Welcome to Nerd Nite Los Angeles! We’re so excited that you’ve discovered our community’s nerdy little corner of LA. We are Nerd Nite (like TED Talks or the Discovery Channel + beer), Drinking & Dragons (live, improv-ed DnD), NNXL (live music), and Nerd Nite Out (community-building). Check out what we’re up to at one of our upcoming events!
WHAT IS NERD NITE?
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 more than 100 cities across the globe during which several folks give 20-minute fun-yet-informative presentations across all disciplines – while the audience drinks along. It’s like TED Talks…but with beer.
WHEN AND WHERE IS NERD NITE?
Brewyard Beer Company LLC.
906 Western Ave, Glendale, CA 91201
Every 3rd Tuesday of the Month (November and December dates subject to change)
WILL THERE BE FOOD?
Yes! Tacos are provided by La Prieta Mexicana.
NEXT NERD NITE – DECEMBER 10TH!
It’s December already! And this month we’ve got another early Nerd Nite LA on December 10th! We’ll have talks on a clone forest in Utah, the Internet’s depiction in film, and the mineralogy of everyday things! Come on over to Brewyard Beer Co to catch these nerdy talks! Keep reading for the full details on this month’s speakers and talks.
PRESENTATION #1: How To Slap A Nametag on A Giant: Discovering the Pando Clone Forest
By Brad Einstein
Summary: Somewhere between the middle of central Utah and the center of middle Utah, there grows a unique arboreal being of bewildering size: The Pando Clone Forest, the largest organism on earth (*by dry weight mass, for all you nasty lil’ measurement freaks out there). Join federally-recognized forest comedian Brad Einstein as he explores the biological marvels of this fascinating flora, and recounts the tale of how three wrong turns and a loose mule deer spine led to the installation of first-ever educational signage at this underrated wonder of the natural world.
Bio: Brad Einstein is a 2x National Park Service Artist-In-Residence, a National Forest Service Voice of the Wilderness, and a “Brilliant Comedy Mastermind” according to some very kind exaggerators at Time Out New York. His work, focusing on comedy nature documentaries and climate communications, has been featured in The LA Times, Rolling Stone, Atlas Obscura, and more. He’s a Webby Award-winning adventure doc producer, the winner of the 2021 Climate Comedy Cohort, and the writer of The Climate Variety Show, hosted by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Jason Sudeikis.
PRESENTATION #2: Dreaming of the Internet: How Film Showcased Our Changing Views of the Internet
By Jessie Gender
Summary: From its creation in the late 20th century, the internet has been at the forefront of how human beings have imagined the future. Yet, that vision for the future has continued to shift and change throughout the last few decades – from a vast technological expanse to a hot bed of corporate control and political division. These changing dreams of our imagined future and how we feel about it have been central to how the internet has been depicted in films throughout the decades. So, from Videodrome to Hackers to The Matrix Resurrections, let’s look at how movies have depicted the internet and what it says about how we think about the future.
Bio: Jessie Earl is a writer, journalist, and filmmaker known to over 250k YouTube subscribers as “Jessie Gender,” where she breaks down science fiction and pop culture through a political and social lens. Jessie’s work has appeared on Gamespot, Microsoft, Out Magazine, The Advocate, Inverse, and Skybound Entertainment. She has also recently released her film IDENTITEAZE, a scifi thriller film starring John de Lancie (STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION), Abigail Thorn (STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE/HOUSE OF THE DRAGON) and Jasika Nicole (FRINGE), on the streaming service Nebula that she is currently working to pitch as a TV series.
PRESENTATION #3: The Mineralogy of Everyday Things: Episode – Salt
By Michelle Vanegas
Summary: Minerals play an important role in our everyday lives. We use them in technology, cosmetics, medicine, and even our bodies. Halite is the mineral name for rock salt, and it is the only mineral that we eat. Although it’s commonplace now, that wasn’t always the case. Salt was once so hard to come by that it was worth its weight in gold, and there’s a reason why it was so coveted—it’s a biological necessity. Join science educator and Nerd Nite alum Michelle Vanegas and delve into the fascinating science and cultural significance of this humble mineral with an incredible history.
