Nerd Nite Vancouver

1. Orbital Resonance

Christa Van Laerhoven

We generally think of planets (and the smaller stuff, too) as going about their orbits, minding their own business. In actuality, our Solar System is a giant interact-a-thon, as fellow planetary bodies perturb each other via gravity. I will talk about a kind of interaction called orbital resonance and a way to diagnose that this particular kind of interaction is happening. The cast celestial characters that will help me demonstrate these concepts includes Neptune and everyone’s favourite not-a-planet Pluto.

Bio: Christa Van Laerhoven is a valley girl from Agassiz and a postdoctoral fellow at UBC, studying what she likes to call ‘orbital shenanigans’ (how the orbits of planets, asteroids, and moons can change over time). She has a PhD from the Department of Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona and a B.Sc. from UBC in Physics and Astronomy (Honours).

2. Science Through Storytelling

Kristi Charish

Ask any gamer who’s played the sci-fi video game series Mass Effect about the genophage and they will spin you a tale of a genetically engineered virus that devastates an entire species’ fertility, and then they’ll tell you of the mission they’re on to discover and distribute a cure. So if a video game can convince millions of gamers to engineer a vaccine and release it across the galaxy, why can’t we convince people on earth to vaccinate against measles and take their antibiotics? Are we speaking a different language? Living in an overlapping but parallel universe? Tonight we’ll talk about the power of the narrative and why it works so well. Video games, TV procedurals, films, and even our arch nemesis pseudoscience use the power of the narrative and we can too!

Bio: Kristi is the author of OWL AND THE JAPANESE CIRCUS, an urban fantasy series about a modern-day “Indiana Jane” who reluctantly navigates the hidden supernatural world, and THE VOODOO KILLINGS, an urban fantasy/mystery about a voodoo practitioner living in Seattle with the ghost of a deceased grunge rocker. She writes what she loves; adventure heavy stories featuring strong, savvy female protagonists, pop culture, and the occasional RPG fantasy game thrown in the mix.

Kristi is also a scientist with a BSc and MSc from Simon Fraser University in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and a PhD in Zoology from the University of British Columbia. Her specialties are genetics, cell biology, and molecular biology, all of which she draws upon in her writing.

Twitter: @kristicharish

FB: http://www.facebook.com/KristiCharishAuthor

Website: http://www.kristicharish.com

Instagram: @charishkristi

3. How to Teach a Robot to Walk in Two Simple Steps

Glen Berseth

Moving around in our world is a very important skill. It allows us to get to the bar so we can order drinks, or get to the bathroom after too many trips to the bar. In my talk, I will first describe the hand-holding process needed to get a robot to take its first steps. After a robot can walk I will describe what comes next when a new robot parent sets his child free to explore in a simulated world.

Bio: Glen Berseth is a PhD candidate in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia where he works in the Motion Control and Character Animation group. He received his BSc degree in Computer Science from York University in 2012 and his MSc from York University in 2014 for optimization and authoring crowd simulations. Glen is almost complete his PhD and will be starting a PostDoc at Berkeley where he will continue to force robots to do his bidding.

Does anyone remember “The Six Million Dollar Man” or the spin-off “The Bionic Woman? If not you probably have heard the catch phrase “We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better…stronger…faster.” The show even has a sweet premise: “After a severely injured astronaut is rebuilt with nuclear powered limbs and implants, he serves as an intelligence agent.” !!! The problem though is that even if you have nostalgic feelings of this show as a kid, in today’s world it’s practically unwatchable. Technologies dreamed in stories back then rarely translated well to a live-action show or movie mainly because the fictional technologies were too far beyond real life technological capabilites. The Scientific-technical revolution from the 1940’s to the 1970’s laid the groundwork for some amazing science fiction, but only recently have some of these technologies started to become reality which is why the tech sector in society today has become so robust and exciting.

Nerd Nite is proud to go on a special field trip to the #BCTECHSummit sponsored by Unbounce, where we’ll hear from three tech nerds to share their stories! If you’re never been to Nerd Nite before, we’re short nerdy talks with drinks. It’s a casual learning and drinking environment!

Where: Unbounce (400-401 West Georgia St)

When: Tuesday March 12th; Doors @ 7, show starts @ 7:30

Tickets: Eventbrite

 

1. The Crossroads Between Data & Baking

Claire Son

Claire Son is a born and raised Calgarian and made the move to Vancouver in 2015. She is the Data Analyst Lead here at Unbounce where she helps Unbouncers understand the impact of their work by uncovering data insights, all while spreading data best practices and knowledge company wide. Claire has been involved in a number of data projects ranging from deep dive analyses to enterprise data migrations and loves to empower people with data.

