DC9 Nightclub
DOORS: 6:00PM
$10
21+
Summer learnin’ had me a blast.
Summer learnin’ happened so fast.
Heard a talk about Rick & Morty.
Heard a talk about robots at sea.
Summer days, driftin’ away
To ah, oh, those summer nerd nites!
Want us to tell you more, tell you more? Then mark your calendar for the next Nerd Nite, with speakers so amazing that it will be love at first sight! Don’t believe me? See for yourself:
“#TeamKaiju: Why We’re Fighting Giant Robots in the Marianas Trench”
Summary: Deep-sea mining is coming to an ocean basin near you. Over the last decade, this nascent industry had emerged from the haze of science fiction and the first mines are set to open in the next 18 months. What are they mining, what lives there, and what are we doing to ensure that commercial deep-sea mining doesn’t follow the same arc of environmental destruction as it’s terrestrial counterparts.
Presenter Bio: Dr. Andrew Thaler is a deep-sea ecologist and population geneticist. He’s been working at the intersection of science and policy surrounding human impacts in the deep sea for the last decade.
“The Science of Rick and Morty, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Destroy my Enemies”
Summary: Rick don gone aggro in this one broh! Morty mussed up big and makes Rick splain is actions. Things go ham.
Presenter Bio: Marty, nerd/adventurer, searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have. His continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before. And so Marty finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap …will be the leap home.
“How To Train Your Padawan: Using Star Wars in School Curricula”
Summary: We understand a little about brain science and the power of storytelling. We understanding even more about Star Wars. What would happen if we put our understanding of both together? I’ll tell you what would happen. Teachers would be armed with a powerful tool designed to help teach kids about internal conflict and external decision making. That’s what!
Presenter Bio: Slli’m Williams is the worst kind of renaissance man. By day, he is a consultant focusing on digital forensics investigations and e-discovery support. With whatever time remains, Slli’m is an event host who holds a regular open mic every 4th and 5th Monday at Busboys and Poets Shirlington. He is a writer, spoken word artist, and MC. Slli’m is also an aspiring improv and voice-over actor. He has performed in several improve showcases and been the featured poet for the improv troop “Poetic Resistance”. He is even an actual renaissance man, as he loves to attend the Maryland Renaissance Festival every year.
DC9 Nightclub
DOORS: 6:00PM
$10
21+
April Showers bring May Nerd Nites, and please trust us when we say that you’re going to want to bring an umbrella for this month’s DOWNPOUR OF KNOWLEDGE. Check out the night’s amazing talks!
“Anal Sacs: Getting to 5th Base the Crinoid Way”
Summary: The ancient ocean was a weird and wild place, and it only gets weirder and wilder when the hole from which you expel poop is very near the hole with which you eat your food. That’s why we’re talking about Crinoids, everyone’s favorite starfish relative, and the beautifully bizarre evolutionary steps they took to deal with the”problem of fouling.”
Presenter Bio: Ben Taylor is one of the Co-Bosses of Nerd Nite DC. During the day he works at the National Museum of Natural History. He’s excited to see you on May 19th.
“Incompleteness”
Summary: We’ll examine Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorems and explore the gap between truth and proof. How can we prove that something is unprovable? And what happens when a mathematician becomes certain of the limits of his own certainty?
Presenter Bio: James Dabbs is a topologist by training who specialized in knot theory for a bit before unraveling. He now creates by programming, teaching, and drumming. He still very much enjoys math rock.
“Making Body Mechanics Work For You”
Summary: The current thought is that sitting is the new smoking. How long are we supposed to sit? What is “good” posture? What does examining someones posture tell you about them? How can posture and body mechanics prevent “throwing out” your back? Where did you throw your back and how do you get it back? Is someone holding it for ransom? How much money do they want to give us back our back? What is the easiest way to use proper body mechanics and carry/drag your drunk friend home? Once you get them home what do you do with them? Let’s discuss.
Presenter Bio: Katie Rogowski is a physical therapist working at Medstar National Rehabilitation Network. She completed undergrad at Central Michigan University majoring in Health and Fitness with a minor in Psychology and Nutrition. She then attended graduate school at Grand Valley State University for her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She is currently doing a sports medicine residency program through Medstar. She is also an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist through the American Physical Therapy Association and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Yes she is from Michigan and will hold up her hand and point to where she is from. Don’t fight it, just let it happen. She will put down her hand and move on after.
It’s the goddamn Splash Mountain of Information, Nerds, and on May 19th your brains are officially in THE SPLASH ZONE.
Let’s celebrate International Women’s Month with our friends at 500 Women Scientists who will turn Nerd Nite into a Spring Science Salon! Topics will range from Hurricanes to the communication of Climate Change, to spooking Parrots in South America. Part of the proceeds for the night will support Ciencia Puerto Rico in their efforts to transform STEM education in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. As always, we encourage you to be there and be square on Saturday, March 10, 2018.
Buy your tickets here. And learn more about Ciencia Puerto Rico: https://www.cienciapr.org/
Climate Communications: Stop talking, start listening by Kimberly Duong
All too often, environmental stewardship surrounding climate change calls upon society’s moral obligation to give a damn about polar bears. The rhetoric of sacrifice for the sake of conservation leads to “green fatigue.” I’m here to teach you how to have a productive conversation about climate change with just about anyone. And it starts with listening.
Bio: Kimberly Duong is a PhD student in civil engineering at UC Irvine. She is currently in Washington DC as a science and technology policy fellow at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Her nerdy interests include urban drought management, meteorology, climate change communications, and STEM outreach. Fun fact: she doesn’t drink any caffeine or alcohol. Yes, you heard that right.
Scaring birds to save them: Behavior-based management and reintroduction science by Jess Roberts
Did you know that Halloween costumes play a part in endangered species conservation? This talk will focus on the lengths reintroduction scientists go to create natural environments in captivity. These efforts are to ensure the animals released into the wild have the behaviors required for survival.
Bio: Jess is an Environmental Science and Policy PhD student at George Mason University researching the effectiveness of captive breeding and reintroducing threatened avian species back into the wild. Previously she has worked on the Red-browed Amazon Recovery Project with Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo and the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation. Jess has been pooped on by over 50 endangered species.
Hunting for Exoplanets: Can we find another planet to call home? by Junellie Gonzalez Quiles
Have you ever looked up at the sky at night and wondered about what is out there? Have you ever asked yourself if we are alone in the universe? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, this talk will give an insight about what astronomers have found in the universe! More specifically, I will be talking about the possibility of finding planets similar to ours outside of our Solar System, and how we can possibly even start to understand such planets.
Bio: Junellie is an astronomy and physics undergraduate student at University of Maryland, College Park pursuing research in the field of exoplanets. She aims to fully understand these planets by connecting atmospheric data with our current knowledge of planetary interiors. She has done research at NASA GSFC, Carnegie Institution for Science, Cornell University and Humboldt University of Berlin in Germany, and is currently doing research at Johns Hopkins University. She also enjoys playing the trombone in her university’s marching band, and the trombone was once bigger than she was.