Greetings Nerds! ARE YOU READY FOR SOME NERDING?! Topics this month have nothing to do with eachother, as per usual. 🙂 Hawt deets:
Gene Therapy: Medicine’s New Frontier. Gene therapies are one of the frontiers of modern medicine. This group of techniques focuses on delivering genes into patient cells or replacing mutated ones. Current gene therapy approaches include AAV-mediated gene therapy, liposome delivery, and CRIPSR-Cas9 gene editing. A number of these therapies are already commercially available, with additional disease targets currently undergoing late stage clinical trials.
Manpreet Bains (AKA Matt, AKA Bainsy) recently graduated with a Ph.D. in Molecular Pathogenesis where his research focused on the interactions of the neuropeptide, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide, and the body. His research involved understanding how VIP impacted eosinophils and T-cells in the immune system, altered metabolism, and modified the microbiome. This will be his third FNN presentation. Likes include big words, LinkedIn, and reusing biographies.
Not Your Mama’s Workout: The Evolution of Pole Fitness. Join the owners of Fargo’s >>Zero Gravity Alternative Fitness<< as they discuss the origin of pole dance and its subsequent evolution as a form of entertainment, sport, and alternative exercise. Learn the benefits of pole fitness, challenges facing the pole community, and the truth about about dancing in 9-inch platform stilettos.
Gina Bushey is a Fargo native with a background in performance and public speaking. She earned a BS in Speech Communication from NDSU, with a minor in Anthropology. Gina found her way to pole fitness in 2011. Misty found pole in 2012. Her background includes education and coaching, with a BS in Chemistry and MEd in Science Education from NDSU, and a Masters in Forensic Psychology from UND, where she is currently pursuing her PhD in Educational Foundations & Research. Together, they launched Zero Gravity Alternative Fitness in 2016. Both have performed and judged in multiple showcases and competitions since that time, and teach all levels of pole at Zero Gravity.
Plus GAME OF THRONES SUPER NERD TRIVIA. We’ve waited SO EFFING LONG for the last season, and now it’s finally here- let’s celebrate it! Think you know your ASOIAF facts? Prove it! Prizes to the winners, door prizes for others, booze for everyone! You can’t lose! See your beautiful faces on Wednesday, May 15th, 7PM (doors at 6:30- get there early because we’ve been running out of seats lately), at Fargo Billiards and Gastropub. Free and open to the public. Bring your mom- it’s what she wants.
🙂 T
Good morning Nerds! This week is shaping up to be just brilliant- between the upcoming GoT premier and Fargo Nerd Nite’s 4th birthday show, I can barely contain my excitement! Speakers and topics:
Sex, Gender, and Rock n Roll: Does a gender-queer pansexual sound like a DnD character to you? Bring your label-maker and learn about all the new-fangled terminology. You might even find out where you fit within all this PC stuff as we examine biological sex, gender, sexuality, and attraction and how they relate to you and others. -Ari Harveland
First time presenter Ari- who’s presented before- is coming out and coming back nerdier than ever! If she’s not explaining how she is sometimes a he, she’s crafting, cuddling with cats, or playing board games. (You might know her as Dani the Sex Nerd, but now she’s talking about the ooooother meaning of the term.)
A Night of Ice and Fire: Game of Thrones in the Real World. Let’s talk about kings, assassinations, wars, and curses. We may even discuss Game of Thrones, but there is plenty of scandal and conspiracy right from the pages of history. It’s Nerd Nite’s very own Drunk History and how events from long ago continue to influence our world and George RR Martin’s story in Game of Thrones. Potential spoilers but probably way off target. – Ben Jagim
Ben earned a Bachelor’s from UND and a Master’s from Texas A&M. He operates his own insurance agency and enjoys community projects. His nerd focus includes A Song of Ice and Fire, superhero movies, Star Trek: TNG, and history. Basically, he drinks and he knows things.
Learn, Sustain and Enjoy the Red River. River Keepers was established in 1990 after a large community-wide assessment said that the Red River is underutilized, under-appreciated and in some cases mistreated. To someday meet our vision that “All people value the Red River as a vital part of our community”, our work includes water education, water quality monitoring, river safety, riparian restoration, and river recreation. This is done so that the community understands the value and importance of the Red River, properly maintains it and safely enjoys it. – Christine Holland
Christine Holland has worked at River Keepers promoting the Red River since 1993 in various capacities including intern, administrative assistant, project coordinator, first mate, captain, purser, trip leader, and is now the executive director. In her non-work time Christine likes to have fun dates with her nieces and nephews, read, travel, kayak, walk her dog, knit/crochet and quilt.