Bio: When Claire isn’t spending her time on a data problem she’s either travelling the world, playing video games or baking. Claire is an avid baker and recently joined the Pastry Team at Terra Breads.

2. Nonprofits: Why we love them, and hate them. (But mostly love them)

Najeed Kassam

The nonprofit sector is misunderstood and underappreciated. And while it’s important to ask questions and value accountability, our society has to understand how nonprofits operate to truly evaluate them. Join Nejeed Kassam, founder of Keela and the Better Canada Initiative, to discuss the nonprofit sector, its role in civil society, and the gap that exists between what most donors believe and the reality of nonprofit work.
We’ll even tackle the question: Should people who work in nonprofits be paid for their work? (Spoiler alert: absolutely.)

Bio: Najeed Kassam is the CEO and founder of Keela – an impact technology company, dedicated to empowering small non-profits with accessible software. He was educated at McGill University (B.A.) and Osgoode Hall Law School (JD). Called to the Bar in Ontario in 2015 and in British Columbia in 2017, Nejeed is also the founder of the Better Canada Initiative. He is the former Executive Director of both End Poverty Now and Conversations for Change. Nejeed is a global innovator with experience working for the United Nations and the Senate of Canada. He is the author of the book ‘High on Life’ (foreword written by former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien) and the co-producer of the documentary, ‘Conversations for Change’. Nejeed sits on a number of start-up and non-profit advisory boards, has spoken at conferences around the world, and is currently a member of the Global Shapers Community (World Economic Forum) and a fellow at the Royal Society of the Arts in the UK.

3. On Being a Female Tech CEO

Maraym Sadeghi

When you think of tough nuts to crack in the CEO business world what comes to mind? Being a first-time CEO? Being a female CEO? Being a technical CEO? I’d like to share my experience of having fun combining all of them together. Saying any one of these things is difficult would be the understatement of the decade!. If you are a first-time CEO, not many will trust you. If you are a female, there are some prejudices you’ll face whether you like it or not. Coming from a technical background means you don’t have the business eye and training- but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn it! Join me on my journey in discovering how it’s less about what you know (and more about what you don’t know) and how you plan to manage that so you can make your dreams come true!

Bio: In 2012, Maryam founded MetaOptima Technology Inc. in Vancouver, Canada, where MoleScope and DermEngine were developed for intelligent dermatology, smart skin imaging, analytics and management. The company was one of 10 that were shortlisted for the 2013 BCIC New Ventures Competition, and won a $40,000 Wavefront Wireless prize package. In 2014, Dr. Sadeghi also won the Venture Prize from Coast Capital Savings.

Poster by: Armin Mortazavi IG: @armin_mortazavi

Where: The Fox Cabaret

When: Wednesday January 23rd; Doors @ 7, show starts @ 7:30

Tickets: Eventbrite

1. Radon

Anne-Marie Nicol 

Bio: Anne-Marie Nicol is an associate professor in Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and a Knowledge Translation Scientist at the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health (NCCEH). Anne-Marie began her academic career in the social sciences at SFU (Communications BA) and then developed a strong interest in environmental and occupational health during her Master’s degree at York University (MES). She completed her PhD in Epidemiology at UBC. At SFU, she teaches Human Health Risk Assessment as well as Health Communication and Public Health Toxicology.

2. Becoming an Astronaut

Michael Koehle 

Bio: Michel is a Physician-Scientist and Associate Professor, practising Sport and Exercise Medicine – Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Clinic at the University of British Columbia / Director of the Environmental Physiology Laboratory – University of British Columbia – My job is a mix of research, teaching and clinical medicine. Our research group’s main research area is studying the human adaptation to different environments.

3. Kate McLeod 

Prison Health

Bio: Kate joined the Collaborating Centre for Prison Health and Education in September 2017. She is currently the evaluator on a 5-year project focused on participatory approaches to preventing sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections among federally incarcerated men in BC. Kate is pursuing her PhD at UBC in the School of Population and Public Health and is one of UBC’s Public Scholars.

