Archive for the ‘Event’ Category
Nerd Nite #51 – Canceled
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
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Nerd Nite #50
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
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
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
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 Night #46 – Season Opener!
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?
In the age of GPS and Google Earth, it may come as a surprise that the alignment of many international boundaries remains uncertain. This talk will explore the challenges of locating positions on a lumpy planet and highlight some of the geopolitical consequences of imperfect mapmaking.
Martin is a geographer, cartographer and map nerd. He works with governments around the world to resolve territorial disputes and establish clearly-defined and well-managed international boundaries.
Presentation # 2:
Consonance and Dissonance: A Brief Look at the Overtone Series and Math in Music. AKA Why stuff sounds good
Sounds in Music can be wonderful one moment and gut-wrenching painful the next, but what makes sounds good or bad?
Presentation # 3:
Arrow’s Theorem, or why we won’t ever have a good election system
Elections with more than two candidates always produce weird strategic voting; it turns out this can never be fixed. We’ll see why.
See you all there!
Nerd Night #45 – Season Finale!
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?
‘Gluten’ is perhaps the dietary buzzword of this decade, as there have been many advocates in the media claiming its modern properties are toxic to humans. Congruently, the rate at which celiac disease is being diagnosed has been dramatically increasing over the last several decades. With a gluten-free diet as the sole treatment for celiac disease, is there justification for the hype around ‘toxic’ gluten?
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.
Presentation # 2:
Reconstructing Ancient Forests and Climate using Data Buried Underground
Andria Dawson, Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics, Department of General Education, Mount Royal University
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:
When Software Goes Wrong
The unofficial motto of Silicon Valley is “move fast and break things”; they should have moved a bit slower, because a lot of things are broken, and not in a good way. Learn about some of the surprising ways that software can turn on you.
Clarissa Peterson is a user experience strategist and writer who focuses on creating purposeful online content and designing websites and software with empathy. She is the author of Learning Responsive Web Design (O’Reilly Media). Clarissa also creates online courses for LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com) and speaks at design and tech conferences around the world.
Game of Thrones viewing with special guest David J. Peterson
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.
Nerd Night #44
Nerd Nite #44 is happening at WURST on May 16:
When: Thursday, May 16, 2019 (Doors open at 6:00pm, talks start at 7:00pm)
Where: WURST (2437 4 St SW)
Tickets: $10 plus fees – available on Eventbrite (on sale Tues. April 23, 6 PM)
This is an 18+ event.
Presentations
Presentation # 1:
The War on the War on Sitting
There has been considerable criticism of sitting – sitting has been compared to smoking, described as lazy, weak and unhealthy, and most recently, an aggressive militant media campaign titled “The War on Sitting” was launched against the posture; let’s explore this sitty situation: is it time to take a stand on taking a seat?
Naomi Dolgoy is an occupational therapist and clinical researcher based in Calgary.
Presentation # 2:
Inside the caves formed of fire and ice
Active volcanoes, glaciers, and caves. Extremophile bacteria. Breathing apparatus made for military special forces. An ice climbing robot with a big red kill switch. Find out how these things all tied together during the exploration of caves carved through glacial ice by volcanic gas & steam. Learn about this unique frontier of exploration that is contributing to the knowledge of the inner workings of a “decade volcano” that could impact millions of lives and at the same time is helping guide the search for life on other planets.
Christian Stenner has been a caver for fifteen years, partaking in expeditions to explore and survey cave systems in Canada, the USA, and Mexico. During that time he has contributed to the Bisaro Caves project – the deepest cave in Canada, and the exploration of the world’s largest network of volcanic steam caves. He is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and a Fellow of the Explorers Club, the society dedicated to human exploration of land, sea, air, and space. He also runs ultramarathons slowly.
Presentation # 3:
Design considerations for maximizing the quality of life in a large space settlement
Bryan Versteeg, Conceptual Design Artist for Space Exploration and Settlement. Gallery of work at Spacehabs.com
Living away from Earth will be difficult and dangerous. But, could it be fun? Understanding the similarities between diverse societies and their ideas about the quality of life can give us a blueprint for the design of large communities living in space. What would we bring with us to ensure our happiness?
Bryan Versteeg has spent decades working with architects, engineers, scientists, and researchers to design and visualize our potential in the building, infrastructure, residential, and exploration fields. His work is used internationally in documentaries, scientific publications and by exploration advocates in the space industry and settlement community
Nerd Nite #43 – SOLD OUT
Nerd Nite #43 is happening at WURST on April 18:
When: Thursday, April 18, 2019 (Doors open at 6:00 pm, talks start at 7:00 pm)
Where: WURST (2437 4 St SW)
Tickets: $10 plus fees – SOLD OUT (waitlist available on Eventbrite)
This is an 18+ event.
***TO ALL ATTENDEES: One of the presenters would like you to fill out this survey (https://bit.ly/2UiK640) before his presentation. Please fill it out when you can to test your perceptions of current world issues!***
Presentations
Presentation # 1:
Booze, Broads & Brothels
Notorious as the booze, brothel, and gambling capital of the Canadian West, early Calgary was home to dozens of entrepreneurial sex workers. This talk will introduce you to a few of these dynamic women, whose clients were the miners, ranchers, NWMP officers, and CPR railmen commonly known as the “mavericks” of Alberta’s pioneering past.
Presentation # 2:
Feelings versus Facts – a Homo sapiens conundrum
Raphael Wust, PhD, PGeo; Senior Technical Advisor AGAT Laboratories; Adjunct Assistant Prof at U of C and James Cook University
In our western society, we have easy access to large data and information; what people call AI and Big Data. However, the majority of us – educated or not – are following feelings rather than numbers when it comes to understanding life on our planet. In this presentation, we will go through a series of perceived “facts” and identify how well they are understood and accepted. We will dwell into well-known data of human health and evolution as well as paleoclimate records to inspire nerdy thinking and encourage people to take numbers and data more seriously. Reasons for relying on feelings rather than facts are also discussed looking into our ancestors’ fears and position within the food chain.
Raphael Wust (PhD, PGeo) is a Technical Advisor at AGAT Laboratories in Calgary. In his previous career as geologists, he performed research in Oman, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, and investigated past and current climate events resulting in over 55 scientific papers. He is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Marine Geology/Sedimentology at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Geoscience Department of the University of Calgary. His personal interests are embracing nature and enjoy life looking through the glasses of our ancestors and not make the same mistake!
Presentation # 3:
Extreme Space Weather: The good, the bad, and the ugly…
What is space weather and how could it affect me? From the majestic northern lights to electric power grid damage, and United Nations efforts to mitigate future impacts of severe space storms.
Dr. Mann does research in space physics and space weather in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency. He’s both the PI of the CARISMA magnetometer network and the founding Principal Co-Director of the University of Alberta Institute for Space Science, Exploration and Technology (ISSET). He’s a Co-Investigator on the NASA THEMIS and NASA Van Allen Probes missions, was the lead for the Ex-Alta-1 cube satellite (the first ever made-in-Alberta satellite launched from the International Space Station in May 2017), and is active in space outreach as PI of the Aurora Watch program. He was named as one of Canada’s Top-40-under-40 in 2009 and currently serves as the Chairman and Rapporteur of the expert group on space weather at the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).