Plus we’ll give you prizes and cake, because we celebrate our birthday hobbit style, like any good nerd does. 🙂 See your beautiful faces Wednesday, April 17th, 7PM (doors at 6:30), at Fargo Billiards and Gastropub.
🙂 T
Happy Monday, Nerds! I feel like March is a month of waiting this year. We’re waiting for this flood, we’re waiting for Game of Thrones to come back, we’re waiting for Avengers End Game…BUT thank the Zombie Jesus we only have to wait a couple more days for the next Nerd Nite. 🙂 Topics:
Technomancy: Bending Electronics to Your Will. Arthur C. Clark said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Here, we’ll peek behind the wizard’s curtain and learn a little about the magic of modern electronics. Armed with a few basic principles, you’ll know just enough to make wild-ass guesses about how things work. Using tools made for both art majors and children, you will unlock a whole new world of possibilities and blinking lights. Bemuse your friends. Annoy your enemies. Make something genuinely useful. The possibilities are endless!
Dustin Kerber is a maker and open-source enthusiast from Fargo, ND. He can often be found with a tool in hand, whether a wrench, a saw, a soldering iron, or a keyboard. Dustin got his start fixing farm equipment and continued to skill grind his way from one tool to the next. With a degree in Computer Science and a decade of industry experience, the toolbox has only grown deeper. By day, he builds tools for a team of software developers; by night he can be found pacing his workshop, looking for the next problem in need of an over-engineered solution.
Life of a Sneakerhead. If you think women were the only ones who had shoe addictions, you are highly mistaken.
Jay Halvorson started as a sneakerhead when he was 10. His aunt bought him his first pair of Air Jordan 1 6’s called Carmine for Christmas. As a kid, his mom always bought his Js, or he busted his ass on paper routes to get others. His solid addiction came for at his birthday in Sept. 2003 with his Air Jordan 7 Raptors, and it’s been non-stop ever since.
AND, since it’s International Women’s Month, we had a speaker lined up to present on a very lady topic, but unfortunately that busy woman had a work conflict so she had to drop out. Instead, we’ll have a short presentation on the far famed Bechdel Test and play a little game to test your knowledge.
SO get your beautiful faces to Fargo Billiards and Gastropub on Wednesday March 20th by 7PM (doors at 6:30) for nerds, beer, games, prizes, and LEARNING. See you there.
🙂 T
Happy Saturday, Nerds. I hope you all survived Valentine’s Day with sufficient quantities of chocolate and booze. FNN is very happy to supplement your February with some hot topics to combat this cold weather:
CRISPR: The tool, the myth, the legend. CRISPR – the Taylor Swift of science – just knowing it exists makes you “cool.” It’s the gene editing technology that is meant to serve you, but you are often not included in the conversation. Let’s talk about how CRISPR works, what CRISPR can (and can’t) do for you, among some other ethical discussions. Was that Chinese scientist that used CRISPR on human embryos for the very first time out of line? Is CRISPR going to lead to “superhumans?” What are the long-term societal implications of using CRISPR?
Kimberly Booth is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Biological Sciences at NDSU. She teaches biology for non-science majors, in which she focuses on two major goals: 1) providing a scientific lens by which to evaluate societal issues and 2) fostering curious and scientifically literate citizens. Her research interests include how teaching techniques used in the classroom affect student learning.
Comically Un-Sexy. In the first installment of Sex and Comics, we covered (with a great suspended disbelief) how many characters that have been labeled as unattractive have several things going for them that would make them great in the bedroom. This time we take a different route to look at Aliens, Mutants, and Psychopaths to romanticize these characters. We will blaze a trail through the pages of comic books to learn everything from why you might not want that upside down kiss from Spider-Man to why you’d be better off admiring PowerGirl’s…outfit from afar.
Jade harveland is a three-time veteran Nerd Nite speaker and resident sexpert at Enchantasy’s. When he’s not preoccupied helping improve sex lives or playing D&D, he breaks down which characters from comic books are or aren’t sexy.