Happy Solstice Nerds! 2018 has been a wonderful one for Nerd Nite. On one hand we watched Kaylee take her science career to the next level by going to Sri Lanka, but we also got to see so many amazing co-hosts save Michael from making a fool of himself. So just like last year we’re inviting all of our speakers, and guest hosts back to our show to celebrate a year of nerdiness. We’re going to have a nice nerd time with them, and we’d like all of you to be there too. A few of them will be taking the stage to play POWERPOINT ROULETTE. They’ll be coming up to deliver short presentations they will have never seen before. Last year was a blast, and we have some spots left for eager audience members to play too! Email us at

Where: The Fox Cabaret

When: Wednesday December 19th; Doors @ 7, show starts @ 7:30

Tickets: Eventbrite

On Nov. 21st 1953, the 40-year-long hoax of the Piltdown Man ended when the British Museum revealed that it was a “perfectly executed and carefully prepared fraud.” The Piltdown forgery was essentially a recently deceased humanid head that was deformed by disease, and the lower jaw was replaced with that of an orangatan.

Now on Nov.21st 2018 you may find yourself out somewhere hearing a tale that may be as tall (or as small) as the Piltdown Man. Your initial reaction may be to shout it down, but if there’s anything that a good scientficially minded community knows is that the best way to shout down a tall tale, is to find the truth through evidence. Now on this particular day if you come to the Fox Cabaret you are unlikely to hear tales of the Piltdown Man, but you will find like-minded individuals that do share this philosophy of fact based evidence. By gathering together in a casual way over beers, and sharing stories of our passions, it’s our celebration of everything we hold dear: science, drinks, and good friends. Welcome to Nerd Nite.

Where: The Fox Cabaret

When: Wednesday November 21st; Doors @ 7, show starts @ 7:30

Tickets: Eventbrite

1. Modelling Tumours

Erin Marshall

Bio: Erin is a PhD student at the BC Cancer Research Centre who spends most of her time studying the genomes of lung tumours and figuring out why they exist in the first place. Though she loves the lab, she also enjoys running, hiking, and teaching kids about genetics. She is also a dedicated helicopter-cat-mom to Oliver.

2. Spider butts and spit glands: Adventures in working with Galleria mellonella silk

Mary Glasper 

Remember those plastic-eating worms in the news last year? I work with those! One summer, while working in an entomology lab, my supervisor asked, “Have you ever looked at Galleria silk? It’s really strong and they produce a TON of it.” Suddenly, a master’s thesis was born, where I investigated the properties of Galleria silk for its use in textiles. Galleria mellonella, a.k.a. the greater wax moth, is a pest of beehives and is also a popular model organism for the study of medically significant mammalian pathogens. In this presentation, I’ll show you how to collect, process, and characterize this silk as a textile fibre. Could it be a viable alternative to spider silk? Come and find out! Spoiler: I don’t feed them plastic.

Bio: Mary Glasper has been a fan of our many-legged friends and of fibres for as long as she can remember, and has professional experience in both Entomology and Textile Science. It’s only natural that she would combine both of her interests by studying how insects create fibres! She has a BSc in Biological Sciences & Human Ecology from the University of Alberta, and recently finished her MSc in Textile Science. Mary moved to Vancouver last winter and is now a Materials Developer at Arc’teryx Equipment.

3.  Painting on the Moon

Michael Markowsky

Back in 2008, Artist Michael Markowsky publicly announced his goal to stand on the surface of the moon and make a painting, by January 1st 2030.

In pursuit of that goal, he travelled to the North Pole in 2013 with the Royal Canadian Air Force and made landscape paintings outside in the -40oC weather, and then in 2014 became the first person to make drawings while flying faster than the speed of sound in a CF-18 “Hornet” jet plane. That project was documented in the 2015 film Markowsky Draws in a Fighter Plane (Directed by Michael Peterson).

Follow his project on Facebook @PaintOnTheMoon

#TheFlightHasJustBegun
#PaintOnTheMoon

Bio: Michael Markowsky is an award-winning artist and writer who makes drawings, paintings and books about the landscapes and people he meets while travelling around the world. As an official Canadian “War Artist,” he made drawings in an F-18 “Hornet” fighter jet while flying faster than the speed of sound, and was the first person to make a painting while standing at the North Pole.

