Coming to Mic Drop Mania in Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 9 is a multimedia stand-up comedy show about science.

A show that’s equal measures hilarious, educational, and deeply personal. New York City-based scientist and comedian Ben Miller uses stories on topics ranging from his musculoskeletal condition to his childhood history with milk as jumping-off points for scientific and comedic exploration.

Using pictures, graphs, and videos, this multimedia comedy show makes science both approachable and delightful. And you probably like that sort of thing if you’re a nerd.

For his first few years as a comedian, Miller was extremely hesitant to tell people that he was a scientist with an Ivy League education. He worried about coming off as pretentious or unrelatable, something that can easily kill any connection with an audience.

Even most other comedians had no idea about his background.

During the lockdowns, however, Miller started to reconsider this aversion to discussing his scientific identity and began to realize it was something that made him unique among most comedians. Perhaps he could combine his skills to both educate and amuse, making science funny and accessible.

Miller filmed a few episodes of a web series very uncreatively titled “Stand-Up Science.” He was genuinely nervous to share the video, but the response was incredible, so he continued making the web series that has now been developed into the live show.

The live show had a completely sold-out run at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and now he’s touring around the U.S. and the UK.

Miller also has a degree in materials science and engineering from Columbia University. He’s worked with electron microscopes, been a teacher on a science bus, 3D printed cookies, and diffused a few bar fights while on stage.

This year, he was an Artist in Residence at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, the first stand-up comedian selected by the National Parks Arts Foundation.

Tickets for the Dec. 9 show can be purchased here.

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