I Didn’t Vaccinate My Kids, and the One Who Lived Turned Out Just Fine. Vaccines have been around for more than two centuries. During this time, they have been used to eradicate smallpox and even protect us from the common cold. Billions of lives have been saved through this advancement in medicine, but today we find ourselves in a time when more and more people are not getting vaccinated. This talk is to give background on how vaccines work and discuss the myths that surround them.
Manpreet Bains recently graduated with a Ph.D. in Molecular Pathogenesis where his research focused on the interactions of the neuropeptide, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide, and the body. His research involved understanding how VIP impacted eosinophils and T-cells in the immune system, altered metabolism, and modified the microbiome. Likes include big words, flaking out on lunch dates, and sticking needles into children.
Since the last topic is somewhat polarizing, I must remind you that it is okay to disagree with people at Nerd Nite, but it is not okay to be a dick. Synopsis : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0la5DBtOVNI.
See all your beautiful faces this Wednesday, February 20th, 7PM (doors at 6:30) at Fargo Billiards and Gastropub. Until then, I’ll leave you with something to combat all this VD Pressure.
🙂 T
Hey there nerds. You would think with a two month break since the last NN we’d have our shit together a little better, but that just wouldn’t be our style. 🙂 Help us kick of our fifth season with topics sure to make you grimace, smile, and maybe even shed a nostalgic tear:
Drugs and Where to Find Them: Background, cultural influence, and geographical information on useful chemicals found in nature, including a brief explanation of flora and fauna that are utilized in making both recreational and prescription drugs. There will be tasteful pictures as well as information on practical application. Definitely not an endorsement for consumption of illicit substances.
Christian Buhler: Server, nerd, keto expert. When he’s not slinging drinks at the Gastropub and putting up with all our shit, Christian enjoys hiding all the information on his social media profiles and not writing his own biographies.
Torture in Time: An undeniable part of human history that often goes unmentioned, torture played a significant role in shaping the world today. Done for many different reasons, and in many different ways.
Darby Miller is being piped in from the RTP area of North Carolina, where she ran away to not run Fargo Nerd Nite anymore. Darby enjoys breakfast wine, hairless cats, glitter, and Mitt Romney.
Stan Lee, Imagining Heroes: From his early life growing up in the Bronx, we follow a kid who just wanted to write the great American novel as he built a universe for all of the “True Believers!” Hear how Stan Lee’s family avoided the holocaust and made it through the great depression, how a merger assistant became an publisher, and how a fly on a wall changed the world with a little imagination. Excelsior!
Jade Harveland is a two-time veteran Nerd Nite speaker, and for once won’t be talking about dicks…or will he? Jade is a resident sexpert at Enchantasy’s; when he’s not preoccupied helping improve sex lives or playing D&D, he breaks down which characters from comic books are or aren’t sexy.
See all of y’all tomorrow: Wednesday, January 16th, 7PM (doors at 6:30), at our beloved Fargo Billiards and Gastropub. Until then, stay warm, stay classy, and stay nerdy.
🙂 T
HNY, Nerds. 2018 has been a wild ride and I hope you’ve all come out okay on the other side. We’re gearing up for our fifth season, currently booking speakers for March and beyond, but I’d like to take a moment to recognize all the weird shit I learned at 2018 Nerd Nites:
- E. coli were discovered in the mid 1880s by Theodore Escherich, who was trying to discover the cause of diarrhea in children.
- The only surefire way to survive a horror movie is to not smoke cigarettes.
- Crocodiles have a permanently erect penis.
- Waveshapes determine timbre; how those waves hit our ears lets us know if we’re listening to a guitar, a piano, or a saxophone.
- Bodybuilders benefit immensely from kegel exercises because they prevent prolapsing.
- “Glen” is an English word for ‘glacially formed valley’. Proof Distillery almost got sued for naming their whiskey Glen Fargo, even though the Red River Valley is the biggest Glen in the world.
- Stir your drinks that are spirit forward. Shake when you need to force lots of different flavors into the spirit itself.
- Holograms. Snapchat. Pokémon Go. All are examples of mixed reality technology.
- Albert Hoffman did his thesis on the structure of chitin. He also discovered LSD.
- “Intelligence is a force that maximizes the future freedom action. “-Alex Wissner-Gross
- Science has confirmed that people of different belief structures have stereotypes regarding other religions.
- Science also confirmed that arts and crafts can increase your happiness.
- The guy who wrote the environmental impact statement for FM Diversion won an award because he wrote it so quickly.
