New Year, new you. That’s how the saying goes. But we aren’t going to say that. In fact, pretend we didn’t.
One thing was can promise you in 2017 is more of the same great Nerd Nite quality you’ve come to expect from Nerd Nite Edmonton. Join us for our first show of 2017!
Be there AND be square!
When: Wednesday, January 11, 2017 (show @ 8pm)
Where: The Needle Vinyl Tavern (10524 Jasper Avenue)
Tickets:
$20 in advance
$10 peanut gallery tickets
[Must be 18 years or older]
Our line-up of talks includes:
When a bird sings in the forest, does anybody hear?
Tara Narwani
A close listen to the clamour of nature—ever been woken up by crack-of-dawn bird chatter in the spring and summer?—reveals a lot. It can tell you who’s present (which species of birds and other animals), where they live, and how they may be affected by activities around them. Technology is changing the “when”, “where”, and “how” researchers listen to the singing (squawking, squealing, chirping) creatures in our environment. This talk will transport you into Alberta’s boreal forest and give you an intimate listen into how scientists at the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute and the University of Alberta monitor our province’s vocalizing species.
Tara Narwani is a scientist by training, but a science communicator at heart. After spending many months and years with a pipette in her hand, she traded it in for a keyboard and screen to write about science and medical research for Alberta Innovates. Science communication became her full-time gig when she joined the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute in 2012. Tara keeps hoping leading a science-themed flash mob is in her future.
Cosplay meets Couture
Nikki Ewing
Cosplay is truly the runway of the imagination. Cosplay Meets Couture explores the growing intersection where costumes meet high fashion. Faithful character reproductions, mash-ups, and interpretive designs are all an integral part of cosplayas we know it. Here you’ll see, in glorious living technicolor, intricate hand-made outfits from a wide variety of fandoms. Closer looks as well as discussion on props, ethical fashion, just what goes into the creation of a couture ensemble will all be discussed. Burning questions are not only permitted, they are encouraged! Indulge your imagination and explore what it means to cosplay!
Nikki started Dark Knits Boutique in 2006 to give life to her passion for all things creative and her belief that everyone should be able to have a spectacular handmade quality piece in their wardrobe. Each piece Nikki makes, from corset to latex to top hat, is custom, unique to both her vision and that of the client’s requests, and is of heirloom quality. Dark Knits Boutique is also founded on Nikki’s commitment to founding an inclusive community and showing beauty in all shapes and sizes. Dark Knits is where the macabre, the inclusive, the creative, and the well-tailored fuse together into wearable art.
From the motor cortex to muscles: How do humans move?
Dave Collins
Humans move when electrical signals travel from the brain, down the spinal cord and out to muscles. For this interactive presentation I will bring as much of my lab equipment on stage as possible to record from (and listen to) my muscles when they contract and stimulate my muscles and brain to produce movement. Through these demonstrations I will describe how muscle contractions are generated and how movement can be restored for people experiencing paralysis due to injury or disease of the nervous system. During the talk it is hoped that audience members will learn a bit about the neural control of movement and get closer to their inner neuronerd.
Dr. Collins is a self-proclaimed and proud “neuronerd”. He is a Professor in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, a member of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute and the Director of the Sensorimotor Rehabilitation Neuroscience Group at the University of Alberta. Dr. Collins runs the Human Neurophysiology Laboratory at the University where he and his research team investigate how the nervous system controls movement and develop better ways to restore movement for people experiencing paralysis.
There’s a slim chance our 30th Nerd Nite won’t happen. It’s the day after the United States Presidential Election, after all.
But we’ve planned one all the same just in case the worst-case scenario doesn’t pan out. And we’re featuring another line-up of fantastic speakers ready to blow your mind talking about oil sands, sex, and — well — the US presidential election. Join us for another fabulous evening of food, drink, and very possibly learning something you didn’t already know.
Be there AND be square!
When: Wednesday, November 9, 2016 (show @ 8pm)
Where: The Needle Vinyl Tavern (10524 Jasper Avenue)
Tickets:
$20 in advance sold out
$10 peanut gallery tickets >> BUY NOW <<
[Must be 18 years or older]
Our line-up of talks includes:
Lye Soap, Hard Water, and Internet Porn: What is going on in Surface Mined Oil Sands?
Randy Mikula
Tailings ponds that can be seen from outer space and the land disturbance associated with surface mined oil sands are the poster boy for the impact this industry is having on the environment in northern Alberta. This talk will be a guided tour through the science behind tailings management, pointing out where we are on the path to minimizing water use and reclaiming the boreal forest. Along the way, we will pause from time to time to reconcile some of the seemingly irreconcilable rhetoric from the environmental and industry lobbies. Hang on for a wild ride through oil sands water and tailings management with an abrupt stop at GHG issues.
Dr. Mikula is the former team leader of the Oil Sands Extraction and Tailings group at the Federal Government’s Natural Resources Canada Research Station in Devon, Alberta. With a PhD in Nuclear Chemistry via a dissertation titled “Thermalization of the Muon and Muonium in Rare Gases”, over 25 years of oil sands research experience with the Federal Government, and a new job as head of Kalium Research, Randy offers a unique perspective on oil sands water and tailings management.
