Join us on Thursday, August 9th as we return to Stardust Video & Coffee in Audubon Park for an evening of thinking and drinking.

Nerd Nite is an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking presentations– all while the audience drinks along in a casual atmosphere. Speakers present for 15-20 minutes each on a fascinating subject, often in an uncanny and unconventional way. Following each presentation is a brief Q&A with the audience.

GUEST SPEAKERS:
Matt Luby
Josh Murdock
Tairi Perez and Peter Gardner

Hosted by Ricardo Williams

THIS IS A FREE EVENT. We only accept donations.
http://bit.ly/nerdnitetbt2018
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PRESENTATION #1: “The Force Belongs to All of Us: Not Just You Assholes” by Tairi Perez and Peter Gardner.

As nerd culture has become mainstream culture, toxic masculinity has infected all aspects of it and we are trying to figure out if it was there from the beginning or if this is something new, or is this a case of the assholes having a louder voice than the rest of the community. And what can we do about it?

Peter Gardner has been a lifelong nerd back in the time when it would still get you beat up. A writer by profession, and a feminist and LGBTQ+ activist, he has become worried about this culture he is a part of and wonders how he can help. He has also never gotten through Guardians of the Galaxy Volume II without crying.

Tairi Perez is not just the token women so Peter isn’t mansplaining, she’s also a passionate activist, feminist, and always looking to get involved with her community. While she is still relatively new to being a nerd, dealing with and being the victim of toxic masculinity has been something she’s dealt with her entire life. Her D&D character can often be found getting the entire party killed for no good reason.

PRESENTATION #2: “EdTech: Robots, Augmented Reality, VR, and other ways technology is changing education.” by Josh Murdock

The world of education is ever evolving as technology becomes more advanced and affordable. Lets dive into apps, gadgets, and technologies that are turning what we thought was sci-fi into reality in our schools and virtual classrooms. Exploring the world of augmented reality, virtual reality, robots, online learning, and startups that aim to improve educational experiences. Learn more about world of EdTech and how teachers must keep up with technology to help prepare students for the future. Plus I might have a few fun games, prizes, and sharks with freakin’ lasers.

Josh Murdock, known as Professor Josh, is an IT manager, instructional designer, professor, community organizer, blogger, and all around geek. He has been in higher education for over 20 years, including teaching educational technology and social networking currently at Valencia College for the last 14 years. He blogs about apps, gadgets, gizmos, startups, conferences, and tech tips at ProfessorJosh.com and works with his wife on a food blog eatmoreofit.com that will make you hungry. You might have seen his food photography (@eatmoreofit) or his love for LEGO and geekiness (@professorjosh) on both Twitter or Instagram. He continues to build a community around education, technology, blogging, and entrepreneurship as EdTech Orlando organizer, Startup Weekend Orlando organizer, and founding planning team member of FLBlogCon. His motto: Engage, Excite, Educate!

PRESENTATION #3: “The Nuclear Niche: Fungi that Survive and Thrive in the Heart of Chernobyl” by Matt Luby

The resilience of many species of fungi to various adverse conditions has been known to biologists for many years. It is only in the past three decades that we have begun to evaluate the ability of some fungi to not only survive extremely high doses of harmful radiation, but also to tap into it as an energy source. We’ll discuss not only how it happens, but what we might be able to do with our knowledge of this unique adaptation.

Matt Luby is an Orlando native with a background in neuroscience research and science education. He currently spends most of his time being a board member at a hackerspace and operating a pedicab. When he has free time, he likes to travel about the world and/or run marathons.