Poster by: Armin Mortazavi

IG: armin.scientoonist

In 1957, the month of October would change the world forever. On the 4th of that month Sputnik 1 was launched into orbit around planet Earth, our first artificial satellite. It orbited for three weeks among the heavens and in doing so ushered an era of human exploration of the cosmos. Does the month of October affect you in anyway? Do you think of the kids from October Sky and how Sputnik changed their lives? (Is Jake Gyllenhaal cute? Do we like him?) Perhaps you’re one that celebrates the lead up for all Hallows’ Eve? Perhaps we should heed the advice of the one Albert Einstein which on this day Oct.24th, and his theory of happiness, which he wrote on a napkin, was sold at an auction. It reads as follows:

“A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.”

With that to ponder we bring you another Nerd Nite, one which it’s co-founder Kaylee Byers makes her return. You think she’s going to talk about rats? Hell yeah. You think she’s going to tell us what she was up to in Sri Lanka? Hell to Sputnik yeah. But that’s just the start, as we have three amazing speakers to launch Nerd Nite back for another season. Let’s drink and science!

Where: The Fox Cabaret

When: Wednesday October 24th; Doors @ 7, show starts @ 7:30

Tickets: Eventbrite

1. More Than Words

Sadhvi Saxena

Imagine you want to say “I love you,” but you can’t actually speak the words. Imagine you have a gluten allergy, but you can’t read the ingredient list. Imagine that this happens all of the time, despite the fact that your intelligence, thoughts and consciousness are intact. Some stroke and brain injury survivors have to deal with this frustration everyday, because they have what is known as aphasia. Aphasia hinders one’s ability to speak, write and understand both written and verbal language. This talk will introduce the audience to the diversity of aphasia, it will discuss the brain and aphasia research from a clinical perspective, and it will delve into innovative methods for aphasia treatment.

Bio: Sadhvi is a shameless lover of broken brains. For 8 years, she has been researching brain injury, dementia, and the use of noninvasive brain stimulation to study and treat brain disorders. She also develops personalized, continued, and affordable rehabilitation for speech and cognition. She received her M.S. in Clinical Investigation from Boston University and her M.H.S at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

2. Cannabis

Emma Andrews

Bio: Natural Health + Cannabis Strategy Consultant, Educator & Speaker | New Product Development Professional (NPDP), Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN)

 

3. Learning the Hard Way: How the Brain Controls Movement in an Uncertain World

Amanda Bakkum

In a world that’s constantly changing, how is it that we are able to navigate our environment with relative ease? Well, our nervous system has an awesome ability to adapt how we move to the changing world around us, and it does so with seemingly little effort. It’s often only when we experience a significant change that affects or impairs our movement, that we become fully aware of how complex this system actually is. I will be discussing how the brain learns and adapts our movement to changes in the environment. And like most things in life, sometimes we have to learn the hard way.

Bio: Amanda completed her undergraduate and master’s degree in South Africa, where she specialized in physical rehabilitation and gained a great appreciation for the resilience of the human body. She later moved to Vancouver, with her dog, Dudley, to pursue her academic career aspirations at Simon Fraser University. Amanda’s chosen field for her PhD research is sensorimotor control and learning. She investigates the factors that affect how the human body adapts to our environment to gain a better understanding of how the brain learns.

While at SFU, Amanda has developed a passion for science communication and has subsequently started a neuroscience blog called Dudley Describes: Neuroscience in a Muttshell. Her blog describes basic neuroscience concepts using her dog, Dudley, to help make this field more accessible, fun and relatable to the general public. It also allows her to take copious amounts of pictures of her dog… for science, of course.

Poster by: Armin Mortazavi

IG: armin.scientoonist

Curiosity Collider + Nerd Nite Vancouver + Science Slam Canada join to celebrate Science Literacy Week

Special Guest talk by Dr. Carin Bondar – Biologist with a Twist!

When: September 18th, Doors @ 6:30

Where: The Rio Theatre

Tickets: Eventbrite

You like science? You like drinking while sciencing? In Vancouver there are many options to get educated and inspired through science, art, and culture in a casual bar setting outside of universities. There’s Nerd Nite which focuses on nerdy lectures in the Fox Cabaret, Curiosity Collider which creates events that bring together artists and scientists, and Science Slam, a poetry slam-inspired science communication competition!

In this third installment of” et al.”, we’re making the show bigger than ever. We want people to know all about the bar science nights in Vancouver, but we also want to connect all you nerds together as we build this community. We encourage you to COME DRESSED AS YOUR FAVOURITE SCIENTIST. We will give away prizes to the best costumes, plus it’s a great ice breaker. We’re also encouraging science based organizations to get involved in the show by promoting your institution. Contact us at if your science organization would like to contribute to the show with some giveaways, you will get a free ticket, if you don’t have anything to give away, contact us anyway, we want this to be a celebration of science nights in Vancouver!

