SciFri-01: A Movie Guide to Better Business Stories

Friday, October 10 | 9:00am - 9:30am

Shane Meeker

More than ever, what truly sets brands apart today is an engaging STORY. When it comes to connecting, teaching, influencing, and inspiring others, a story makes everything you share more impactful.

Nationally recognized storytelling keynote speaker, trainer, and author Shane Meeker understands the challenges brands face in creating memorable content in a crowded marketplace. After years of studying the film industry, he developed a method to apply storytelling techniques from his favorite movies to any business context. In fact, he often shares that you can solve almost any business storytelling problem using principles from Star Wars (and he’ll explain how!).

Join us for an engaging and fun session that will elevate your understanding and appreciation of the power of story.

Click here to read more about Shane. 

SciFri-02: From the Lab to the Living Room: Forensic Cases Spawn TV Fodder.

Friday, October 10 | 9:30am - 10:00am

Glen P. Jackson

This presentation covers two cases that ultimately provided material for crime dramas on TV. In one case, a variety of spectroscopic, elemental, and mass spectrometric analyses helped explain the dramatic visual appearance of a 30-year-old stain on the floor of an abandoned mental health hospital. The stain was suspected to have originated from a human corpse that was known to have decomposed in the exact location of the stain. The results inspired a plot line in an episode of Law-and-Order SVU. The second case involves the 2020 exoneration of Jason Lively, who had wrongfully spent ~15 years in prison for arson and murder. Re-evaluation of the evidence using modern methods showed that the original conviction was based on faulty logic, and the cause of the fire was much more likely to have been electrical (accidental) than deliberate. The case has appeared in at least three different forensic documentaries.