Our second Nerd Nite-A-Thon (Virtual) will be Tuesday April 14, 2020 starting at 7pm EDT / 4pm PDT. Watch/view at http://www.facebook.com/nerdnite
Enjoy seven of our favorite presentations from across North America and one from our pals in Melbourne (it’ll be Wednesday afternoon for them…the International Date Line is weird). Enjoy drinking and learning from the comfort of your PJs. We’ll toast you while online. The in-progress line-up:
7pm-7:30pm EDT (Nerd Nite St. Petersburg, FL): Loose Lips Sink Ships (And Try not to Get Syphilis): When Altruism Meets Artillery by Linsey Grove
Description: We explore the historic role propaganda played in public health communication and ask if the ends justify the means. What happens when public health messaging goes from lithograph to meme?
Bio: Linsey Grove, DrPH, CPH, CHES is a sex education researcher working at the University of South Florida St Petersburg as a visiting instructor and program coordinator for the Health Sciences degree. She is also the president of the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area and co-host of the public health podcast, Viral. Dr. Grove co-chairs the Empowering Pinellas Youth Collaborative, a community-driven initiative that supports comprehensive sex education in Pinellas Schools.
7:30pm-8pm EDT (Nerd Nite Orlando): TBD about Space by Derek Demeter
8pm-8:30pm EDT / 7pm CDT (Nerd Nite Madison): Magnificent Mangroves: Adaptations, Biodiversity, and Outlook by Tyler Wintermute
Description: From their unique adaptations to their benefits to biodiversity, mangroves are marvels of estuarine ecosystems. With a global distribution, these plants are ubiquitous in the tropics, but unfortunately, they face many threats that should be concerning to the denizens of the 43rd parallel north (and the rest of the world). So bundle (your vascular tissues) up, prop (root) yourself in a chair, and join us as we absorb the waves of mangrove knowledge!
Presenter Bio: A native of Northern Virginia, Tyler is a first-year graduate student in the Department of Botany at UW-Madison, and while his true passion are the trees of the people (Populus species, a.k.a. cottonwoods, aspens, and poplars) and their chemical ecology, he is fascinated and inspired by the life history of mangroves and their benefits to other biota. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring swamps, watching sports, and playing board-games. And taking care of plants. Lots of plants.
8:30pm-9pm EDT / 7:30pm CDT (Nerd Nite Lawrence)
9pm-9:30pm EDT / 8pm CDT (Nerd Nite Austin): Marvel Underground: What Disney Doesn’t Know it Owns by Kevin Garcia
Description: The Marvel Cinematic Universe has brought superheroes into the mainstream, but few (even few at Disney) know how many strange and obscure properties were part of Marvel. Did you know Marvel made stag magazines? Or drug-fueled underground comix? Or that they bought companies that bought companies that bought companies meaning Disney technically owns the Men in Black?
Bio: Kevin Garcia is a certified educator and professional writer whose work has appeared in the Associated Press and Marvel Comics. He gives a variety of workshops, moderates panels, and teaches journalism and graphic design at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin. His work can be found at www.KevinGarcia.com or www.Monomythic.com.
9:30pm-10pm EDT / 7:30pm MDT (Nerd Nite Calgary)
10pm-10:30pm EDT / 7pm PDT (Nerd Nite North Vancouver) TBD by Kurtis Baute
10:30pm-11pm EDT / 1:30pm-2pm AEDT on April 15 (Nerd Nite Melbourne, AUS): Holy Forking Shirtballs: The Philosophy of the Good Place by Aaron Grinter @PhilosophyGrin
Description: Around 14 billion years ago, the universe began. Sometime later, the television show ‘The Good Place’ came into being. The premise is simple: Eleanor Shellstrop wakes up in non-denominational heaven after a tragic accident involving margarita mix and a truck full of Viagra. The problem is, there was a mixup, she doesn’t belong in heaven and she is actually a horrible person, who lived a life of alcoholism and scamming the elderly. In order to not get kicked out of heaven, she vows to become a good person. How does she plan to do it? With the power of philosophy. We explore some of the key philosophical ideas that The Good Place taught you without you realising it. I can’t promise that I can get you into heaven, but I can promise you that you will understand more about deontology than you did before.
Bio: Aaron is (mercifully) about to complete his PhD and teaches at Swinburne University. His field is philosophy and the aim of his research is prove to his parents that getting a degree in philosophy wasn’t a complete waste of time. His thesis synthesises ecology, economics, and social theory to construct an epistemology of sustainability. In his spare time, he enjoys growing houseplants and worrying about his PhD. I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is yes, his dog features prominently throughout his thesis.