Wed, Apr20 at 7:30 PM @ Fargo Billiards & Gastropub
3 TOPICS:
-Topic 1: “The Breakfast of Champions – Serialism and 12 Tone Theory.” Since the dawn of time, humans have been fascinated with two things; musical ideas and logic. What happens when you apply logic and creativity together to create a new art form? Will there be rioting (yes)? – Brianna Drevlow
-Topic 2: “Leap Seconds: They Ruin Everything” You probably know about leap days, which are generally fun and maybe a tiny hassle for humans. But there are also leap seconds, which are generally boring and a pain in the ass for computers. Let’s find out what and why! – Aaron Feickert
-Topic 3: “Robot Wars: West Fargo High School Competitive Robotics” Each year West Fargo competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition to design, build, and fiercely compete their robot against other high schools from around the world. Inspired and engaged, students collaborate with professionals to gain a real world STEM experience. – David Lindner
Location: Fargo Billiards & Gastropub (3234 43rd St S, Fargo, ND 58104)
Start Time: 7:30PM – Monday, MAR 21, 2016
Topic 1: NERD RAGE: Or How the Internet Made Me Laugh – Brad Meixner
Examples of Anonymity, Idiocy, and Outrage in Fandoms
Topic 2: From Michelangelo to Engineered Humanoids: Awaiting the Return of the Renaissance – Dr. Kalpana Kati
Engineering humanoid structures and body parts is the holy grail of the field of Tissue Engineering. I will describe the basic principles of this technology and also its need for interfaces and interactions with diverse fields from sciences, arts, humanities, and engineering as in the era of Renaissance. The disconnect between art and science and engineering is a hallmark of modern times. Was there a ‘nerd night’ during the Renaissance?
Topic 3: Listen to the Music – Brian Farlow
Music fans, come and explore the fascinating journey your favorite music takes from the studio to a plastic disc and how thousands of those can now fit in your pocket. We’ll talk about the basics of sound reproduction, digital audio, the mp3, and what new music technology is just over the horizon.
What ELSE do we know? We will be drinking & learning!
“Eggstravagence: The story of Faberge and his eggs” by Andrew Tschosik
A look at the most prized gifts of the Russian Imperial Court and the man who made them, jewel to the Tzar himself, Peter Faberge.
“Riddle Me This: Making and Breaking the Enigma Cipher” by Aaron Feickert
During the second World War, the Enigma cipher machine was used heavily for German field communications. We’ll explore exactly how the machine worked and meet the Polish mathematicians you’ve never heard of who broke it wide open.
“Classic Horror Movies and the Real Life Events that Inspired them, Part Two” by Dusty O’Schultz
Horror movie writers pull inspiration from all sorts of places, even real life events. Some times the plot is completely made up and the characters in these movies are based on real people. The story of a murderer and the movies and characters he inspired will be explained.
Does the mere hint of playing a board game conjure up interminable hours waiting for other players to take their turn in Monopoly? Were you never a winner at The Game of Life? If so, take heart! There are far better games to play. In this Nerd Nite gaming extravaganza (yeah, we went there), we’ll explore hobby or Eurogames – games that balance strategy and luck with collaboration and camaraderie. Learn about the rise and extent of Eurogames (From “Candy Land to Chess”), how to pair Eurogames with the appropriate cocktail (Gamers Don’t Let Other Gamers Drink Water), and – if you’ve not yet been eliminated by an exploding kitten – how to win at games (“The Game Whisperer”). Hosted by a gargantuan collaboration including Eric Momsen, Jenni Momsen, Rachel Salter, and Tara Slominski who’ve settled Catan enough times to know the robber will get rolled just as we have the resources to build our first city.
Use of “Unobtainiums” in Science Fiction Storytelling
Any work of Science Fiction worthy of the name will employ something that requires the consumer to take a leap of faith. Whether an alien technology or an as yet undiscovered super-material, bending the rules of the known universe is essential to transporting the audience to another world. Novelist Z.E. Duval walks us through the concept, some history, as well as a practical exercise on how such ideas can inform the entire basis for a work of Sci/Fi.
