Student Presenter(s): Ali Gedawi, Lily Newkirk, Alena Yukova, and Ishaan Singh
Faculty Mentor: Eve Armstrong
School/College: Arts and Sciences, Manhattan

In science, as in all areas of human endeavor, effective communication is vital. We participated in a workshop that employed techniques from stand-up comedy and storytelling, to build our communication skills and comfort in front of an audience. Over eight weeks this spring, we learned principles including: organizing a series of moments; enhancing those scenes via detail and dialogue; pacing and timing; awareness and use of body language; identifying and editing out distractions; and – most importantly – listening to the audience. Through this process, we each created unique material based on personal experience. This material has developed into the stories you will hear today. The workshop is co-sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History, and we have performed these pieces there as well.