Nerd Nite DC soaks up the last days of Summer!
After you spend the day soaking up the sun, join us for an evening celebrating summer as we learn about the science of BBQ and what inspires mimes when they are not busking in front of boardwalk masses. Like any summer soiree, we’ll bring out old friends and welcome new ones like our MC for the evening – Ben Taylor. He recently moved here from Wisconsin, where he served as Boss of Nerd Nite Madison for 3 years. He has a degree in entomology, is currently working as the Youth Programs Assistant at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and has been stung in the face twice at one time. We are sure you guys are going to get along swell! And our third speaker is running fashionably late but we’ll do introductions night of. So for this August edition of Nerd Nite DC – be there and be square
You Don’t Win Friends With Salad: The History and Science of Barbecue By Jason Day
Ever stand around a grill in the blazing summer heat and wonder why this is a thing? And why do we call it a BBQ grill when we usually make burgers on it, while at BBQ restaurants they serve pork ribs, brisket, or sausage? And why does your meat turn brown when you leave it in the fridge for too long? These questions and more will be answered as we explore how this quintessential American tradition is tied together with science, politics, and the history of the United States.
Bio: Jason Day is a science advisor for the Department of Defense, a former legislative director for Rep. Dan Lipinski, and a native Texan who has hosted dozens of barbecues over the years. Jason has a Ph.D. in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where it’s scant on barbecue, but the beer and bratwursts make up for it.
Winged Weight: A Mime Speaks!” by Jack Voelker
Let’s explore the history of mime from its origins to present day, looking at what it is exactly that defines the art. What busking talk is complete without giving a live lesson in the basics of mime to some audience volunteers? What is a mime? WHY is a mime? And how do you become one?
Bio: THE Jack of All Trades, Jack Voelker once tried to steal a goose from a giant only to discover geese are actually gigantic assholes. On a regular day, you can find Jack splitting his time between performance art, digital art, contemplating the void, confusing straight people, and calculating how many large dogs he can fit in his one-bedroom apartment.
Paddle On! Tales & Science from the Mighty Mississippi
In a 4 month expedition, Alyssum became the second woman to solo kayak the Mississippi River from source to sea. Along the way, she documented plastic waste and water quality. And lived a seriously muddy life.