This is our last Nerd Nite before we take time off for the summer to have fun in the sun and enjoy all of the other amazing events in our city. Check out a sneak peak below.

Where: The Fox Cabaret

When: June 21st 2016; Doors @ 7:00, Talks @ 7:30

Tickets: $7 online

Photos by: www.lindsaysdiet.com

 

#1 Brains Beware: The Ethics of Online Resources About Neuroscience

Julie M. Robillard, PhD

Did you know that eating cheese triggers the same part of your brain as heroin does? That’s just one of the many fascinating brain-related “facts” you might come across online. As more and more nerds people turn to the Internet and social media for science and health information, the accurate reporting of scientific findings is increasingly important but often compromised. Join us as we explore how brain research is both hilariously and tragically represented on online platforms and how online brain health resources can be helpful but also harmful. We will also discuss whether you should eat that piece of cheese.

Bio: Dr. Julie Robillard is Assistant Professor of Neurology at UBC and faculty at the National Core for Neuroethics and the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health. She did a PhD in neuroscience during which she poked at the brains of old mice to study memory and aging. She now probes the minds of older adults in the context of dementia research. Julie is an avid science communicator and advocates for fact over fiction when it comes to brain health.

 

#2  Seeing Helen: Imagining the Face that Launched 1000 Ships

Courtney Ewan

Today’s Hollywood effects make the portrayal of Helen of Troy – known as the most beautiful woman in the world for nearly 3000 years – seem simple. Throw together a skimpy outfit and tanned skin, and suddenly the fact that one woman’s beauty caused a decade long war seems plausible. But how did the Greeks see Helen? How did tragedians in the Golden Age of Athens depict the most beautiful woman in the world while sticking to rigid theatrical convention, including the use of tragic masks and a strict adherence to a male-only cast?  This talk will examine the use and clever manipulation of Athenian dramatic convention in envisioning “The Face that Launched 1000 Ships” in effort to puzzle out what it means to look at the most beautiful woman in the world – both for the ancient Greeks, and for a contemporary audience.

Bio: Courtney Ewan is a Classicist by day, and a musician by night – or perhaps it’s the other way around… Since graduating from McGill University with a Masters of Art degree in Classics in the spring of 2016, you can find Courtney accidentally borrowing lines from Euripidean tragedy as lyrics for her band, Twin River. In September, Courtney will be moving to New York to pursue a PhD at NYU.

#3 INKIN’ Identity: Traditional to Modern

Mayo Landicho

After reaching the village of Kalinga, I assumed the role of protege and learned the ways of tattoo skin tapping and poking techniques used by the last Kalinga tattoo artist in the world. These methods are deeply steeped in history and are passed down through the generations. Through this experience I internalized a deeper and profound understanding of the significance and meaning conferred upon the patterns that were particular to tribal tattooing in that region. In my talk I will give a brief history of Tattoo, my journey to reconnect to my roots, and the role of Tattoo in cultural identity and preserving tradition.

Bio: Mayo Landicho is the owner of Birthmark Tattoos where he works and specialized in modern and traditional tattoos styles. Mayo is known for his use of the hand-tapping technique still used in some areas of the Philippines. Mayo has won a number of awards for his work, including the top prize at the Westcoast Tattoo Show in 2012 and 1st and 2nd Place awards for “Best Tribal” tattoos at the 2015 Urban Tattoo Convention in New York.