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.
Sustainable Space Settlement: How we can “live off the land” …in space. Bryan Versteeg – SpaceHabs
Bryan Versteeg
Will there come a day when more people live off of the earth than on it? Bryan will talk about why he thinks that’s a good idea, and how it could happen. Bryan Versteeg is a self professed nerd/geek/artist hybrid who works as a conceptual designer with 20 years of experience in the architectural and engineering industries. The images and design work from his studio Spacehabs.com are regularly featured in publications like National Geographic, New Scientist and Discovery Channel in support of space exploration and settlement projects. Bryan is the concept designer for Mars One and one of the founders of the space resources company Deep Space Industries.
When you think of a visit to a museum, what do you picture in your head? Most times, it’s a quiet place of inner contemplation, but the new National Music Centre (NMC) aims to thrill visitors with an experience more like a music festival than a museum. NMC exhibitions manager Tyler Stewart tells us about bringing musical stories to life in a dynamic and compelling way that will change visitors’ expectations of what a museum can be like.
Most of the time, discussion about the evolution of Calgary is focused on the negative and the controversial. This isn’t unique to Calgary and is indicative of the challenges of city-building everywhere. While this kind of debate and dialogue is essential in a democracy, it’s important to reflect on what is working well. That’s why John and his team created the #happyyc project. Hear what they learned after taking to the streets of Calgary and online, asking Calgarians to map the places that make them happy.
Nerd Nite Charlie/Gamma/#3 (we’ve really got to stick with a naming scheme…) is happening October 9th at the National Music Centre.
When: Thursday, October 9 2014 – Doors open at 6:30 pm, event starts at 7:00 pm. Where: National Music Centre – 134 11 Avenue SE Tickets: $10 in advance only via Eventbrite Note: No tickets sold at the door; this is an 18+ event.
Our first speakers are artist Jeff de Boer and technologist Shannon Hoover. Jeff and Shannon explore the idea of Art Directed Technology. They’ll share insights from developing the Tech Tie, a wearable technology developed with partners Intel and Seeedstudios, that incorporates art, fashion, social interaction, and just plain fun.
We’re also very excited that Geoff and Julie from Calgary’s own Buy Nothing Yearwill be presenting at our October Nerd Nite. You’ve likely heard about Buy Nothing Year in the news, including this recent Forbes article.
Photo credit: Julie and Geoff from Buy Nothing Year.
We’re extremely excited to announce that Dr. Christian Jacob from the University of Calgary will tell the story of The Giant Walkthrough Brain, and show the 3-dimensional, interactive computer model. We’ll see first-hand demonstrations of the software, as well as snippets from the three performances at the Banff Centre and during Beakerhead. Learn why a computer nerd can get excited about the human brain!
Be sure to email us () to secure your tickets* for our October event! If you’re already a member of Nerd Nite Calgary (i.e., you’re on our email list…), you can purchase tickets on Eventbrite for $10 per ticket.
*Note: there will be no ticket sales at the door due to the liquor license regulations. Also, please note the event is private and only open to Nerd Nite Calgary members and invited guests. It’s easy to become a member! Just email to be placed on the group’s email list, or sign-up in the righhand column of this page under “Stay in Touch Here.”
June 12, 2014
Doors open at 7:00 pm – Event starts at 7:30 pm
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Beta software is usually buggy and not ready for public consumption.
Nerd Nite Beta contains no bugs and consumption is encouraged.
At Nerd Nite Alpha I learned that there are more nerds in Calgary than I expected! So for Nerd Nite Beta I have moved us to a new location – the National Music Centre. A cool venue that should have lots of room for all the nerds out there that want to attend.
I have 3 speakers lined up that will again educate us on 3 very different topics. So bring out your friends and enjoy some nerdness.
When: June 12, 2014 – Doors open at 7:00 pm, event starts at 7:30 pm.
Where: National Music Centre – 134 11 Avenue SE
$15 in advance only – includes one drink (available here) No tickets sold at the door. This is an 18+ event.
Notes about the new venue: One change is that at the new venue we have to run our own bar so due to liquor license rules there will be no entry tickets sold at the door. Tickets will be $15 online only but do include one drink. There will be no kitchen also but our caterer will have baked goods and one food dish available (Cashew Chicken Curry with basmati rice). There is a large parking lot on the other side of 11th Ave.
As we require a liquor license for this event, please note the event is private and only open to Nerd Nite Calgary members and invited guests. To become a member please email to be placed on the groups mailing list.
Bitcoin From Scratch Matt Lonsdale
Between the wild fluctuations in value, the FBI raids, the bankruptcies of high-profile firms and the botched attempts at investigative journalism, Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies get a lot of press these days. Unfortunately, these news stories rarely spend much time on one basic question: how does Bitcoin actually work? This talk will attempt to answer that question, progressing from the basic concepts of a decentralized currency to the technology which makes it possible and the attempts by government to regulate the whole thing.
