We’re baaaaaaack! We are so excited to present Nerd Nite on the stage again! If you’ve been with us before, you know how these go, but for those potential Nerd Nite newbies we’re a social evening with talks, and science revelry hosted by the Rat Detective Dr. Kaylee Byers, and Space Michael Unger.
We’re back with two guests that we featured on our podcast Nerdin’ About that we did 3 seasons of from 2020-2022! Check out their episodes below, abstracts are further down. Seriously we honestly can’t believe we’re back. Can’t wait to get the nerd herd back together!
Global change stressors, such as climate change, pollution, and habitat loss, are altering the structure of ecological communities with significant implications for the functions and services that ecosystems provide. Coastal zones are particularly susceptible to such stressors, yet our collective understanding of the cumulative effects of global change on these systems is limited. Which global change stressors are most common across coastal ecosystems? What are the impacts of these stressors? How can these impacts be mitigated? This talk likely won’t answer any of these questions, but will instead provide an overview of their importance and the research I plan to do moving forward.
My name is Dr. Alex Moore (they/them), and I am an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. I completed my PhD at the Yale School of the Environment where my research focused on how predator-prey interactions impact the health and functioning of wetland ecosystems. At UBC, I am expanding upon on this work by branching out into new wetland ecosystems while exploring the cultural implications of habitat restoration and conservation. Through this work, I hope to engage in the co-creation of knowledge and sustainable solutions with local communities most directly impacted by conservation practice and policies.
2. Dr. Anne-Michelle Tessier – F*ckpuffins and sh*tgibbons: the secret life of new swearwords
By the time you’re an adult, you’ve had decades of experience with your particular language(s)’ words and sound patterns, and you can use that amazingly fine-tuned linguistic experience to perform advanced tasks like inventing new obscene insults for your least favorite people on the internet. As it turns out, English-speaking people have fairly consistent intuitions about which swear words sounds best — but those intuitions rely on our unconscious knowledge of English, and they come from a variety of cognitive sources and biases. What are those sources and biases? Where do they come from? And why is it so satisfying to call someone a sh*tgibbon? … The science of linguistics has answers, and there’s a lot of swearing to be done along the way. (For science.)
Anne-Michelle Tessier is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at UBC. She received her BA from McGill University and her Ph.D. from UMass Amherst; she has also been appointed at the University of Alberta, the University of Michigan and Simon Fraser University. Most of her work focuses on how children learn to sound like native speakers of their language(s) — e.g. why they sometimes say ‘lellow pitchiks’ instead of ‘yellow pictures’ — but sh*tgibbons are one of her favorite professional hobbies.
How is everyone doing with their existential crises these days? If you’ve listened to past episodes you know we’ve got climate change on our collective minds, and in this episode of Nerdin’ About we talk to someone who is tackling this wicked problem with tangible solutions in economics and politics!
Dr. Devyani Singh (she/her) is a Post-Doctoral Economist Fellow working on Energy and Climate policy at the Environmental Defence Fund. Devyani nerds out with us on how she’s integrated economics into climate change solutions and advocacy. We also explore how Devyani is closing the gap between science and policy as she pursues a position in politics. A transcript of the episode can be found here.
Follow Devyani on Twitter and Instagram @Kumari_Devyani and follow her pup Zephyrus @WestCoastPandaBoi
Grab your hip waders and waterproof phone case, because this week we’re getting ‘bog’ged down in wetland ecology! Dr. Alex Moore (they/them), who is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Princeton University High Meadows Environmental Institute, takes us on a journey to coastlines and salt marshes to explore what wetlands are and how species shape these spaces. We also meander to mangroves to marvel at the benefits they provide for people and animals, as well as the threats they face in a warming world.
The ants go marching one by one… but how and also why? In this episode we’re joined by Aaron Fairweather (they/them) a PhD student at the University of Guelph who has been an entomologist for as long as they could hold a crayon. Join us as we learn about how ants are more than just picnic disruptors – they’re farmers, architects, pollinators and so much more! Don’t let their size fool you – they leave a very large footprint on our ecosystems (6 footprints to be exact).
Our clocks have just sprung ahead which means we’re getting closer to sunny days and sweet summer berries! And with the change in seasons comes opportunities for sharing the outdoors with our wild neighbours. But sometimes these interactions can lead to conflict with implications for conservation. This week we talk with PhD Candidate Lauren Eckert (she/her) about her research in conservation science with a particular focus on the curious black bear.
