Let your nerd flag fly, get real about artificial life, and experience learning in a hyper-visual culture at our November Nerd Nite Orlando event!

Nerd Nite Orlando is an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking talks across many disciplines – all while the audience drinks along in a casual bar atmosphere. 3 speakers will present for 20-25 minutes each on a fascinating subject of their choice, often in an uncanny and unconventional way.

It’s like the Discovery Channel – with beer! Come meet up, drink, and learn something new!

EVENT:

Thursday, November 14th, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Stardust Video and Coffee, 1842 E. Winter Park Rd. Winter Park, FL 32803.
Facebook Event <–be sure to RSVP!

FREE!

PRESENTATIONS:

———–

“Vexillophilia: Let Your Nerd Flag Fly” by Amy Selikoff

Have you ever wondered why there’s a rooster on the Ugandan flag? Or what the symbols on various flags actually represent? Or who thinks about this stuff, anyway? Vexillophiles, a.k.a. lovers of all things flag-related, do! Now’s your chance to learn about the hidden language woven into the fabric of a nation’s primary symbol. Let Amy open your eyes to the stories told through a flag’s colors and shapes. You’ll never look at a flag the same way again!

Amy Selikoff is a lifelong geography nerd with a B.A. in History and Journalism from the U. F. After discovering a passion for teaching during a summer internship, she pursued a Masters in Secondary Education. These days she  works as a 7th grade Social Sciences teacher and loves every minute of it.  Amy and her husband, Nathan, love traveling the world, playing music, and pursuing social justice together. Never one to turn down a good adventure, Amy is a member of the Orlando Psycho City Derby Girls. Her derby name is Pirate-i-tude.

———–

“Beyond Biology: Real Talk About Artificial Life” by Lisa Soros

What exactly is the definition of “alive”? Could intelligent “life” exist inside your computer? You bet! Artificial Life researchers use virtual worlds to explore AI, evolution, and the origins of order. By studying artificial worlds, we can learn about life not only as it is, but also as it might have been millions of years ago.

Lisa Soros is 100% human (though she’d totally give a robot a sincere high five). She has a degree in computer science and a penchant for philosophy of mind. Her work has spanned a variety of AI fields, from natural language processing to developmental robotics. Nowadays Lisa’s with the Evolutionary Complexity research group at UCF, where she codes up tiny universes and marvels at their underlying mechanics.

———–

“Teaching Tesla: Learning In a Hyper-Visual Culture” by Rave Mehta

“Isn’t Tesla a car?” Nope! Nikola Tesla was a mystic inventor who lived during a time when inventors were seen as wizards and science was still magic. “Then why have I never heard of him?” Thomas Edison didn’t want you to, that’s why. Come experience the story of one man, who shaped the future, with his beautiful mind, passion, and vision for a better humanity, but was largely forgotten in the annals of history. Author, composer, and producer Ravé Mehta explains how his graphic novel depicting Nikola Tesla’s story will change the way we approach education today.

Ravé Mehta is the author of THE INVENTOR, a graphic novel based on the true story of Nikola Tesla as he battled his mentor-turned-rival Thomas Edison in the AC/DC Wars to invent the 20th century and create the Electrical Era.  Ravé is also an engineer, artist, music composer/producer for the electronic-dance/pop group RENAISZANCE, and CEO of Helios Entertainment, an award-winning creative-technology firm that develops socially empowering content to artistically engage kids and adults into learning through graphic novels, music, games, film and digital media. Ravé and his work have been featured in WSJ, Bloomberg, Wired, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Venturebeat and numerous other media outlets