Biography:
Matt Lonsdale is a lawyer and unapologetic geek. Before getting into law, he earned undergraduate degrees in Computer Science and Pure Mathematics from the University of Calgary. He spent six years working as a Linux/UNIX system administrator and interned with the the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic.He is currently the Copyright Advisor at Mount Royal University, where he also teaches a course on Intellectual Property law in the Continuing Education department. He spends more time than is probably healthy thinking about the intersection of law and technology and wishes he’d bought more bitcoins years ago.
Bigger on the Inside: Fandom, Materiality and the Limits of Participation Benjamin Woo
In Batman (1989), the Joker famously asks, “Where does he get those wonderful toys?” A better question – and one painfully familiar to the film’s fannish audiences – might be where he keeps them. Growing collections of toys, books, DVDs, and other mementoes are an almost intrinsic part of participating in geek culture, but when they have to be stored, managed, and maintained they also become a limit on participation.
In this presentation, I’ll discuss geek culture from a material culture perspective. Material culture studies is a perspective in the social sciences that attempts to understand human behaviour through the physical artefacts that we use. For instance, although we often talk about fandom in terms of emotional states like “interest,” “enthusiasm,” or “passion,” fandom is also intimately involved with material objects, objects that enable certain actions but also become problems we have to deal with.
Bio:
Benjamin Woo (@wooesque) is a currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of English at the University of Calgary where he has been conducting a study on working conditions in the comic-book industry. He did his graduate work at SFU’s School of Communication, writing an award-winning dissertation on one city’s “nerd-culture scene,” and will begin teaching in Carleton University’s Communication Studies program this fall. With all this moving around, he’s had to make some tough decisions about his own collections.
The Breathtaking Effects of Obesity on Breathing During Exercise M@ … aka: Matthew David Spencer
Some obese individuals experience shortness of breath during exercise, whereas others do not. This talk will outline some of the potentially damning effects of this breathlessness, and will also provide a glimpse into what may lead some to feel the discomfort, while others do not. 100% truth… no hot air!
Bio:
Matt is currently working as an Eyes High Postdoctoral research fellow in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary. He previously spent time in some research capacity at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine (Dallas, TX), Kobe University (Kobe, JP), and earned his doctorate from the University of Western Ontario (London, ON). On his own time, Matt thoroughly enjoys coaching basketball; after spending 12 seasons as an assistant coach with the high school girls’ team in his hometown of Antigonish, NS, he then spent two years with the UWO Mustangs women’s team, and a month as a guest coach with the Kobe University Seagulls while in Japan. Matt joined the University of Calgary Dinos coaching staff as an assistant last year, and lately has donated loads of his “nerdiness” to the program by conducting an advanced statistical analysis of the team’s performance. After the Nerd Night experience is over, Matt plans on focusing his attention toward his next failed comeback to distance running!
In almost 80 cities around the world, nerds congregate in bars, pubs and theaters to listen to talks that are educational, fun and sometimes even a little ridiculous … add in a little alcohol and you have a great combination.
For our inaugural event, I’m proud to present our topic line up of floating dinosaurs, one way tickets to mars and the Flintstones as history. Come on out and bring your friends!
When: May 8, 2014 – Door open at 7:30pm
Where: The Belfry Gastro House – downstairs (102-630 8 Ave SW, Calgary) $10 in advance (available here)SOLD OUT $13 at the door
This is an 18+ event.
Sauropod dinosaurs – the colossal corks of the Mesozoic Dr. Donald Henderson
The tiny-headed, long-necked, long-tailed sauropod dinosaurs were the largest land animals to have evolved on Earth. They were around from the earliest Jurassic until the very end of the Cretaceous, a period of about 145 million years, and can be considered one of evolutions success stories. The smallest of them weighed about a 1 tonne, but most were in the 10-20 tonne range, while exceptional ones may have weighed as much as 60 tonnes. These animals showed many skeletal adaptations to reduce the amount of bone needed to form their skeletons, and they also developed a very elaborate system of air sacs in the spines, neck, chest and abdomen to assist with breathing and cooling. As a result they had a mean body density less than that of water, and this leads to the idea that they would have been very buoyant in water. The modern interpretation of sauropods is to have them as land-living, herbivores, but most land animals will take to water occasionally. This talk will look at the consequences of light and airy sauropods being immersed in water.
Bio: Dr. Donald Henderson is Curator of Dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta. He has a BSc in geophysics from the University of Toronto, but got fed up with solving computer hardware and software problems, and not doing much science. He subsequently earned a PhD in vertebrate palaeontology and biomechanics from the University of Bristol in England. He spent 5 years as a post-doc, research associate, and instructor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary, before joining the Tyrrell Museum in 2006. Despite his dinosaur title, he also collects and studies ancient marine reptiles (plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and mosasaurs), and also studies pterosaurs – the ancient flying reptiles that co-existed with the dinosaurs. His main research interests are understanding how the large and mysterious animals of the past functioned as living animals, and he does this with his math, physics and computing knowledge.
