Nerd Nite Calgary

Archive for the ‘Event’ Category

Well, sure that whole “pandemic” thing was a little disruptive but there is finally a happy update. Nerd Nite is back!! We have an excellent event scheduled for Friday, October 13th and tickets will go on sale this Sunday Oct 1st at 6pm.

And just so you know, it’s been 1313* days since our last event and our next event is on the October 13th. Love how many 13’s that is.

More details to come but here are the basics. We are doing our fist event back on a Friday to give us more time to enjoy the night. We will supply food and appies after the first presentation (7:45ish). Also expect some trivia games, swag, learning and laughter throughout the night. After the event finishes we will stick around for maybe some more games and just catching up.

Nerd Nite #52 Event Details:

When: Wednesday, November 15, 2023 (Doors open at 6:00pm, talks start at 7:00pm)
Where: Wild Rose Brewery (4580 Quesnay Wood Dr SW)
Tickets: $15 plus fees – tickets (tickets go on sale Sunday Oct 1st 2 6pm MST)

This is an 18+ event.

Presentations

A Traffic Nerd’s Untold Story of Calgary’s 2013 Flood Disaster

Yeatland Wong, P. Eng., Director of Smart Mobility, Transnomis Solutions Inc.

 A harrowing tale you’ll never hear anywhere else from Calgary’s Traffic Management Centre –  the near misses, quiet victories, and the unlikely story of a beleaguered band of traffic nerds trying to help save the city.

Yeatland is a transportation engineer specializing in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and advanced traffic technology, and formerly a City of Calgary traffic management supervisor, responsible for the City’s $1M/year ITS program.   Yeatland currently works in private industry as a specialist in Advanced Traffic Management Systems, and is an executive board director for ITS Canada.

How do you see a virus …. With a really expensive microscope!

Dr. Craig Jenne, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Imaging Approaches Towards Studying Infection, Professor Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Critical Care Medicine University of Calgary

We will discuss how we can use advanced microscopy to look inside living animals to “see” how pathogens, viruses and bacteria, interact with our immune system and cause disease.

Dr. Jenne is an infectious disease researcher at the University of Calgary who uses advanced microscopy to study the immune system. This work focuses on how infectious interact with our defences leading to disease. The lab uses innovative approaches to actually visualize pathogens and study their behaviour with special interest on how to treat infections and how some of these “pathogens” can actually be harnessed to build new therapies and medicines.

Electric cars in Alberta – Blending in, at home and into the grid

Rajko Pavic

Director at Electric Vehicles Association of Alberta

Rajko Pavic is a business professional with two college degrees in Marketing, who has been passionate about EVs since around the time of the movie “Who Killed The Electric Car?” With past experience in Customer Service. Management, and Global Logistics across a few different industries, Rajko finally got to work with Electric cars 10 years later. He was a fan of EVAA’s work long before joining in 2022 – where he continues to work on helping people understand and enjoy the wonderful world of zero tailpipe emission motoring

Remember the Wild Rose event space does not allow you to bring food ordered from the front pub side of the building to the event space in the back. We will have some pizza’s and some platters after the first presentation. NOT a full meal but should be a good snack for everyone. If you plan on eating there before the event make sure you give yourself time to order and eat before the event starts.

Well, sure that whole “pandemic” thing was a little disruptive but there is finally a happy update. Nerd Nite is back!! We have an excellent event scheduled for Friday, October 13th and tickets will go on sale this Sunday Oct 1st at 6pm.

And just so you know, it’s been 1313* days since our last event and our next event is on the October 13th. Love how many 13’s that is.

More details to come but here are the basics. We are doing our fist event back on a Friday to give us more time to enjoy the night. We will supply food and appies after the first presentation (7:45ish). Also expect some trivia games, swag, learning and laughter throughout the night. After the event finishes we will stick around for maybe some more games and just catching up.

Nerd Nite #51 Event Details:

When: Friday, October 13, 2023 (Doors open at 6:00pm, talks start at 7:00pm)
Where: Wild Rose Brewery (4580 Quesnay Wood Dr SW)
Tickets: $15 plus fees – tickets (tickets go on sale Sunday Oct 1st 2 6pm MST)

This is an 18+ event.

