HOME – Nerd Nite LA

Next Nerd Nite LA is Tuesday, April 21st!

PRESENTATION LINE-UP:

PRESENTATION #1: All Animation is Body Horror: An Exploration of the Animated Body and the Phenomena of Childhood Fears

By Delaney Sears

Summary: In concept, animated children’s movies and horror movies are opposites – different audiences, different visual styles, and wildly different goals in terms of what they want their viewers to feel. Why, then, do so many children have long term childhood fears of animated movies that were never meant to be scary? Why did this presenter not watch Chicken Run for 20 years out of genuine fear? Delaney Sears will explore horror theory, animation styles, and the uncanny valley to unpack just why so many people are afraid of The Polar Express.

Bio: Delaney Sears is a content producer, strategist, and Hollywood assistant with a degree in Media Studies from Vassar College where she focused in film theory and animation. They somehow let her graduate even after she wrote 62 pages on animation and body horror, something no one was asking for but that she was thrilled to do. She is a staunch defender of The Polar Express.

PRESENTATION #2: Your Data, Their Compliance: The Hidden World Behind Your Medical Record

By Zobeida Torres

Summary: Healthcare regulations, endless checkboxes, and your doctor’s annoyed sighs are all part of the same story. Every click in your medical record fuels national quality measures, regulatory audits, and public health initiatives. But how does something as simple as a checkbox shape what hospitals prioritize and how care is delivered? In this talk, Zobeida Torres pulls back the curtain on the hidden world of healthcare data, where technology, compliance, and a little bit of chaos drive change.

Bio: Zobeida Torres is a healthcare IT professional who manages quality and regulatory compliance for the top hospital in California. A proud Latina and Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), she specializes in turning complex data, technology, and regulations into meaningful improvements in patient care. She was selected as a 2026 Health Equity Fellow, where she focuses on improving access to diabetes care for underserved communities. Outside of work, she mentors students and advocates for health equity, powered by cafecito, chisme, and clinical data.

PRESENTATION #3: Taxidermy: A ‘Dead Art’ That Can Save Lives

By Allis Markham

Summary: Great taxidermy will go unperceived. Bad taxidermy will be talked about for years. Taxidermy has had a long and bumpy history that is littered with extinctions, colonialism, arsenic–  but also public education. In this talk, master taxidermist Allis Markham shares how modern taxidermy is returning to its educational roots and as a tool for conservation. Allis Markham shares stories and insights from her time as a museum taxidermist and takes us through how taxidermy is one of the greatest conservational mediums available to us as a society.

Bio: Allis Markham is a museum-trained taxidermist and Nassologist residing in Los Angeles, CA. She did her apprenticeship under Tim Bovard at The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles.She has worked with exceptional museums including, but not limited to The Smithsonian, The National Zoo, The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles, The Frost Museum of Science, and OC Parks. Further clients include The Getty, The Huntington Library, Gucci and many more. Allis’ LA taxidermy studio, Prey Taxidermy,  doubles as a classroom and inventors haven as she is constantly innovating ways to further the art of taxidermy. Allis is also proud to have been an adjunct professor at Occidental College teaching taxidermy.