Welcome back! We’re kicking off the Fall Nerd Nite lineup with talks about sex-linked inheritance, photography, and Robert’s Rules.
When: Thursday September 28th, 2023, at 7:30 pm
(Doors & bar open at 7:00 pm with drinks and snacks available all night!)
Where: The Lobby at Fringe Theatre Adventures
Fringe Theatre Arts Barn, 10330 84 Ave NW, Edmonton
How much: $25
Adrien Veczan: Visual Arts: Painting & Photography
Adrien will explore how the invention of photography disrupted the art world; how photography tried but failed to render painting obsolete, and what each medium can learn from the other.
Adrien Veczan is a photographer best known for his large-scale productions and expert use of complex lighting.
His career started with an internship at the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia, after which he joined the Toronto Star and later the Canadian Press. Adrien has worked for Reuters, the Globe and Mail, USA Today. His photos have been published in the Guardian, the Washington Post and the New York Times. His job has given him access to countless icons including Robert De Niro, LeBron James and Queen Elizabeth II.
Adrien’s elegant, thoughtful advertising photography has reached millions of eyes on billboards and magazines ranging from Wired to Playboy and from People to The Economist. Advertising agencies turn to Adrien knowing even their most challenging projects will be executed smoothly.
Between campaigns, Adrien enjoys working on fine art projects that allow him to experiment and develop new techniques. His series Telephone took him to four continents and revealed the evolution of the device in a groundbreaking way. In 2017, his first solo exhibition in Alberta, Whyte Avenue, showcased the historic and eclectic Edmonton neighbourhood. In 2021 Intermission, an exhibition based on Edward Hopper composition, premiered at the Saddlery Gallery.
www.veczan.com – Web
@veczan – Instagram
Amanda Henry: Better Meetings: Or I How Learned How to Stop Worrying about Robert’s Rules of Order
We spend a lot of time in meetings, and almost as much time grumbling about what a painful experience it is. You’ve probably been in a meeting that used Robert’s Rules of Order, but…it probably wasn’t being used correctly. We’ll explore what Robert’s Rules of Order are, how to use them better, and an argument in favour of a better way to run modern meetings.
Amanda is a versatile strategic planner, researcher, writer, and facilitator, though she has a tough time in rooms that don’t get Star Trek references. She has facilitated dozens of workshops and meetings around Edmonton on topics in governance, strategic planning, and other tools and tactics that help non-profit boards get where they want to go. She was a governance nerd before it was cool.
@amjhenry – Instagram
@amjhenry – Threads
Dr. Kate St. Onge: Sex-Linked Inheritance
Dr. Kate St.Onge is currently a lecturer in the department of biology sciences at the University of Alberta. She teaches in the areas of genetics, evolution and botany. She completed her PhD at Uppsala University in Sweden but Edmonton is her home town. Outside of work, she is a big fan of true crime podcasts!
Happy Pride Month! Did you know that June is also Dysphagia Awareness Month? Do you know what dysphagia is? Sure, you could hop on Wikipedia to find out, but why not come hang out with us and hear about it in person.
When: Thursday June 29th, 2023, at 7:30 pm
(Doors & bar open at 7:00 pm and the Fringe Grounds Cafe is open until 8:00!)
Where: Studio Theatre at Fringe Theatre Adventures
Fringe Theatre Arts Barn, 10330 84 Ave NW, Edmonton
How much: $25
Rob Browatzke: History of Edmonton Pride
For over forty years, Edmonton’s LGBT2Q communities have come together to celebrate Pride, but they have been celebrations marked by their struggles. From the 1982 festival in response to the Pisces Spa raid through the struggle to get a proclamation from the City to the recent years of community division on how Pride should look, the story of the festival his reflective of the changing nature not only of how our community fits into broader society but also what Pride even means
Rob Browatzke has been professionally active within Edmonton’s queer community since the late 90s, with a resume filled with gay bars of days gone by. For the last decade, he has been one of the owners of Edmonton’s only gay bar, Evolution Wonderlounge. He is also a researcher for the Edmonton Queer History Project, a writer for Rainbow Story Hub, published author, volunteer, advocate, and really, professional homosexual.