Presentations

Democratising onsite construction, one robot at the time

Dr Alicia Nahmad Vazquez, Associate Professor UofC , founder MI Toolbox

Advances in digital fabrication and computation enable us to address the increasingly urgent requirements of more houses, decreasing embodied energy and waste in construction. However, access to digital fabrication processes is not equally distributed. Through case studies, Alicia reflects on how human-compatible novel digital design and construction methods can augment onsite construction techniques by reducing material waste whilst building beautiful and efficient structures.

Alicia Nahmad is an architect with a passion for robotics and digital fabrication, a strong believer that robotics can augment rather than replace human craft and that human-robot collaboration is the future of the construction industry. As a research-based practising architect, for the last 13 years, she has been engaged with the digitization of building trades and adapting advanced digital design and robotic fabrication methods to incorporate the wisdom and craft of traditional building cultures.

Strange Bedfellows: Pets and People in the Ancient World

Dr. Carolyn Willekes, Assistant Professor Mount Royal University

Pet ownership is a multi-billion-dollar industry, reflecting the important role(s) companion animals play in modern human life.  Join me as we jump back in time to look at the presence of pets in the lives of those who lived in the ancient Mediterranean world to learn more about the bonds that have long existed between humans and their furred, feathered, and scaled companions.

Dr. Carolyn Willekes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of General Education at Mount Royal University and her research focuses on human-animal relationships in the ancient Mediterranean world.

Lessons we didn’t want to learn. Thanks COVID.

Dr. Franco Rizzuti, Medical Officer of Health

Unpacking the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 Pandemic- what we now know about public health measures, and how this allows us to plan for the future. 

Dr. Franco Rizzuti is a Public Health & Preventive Medicine Specialist Physician, he works as a Medical Officer of Health with AHS-Calgary zone & Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine. His interests within Public Health are environmental public health, emergency & disaster management, and health informatics. Outside of work you’ll find him outdoors, working on a home improvement project, or testing out the latest tech. 

Remember the Wild Rose event space does not allow you to bring food ordered from the front pub side of the building to the event space in the back. We will have some pizza’s and some platters after the first presentation. NOT a full meal but should be a good snack for everyone. If you plan on eating there before the event make sure you give yourself time to order and eat before the event starts.

Nerd Nite #51 is canceled

Yes, yes we know. Risk in Alberta is still rated at Low for COVID-19.

This decision is not based on the craziness that is gripping the world right now. Our decision is based on keeping close contact with groups of people to a minimum. We don’t know where the people that we, Wurst’s staff, Wurst’s patrons or you the audience has been in contact with. We want to make sure we give the health care system here the time they need to deal with the likely sh*t show that is about to happen. We also want to make sure we keep the risk for the most vulnerable (the elderly, etc.) as low as we can. We can’t make much of a difference but we can make some. Every little bit helps.

Refunds will be heading out soon.

Lastly, we hope on Thursday night you will sit in front of your computer/phone/TV and watch something that educates you. Frank will be cracking open a Corona (because it’s tasty) and doing a clean version of his legendary opening bits to his 6 and 8-year-old.

Cheers and hopefully we’ll see you in April.

Frank, Krysta, Joey, Jason, Lisa, and Bill

Nerd Nite Calgary

Nerd Nite #50 is happening at WURST on February 20th:

When: Thursday, February 20, 2020 (Doors open at 6:00pm, talks start at 7:00pm)
Where: WURST (2437 4 St SW)
Tickets: $10 plus fees – tickets

This is an 18+ event.

Presentations

Presentation # 1:

How to Make Biofuels (even more) Sustainable

Cameron Young, P.Eng. MSc

Based on his MSc capstone project, this presentation will examine advanced biofuels, why they are an improvement over traditional biofuels, and what part biofuels can play in Canada’s energy future.

Cameron is a chemical engineer who has recently completed a MSc in Sustainable Energy Development. He is working as an energy systems analyst.