- Penises are referred to as Dicks due to a man named Derrick, who was a very famous hangman in old timey London, when executions were public events and widely attended. His name became slang for the erections his “clients” got due to asphyxiation- eventually “Derrick” was shortened to “Dick”.
- Fish bladders and egg whites are often used to filter wines.
- Vantablack works on a microscopic level by bouncing photons off multiple angles on the surface of an object, until almost all the photons are absorbed & only 0.05% are reflected back as visible light.
This list both cracks me up and makes me immensely proud- thank you to everyone that attended, spoke at, or otherwise supported FNN in 2018, and I can’t wait to do it all again this year. See you at our 2019 kickoff on Wednesday, January 16th, at Fargo Billiards and Gastropub– details will be along soon. Until then, y’all keep warm and stay classy.
Yours in Nerdery,
Hope, Karen, and Tracy
Hey there nerds,
This is it- we’ve come to the last Nerd Nite of 2018. And, in a totally unprecedented event, we have all our shit together way ahead of time and I can ALREADY share event details with you! Hold your applause, please. xD
The Millenium Falcon: A Really Bad Freighter. We all love the Millenium Falcon, but have we ever really looked at why it was even considered a freighter?
Brian Glaeske is a mild Star Wars nerd by night, pixel pusher by day.
The Microbiome: 40 Trillion Bacteria and You. The human microbiome consists of 40 trillion bacteria who call our body home. In comparison, our body is made up of an average of 30 trillion cells. Most people perceive bacteria as dangerous pathogens that cause disease, but without our microbiome we wouldn’t survive. They train our immune system, help us break down foods that we can’t digest ourselves and prevent dangerous pathogens from making a foothold in our body.
Manpreet Bains recently graduated with a Ph.D. in Molecular Pathogenesis where his research focused on the interactions of the neuropeptide, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide, and the body. His research involved understanding how VIP impacted eosinophils and T-cells in the immune system, altered metabolism, and modified the microbiome. Likes include big words, Qdoba lunches, and LinkedIn.
Clean Coal: Resolution or Ruse? In this presentation, the main methods proposed for clean coal are presented along with an analysis of their technical end economic merits. It is the contention of the speaker that clean coal does not exist and that the proposed methods are little more than a ruse to confuse politicians and the public – similar to methods used by the tobacco industry.
Jacob Glower is an Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Dakota State University with 27 years of experience in higher education and industry.
There you have it! See you on Wednesday November 14th, 7PM (doors at 6:30), at Fargo Billiards and Gastropub. There is no December Nerd Nite planned, however we will likely do a game night or a dinner or summat, so keep an eye on the social medias or subscribe to our email list for updates.
FNN will formally return at our usual timeslot on the third Wednesday of every month in January of 2019. We are booking speakers for then on out, so we want to know: WHAT DO YOU NERD OUT ABOUT?! Contact us to snag your timeslot for speaking at NN2019. It’s easy and there’re free drinks. You’ll love it.
🙂 T
Happy Halloween y’all! Our present to us is getting a write up in the Inforum today- you can check it out here. Thanks so much Austin for probably the best article anyone has ever written on FNN. 🙂 If there are any Nerd Nite n00bs here looking for ways to follow us, you can find us at:
H o w e v e r, the best way to make sure you get updates about our events (since FB and Twitter get all weird with their algorithms about what you see in your feed) is to subscribe to our email list: text NERDNITE to 345345, or since you’re already at our website, subscribe using the option in the sidebar to the right. Don’t worry- the only thing we send is updates when details for the latest event are posted. No bullshit newsletters or ads. 🙂
As a reminder, we usually run on the third Wednesday of each month, 7PM, at Fargo Billiards and Gastropub. November’s show is bumped up to the 14th (so we’re not too close to Thanksgiving), and then we’ll take a holiday break (although be on the lookout for a game night or a dinner), with our return planned for January 2019.
Deets for the November show will be up soon. You all have a fantastic, safe Halloween, and we’ll see you on the 14th. Easy last minute costume suggestions below.
🙂 T
Hold on to your butts, nerds- October is here! Details for our almost serendipitously creepy show:
The Virgin Lives! The Slasher genre has been going strong for nearly 50 years with long-running franchises like Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. The most well known trope is that of the “final girl.” Looking back through decades of slasher films, we’ll examine this trope along with other recurring themes in the genre. What can these movies tell us about ourselves and the society we live in?