Everybody’s a Little Kinky: Sex, Culture, and 50 Shades of UUUUNF
Dylan Richards
Now more than ever, people are exposed to sexual topics in our everyday lives… yet for some reason, being open about sharing (or even discovering) who we are as sexual creatures is still incredibly taboo for some people! When was the last time you had a conversation with someone about sex that wasn’t filled with half-truths and uncomfortable laughter? (Though let’s be honest, everyone loves a good sex joke). Through this talk, we are going to take a look at how we got to where we are with our attitudes towards sex and sexuality in North America, and show that even though we like to pretend… everybody’s a little kinky.
Prankster, outlaw, educator, co-conspirator… Dylan wears a lot of hats. (Interesting side note: he doesn’t actually wear hats all that often). Storyteller, activist, and dynamic sex educator Dylan Richards brings his passion for helping people discover what makes them shine to classrooms, boardrooms, and gatherings around North America. Dylan loves to bring his stories and experience to every topic he tackles, from sexuality to spirituality to spaghetti (well, cooking in general but then it wouldn’t be as poetic).
Understanding the Circus: What the 2016 US Election means for the rest of us
Bob Murray
It’s no secret that the upcoming US election has been a major source of interest both within the US and across the world, but many are asking “what does it mean for Canada?”, regardless of whether Trump or Clinton win on November 8. There is no shortage of consequences and implications not only for Canada, but for the rest of the world, depending on who is victorious on election night, and my goal is to tell you what you need to know and how this US election can and will have profound implications for how the US behaves in the world around us. Building on my work on international security and foreign policy, especially my most recent book on multilateralism, I will cover how and why US Presidents affect not only US foreign policy, but the foreign and defence policies of other countries across the world, and why this election is unique in terms of how it might affect world order on a broader scale than you might think.
Dr. Bob Murray is a Senior Business Advisor in the Public Policy and Regulation Group at Dentons Canada LLP and an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Alberta. He’s a well-known commentator on political and policy issues, and is a life-long fan of the Buffalo Bills, an admission that constantly leads to him being openly mocked.
You won’t want to miss our post-Thanksgiving Nerd Nite! We can’t guarantee they’ll be serving turkey and ham leftovers, but you never know (we do, actually, and they won’t). What we can almost certainly guarantee you is three outstanding speakers and a broad range of off-the-beaten-path topics.
Be there AND be square!
When: Wednesday, October 12, 2016 (show @ 8pm)
Where: The Needle Vinyl Tavern (10524 Jasper Avenue)
Tickets:
$20 in advance (SOLD OUT)
$10 peanut gallery tickets >> Get Tickets <<
[Must be 18 years or older]
Our line-up of talks includes:
Post-It processes: Map everyday workflow for fresh insight & adaptive change
Janet Karasz
We are living in interesting times, with disruptive technology forcing change to the way we do business every day. Communicating through workflow diagrams is a handy way to translate ideas into action. It’s visual, it’s interactive, and there’s no denying the efficiencies when they are found. A well-drawn process tells a story. In this lively demonstration, Janet offers to build an improv process of the audience’s choosing using post-it notes and string. We’ll then mess with the diagram to uncover the new from the familiar.
A career records manager who has likely racked up more than 10,000 hours in process mapping, Janet has enthusiastically diagrammed out much what we do from shoe shopping to government procurement. In between she has developed as a fine artist, showing off her work at the Whyte Avenue Art Walk on occasion. Janet has presented workshops on process mapping, spreading process literacy across the records community and beyond.
From 20 kids to 10,000 — how a vision for free soccer grew
Tim Adams
When Tim launched Free Footie eight years ago, his vision was to eliminate every barrier to playing sports. That if a kid wanted to be on the field, they would be. The goal was to get the program into 50 of the city’s highest needs schools & use the game of soccer as carrot to bring up grades, attendance and give voice to a group of kids who otherwise are never heard from. You probably don’t care at all about soccer, but the Free Footie story is a lesson for anyone on how to implement a vision, how to motivate the masses around you, how to attack problems rather wait for solutions, how to advocate not irritate and of course on the politics and artful dance of asking for money from your neighbour, your grandma, a CEO or a politician. Finally, it is a lesson on going for it when everyone else tells you that you’re crazy.
Tim Adams is the founder of Free Footie, a totally free after school soccer league for 2,000 of the highest needs kids in Edmonton. When he’s not volunteering his life away on a soccer pitch you can hear him on the radio at CBC Edmonton where he directs and reports on the morning show Edmonton AM. The rest of the time you’ll find him on adventures around the city with his two kids, lovely wife Dana and crazy dog Numa.
I Got 99 Problems But Fake Gold Ain’t One
Dana DiTomaso
Most massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) have an economy of some kind. And usually that economy requires you to slay a million boars, save that stupid prince again and again, or something else equally ridiculous — like pay them real money — until you’ve managed to scrape enough gold together to buy a mediocre horse. Why grind when you can profit? Time is money, friend, and I’m here to enlighten you on the ways you can game most in-game economies to your benefit. So put on your capitalist hat and prepare to take advantage of people who don’t know any better to score some coin.
Dana is President & Partner at Kick Point, where she applies marketing into strategies to grow clients’ businesses, in particular to ensure that digital and traditional play well together. With her deep experience in digital, Dana can separate real solutions from wastes of time (and budget). Dana was born in a steel mill but overcame these humble beginnings to move to Edmonton in 2010. In her spare time, Dana is the past-president of the Advertising Club of Edmonton, co-leads Ladies Learning Code Edmonton and is the weekly technology columnist on CBC Edmonton AM. She also enjoys drinking beer and yelling at the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.