Presentation # 2:

Information Pollution, Fake News, and Digital Literacy

Dr. Erika Smith, Assistant Professor, Mount Royal University

Disinformation is a widespread problem in Canada and around the world, with research showing it as a growing challenge for our information-based society. What can we do in our own lives, and across our education systems, to help address the problem of fake news?

Erika Smith promotes the development of educators and learners in higher education. She researches and teaches about social media and digital literacies in formal and informal contexts.

Presentation # 3:

This nerd will blow your nerdy mind!

Nerd Nite #49 is happening at WURST on January 16th:

When: Thursday, January 16th, 2020 (Doors open at 6:00pm, talks start at 7:00pm)
Where: WURST (2437 4 St SW)
Tickets: $10 plus fees – tickets

This is an 18+ event.

Presentations

Presentation # 1:

This is Your Brain on your Social Media

Dr. Tracy Alloway, Author, TEDx speaker and Psychologist

Join me as we explore the growing body of research on the link between social media, memory, & happiness.

Tracy Packiam Alloway, PhD, is an award-winning psychologist, professor, author, and TEDx speaker. She has published 13 books and over 100 scientific articles on the brain and memory. She has also provided consultancy to the World Bank on reading in developing countries and is a sought-after speaker internationally. Her research has also been featured on BBC, Good Morning America, the Today Show, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and Newsweek, and many others. She was also featured as an expert in the documentary The Observed Life

Presentation # 2:

How to get your legs…and keep them too; Contracts in Disney

Brittany Doucet-Lewis, B.A., J.D.

Disney can teach us a lot about law. Have you ever wondered whether Ursula could keep Ariel’s voice and turn King Triton into a sea polyp? We’ll delve into the enforceability of contracts in Disney movies.

Brittany is a practicing family law lawyer who, after starting her career in litigation, has turned her attention to alternative dispute resolution methods to help lessen the impact of court battles on families. Outside of law, she grew up in dance, musicals, and show choir, which has fostered a love of Disney and fairy tales.

Presentation # 3:

This nerd will blow your nerdy mind!

Nerd Nite #48 is happening at WURST on November 21st:

When: Thursday, November 21, 2019 (Doors open at 6:00pm, talks start at 7:00pm)
Where: WURST (2437 4 St SW)
Tickets: $10 plus fees – tickets

This is an 18+ event.

Presentations

Presentation # 1:

Beer and Breastmilk

Dr. Shannon Ruzycki, BSc MD MPH FRCPC

A review of the available scientific evidence to answer the most important question on every new mom’s mind: ‘When can I drink again now that I’ve delivered this baby?’

Dr. Ruzycki is a physician who has specialized in general internal medicine and works at the Foothills and Rockyview hospitals. She did her MPH at Johns Hopkins while on maternity leave and used all her newfound epidemiology skills to find out if it was safe to drink wine while studying and breastfeeding during the busiest year of her life.

Presentation # 2:

Demystifying Math Learning

Kelsey Gould, M.Sc.

Addressing early math learning and ways to support engagement.

Hi everyone! I am a doctoral student in School and Applied Child Psychology at the University of Calgary. My research focuses on the development of early mathematical understanding as well as professional accountability in terms of school psychologists’ number sense awareness.

Presentation # 3:

Rap Music for Language Nerds

Dr. Darin Flynn

The leading music genre known as rap is dominated by language. I’ll get you thinking about how this creatively flourishing art-form relates to language science. We’ll briefly examine how sounds, words, grammar, and meaning are manipulated in rap, and what this reveals about language in the mind and in society.

Dr. Flynn does research, teaching, and supervision mainly in phonology—how humans arrange speech sounds into utterances—and in Indigenous languages—their analysis, documentation, and revitalization. His other interests include Black Vernacular English and taboo language, which both figure prominently in rap music.

Nerd Nite #47 is happening at WURST on October 17th:

When: Thursday, October 17, 2019 (Doors open at 6:00pm, talks start at 7:00pm)
Where: WURST (2437 4 St SW)
Tickets: $10 plus fees – tickets

This is an 18+ event.

Presentations

Presentation # 1:

Chernobyl, Zombie Apocalypse, & Climate Armageddon: the role of Public Health in prevention & mitigation.

