We all know that learning is more fun when you’re drinking with friends and colleagues. Thus, Nerd Nite is a monthly event held in nearly 100 cities across the globe during which several folks give 18-21-minute fun-yet-informative presentations across all disciplines – while the audience drinks along. Imagine learning about everything from math feuds or the science of the Simpsons, to the genealogy of Godzilla or debunking beer myths, while having a few or a few too many.
The Nerd Nite Podcast on CBS’ new Play It network brings the live experience of our in-person events for your aural pleasure, so feel free to have a drink or two while listening – just as long as you aren’t driving and are of age!
Every episode features a new guest from a different Nerd Nite city around the world. The most recent episode, based on a presentation at Nerd Nite Orlando called “Roses are Red, Orange Lilies Mean I Hate You: Exploring the Symbology of Flowers” features Emily Dovydaitis. She is a tree-hugging enthusiast, as well as an undergraduate in Biology and Cultural Anthropology at UCF. She fancies ethnobotany. Her dream is to one day travel to the Amazon to study native, plant-derived medicines. When she’s not drowning in organic chemistry, Emily enjoys rattling off plant binomials and drinking tea. She also secretly envies the fact that plants make their own food, which means they don’t need to clean dishes.
Presentation description:
Although most flowers lack tu-lips, they often “say” more than most people realize. During the Victorian era, the clandestine language of flowers provided a way for society to communicate emotions in a more respectable manner. Lovers, charmers and boothangs alike should ask themselves one simple question before this Valentine’s Day: what sort of message are you actually sending with that bouquet?
NERDY SPEED DATING IS A SPECIAL EVENT THAT IS HOSTED BY NERD NITE ORLANDO EVERY THIRD SATURDAY
Nerd Nite cities from across the world have hosted Nerdy Speed Dating for a decade. The event has boasted many successful matchmaking and fostered a long list of committed relationships, engagements, and marriages (and even a few wee ones)… and worse case scenario, you make a friend to join you for a future Nerd Nite event.
Each date will be 3-minutes long with one person; and everyone will have the opportunity for multiple dates with different people. (Never the same person)
NERDY SPEED DATING IS FOR ALL NERDS. WE ARE LGBT-FRIENDLY
Join us for the second edition of Town Hall on Monday, August 3, 2015 at 7:30pm at Catalyst Spaces in Downtown Orlando (1 S Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida 32801)
Nerd Nite Orlando exists to show the surrounding community that learning is fun, particularly when you’re drinking among friends and like-minded people.
Town Hall is a new meetup from Nerd Nite Orlando where nerds can hangout and have more of an intimate discussion; as well as present ideas, voice their opinions, and ask questions of the the Nerd Nite team.
Discussion Agenda
* Upcoming programming from Nerd Nite
-Gaming & Space Nite
-Maker Faire
-Ladies Nite… PART II
-Movie Screenings
* Other applications via Nerd Nite
-Speed Dating app
-Connecting to other Nerd Nite cities
* What kind of topics should be presented at future Nerd Nites
* Pick a Nerd Nite talk to watch from another city.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- I am Nerd Nite’s biggest fan. If I wasn’t the host, I’d still be in-attendance at every single event. Check out some photos below of Nerd Nite at Comic Con 2015. This is the second year we’ve put on this event and I’m hoping for many more! Special thank you to the presenters Trevor, Joan & Rich, and Allis. And an extra special thank you to National Graphic Channel for making this all possible.
When I first joined the ranks of Nerd Nite bosses in 2013, I hit the ground running. One of the first ideas I had was to have an evening where we bring together some brilliant women from around town and celebrate their knowledge, experience and achievements in one evening. 2 years later, I finally was able to make it a reality and I couldn’t be happier with the success of the first “Nerd Nite Ladies Nite.”
Special shout out to Tairi Perez, Kelly Romano, and Emily Dovydaitis for giving incredibly charming presentations. (It should also be noted that Tairi has now become the first woman in the 11 year history of Nerd Nite around the world to give a presentation while pregnant.)
Join us for our 30th consecutive Nerd Nite in Orlando. We will be hosting a special gaming and space themed event at the Orlando Science Center to get you excited for the upcoming Indie Galactic Space Jam.
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. Speakers present for 15-20 minutes each on a fascinating subject of their choice, often in an uncanny and unconventional way. Following each presentation is a brief Q&A with the audience.
Come meet up, drink, and learn something new!
EVENT INFO:
When: Thursday, August 13th, 7:00pm
Where: Orlando Science Center
777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803
PRESENTATIONS:
“My-Oh-Maya: The Astronomy of the Yucatan” by Michael McConville
Description: The Maya of the Yucatan Peninsula were one of the most advanced civilizations in the world during their heyday more than a thousand years ago. Although best known for their impressive calendar system – and an apocalypse that never happened – the astronomy of the Maya was amazing in both its scope and detail. We’ll walk through history and travel through the Universe to examine a view of the cosmos centuries ahead of its time.
Speaker Bio: Michael McConville has been bridging the gap between the humanities and the sciences for most of his career. Deeply passionate about teaching, Michael has woven together the stories of history and the Universe for more than a decade. He serves as both the planetarium coordinator at Seminole State College and a professor of history at the University of Central Florida, and these two very different responsibilities have resulted in unique perspectives in both the dome and the classroom. He is also a long-suffering fan of the New York Mets, and will remain so until at least the next Mayan apocalypse.
