Nerd Nite #58 Event Details:

When: Thursday, October 16th, 2025 (Doors open at 6:00pm, talks start at 7:00pm)
Where: Dickens (1000 9th Ave SW MAP)
Tickets: $15 plus fees – 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

The Evolution of Music Theory over the Last Centuries, the Western music perspective

Duncan McCartney

How has music theory with respect to Western music evolved over the last few centuries?  And, how has the way we think about this music changed? In this talk Dunance will touch on the important concepts throughout history, and what brought about some of the big changes in the way music is made. 

Duncan McCartney has been a music teacher since 2014 and performs regularly across Western Canada with various bands and artists. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Vancouver Island University and a Music Performance Diploma from Mount Royal University. Duncan is also a recording artist, releasing music with his band In/Vertigo and under his own name, as well as being a session musician for many artists in the Calgary area.

Supersize me – why mammals never got as big as dinosaurs

Dr. Jessica Theodor

Although the dinosaurs are not the largest animals of all time, they reached enormous sizes. Since they went extinct, land mammals have gotten larger, but never reached the sizes of the biggest dinosaurs. We’ll explore the reasons for that difference, and learn more about the diversity of large extinct mammals!

Jessica Theodor is a paleontologist and a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary. Her work revolves around the evolutionary morphology of mammals. Her interests include phylogenetics, the evolution of feeding and locomotion adaptations, and long-term community responses to climate change.

Forests reflect light and change the climate? How we know: satellites, fossils, and math.

Andria Dawson

Andria Dawson is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Biology at Mount Royal University. Her research interests address questions about Earth system change across a range of spatio-temporal scales. Her work uses quantitative models informed by data to learn about past, present, and future ecosystems and climates. 

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.