Listen to the episode here or read the transcript here.
Our communities are wild spaces. Even in cities, humans are navigating relationships with wildlife – relationships that are critical to supporting conservation efforts. This week we’re joined by Lauren Eckert (she/her), a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria who studies the intersection between social and ecological systems. From bears to orcas, we explore how conflicts shape our interactions with wildlife and each other. And, we gather some helpful tips to reduce conflict with our fellow adventuring bears. Lauren is also involved with Hidden Compass, which is seeking to tell science stories in new ways. Lauren is also the magical human behind The Witch Podcast, which looks at the legacies and power of women and femmes throughout history and today. So much to cover in such little time, thanks for listening, and bearing with us! A transcript of the episode can be found here:
And we’re back with the second half of Season 3 of the Nerdin’ About pod! We’ve “mist” you, and we’re very excited to get back to what we love most – listening to our favourite people “pour” their hearts out about their work while also trying to come up with as many puns as possible. And who better to “dew” this with than water consultant Alan Shapiro?
Listen to the episode here or read the transcript here!
From rushing rivers to vast oceans, the planet is covered in dancing droplets of water. But even in places where water is abundant, access to clean drinking water isn’t a guarantee, and many of our water-based challenges are likely to increase with climate change. In this episode, water and sustainability consultant Alan Shapiro joins us to talk about what makes water so special, how we manage water in Canada, and why we all need to talk more about water. A transcript of the episode can be found here:
Hold onto your flippin’ butts! We’ve got a new episode for you, all about the linguistics of swearing with Dr. Anne-Michelle Tessier! Listen to the episode here or anywhere you get your podcasts.
Would you rather read than listen? Find a transcript of the episode here.
When was the last time you swore? Maybe you were sitting in traffic, or you stubbed your toe on a stray shoe stranded in the hallway of your home (was that too specific?). While you may be well versed in the classic four-letter words that make up the English swearing vocabulary, in this episode Dr. Anne-Michelle Tessier (she/her) takes us on a phonologic foray of swear words, from sh*t-whistles to a**-badgers. We explore what makes some cursing compounds more compelling and how we’re constantly doing linguistic math, even without thinking about it. A transcript of this episode can be found here:
A new episode of the pod is hot off the audio presses! Join us as we chat with Farah Qaiser all about science for policy, and policy for science! Listen to the episode here.
Have you ever wondered how politicians make decisions using science? Or about how politics shape what’s dissected under the microscope?
This is why we need people like Farah Qaiser (she/her) to better understand the role of policy for science, and science for policy!
Farah is the new Director of Research and Policy at Evidence for Democracy, a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization aimed at promoting the use of evidence in Canada’s decision-making. We explore the changing landscape of science policy and how investmenting in Canada’s scientists impacts our national capacity to ask and answer innovative and creative science questions. We’ll also explore Farah’s dedication to advocating for under-represented scientists in her role as a member of 500 Women Scientists‘ leadership team. A transcript of the episode can be found here.
A new episode of the Nerdin’ About Pod drops tomorrow with Desiree Neilsen, Rd. Episode here.
Open any social media app, and you’re bound to be bombarded with ads and images of “wellness”. But can our health be hyped by adding or removing a single food? What’s the science behind gluten and could a sprinkle of something special support your thyroid? Desiree Nielsen, Registered Dietician, is here to debunk some diet myths and share how taking a more holistic approach rather than subscribing to the latest fad will be more beneficial to our health. A transcript of the episode can be found here: https://bit.ly/3bAQLBz
Find Desiree on her website or on Instagram @desireenielsenrd
Check out Desiree’s podcast The Allsorts Podcast, which covers nutrition science with a roster of very cool guests.
Or try some recipes from Desiree’s cookbook “Eat More Plants” for nutrition-packed plant goodness.
The Nerdin’ About Podcast is back with Season 3! This season we are bringing you ten more conversations with scientists, creators, policy nerds, wildlife detectives, and storytellers. We’ll also be bringing back one of our favourite aspect of in-person events: GIVEAWAYS!
Follow @NerdNIteYVR on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for updates on episodes and to participate in this season’s giveaways.
A big thank you to all of you in the Nerd Herd who have continued to support Nerd Nite by listening to the pod. We’re so grateful to you and this community!
