When: Thursday, September 17, 2026 (Doors open at 6:00 pm, talks start at 7:00 pm)
Where: Dickens (1000 9th Ave SW)
Tickets: $15 – tickets
Join us at Dickens. Order yourself a drink or two (and you can order yourself dinner) while you sit back and listen to us talk nerdy to you. Dickens allows our patrons to order food from their full menu, and of course, the full bar. Street parking is available in the area (free after 6pm) as well as pay lots nearby. Dickens is also located two blocks from the downtown West-Kerby C-train station.
Presentations (not in order)
Talk #1
Title: Exploring Mars for Signs of Life with the Curiosity Rover
Presenter: Dr. Benjamin Tutolo (he / him), Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, U of Calgary
Talk teaser: How has our recent, surprising discovery of sedimentary carbonate minerals in Gale Crater, Mars revised our understanding of the fate of Martian habitability? And, what does this means for the planet’s potential for having originated life?
About: Dr. Tutolo’s research seeks to understand how interactions between rocks, water, and gases affect life on Earth and, potentially, Mars.
Talk #2
Title: Detour Ahead! The Discovery of a Supermassive Black Hole that Seemingly Missed Its Exit.
Presenter: Dr. Matt Taylor (he/his), Department of Physics and Astronomy, U of Calgary
Talk teaser: Supermassive black holes are always found in the centres of giant galaxies…except when they’re not.
About: Dr. Matt Taylor is a Vancouver Island transplant working as an Assistant Professor of Astronomy at the University of Calgary. When not exploring Rocky Mountain trails, he uses state-of-the-art telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope to look for black holes that don’t want to be found in nearby galaxies.
Talk #3
Title: Sleeping through Burnout Recovery like a Champ
Presenter: Dr. Ty McKinney (He/His), CEO of 8 Bit Cortex and Sessional Instructor at UCalgary
Talk teaser: We all hate burnout, we all love sleep, and Dr. Ty the “NeuroGuy” will discuss the neuroscience of using sleep to manage burnout.
About: Dr. Ty McKinney is a passionate brain health advocate, with over 10 years experience as a keynote speaker for community and corporate events. His talks on the neuroscience of burnout management include interactive digital learning tools to ensure the audience leaves every talk empowered to achieve better health.
Dickens is a wheelchair accessible venue. If you require to use the elevator please notify us by email before the event so we can arrange for it to be used. Or you can call Dickens directly upon arrival at 403-233-7550.
This is an 18+ event.
REFUND NOTICE: We have always tried to accommodate refunds as requested but it’s not always possible to accommodate last minute requests. To that end going forward, refunds will only be issued by us 48 hours before the event and the Eventbrite fees have to be paid still. After that if tickets are not needed, the purchaser is responsible for finding a buyer.