“Living Science” Stories

A young girl confronts racism in the classroom. An angry adolescent becomes a thoughtful philosopher. A research director walks a shark to keep it alive.

Science is more than the story of discovery. It’s the story of people—quirky, smart, determined—and their challenges, failures, and successes.

“Living Science: A Story Slam” convened a 7 diverse storytellers to talk about their lives and their work. Hosted by Jonathan Adler and Gillian Epstein, cofounders of The Story Lab at Olin College of Engineering, the event was a highlight of the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in March 2023.

Epstein, Adler, and the storytellers have graciously shared the stories for a 7-week series in Global Health NOW. Read the stories to learn about science and the very-human humans who make it happen.

I Took a Step Back to Help Others Scoot Forward

By Logan Gin

Assistant director for STEM in the Center for Teaching & Learning at Brown University

I Use My ADHD to Blast Through the Boundaries of Conventional Thinking

By Elizabeth Wayne, PhD, MS

Assistant professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University

‘My Name is Moisés Sabido García.’

By Moisés Sabido García

Student at Olin College of Engineering, Class of 2024

I Walked a Shark and Found My Way Into Science

By John Dello Russo

Director of Research Facilities Management for the Cutaneous Biology Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital

Stand Up

By Gilda A. Barabino, PhD

President of Olin College of Engineering; former president of American Association for the Advancement of Science

The Through Line Connecting the Juvenile Delinquent With the Academic I Am Today

By Kelle Dhein, PhD, MS

Philosopher, historian of science, and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Santa Fe Institute

I Didn’t See Anyone Like Me

By Quincy Brown, PhD

Director of Space STEM & Workforce Policy, Office of the Vice President at the White House

Science Needs Storytelling: A Q&A with the Story Lab Team 

By Brian W. Simpson