@robbrowatzke – Bird App
@robbrowatzke – Instagram
Gabriela Constantinescu: Taking the “dys” out of dysphagia: How to drink beer and not choke on it
June is Dysphagia Awareness month. In this talk, we’ll cover what it means to not be able to swallow, who is affected, and what we can all do to help a little bit.
Gabi is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at the University of Alberta and Chief Experience Officer for True Angle, a local startup. Gabi started off as a speech language pathologist working in the clinic where she amassed over a decade of experience assessing and treating speech, voice, resonance, and swallowing difficulties in patients with head and neck cancer. Gabi then went on to obtain her PhD, where her research directly influenced the design and development of a mobile system for swallowing exercise. Gabi continues to engage in educational activities such as this one to raise awareness for those living with swallowing difficulties.
@Gabi_SLP – Bird App
@gabi_Constantinescu – Instagram
Harry MacDonald: Producing Drum and Bass Music: What goes into making a song?
Have you ever wondered what goes into producing a song? In this chat I’ll be going over my approach to writing songs and where I get inspiration to start music. As well, I’ll show what kind of work goes into the fine details of processing the song to get it to the final result.
Harry MacDonald is a drum and bass producer from Edmonton, one of the co-owners of Umbral Sound System which has hosted underground dance music events all over the city featuring their custom built sound system. He has releases on record labels spanning from Alberta to the UK.
@heymacmusic – Bird App
@heymacmusic – Instagram
Do you like or dislike the outdoors? Nerd Nite #73 is for you. Do you vote or not vote (holy crap please go vote)? Nerd Nite #73 is for you!
When: Wednesday May 24th, 2023, at 7:30 pm (not Thursday!)
(Doors & bar open at 7:00 pm and the Fringe Grounds Cafe is open until 8:00!)
Where: Studio Theatre at Fringe Theatre Adventures
Fringe Theatre Arts Barn, 10330 84 Ave NW, Edmonton
How much: $25
Featuring
Our DJ for NN#73 is Kena Léon, co-founder of Sapphic Speakeasy, which promotes safe dance spaces for female-identifying people on the spectrum.
Trent Wilkie: The Wilderness Lie
To some, the outdoors is a challenge; something to be conquered. The writing trope of ‘man vs. nature’ comes to mind. It is inherently a toxic relationship. The reality though is that any personification of outdoor pursuits can be dangerous. To paraphrase Madmen’s Don Draper, “The natural world is indifferent”.
Trent Wilkie is a writer/performer in Edmonton. Trent has written for CBC Radio, Fangoria Magazine, Exclaim Magazine, his blog/podcast The UnDad, and was the editor of several publications that are now defunct (a coincidence, he thinks). As well, he has written close to 100 sketches for collectives such as Mostly Water Theatre and The Regretzky Entertainment Group. Trent has also been a professional canoe guide for over 15 years and has paddled all over Canada.
@thetrentwilkie – Bird App
@thetrentwilkie – Instagram
Michael Ross: Whose Vote is it Anyway? Where the election system’s made up and your votes may not matter
Voting is fun and (usually) safe. But the way ballots are analyzed can directly change the results, allow for dishonest strategic voting, or even punish you for voting honestly in the first place. For one night and one night only, let’s take a deep dive into ways to vote, ways to count votes, and discover the single best voting system ever developed.
Michael Ross is allegedly a professional engineer, gets too excited by overanalyzing things with excel, and likes board games more than most people.
@mikerobe007 – Bird App
@mikerobe007 – Instagram
Scott Hebert: How Video Games Will Save Education
What is gamification? Why will it save education? How is life an RPG? All of these questions, and more, will be answered in this talk!
Scott Hebert is an educator of 12 years who has made it his goal to eliminate the stereotype that school is boring. In an effort to do this he has been recognized both provincially (Alberta Excellent in Teaching Award in 2013) and Internationally (Best Gamification in Education Project Globally in 2015 and Global Teacher Prize Top 50 Teachers in the World 2020) for his efforts towards promoting Gamification in the classroom. He lives by the message, “Would you want to be in your classroom?” and strives to achieve this goal daily. He is a single dad to two kids, lives in Fort Saskatchewan and teaches in Sherwood Park out of Elk Island Catholic School.
@MrHebertPE – Instagram