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“Resource Reutilization: “The Martian” in not all fiction…Let me tell you about NASA In-Situ Resource Utilization and how that’s my job!” by Anne Caraccio
Description: Discussion about one of two awesome technologies NASA is developing:
Tech 1. Conversion of the Mars atmosphere into fuel and water!
Speaker Bio: Anne Caraccio, “Annie” is from New York and joined NASA as a student in 2011. She supports NASA as a chemical engineer on several projects that support deep space exploration and resource reutilization for human spaceflight. Her main projects involve developing a system for recovering logistical waste from long duration space missions to produce usable gases for propulsion, environmental control, and life support systems as well as a system for converting the Martian atmosphere into fuel and water. As a crew member of the 2014 HI-SEAS Mars analog simulation, she took part in a 120 day psychological study and performed various research projects while living in an isolated Mars-like habitat with an international crew. She is a graduate of the 2012 NASA FIRST leadership development program and also a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the University of South Florida.
Ms. Caraccio is passionate about human space flight and developing systems for future deep space exploration. She carries her passion of the space program out into the world by volunteering with numerous educational outreach events. If she can convince one student, child, parent, skeptic, etc. to appreciate science or develop curiosity and appreciation of this universe, she feels a huge accomplishment has been made!
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“Lessons Learned From a Year of Jamming” by Adriel Wallick
Description: This talk will explore the lessons learned from an entire year of continuous weekly game jams. Adriel will discuss methods of rapid brainstorming and prototyping as well as cover common mistakes made when first participating in a game jam.
Speaker Bio: Adriel Wallick is an independent game developer most recently based out of The Netherlands. Originally a programmer on the next generation of weather satellites, she decided to explore gaming as a developer instead of just an avid gamer. She is best known for having made a game a week for an entire year as well as organizing the annual Train Jam game jam.
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“Look, No Hands! Gaming with and for the Brain” by Max Jackson
Description: The game controller of the future won’t be one that you hold – not with your hands, anyway. It’ll be one that senses the states of your brain and turns that information into commands for a machine and shapes the gaming experience, and maybe directly stimulates your brain in return. This talk will explore some of the many possibilities for brain tech and gaming, exploring the relationship between art, technology, and our fundamental humanity.
Speaker Bio: Max Jackson is a graduate student at UCF, working at the Hickman ‘Body-on-a-Chip’ lab where he develops software to automate the production, collection, and analysis of electrophysiological signals. He is a co-founder of Cortex, a company that works to develop neurotechnology which empowers makers, artists, the medical community, and everyday people alike.
I’m happy to announce that Nerd Nite will be returning to Comic Con International in San Diego, California for the second year in a row thanks to a great partnership with National Geographic. I’ll be hosting the free event, which will feature three presentations and trivia. And of course, it wouldn’t be Nerd Nite without drinks!
On Tuesday, June 30th, the planets Venus and Jupiter were less than a half-degree apart in the evening sky — less than the width of the full moon!
The Buehler Planetarium at Seminole State College hosted a Conjunction Party to observe these two bright planets at their closest approach in many years. In addition, both the moon and the planet Saturn were also prominently visible in the sky, making for an absolutely fantastic observing night!
Like all planetarium observing events, the Conjunction Observing Party was free and open to the public. Telescopes were set up along the eastern sidewalk surrounding the pond in the center of the Sanford/Lake Mary Campus. Telescopes were provided by planetarium staff and the Central Florida Astronomical Society.
My name is Ricardo Williams and for over the past 2 years, I have been organizing a little event called Nerd Nite here in Orlando, Florida. These days, I am in charge of every single aspect of the program, from all the backend work to hosting duties every month to plenty of specialty programming in-between. I absolutely love it. I tell people all the time that I’m glad to do all of it because “I’m Nerd Nite’s biggest fan”.
Being in the position that I’m in can very easily make Nerd Nite Orlando turn into “the Ricardo Williams Show” and that is exactly what I DON’T want. Nerd Nite was not created to serve the needs and desire of one, but many. So in an effort to create more work for myself, I started a new meetup within the Nerd Nite umbrella called “Town Hall”.
At Town Hall, nerds can hangout and have more of an intimate discussion; as well as present ideas, voice their opinions, and ask questions of the the Nerd Nite team.
I held the pilot event on Monday, June 29th at the Effin Amazing office and I am incredibly proud of the results. At the meetup, I announced upcoming programming from Nerd Nite, discussed other applications and programming via Nerd Nite, held an open discussion on what kind of topics should be presented at future Nerd Nites, and the evening finished off with the group voting on a Nerd Nite talk to watch from a different city. (Everyone in the group also submitted anonymous notecards about what they would like to enjoy at Nerd Nite in the future as well as what they do not like about Nerd Nite.)
The discussion (and debate) was incredibly useful feedback for me as an organizer because my goal is to make the best events possible and thanks to the support of so many of Orlando’s most passionate nerds I can continue to do that.
Nerd Nite is an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking talks across many disciplines – all while the audience drinks along in a casual bar atmosphere.
This monthly event exists to show the surrounding community that learning is fun, particularly when you’re drinking amongst friends and like-minded people.
Town Hall is a new meetup from Nerd Nite where nerds can hangout and have more of an intimate discussion; as well as present ideas, voice their opinions, and ask questions of the the Nerd Nite team.
Discussion Agenda
* Upcoming programming from Nerd Nite
* Other applications via Nerd Nite
* What kind of topics should be presented at future Nerd Nites
* Pick a Nerd Nite talk to watch from another city
The first Town Hall from Nerd Nite Orlando will be on Monday, June 29th, 7:30pm at Effin Amazing (1016 W Church St, Orlando, Florida 32805)
