Nerd Nite Edmonton

The Northern Lights and Extreme Space Weather
Prof. Ian R. Mann

The largest space storms are triggered by explosions on the sun sending billions of tons of solar plasma hurtling towards the Earth at over 2 million miles per hour! Upon arriving at Earth they can trigger space storms and extreme space weather.  As recently as last July, the Earth was narrowly missed by a solar explosion which could have triggered the most extreme space weather we’ve witnessed in 150 years. Should you be afraid, or perhaps very afraid? Learn more about the dark side of the northern lights with Professor Ian Mann, as he reviews the physics of the Aurora Borealis, and the space storms associated with extreme space weather.

Bio: Prof. Ian R. Mann is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Alberta, and was a Canada Research Chair in Space Physics from 2003-13. He is a Co-Investigator on the five satellite NASA Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) mission to the northern lights launched in 2007, and is a Co-Investigator on the NASA Van Allen Probes mission to the Earth’s radiation belts launched in 2012. He was selected as one of Canada’s Top-40-under-40 in 2009 by the Globe and Mail and Caldwell Partners International, and currently serves as the United Nations Co-Chair of the international Expert Group on Space Weather, as part of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) initiative on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. He is also the Principal Investigator of the CARISMA magnetometer array (www.carisma.ca) and the www.AuroraWatch.ca real-time aurora alert project.  He is active in public understanding of science on TV, radio and in print, for example co-presenting with Jay Ingram in the Discovery Channel TV feature “Where Space Meets Earth: The Cosmic Shore,” appears regularly on CBC radio such as on CBC Quirks and Quarks and on CBC Radioactive in Edmonton, and his research was recently featured in a Canadian Geographic magazine article on solar maximum.

Supernatural Creatures on Contemporary Television
Kristen Hutchinson

There has been a plethora of supernatural creatures (vampires, werewolves, ghosts, demons, witches, fairies, shape shifters, and zombies) in television series in the last few years. Why is the supernatural such a prevalent topic in contemporary visual culture? Is our current fascination with the supernatural different than it has been in the past? Are these 21st century TV creatures sexier than their predecessors? Get your wooden stakes, pitchforks, and silver ready as we delve into the worlds of popular shows like True Blood, Teen Wolf, Supernatural, Hex, Lost Girl, and The Walking Dead.

#1 – The Walking (Nearly) Dead: Parasite Manipulation of Host Behaviour
Kaylee Byers

Though at times it may be refreshing to have decisions made for us, the ability to choose how we spend our days is something we non-parasitized may take for granted. From fungi, to nematodes, to wasps, some parasitic species have adapted the amazing ability to manipulate their host’s behaviour in a way that goes beyond the horror of any George A. Romero film. Join us while we explore the fascinating world of host-parasite interactions where the microscopic have tremendous influences. We will discuss the diversity of parasites that manipulate not only host behavior but also host appearance; all in an effort to complete their life cycle and start the process all over again.

Bio: Kaylee is currently an MSc student at the University of Alberta where she studies the reproductive morphologies of feather mites. While she specializes in acarology (the study of mites), she is particularly fascinated by the bizarre biology of parasites. In Fall 2013, Kaylee will be commencing a PhD at the University of British Columbia where she will be studying urban rat ectoparasites and their potential to transmit disease (vancouverratproject.com). In her spare time, Kaylee enjoys travelling and acquiring her own parasites, all in the name of Science.

#2 – It’s About Time!
Dean Albrecht

Digital-savvy generations have developed a nostalgic interest in vintage technologies like vinyl records and pinball machines. Similarly, Mechanical wrist and pocket watches have stimulated a new wave of attention. It’s no wonder why, the best Swiss timepieces satisfy on many levels; complex engineering, precise construction, beautiful design, and flawless craftsmanship. Beyond these physical characteristics, the vintage watch answers a primeval need to touch history. With patience and curiosity, one can discover a portal into the past; the people and events that provide context to the physical object. To illustrate, I will present a few pieces from the 1860s to 1950s and share their stories. I promise that your inner nerd will find it fascinating, romantic, and even disturbing.

Bio: Dean Albrecht is a retired cop with too much “time” on his hands. Although an avowed adrenaline junkie, he finds welcome respite in collecting and writing on Swiss watches of the golden age from the mid-19th to 20th centuries. Dean will be returning to Switzerland this spring for his third visit, to literally walk the hills and valleys of watchmaking history.

#3 – Glowing Animals: A Neuroscience Toolkit at the End of the Rainbow
Robert Campbell

Remember when the only animals that glowed were the ones that nature intended to glow? I do. It was the 1980s and the only things that glowed were fireflies, deep sea creatures, and those neon shirts that I loved. Fast forward to 2013 and you can’t swing a red fluorescent cat without hitting some new glowing freak of science. In the last couple years we’ve seen red fluorescent dogs, yellow fluorescent pigs, green fluorescent monkeys, “GloFish”, and don’t even get me started on the genetically altered mice! What the hell happened? The answer to this question starts with a humble jellyfish and ends with current efforts to completely map the activity of the brain. In this presentation I will demonstrate how making fluorescent animals has revolutionized our ability to peer into the inner workings of cells and live animals. Specific emphasis will be placed on how my research at the University of Alberta is enabling scientists to do the previously unthinkable: visualize the activity of every neuron in the brain of a living animal!

Bio: Robert E. Campbell Ph.D. (UBC, 2000) is an associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Canada Research Chair at the University of Alberta. He is also a certified nerd that loves all things sciency. From 2000-2003 he had the good fortune to undertake his postdoctoral research in the lab of a soon-to-be-Nobel-prize-winner; an experience that launched Robert’s career as the world’s expert on fluorescent proteins. Today, he and and his minions (13 super-talented graduate students that represent the most concentrated talent pool of protein engineers in the world) are all working hard to create a new generation of fluorescent proteins that will enable the visualization of brain activity in real time.