor John Dimandja is confused when his class begins snickering on the first day -- until he realizes it's because they weren't expecting him to be black.John Dimandja is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Spelman College. A native of Oxford, Ohio, John grew up in the US, Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo. His professional caree…

Geneticist Chris Gunter worries about passing on a rare condition to her son.Chris Gunter is a human geneticist by training, and a science communicator by choice. She earned her Ph.D. at Emory University and then moved up and down the east coast, ending up as a Senior Editor at the journal Nature. Currently she serves as the Associate Director for …

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 …

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 Franc…

Married young and used to giving up her own dreams, Iranian student Matineh Eybpoosh moves to the U.S. to study civil engineering—and a whole new world opens up.Matineh Eybpoosh was born in Oroumieh, a town that carries the scent of apples and the generosity of grapes, and shelters happy flamingos. She holds a masters in Construction Engineering an…

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 favo…

For years, chemist Nick Hud struggles to share his work with his Catholic mother, until he finds help from a surprising source.Nicholas Hud was born in Los Angeles, California. He received his B.S. from Loyola Marymount University, his Ph.D. from UC Davis, and postdoctoral training at UCLA. Prof. Hud has studied the structure and function of DNA in…

Marine biologist Skylar Bayer faces her fears to go on a deep-ocean dive aboard the Alvin submersible, and ends up getting more than she expected.Skylar Bayer is a native to the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. She has been pursuing a career in marine science since the age of eight and is currently working on her PhD in marine reproductive ecology…

Neuroscientist Daniela Schiller studies the emotional components of memory. In her previous story her research helped her begin to understand her father, a holocaust survivor. But that story led to a whole new chapter in their relationship, and her understanding of memories.Hear Daniela's first story here: http://storycollider.org/podcast/2011-10-0…

Biologist Kelly Smith and comic artist Zach Weiner were having trouble dating, until they met online and realized what they each needed was another nerd.The Story Collider

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."The Story Collider

As a six-year old, Tim Manley has to go to the hospital with a mysterious illness. Fortunately, he has his superpowers and his trusty sidekick -- his mom."We get to the hospital and I have my own room... like a King!"The Story Collider

Erin Barker struggles with a disease that only makes her give up four things; they just happen to be the four things worth living for.Re-issued specially for our Women In Science magazine issue. Check it out at magazine.storycollider.orgThe Story Collider

Actress Rachel Bitney Wecht describes the challenges of wooing a physicist: The Story Collider’s own co-founder, Brian Wecht.“I knew that with enough time and pressure you could take a dinosaur and make gasoline. So I figured with enough time I could take a physicist and make a boyfriend.”Rachel Bitney Wecht has been performing and teaching improv …

Deborah Berebichez was told she couldn't study physics because it wasn't for girls -- until she got assistance for an unexpected reason.(En Español: http://soundcloud.com/the-story-collider/deborah-berebichez)The Story Collider

At ten years old, David Gelles finds himself abandoned and swimming in an ocean with a storm coming. Alone. Except for the pod of dolphins.“I had this little disposable plastic camera and I’d put it up to my eye and look through the lens, and a whole dolphin head would fill the frame.”The Story Collider

New York Times reporter Amy Harmon is making no progress on her story about an autistic man trying to live and work independently — until she finds a way to reconnect with her subject matter.“Did I mention I’d been working on it for 18 months? My family was going to disown me if I didn’t finish the story.”…

When Dawn Fraser’s twin is diagnosed with Down syndrome, their parents decide to raise them as equals — a task that produced a new twist on the racetrack.“If there is anything my family’s really good at, it’s surprises.”The Story Collider

What do you do if you’re a trans woman about to transition, and you might someday want children? Elana Lancaster tells the story of a partner’s quest to freeze her sperm. (explicit)“Change is kinda tricky. Even when it’s something that’s really welcome, and that you’re looking forward to, it’s also scary as shit.”…

Logan Smalley and his friends took a trip across the country that was everything the classic American road trip should be — except one of them was dying.“I looked over at Darius — he’s got a walker now with little tennis balls on it — and he’s got a smile on his face I’ll never be able to describe.”The Story Collider

Single mother and aspiring scientist Nancy Parmalee takes the long route to her PhD.“I just remember walking out of the grocery store and thinking, ‘I am living the wrong life. There is another life out there — surely there has to be.’”The Story Collider

A neuroscientist tests the limits of wonder when his own father suffers a stroke.The Story Collider