Fusion Power Now Only 5 Years Away (perpetually)
For the last 50 years, physicists have said fusion power is forty years out given adequate funding. But physicists aren’t the only people playing this game. In this talk, I will describe 7 different hot fusion projects underway right now, where they are in development, when they aim to finish and what kind on reactor would result from each. Two of the projects are main stream (ie funded well by the US gov or many gov’s) the other five are smaller but more interesting and or likely to work.
The Ins and Outs of Intellectual Property (or How to Please a Woman the Nerd Way)
<Teaser coming soon>
…PLUS!!!!! A COSTUME CONTEST!
“A Night of Ice and Fire: A History of Westeros in the Real World” – Ben Jagim
Explore the rich history of Westeros from George R.R. Martin’s epic series A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) along with the real life historic events that inspired the story. From conquests to mass migrations to the betrayals and how they impact both the present day story and real life events. Special notice: No Spoilers, presentation will be on the history leading up to the start of the series and show.
“Who Is Your Favorite Character? Adults and our Childhood Media Role Models: A Study on Gender” – Kayley Erlandson
Who was your favorite television or media character when you were a child? Spock? Princess Jasmine? John McClane? Have you ever wondered how (or if) this character shaped you into the person you are today? Our presenter conducted interviews with 19 college freshmen and sophomores to better understand how their gender was both shaped and mirrored by their favorite media characters and how this formed their gender identity as a young adult.
“Giardia-WHAT?” – Andrew Tschosik
A brief look into the world of the protozoa with the infectious smile.
Free. Open to the public. 21+. Nerds + Beer.
Thank you all for attending our summer events. And a huge thanks to our speakers this summer. We hit a record attendance of 85 on our Friday night special: Them’s Fightin’ Words. Keep on nerding Fargo!
We’re ready for our monthly dose of edutainment! See you at Fargo Billiards & Gastropub on Wed Jun 17 at 7:30pm!
“Finally, Designer Genes That Won’t Make You Look Fat and May Save Your Life” by Glenn Dorsam
Imagine washing down a prescription pill with some orange juice at breakfast. By lunchtime, a fleet of designer genes is released into the blood stream, targets diseased cells and infiltrates them. By the afternoon, the genes have completed their interrogation of the billions of DNA sequences in diseased cells to bind and fix, with 100 percent accuracy, the mutated gene causing a disease. By the time you drift off to Jay Leno, your genetic disease is cured! The vision may be closer to reality than some think.
Bio: Dr. Glenn Dorsam is an associate professor of neuroimmunology at NDSU. In addition to being a dynamic teacher (many of us fondly recall learning about protein synthesis via a wonderfully psychedelic Alice-in-Wonderland-esque music video from the 70s), he has a wide variety of research interests which include understanding neurosignaling pathways and the immune system.
“COMICS DESTROYER (a Case Study)” by Shanna Rix Bach
Have you ever walked into a comic book store and wondered, “Where did all these girl-creatures come from?” Or, do you look at comics and say, “Boy, I’d like to take my nerd to the next level and get in on that!” This girl-creature will enlighten you on both topics. SIMULTANEOUSLY! Maybe. Hopefully. Most definitely with a lot of fan-girl gushing about Ms. Marvel, Deadpool, the Rat Queens, and many more!
Bio: Shanna is a stay at home mom with degrees in Biology and Chemistry. Which means, she only uses pyrex glassware to make her two mini-geeks’ mac-n-cheese. She lives in the country and spends an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out what flavor of poop her beagle has recently rolled in and has begun an exciting arch-nemisis relationship with bull thistles. Her most recent nerdy accomplishment is beating a thirteen year old Brazilian boy at Ellie Goulding’s ‘Burn’ on Just Dance 2015. She also really likes to read all the things.
“An Ode to Spock and Leonard Nimoy” by Penelope Gibbs
How Leonard Nimoy and Mr. Spock saved the life of a nerd living in the American southeast in the 60’s.
Bio: Dr. Penelope Gibbs hails from sunny Georgia, where she was initiated as a Trekkie in her youth and received her PhD in Medical Microbiology & Parasitology she now spends her days in the hinterlands of Fargo, ND as an associate professor at NDSU trying to understand virulence and resistance in bacterial pathogens.
