Join us for an evening of stories about science from The Ohio State University STEAM Factory!
Hosted by Erin Barker and Bryan Kett.
With stories from:
Dr. Chia Lin is a Research Scientist at the Rothenbuhler Honey Bee Research Lab in Columbus, Ohio. Originally from Taiwan, she moved to the United States in 2003 to study pollination ecology. Her beekeeping journey began in 2013 when she joined the Department of Entomology at The Ohio State University as a postdoctoral researcher. Her current research focuses on developing farm management strategies to enhance pollinator health and improve crop productivity. During the summer months, she manages over 100 honey bee colonies to support various research projects across Ohio.
In addition to her scientific work, Chia is a kindergarten teacher at the Columbus Chinese Academy. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys crocheting, building with Legos, and spending time with her family and two cats.
Jesse Plascak was born and raised in NE Ohio and currently resides in Central Ohio with two teenage kids and wife. He is new to the storytelling scene, but thinks it could be powerful tool for exchange and change. Scientifically, he is a trained cancer epidemiologist trying to reduce the cancer burden by generating and assessing evidence of life circumstances in impacting cancer.
Kelsea Best is an Assistant Professor at the Ohio State University where she researches topics related to climate justice and equitable climate adaptation. She is a native of Nashville, TN and has been in Columbus for almost three years. She lives with her spouse, Ash, dog, Henry, and cat, Dany. When she isn't teaching and conducting research, Kelsea enjoys horseback riding, exercising, gardening, and reading everything from murder mysteries to fairy romance novels. She is a proud queer woman and nature lover.
My name is Matt Wolkoff, and I’m a biologist who studies insects that spread disease. I think bugs are just about the coolest things ever, and beautifully demonstrate how even tiny things can profoundly shape and color our world. More broadly, I am endlessly curious about all things nature – how animals and plants evolved; how they interact with one another and their environment; and how we can use that understanding to forge a better future for all who get to share this incredible planet. When I’m not nerding out about bugs at my job as a post-doc, I can often be found nerding out about bugs while hiking or kayaking with my friends; nerding out about bugs’ ocean-dwelling cousins while snorkeling with my wife; or briefly shelving my nerdiness to wrestle with our dog Boomer. I am also on a lifelong quest to perfect my mac & cheese recipe.
Dr. Megha Sehgal is a neuroscientist at The Ohio State University who spends her days thinking about memory: how it forms, how it links moments across time, and how small changes inside brain cells shape who we are. She trained as a postdoctoral scholar at UCLA with Alcino Silva, where she learned to peer into the brains of animals as they learn, watching memory unfold in real time, sometimes through tiny microscopes that reveal small, glowing neurons.
Her research aims to uncover the basic building blocks of memory so we can better understand what happens when these processes go off track during aging and neurological disorders. But Megha is just as fascinated by the human side of science: the sense of community and shared purpose, the grit and curiosity that drive discovery, and the unexpected, sometimes testing and sometimes joyful turns that make it all feel almost magical. For her, science is not just about answers; it is about the joy of discovery.
New to Story Collider, she’s excited to share a story about brains, belonging, and the joy of figuring things out, one glowing neuron at a time.