Can we make Nerd Nite Edmonton any gayer? It’s unclear, but we can sure as heck try! Join us for a night of drinks and three fascinating talks.
When: Thursday, June 25th. Doors at 7pm, show at 7:30pm
(Doors & bar open at 7pm, with drinks available all night)
Where: The Lobby at Fringe Theatre Adventures
Fringe Theatre Arts Barn, 10330 84 Ave NW, Edmonton
How much: Offer What You Will
Zita Dube-Lockhart: Your Brain On Bonds: Community, Connection, and the Science of Resilience
The Science of Resilience explores how stress shapes our minds, bodies, and communities, and why human connection plays in resilience, healing, and growth.
Zita (they/she) works at the intersection of mind, body, social environment, and clinically significant levels of overcommitment. They hold an MA in Counselling Psychology and an embarrassingly complicated relationship with their voicemail.
Zita is a Nerd Nite Edmonton alumnus, co-owner of Action Potential Fitness, co-founder of the Centre for Trauma Informed Fitness, and a counselling therapist at the Alberta Wellness Centre for Eating Disorders, bouncing between roles in what can only be described as interdisciplinary chaos.
You can call Zita many things… but they’d really rather you text instead.
Instagram: @the.fitnessanarchist, @actionpotentialfitness, @cftif_canada
Evan Westfal: The Relationship Between Homosexuality and Fecundity: Why Being Gay Helps a Species Survive and Reproduce
In this talk, Evan explains to you why being gay really helps different animal species survive. Have you ever wondered why homosexuality has persisted through millions of years of evolution? Shouldn’t being gay lead to less reproduction? Is being gay natural? All these answers and more will be offered in a talk that is playful, intellectual, and hella gay!
Evan Westfal (he/him) is the Programs Manager for the Fyrefly Institute for Gender & Sexual Diversity housed within the University of Alberta, he chairs the Rainbow Alliance Youth Edmonton Committee, and has served as a curriculum advisor for the Sex Information & Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN). Basically, Evan is professionally gay!
Instagram: @evanwestfal
Allison Hadley: The Rainbow Connection – Exploring the Intersections Between Queer Culture and Nerd Culture
When a queer person does not have any 2SLGTQIA+ mentors or community in their life, how do they find belonging? It is often in the safe(r) spaces of nerdy fandoms where acceptance in fantasy settings can turn into a sense of real life belonging. Why are so many trans people drawn to Deep Space Nice and Fallout: New Vegas? Is Dungeons and Dragons inherently queer? The answers may not be as simple as you think.
Allison Hadley is a podcast host, author, activist and drag performer. She is passionate about building community resilience through queer joy. She is also a big ol’ nerd who grew up on science fiction and tabletop roleplaying games.
Amanda Green is a local STEM Educator and Canadian Space Ambassador excited to share her passion for Canadian space exploration and “moon joy!’. She will take you through some of our greatest achievements and ambitions and then share how she teaches kids to love space, think critically and reach for the stars!
1893: The Shining City By The Sea: built by a cadre of Chicago architects 401 years after Columbus’ arrival on Turtle Island. The United States Of America first World Fair was rushed, desperate, and phenomenal. Knowledge of The Columbian Exposition is essential to understanding the mythology of America.
LEGO has grown to become one of the world’s largest toy brands, and its fanbase has grown with it. What often starts as childhood creativity leads to using LEGO as a tool for self expression and building community. Adult hobbyists are paving the way for brick-built creations to be seen as a medium of their own.Bio: Sam Malmberg is an Edmonton-based artist that uses LEGO as his primary medium. Sam has displayed his original LEGO creations across Canada and the US, and was a finalist on the TV show LEGO Masters. Through his business, Groovybones Bricks, he works to create interactive experiences, custom models, and a whole lot of brick-based fun.
Hypnosis is a fascinating phenomenon that is also one of the first psychological topics to be studied using the scientific method. I will talk about different understandings of hypnosis throughout history, how it has been studied, and what it can be used for.
Help us decide the best mom of the insect world! From carrion meal-preps to days of twerking, the insect world is full of unique and devoted parenting strategies.
This talk focuses on how the weightless void of space triggers a profound biological transformation, reshaping our bones and heart in ways we are only beginning to understand. By connecting a decade of research on microgravity, it argues that surviving the stars requires us to stop viewing our organs in isolation and start treating the body as an interconnected system.