Dr. Carin Bondar is a biologist, author and philosopher. Bondar is author of the books Wild Sex and Wild Moms (Pegasus). She is writer and host of online series based on her books (Wild Sex and Wild Moms) which have garnered over 100,000,000 views.  Her TED talk on the subject has nearly 3 million views.  She is host of several TV series including Worlds Oddest Animal Couples (Animal Planet, Netflix), Stephen Hawking’s Brave New World (Discovery World HD, National Geographic) and Outrageous Acts of Science (The Science Channel).  Bondar is an adventurer and explorer, having discovered 11 new species of beetles and snails in the remote jungles of Borneo.  Bondar is also a mom of 4 kids, two boys and two girls.

Curiosity Collider Art Science Foundation promotes interdisciplinary collaborations that capture natural human curiosity. At the intersection of art, culture, technology, and humanity are innovative ways to communicate the daily relevance of science. Though exhibitions, performance events and our quarterly speaker event, the Collider Cafe we help create new ways to experience science.

In our opinion, there has never been a better time to be a Nerd! Nerd Nite is an event which is currently held in over 60 cities worldwide! The formula for each Nerd Nite is pretty standard – 20 minute presentations from three presenters each night, in a laid-back environment with lots to learn, and lots to drink!

Science Slam YVR is a community outreach organization committed to supporting and promoting science communication in Vancouver. Our Science Slams are informal competitions that bring together researchers, students, educators, and communicators to share interesting science in creative ways. Every event is different, with talks, poems, songs, dances, and unexpected surprises. Our only two rules? Each slammer has 5 minutes, and no slideshows are allowed! Slammers come to share their science, and the judges and audience decide their fate. Who will take away the title of Science Slam champion?

Well here we are, the planet is tilting back towards the sun, and lo and behold here in our north-west corner of the continent it’s actually warming the weather. Granted there is that thing that’s warming the entire planet, but as good science communicators we know there’s a big difference between weather and climate right? In this month of June, named for the Roman God Juno, we have our final Nerd Nite before we take our summer hiatus. This month we have one of UBC’s top instructors, zoologist Greg Bole co-hosting with Michael on the topics of Quantum Computing, Science Communication, and Planet Formation. We’re hitting science hard this month, but this is no university lecture, this is science with beer and friends, get in here!

Where: The Fox Cabaret

When: Wednesday June 20th; Doors @ 7, show starts @ 7:30

Tickets: Eventbrite

This month we feature:

1. Nik Hartman- “Quantum Computing”

2. David Ng – “Science Communication”

3. Nienke Van Der Marel – “Planet Formation”

May the Twenty-Third Be With Us! And it will be with us to celebrate all the nerdy things that you hold dear. This month we have enlisted the talents of another top-notch host who has been putting on amazing gender bending shows in this city including Man Up! They graced the Nerd Nite stage last year to talk about Gender Peformance, now they help Michael bring us into the cat days of spring. Join us, maybe dress your gender bending best!

Where: The Fox Cabaret

When: Wednesday May 23rd; Doors @ 7

Tickets: Eventbrite

1. Do Androids Dream of Electric Tenure?

Jake Lever

With the rise of AI, will the robots replace graduate students and one day become professors? Could they be making the discoveries of tomorrow in science and health care? I’ll be talking about how computers process language, whether they can understand it and what this might mean for the future.

Bio: Jake is a UBC PhD student in Bioinformatics at the Genome Sciences Centre. He spends his time teaching computers to read papers so his colleagues don’t need to read as many. This helps to find the meaning of mutations in cancer and guide treatments. He still thinks that Perfect Dark is the greatest game ever made.

2. History of Drag

Nadine Boulay

Bio: Nadine Boulay is a PhD student at Simon Fraser University in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. Researcher of queer history, amateur at all things digital humanities, oral historian, and doctoral candidate living on unceded Coast Salish territories.

3. Conservation Finance

Devyani Kumari

Bio: Devyani is a Ph.D. candidate in Forest Resource Management at the Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on the intersection of household energy access, climate change, forest sustainability, and payments for ecosystem services. Devyani is passionate about working on science-policy issues and seeing an impact on local communities worldwide.