The Flintstones are Real! Christine M. Shellska
In this journey through rhetorical mayhem, I will attempt to persuade you that The Flintstones cartoon is a historically accurate portrayal of a young earth! Pay no attention to the mounds of scientific evidence that soundly refute the claims of Intelligent Design Creationism (IDC), and never mind what philosophers of science have to say about how we demarcate science from pseudoscience: after briefly positioning the so-called “controversy” surrounding evolution and arming you with some basic critical thinking tools to aid your navigation through this “scientific debate,” I will deploy some of the rhetorical strategies advocates of IDC use to engage students, citizens, and others to mistrust and reject science, and to convince you (hopefully unsuccessfully) that The Flintstones are real!
Bio: Christine Shellska is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Communication and Culture, Faculty of Arts, at the University of Calgary, Canada. Her research involves studying the rhetorical strategies employed by the Intelligent Design Creationism movement, and her areas of focus include history, philosophy and sociology of science, Actor Network Theory and rhetoric. She is a Secular Humanist Liaison at the Faith and Spirituality Centre at the University of Calgary, a member of the Board of Directors for Atheist Alliance International, and a regular co-host on the Calgary-based Legion of Reason podcast.
Settling Mars: The next chapter of the human saga Graham Blair Christensen
An Albertan Mars One candidate tells the story of his lifelong love of science and adventure, calling the red planet home and of the deep past and possible future of humankind. The talk will focus on Mars One’s plan to send 40 people on a one-way mission to Mars which is set to launch the first settlers in 2024 and will begin training the candidates in 2015. Graham will share his personal story of obstacles and triumph in his effort to reach the red planet. Along the way, he will introduce us to Mars of the past and present and share his thoughts on the Neanderthals and human evolution, Mars as a stepping stone to the establishment of a galactic civilization and the potential diversity of a cosmic biosphere.
Bio: Graham Blair Christensen is one of Mars One’s 1,058 worldwide candidates for a one-way mission to Mars which plans to launch the first human settlers in 2024. Graham has lived in Alberta all his life where he has pursued his interests in astronomy and paleontology and his love of outdoor adventure. He has some formal background in electronics but is largely self-educated. As a seasoned fossil hunter Graham has made many fossil discoveries in Alberta’s badlands and mountains. His lifelong love of astronomy is expressed through astrophotography, nightscapes and time lapses.
[2023]
Nov. 15, 2023 – SOLD OUT
Oct. 13, 2023 – SOLD OUT
[2022]
On sabbatical (?)
[2021]
* crickets *
[LATE 2020 SEASON]
LOL … yeah, right.
[Summer Break]
June 18, 2020 – CANCELLED
May 21, 2020 – CANCELLED
April 16, 2020 – CANCELLED
March 19, 2020 – CANCELLED
Feb. 20, 2020 – SOLD OUT
Jan. 16, 2020 – SOLD OUT
Nov. 21, 2019 – SOLD OUT
Oct. 17, 2019 – SOLD OUT
Sept. 19, 2019 – SOLD OUT
[Summer Break]
June 20, 2019 – SOLD OUT
May 16, 2019 – SOLD OUT
April 18, 2019 – SOLD OUT
March 21, 2019 – SOLD OUT
Feb. 21, 2019 – SOLD OUT
Jan. 17, 2019 – SOLD OUT
Nov. 15, 2018 – SOLD OUT
Oct. 18, 2018 – SOLD OUT
Sept. 20, 2018 – SOLD OUT
[Summer Break]
June 14, 2018 – SOLD OUT
May 17, 2018 – SOLD OUT
Apr. 19, 2018 – SOLD OUT
Mar. 15, 2018 – SOLD OUT
Feb. 15, 2018 – SOLD OUT
Jan. 24, 2018 – VR Gaming – SOLD OUT
Jan. 11, 2018 – SOLD OUT
Nov. 16, 2017 – SOLD OUT
Oct. 19, 2017 – SOLD OUT
Sept. 21, 2017 – SOLD OUT
[Summer Break]
June 8, 2017 – SOLD OUT
May 18, 2017 – SOLD OUT
Apr. 20, 2017 – SOLD OUT
Mar. 16, 2017 – SOLD OUT
Feb. 16, 2017 – SOLD OUT
Jan. 19, 2017 – SOLD OUT
Nov. 24, 2016 – SOLD OUT
Oct. 20, 2016 – SOLD OUT
Sept. 15, 2016 – SOLD OUT
[Summer Break]
June 16, 2016 – SOLD OUT
May 27, 2016 – Escape Room *Cancelled*
May 13, 2016 – SOLD OUT
Apr. 14, 2016 – SOLD OUT
Mar. 18, 2016 – Escape Room SOLD OUT
Mar. 10, 2016 – SOLD OUT
Feb. 11, 2016 – SOLD OUT
Jan. 14, 2016 – SOLD OUT
Nov. 19, 2015 – SOLD OUT
Oct. 15, 2015 – SOLD OUT
Sept. 17, 2015
[Summer Break]
June 18, 2015 – Escape Room
June 11, 2015
May 14, 2015
March 12, 2015
Feb. 11, 2015 – SOLD OUT
Jan. 15, 2015 – SOLD OUT
Nov. 20, 2014 – SOLD OUT
Oct. 9, 2014
[Summer Break]
June 12, 2014
May 8th, 2014 – SOLD OUT
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