DC9 Nightclub
DOORS: 6:00PM
$10
21+
You get TWO NERD NITES in MARCH!! The first is March 9 at DC9 and the second is at the motherfuckin National Museum of Natural History on March 30! Lineup for the National Museum of Natural History event will be announced soon, but check out the amazing lineup at DC9 on March 9:
Public Health Law: Preventing the Zombie Apocalypse Since 1905,” by Elizabeth Houston
Summary: When people think of the legal field, they usually picture something from “Law and Order” or “Suits.” But there is a lot more to the law outside of criminal cases and courtroom drama. Exhibit A — public health law. You probably haven’t heard of it before, and that’s okay. Most lawyers aren’t even aware of what this is. But this area of law literally affects every single one of us. Join me for a fun conversation about what public health law is and why you should care about it.
Presenter Bio: Elizabeth is a Privacy Analyst at the Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services. She is a native of Memphis, Tennessee and moved to the DC area in 2017 after being selected as a Presidential Management Fellow. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Christian Brothers University, and Juris Doctor and Master of Public Health degrees from The University of Memphis. Elizabeth is passionate about public health, health equity, and bioethics. She currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband, Billy, and her cats, Quincy and Meredith.
“On Nipple Toothed Pachyderms: American degeneracy and the fossil record of elephants,” by Advait Jukar
Summary: What do fossils have to do with the spirit of America? Were the French right about a degenerate fauna in the west? What the heck are nipple teeth? I will be answering these questions and will take you on a journey through the fascinating fossil history of elephants and their kin.
Presenter Bio: Advait is a Deep Time Fellow at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and studied the structure of ancient ecosystems, megafaunal extinctions, and the evolution of elephants and horses. Before Advait studied fossils, he studied mildly toxic frogs on a mountain in Korea.
“Why Trains Need Creeps,” by Ben Titus, Principal Engineer
Summary: Find out what it take to move a train!
Presenter Bio: Ben Titus is a Mechanical Engineer by day, social justice warrior by night, and is trying to be mountaineer during the weekend.
DC9 Nightclub
DOORS: 6:00PM
$10
21+
It’s DC9’s 15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY all weeeek loooooong! And we’re kicking it off with a celebration of DC nerdery like you wouldn’t believe. Check out this LINEUP:
“Spaced Out: The Consequences of Cosmic Radiation on the Brain,” by Alexandra Taraboletti
Summary: The intrigue of deep space travel comes with inherent risks, including exposure to the ionizing radiation fields in space. This talk will explore some of the known effects radiation has on the brain and delve into the countermeasures being taken to stop both the physical and potential psychologic problems facing future astronauts.
Presenter Bio: Alexandra is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Georgetown
University in the Tumor Biology T32 program. She currently researches radiation biomarkers using mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Alexandra grew up near Cape Canaveral, FL and reveled in every bring your child to work day at NASA (AKA she is a space nerd).
“Lessons I Learned From Richard Butt,” by Blake Lindsey
Summary: Is the District of Columbia “North” or “South”? I will be answering that question by examining the misadventures of soldiers who manned the Civil War Defenses of Washington and the civilians who lived in DC. The question matters more than you might think….and yes we will talk about a guy named Richard Butt who lived on Georgia Avenue.
Presenter Bio: Blake lives in Adams Morgan, and considers DC “home.” He has many passions, among them bocce ball and Super Smash Brothers.
“Hamilton, but French,” by Dr. Taylor Winkleman
Summary: With a cast of characters including Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, Gregory Potemkin, and John Paul Jones, Andre du Plessis is the coolest guy you’ve never heard of. He’s also possibly the first epidemiologist in the western world. Come see the drunk history version of Andre’s life—and maybe help act it out!
Presenter Bio: Dr. Taylor Winkleman is a veterinarian and global health security expert who moonlights as a writer and is developing a science-based podcast with her scientist friends. When she’s not doing any of those, you can find her baking macarons or doing flying trapeze and circus aerials.
DC9 Nightclub
DOORS: 6:00PM
$10
21+
HAPPY NERD YEAR!
We’re ringing in 2019 with three amazing talks. Freakin’ lasers! Not being abilist jerks! The connection between sketchy wizards and back pain! Auld acquaintance may be forgot, but you won’t forget these amazing speakers. So much to learn! Come start the new year off right by partying it up with your favorite nerds.
Also, come out to hear some exciting new updates about Nerd Nite DC 2019!
“Sick Freaks: Disability, Freak Shows, and Reality TV”
Summary: The old carnival freak shows are basically gone now, but that hasn’t changed people’s desire to stare at those who are different. From Mystery Diagnosis to Born This Way, come find out what’s going on with reality television, and how all that’s old is new again.
Presenter Bio: Katya is a queer, disabled theater historian (for extra freakiness) who writes about identity, performance theory, and political theater. When not reading, writing, or talking about these topics, Katya is usually either murdering aliens in XCOM or crafting, and sometimes even does both at once.
“Cosmic Death Lasers”
Summary: We’ll explore objects so extreme that if you could stand on their surfaces gravity would squash you flat as a pancake. Then we’ll learn how to manipulate these objects to create a death ray capable of destroying all life on Earth as we know it.
Presenter Bio: Ginny is a fourth year astronomy graduate student working at the University of Maryland and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She studies the brightest explosions in the universe and in her free time she likes to pet dogs and drink wine (preferably at the same time).
“Exposing the Fake News of Low Back Pain”
Summary: Does good posture prevent back pain? Do six pack abs help your back? Where does pain even come from? Can Professor Dumbledore teach us something about pain? (okay that one is obviously yes!) Forget everything you’ve ever been told about back pain and get ready to nerd out on the science of pain while busting some myths along the way.
Presenter Bio: JD is a nerd with the goal of making physical therapy and health care more scientific (if you haven’t heard health care is complicated). He a board-certified specialist in orthopedic physical therapy, is currently serving on the American Physical Therapy Association of Maryland’s board of directors, and works at Washington Wellness Physical Therapy & Sports Care. In his free time he enjoys hiking and backpacking with his dog Scout.