With a movie collection that exceeds 1300 titles, Clare Sojourner Harris Palmer considers herself quite the movie nerd. During her time studying sociology at Minnesota State University Moorhead, she took every opportunity she had to use film to examine the culture we live in. She’s incredibly excited to return for her fourth (?!) appearance at Nerd Nite Fargo!
Devil Inside: A Tour of Satan through Time. Throughout history, the devil has been prevalent in many if not all cultural belief systems. often used as a fear tactic to push the masses to obeying a prescribed morality. But what if we shifted perspective and looked at the character of Satan through a different lens? This NN talk is going to explore different perspectives of Satan through history up to the current modern day. Soul selling paperwork will be made available to all those interested.
Kyle T Strand is physicist and weirdo currently residing in the Red River Valley. He has a penchant for darkness, but also believes in a strong positive morality. Kyle is known for his love of mathematics, the avant obscure, and his shy sense of self. He is in not currently affiliated with the Prince of Darkness, but he also doesn’t believe in absolutism.
Swamp Gas from a Weather Balloon was Trapped in a Thermal Pocket and Refracted the Light from Venus. The flash of light you saw in the sky is not a UFO…until it chases you through a field. A history of UFOs in Fargo, including a first hand account of a strange night in the country and possible explanations for what exactly was experienced and witnessed.
Dusty O Schultz was born and raised right here in Fargo, ND. Hobbies include using an axe to split wood the old fashion way, fixing anything that does not contain a computer, constantly looking for another classic car to buy, and rocking out to his favorite jams. When not doing any of that, Dusty maintains his status as the self-proclaimed roller coaster champion of the world.
…Plus booze, candy (because what’s Halloween without candy?), and general excellent nerdery, all at our beloved Fargo Billiards and Gastropub. October 17th, 7PM (doors at 6:30). Be there and be square.
🙂 T
Good morning Nerds- I hope you are all having a stellar weekend. I am recovering from a night of epic DND play at Paradox Comics- they had a special event to raise money for 4Luv of Dog here in Fargo. Since it was a charity event, we were allowed to buy unlimited re-rolls for $1 each. Did you know a table of six nerds can spend $66 in three hours trying to save their pathetic L1 assess from running out of hit points? Now you do. 😀
Anyway, Sept details are here! Check it:
Meet Me in St. Louis: Cahokia, Medieval America’s great city. Remember sitting in your favorite class, history, and being in awe of the beautifully complex Medieval city near St. Louis? No? Well, no worries- after this talk, you will be. 🙂 Along the floodplains of the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri, the great city of Cahokia dominated the Medieval world of America. Learn about sacred sacrifices, America’s first pastime, and something called Black Drink…we’ll even try the last one with a little help from Proof.
Amanda Butler is an archaeologist and geoarchaeologist specializing in North American Archaeology. She is currently finishing her dissertation and teaching at Minnesota State University Moorhead
Channel Your Inner Survivalist and Know When and How to GTFO. What does BOB have to do with SHTF and a possible TEOTWAWKI. A journey though acronyms and apocalypses.
Dan Novacek is a benefits extraordinar by day, apprentice prepper by night, and a legend in his own mind. Hope Novacek is an Accountant by trade but lives the Pug Mom Life.
Chimera embryos: No longer science fiction! What are these chimera embryos that you’ve heard about? Tiny pigs growing inside humans? Tiny humans growing inside pigs?! Tiny human organs growing inside tiny pigs growing inside mother pigs?!? Is your head exploding yet? Once we figure out what they really are, let’s talk about the ethical and social implications of our current scientific technology. Some discussions to look forward to: human consciousness in a pig, or two pigs mating to form a human fetus!
Kimberly Booth is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Biological Sciences at NDSU. She teaches biology for non-science majors, in which she focuses on two major goals: 1) providing a scientific lens by which to evaluate societal issues and 2) fostering curious and scientifically literate citizens. Her research interests include how teaching techniques used in the classroom affect student learning.
That’s what I know! See your beautiful faces on Sept 19th, 7PM (doors at 6:30), at the Gastropub. Space is getting scarce lately, so get there early to get your favorite spot. OR roll the dice, show up late, and sit down next to a stranger who may become your new BFF. (See what I did there? DND callback joke? Dice? Heh?)
Stay nerdy, my friends.
🙂 T
