welcome
Welcome to Nerd Nite Los Angeles!
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 the Discovery Channel… with beer.
The next Nerd Nite:
Thursday, July 13th – DINOMITE DINO NITE AT NERD NITE LA
at Busby’s East
5364 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Busby’s East is a 21+ venue.
GET TICKETS HERE
#bethere AND #besquare
DINOMITE DINO NITE
PRESENTATION #1: “That’s Not a @&$#ing Dinosaur!” : Misconceptions about Paleontology
by Trevor Valle
Ross Gellar. Jurassic Park. Dinobots. Barney. Pop culture has this on again/off again love affair with the reality of paleontology but refuses to take it out to dinner and really listen. Let’s get them talking (and drinking)! Trevor Valle returns with an audience-favorite talk breaking down misconceptions about dinosaurs (and non-dinosaurs), now updated with what “Jurassic World” got oh so wrong.
Bio: Trevor Valle is a field paleontologist and Cicerone Certified Beer Server. As the former Assistant Lab Supervisor at the Page Museum (at the La Brea Tar Pits), he became entrapped by the beauty of the Ice Age. In 2013, National Geographic sent him on expedition to Siberia for 6 weeks searching for frozen woolly mammoths for the documentary “Mammoths Unearthed”. He has presented 6 times at Nerd Nites in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orlando.
PRESENTATION #2: Dinosaur Poop and You: The Science and Appeal of Coprolites
by Taormina Lepore
Have you ever wondered about the dark side of science? The disturbing underbelly where researchers study strange and unusual topics for the advancement of scientific knowledge? Enter the realm of coprolites. Fossil poop, and other “excreta”, allow a fascinating series of ecological insights into ancient animal diet and behavior. Toilet paper optional.
Bio: Taormina (Tara) Lepore teaches environmental science to high school students and conducts research on the diet and ecology of ancient organisms. She grew up in Boston and holds a B.S. in biology and an M.S. in museum and field studies, with an emphasis on vertebrate paleontology. Her professional career has allowed her to work as an educator and scientist in museums, public and private schools, and the National Park system.
PRESENTATION #3: Tracking a Jurassic Killer
by Brian Engh
Paleoartist Brian Engh will explore the early Jurassic environment of the Poison Spider Dinosaur Tracksite near Moab Utah (a public fossil site that you can visit!) as he explains the process of reconstructing an ancient predatory dinosaur that left sharp clawed footprints, but whose exact identity is still a mystery.
Bio: Brian Engh is a professional paleo artist and creature designer as well as a film maker, animator and rapper/beat maker steeped in a life long fascination with natural history. His paleo illustrations can be seen in scientific papers, books, museum displays, and several outdoor interpretive fossil sites around Moab Utah, one of which is the focus of this talk. His various and assorted creative efforts are collected on his website DontMessWithDinosaurs.com.
Stay in touch through the links below.