Franco A. Rizzuti BSc MD, Senior Public Health & Preventive Medicine Resident Physician | University of Calgary/ AHS-Calgary Zone; President, Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA)

Exploring emergency & disaster management using 3 known case studies, with a public health & preventive medicine twist.

Dr. Franco Rizzuti is a senior resident physician in Public Health & Preventive Medicine at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services-Calgary Zone. He’s also the President for the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA). Since 2010 Franco has held various leadership and board roles within the university, medical education, and healthcare/health systems. He has a keen interest in emergency disaster management, population informatics & health system transformation, including recent work in revising AHS’s communicable disease emergency response plan.

Presentation # 2:

Starting from the Bottom: The World of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Stephanie Coward, PhD

Come on a journey—from gum to bum—through the world of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Stephanie has spent both her MSc and PhD exploring the epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Canada. The focus of her research extends from defining the current Canadian burden (i.e., diagnoses, hospitalizations, and medication use) of IBD and working to forecast the burden into the future—without the use of a crystal ball.

Presentation # 3:

This nerd will blow your nerdy mind!

Nerd Nite #46 is happening at WURST on September 19th:

When: Thursday, September 19, 2019 (Doors open at 6:00pm, talks start at 7:00pm)
Where: WURST (2437 4 St SW)
Tickets: $10 plus fees – tickets

This is an 18+ event.

Presentations

Presentation # 1:

Do you really know where you are?

Presentation # 2:

Consonance and Dissonance: A Brief Look at the Overtone Series and Math in Music. AKA Why stuff sounds good

Arrow’s Theorem, or why we won’t ever have a good election system

Joel Reardon, Assistant Professor, University of Calgary

Elections with more than two candidates always produce weird strategic voting; it turns out this can never be fixed. We’ll see why.

I am a computer science professor who primarily researches security and privacy issues related to mobile devices.

See you all there!

Nerd Nite #45 is happening at WURST on June 20:

When: Thursday, June 20, 2019 (Doors open at 6:00pm, talks start at 7:00pm)
Where: WURST (2437 4 St SW)
Tickets: $10 plus fees – join waitlist (SOLD OUT)

This is an 18+ event.

Presentations

Presentation # 1:

Is gluten causing a celiac disease epidemic?

James King is a master’s student specializing in epidemiology at the University of Calgary. During his undergraduate degree, James was diagnosed with celiac disease – since then, he’s dedicated his educational training to studying the condition from a public health perspective. His research aims are to better understand global trends in celiac disease epidemiology, identify factors causing the condition to occur, and develop ways to improve disease treatment.

Reconstructing Ancient Forests and Climate using Data Buried Underground

Andria Dawson, Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics, Department of General Education, Mount Royal University

This talk will describe how scientists use data buried underground to learn about the history of forests and climate on Earth, and how this information helps us understand future Earth system changes.

Andria Dawson is an Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics at Mount Royal University whose research is in the field broadly described as mathematical ecology. More specifically, she uses quantitative methods, and ecological data, to address questions about how the Earth’s forests and climate change through time and across space. She enjoys teaching both mathematics and science, and challenging students to think critically.

Presentation # 3:

If you are a Game of Thrones fan, you have probably heard the phrase ‘valar morghulis’ or ‘dracarys’. These are invented words that did not exist before Game of Thrones.  Have you ever wondered how those languages came to be, how ‘real’ they are or who is behind them?   Well wait no longer, Nerd Nite Calgary is very excited to be bringing in David J. Peterson, the inventor of all of the languages used on Game of Thrones. David will be giving a presentation on language creation with a focus on Game of Thrones.  David has also created languages for Emerald City, Defiance, Into The Badlands, The 100, Doctor Strange, Bright, Thor: The Dark World, The Christmas Chronicles and will be working on the upcoming Dune movie to just name a few.  

Join us Sunday before the Game of Thrones viewing party at Wurst for David’s presentation with a Q&A afterwards.  Then stay to watch Game of Thrones afterwards.

When: Sunday, May 12, 2019 (Presentation at 5:15, Arrive at 5pm)
Where: Wurst
Tickets: FREE (SOLD OUT – Waitlist)
This is an 18+ event.