The week we present two stories of people being confronted with chaos and looking for peace.

Part 1: Overwhelmed by setbacks as she pursues her academic ambitions, Tricia Hersey discovers an unexpected solution to her stress.

Part 2: Cell biologist Sarah Hird's first pregnancy becomes a crisis in her scientific faith when doctors warn her that there may be something severely wrong with her baby.

Tricia Hersey is a Chicago native living in Atlanta  with over 20 years experience working with communities as a teaching  artist, poet, performance artist and community activist. She believes  impromptu spectacles and site specific installations can bring awareness  to social justice issues that paralyze our communities. Tricia has  research interests that include black liberation theology, womanism and somatics. Her work has been seen with Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Park District, Columbia College Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre, United  States Peace Corps and Google Chicago. Tricia has a Bachelor of Science  in Public Health from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Her current project is The Nap Ministry, a community installation that  examines that liberating power of rest by curating safe spaces for community to nap together. 

Sarah Hird is an Assistant Professor in Molecular and Cell Biology at  the University of Connecticut. Her primary research interest is in how the microbiome has interacted with avian evolution. What role have microbes played in bird diversification and does this role differ from other major branches on the tree of life? She is also interested in how  we can diversify and democratize the STEM fields and Academia. Dr. Hird holds a Master’s degree from the University of Idaho and a PhD from Louisiana State University. She was a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow  at the University of California Davis. 

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