Human spaceflight has been plagued by waste. From urine-soaked spacesuits to floating turds, the history of human spaceflight is flush with dirty (and hilarious) anecdotes of dealing with waste in space. Engineers seem to have a handle on #1 & #2 as we explore low Earth orbit, but the future of deep space exploration hinges on our ability to overcome a heaping pile of physiological, biological and engineering problems. So how will we do it? WMFE’s space reporter Brendan Byrne has been exploring the history of the space toilet for a new book and presents a brief history of the galactic commode – and ideas for new hardware that will boldly take our poop to places like the moon and Mars.
We’ll also be giving away some promotional swag from the upcoming movie John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and some advanced screening passes!
PRESENTATION #1:
“Effective Crisis Communication Strategies…as related to Power Rangers!” by Jaylen Christie
As the Director of Public Relations at Moxe, a local marketing agency, Jaylen helps manage ongoing media relations while creating and distributing content, leading strategic communications planning, and overseeing the day-to-day execution of PR plans for clients and ongoing publicity initiatives that generate media coverage. Jaylen is a recipient of a William Randolph Hearst award for outstanding editorial writing and is a member of the Orlando chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, serving on its Board of Directors as Vice President of Communication, Orange County Library system and is a proud member of Alpha Phi Fraternity, Inc. Jaylen earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Florida A&M University and a graduate certificate in corporate communication from the University of Central Florida. He’s also a HUGE Power Rangers fan!
PRESENTATION #2:
“Do U Even Meme, Tho?” by Sharon Hammond
Memes…bite-sized bits of entertainment, shared peer to peer and defined in part by their viral nature. As a medium of communication, we mostly dismiss them as funny, silly and relatively innocuous…BUT could they serve a more serious and nefarious purpose? We’ll see how the format has been successfully hijacked and weaponized by bad actors after our attention, wallets and votes.
Sharon is an information enthusiast, community organizer, occasional public speaker, food-system nut and all around lover of humanity. She is currently working with the non-profit The Society Library, on a mission to transform the way that we access, evaluate and utilize information for decision-making as a society.
Orlando Public Library
Saturday, May 18, 2019
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Orlando Book Festival is a day-long celebration of books at the Orlando Public Library. Join us for panels, writing workshops, book signings, and more from bestselling authors from all over the country. Enjoy opening and closing keynotes from New York Times bestselling authors Daniel José Older and Delilah S. Dawson.
This event is free and open to the public. Click here for more info
NERD NITE MIAMI has been going strong for the last few years with events on every 2nd Thursday of the month and this summer they’re raising bar with a Museum Tour, presented by Ironhack.
The next stop on their tour is May 15th at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. Follow them on FB at facebook.com/nerdnitemiami
Everyone agrees that our mental processes (meaning our thoughts, emotions, and perceptions) correspond with physical processes in our brains. The question is, how and why? Why do we have subjective experiences at all? Why aren’t we genetically programmed to pursue survival, yet lacking consciousness? These fundamental questions still plague scholars in spite of our most advanced scientific discoveries.
The presenter, Krista Noble, received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Vedic (ancient Indian) studies from Maharishi University of Management (M.U.M.). She is an Adjunct Professor at three universities: M.U.M., the Holmes Institute, and the University of Philosophical Research.
Dr. Noble earned the Veda Vyasa Award, the highest award offered to M.U.M. graduates, for her Ph.D. dissertation. This work contrasted the physicalist (materialist) paradigm with the Consciousness-Based paradigm of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It discussed major themes in neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy of mind, such as the “hard problem of consciousness.”
Dr. Noble is a lifetime member of the World Association for Vedic Studies (W.A.V.E.S.), and presented a paper at the international 2018 W.A.V.E.S. conference in Texas. She also recently spoke at the global Science & Scientist conference in Bhubaneshwar, India, and at Loyola Marymount University in California. In total, she has given over 30 oral presentations on topics related to her field.
If you have questions about Dr. Noble’s talk, please contact her at
UCF Space Scientists Drs. Josh Colwell, Addie Dove, and Jim Cooney (the Astroquarks!) joined Nerd Nite to record and live-stream their hit and hip astronomy podcast “Walkabout the Galaxy”. Their main topic is be “Impacts and How They’ve Shaped the Solar System”, including the latest news about fossils from the dinosaur-killing impact and the formation of Saturn’s ravioli-shaped ring-moons. The astroquarks also discuss the latest news in space science and exploration and take questions from the public.
Mark your calendars its going to be a fun summer. We’ll be talking about comics, power rangers, memes, virtual reality, and so much more! Be there and be square.
** We also have a few special events abroad that we’ll be announcing soon.
Yes, its almost the 2nd Thursday– and that means the same thing its meant for the past 6 years… another Nerd Nite event.
But this week is extra special. April 11th we’ll be talking all things space in celebration of Yuri’s Night.
Yuri Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He became the first human to journey into outer space when his Vostok spacecraft completed one orbit of the Earth in April 1961. Every year, Yuri’s Night events happen throughout April all around the world to celebrate this historic event.
Our friends at Yuri’s Night Space Coast are also doing their annual event on Saturday, April 13th. This is THE space party of the year. You’ll literally be drinking and dancing with scientists and space enthusiasts underneath the Space Shuttle Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center.
Earlier that day, I’ll be at the 9th annual Wine Women & Shoes competing for the title of this year’s Sole Man! This is an incredible event that benefits Second Harvest Food Bank. The competition relies on donations made my by people like you and 100% of the proceeds goes to help our neighbors in need.
Nerd Nite Orlando will be organizing programming specifically for our local colleges and are in need of student volunteers to join our team (to begin fall 2019).
Must be over 18 years of age and currently enrolled.