Bio: Born and raised in Southern California, Michelle Vanegas (she/her) first discovered her love for geology at Pasadena City College, where she decided to pursue a career in science education. She spent a decade working as an educator at the California Science Center, the Natural History Museum of L.A. County, and the La Brea Tar Pits, and taught Earth & Space in the Natural Science Program at Cal State L.A. for the last 5 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in natural science with an emphasis in geology, and in May 2024 she went from studying rocks to studying rockfish and became a master of science in environmental science after discovering a new species.
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NERD NITE – NOVEMBER
Tuesday, November 12th, 7pm-10pm at Brewyard Beer Company
PRESENTATION LINE-UP:
PRESENTATION #1: Knott’s Berry Farm: A Berry, Berry American Story
By Natalie Nielsen
Summary: Knott’s Berry Farm is California’s first theme park and a Southern California institution. But how did this humble berry farm become a beloved local and vacation destination? And why has its undeniable charm endured for over 100 years? Join theme park designer and Nerd Nite alumn, Natalie Nielsen (she/her) as she dives into the history of this beloved park. Listen in while she shares her thoughts on Knott’s success, and how it all began with the earnest goal of building community through nourishing food and joyful fun. And also berries. Lots and lots of berries.
Bio: Natalie Nielsen (she/her) is a theme park designer and enthusiast whose interest in the art and history of themed design dates back to her childhood. She first visited a theme park when she was 6 years old and was instantly hooked. She now has dedicated her life and work to spreading a message of empathy, connectivity and play in everything that she does. Natalie lives in Burbank with her wife, Mae and their cat Ursa Major.
PRESENTATION #2: Why Aliens Will Look Like Us
By Greg Gilbert, Ph.D
Summary: Are we alone in the universe? For the first time in human history, we are poised to find out the answer. But how do we know what to look for? Couldn’t life on other planets or moons be completely unlike anything on Earth? Astrophysicist Greg Gilbert (he/him) will illuminate how following lines of evidence from biochemistry, astronomy, and geophysics will reveal that it is plausible — perhaps even likely — that life on other worlds may look remarkably similar to life as we know it. With a little luck, we’ll have our answer in just a few short decades.
Bio: Greg Gilbert (he/him) is an astrophysicist at UCLA. He has been fascinated by the search for extra-terrestrial life since 1996, when scientists claimed to have discovered microscopic fossils in Martian meteorite ALH 84001. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t actually aliens. Today, as a member of the California Planet Search team, Greg uses some of NASA’s premiere facilities – including the Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck Planet Finder in Hawai’i – to search for and characterize new exoplanets, aka alien worlds orbiting stars other than the Sun. He promises he is a real Human Scientist and not a Lizard Person attempting to hide a government conspiracy.
PRESENTATION #3: Black-and-White and Sprays All Over: How and Why The Skunk Got Its Stripes
By Dr. Ted Stankowich
Summary: Skunks are one of the most iconic and recognizable animals in our cities, but one of the least understood. Dr. Ted Stankowich (he/him) will enthrall our Nerd Nite audience about these black-and-white misfits and how they evolved their stinky sprays and bold stripes; how they perceive fear in their natural habitat; why predators learn to avoid them but your dog might not – and why you shouldn’t be afraid of them around your house.
Bio: Dr. Ted Stankowich (he/him) is a Professor and Director of the Mammal Lab at Cal State Long Beach but got his PhD in Animal Behavior from UCDavis. His work covers the evolution of antipredator defenses and behavior in mammals as well how mammals adapt to living in urban areas. He loves all things mammals, science, evolution, hiking, baseball, travel, and nerding out at the movies. Talk science with Ted on IG (@dr.tedstankowich) and X (@CSULBMammalLab)!
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