Nerd Nite A2 #87: Lasers, Light, and Llamas!

Oh, hey there Nerds, fancy meeting you here! We really had a great time last month when we met up at LIVE. Do you think you might want to do it again? How about Thursday, March 14 back at LIVE (102. S. First St)? Oh good, it’s a date! See you there!

Doors open at 6:30 pm, talks start at 7 pm and as always, there’s no cover charge!

We’ll kick things off with Mike Gould and go Through Time and Space with Illuminatus Lasers! Mike will explore the last decade of laser shows in Ann Arbor at FoolMOON. Get an up-close look at these interactive laser displays be they against the wall of science or various buildings downtown. You *might* even have the chance to play with a laser or two in the breaks throughout the evening’s Nerd Nite!

A victim of his own artistic tendencies, Mike is a Michigan-based laser, graphics, video, and electronics artist. Mike has been gleefully working with lasers, wacky electro-optic gizmos, assorted digital arts, and odd industrial design since 1972. He is still trying to get it right. You can find him at https://illuminatuslasers.com/

Keeping it on the light side (get it? GET IT?), we have Saaj Chattopadhyay with How I ask molecules what their political leanings are (with the help of gold echo chambers). Do molecules have political tendencies? Okay, no, they don’t, but just like people’s politics, molecules “handedness” leans to either the right or the left. When they interact with twisted light near gold nanoparticles, their “leaning” is amplified and scientists like Saaj are studying individual molecules to understand their leaning to make bio-sensors!

Saaj is a graduate student at the University of Michigan who is fascinated by how much we can understand about the world by looking at how light interacts with it. She spends a lot of time in a dark room hoping that the small gold particles she is looking at will do something cool and interesting.

We hope you’ve still got small things on the brain because it’s time for Nerd Nite on Nanobodies: Llamas + Science + Tech! Oh My! What are these tiny little proteins called nanobodies and what do llamas have to do with it? Mary Skinner from the Taubman Nanobody Initiative at the University of Michigan will be discussing this promising new field of research and the potential it brings for new tools in therapeutics and research. 

Mary is the Research Lead at the Taubman Nanobody Initiative and has been working in the molecular biology field for 15 years, managing laboratories at the University of Michigan since 2012.  She was the first ever winner of the Best Lab Manager Award throughout North America and Europe in 2016. 

Nerd Nite A2 #86: Safety, Solar Eclipses, and Super-Thin Material!

February blues got you down? Well, your pal Nerd Nite A2 is here and ready to pump you back up! Come out out on THURSDAY, February 8 at LIVE at 102. S. First St!! Doors open at 6:30 pm, talks start at 7 pm and as always, there’s no cover charge!

Don’t learn safety by accident: Safety from a Safety Manager’s Perspective! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, except for workplace accidents which can leave you with a lifelong disability. Join Samuel Friedman for a short and quick overview about safety and what you can do to be more aware!

Samuel is a two time graduate of the University of Michigan and currently works as the Safety and Occupational Health Manager at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Ann Arbor. His hobbies include ceasing to exist when you’re not paying attention.

Total Eclipse: Is it really that big of a deal? We all get it right? The Moon is going to move in front of the Sun and block the light for a few minutes, and everyone makes a big fuss about it. This talk by Buddy Stark will try to convince you that it’s worth driving two hours and spending a day of your life to go see it happen.

Buddy manages the planetarium at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Natural History. He has been working in the planetarium field educating school groups and the public about astronomy since 2008. He holds a master’s degree in science education and is working on his Ph.D. at Western Michigan University.

Two-dimensional Materials, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Do Physics Like A Third Grader. In the last 20 years, 2D materials – the thinnest substances in the world – have gone from a niche theory to a full, vibrant field in physics, chemistry, and materials science. Joseph Essman is going to dive into the shockingly simple way they were discovered and the dizzying array of new experiments and technologies they make possible.

Joseph is a PhD Candidate in Applied Physics at the University of Michigan, studying the quantum mechanics of 2-dimensional materials at ultra-low temperatures. He spends most of his free time adjusting to Michigan winters and calling his parents to ask if his cat is doing ok.

Nerd Nite A2 #85 Making a Difference, the Mystery of Chlamydia, and a Machine Learning Primer

Whether your New Years Resolution is to learn more, to laugh more, or even to drink more, Nerd Nite is HERE for you! We’re kicking 2024 off right with another Nerd Nite THURSDAY, January 11 at LIVE at 102. S. First St!! Doors open at 6:30 pm, talks start at 7 pm and as always, there’s no cover charge!

Nerd Nite: where politics and gaming intersect! We’ll start things off with Changing the World and Why ‘Island’ is the Best Card in Magic the Gathering with State Senator Jeff Irwin (MI-15). Sen. Irwin will share his experience and knowledge of the local politics that impact us, his policy priorities, and why “Island” is the best card in Magic the Gathering.

Sen. Irwin was raised in Sault Ste. Marie, but his family made Washtenaw County their home. He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, Kathryn, and their two children, Sylvia and Mackinac. Prior to being elected to the State Senate in 2018, he served 11 years on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners and 6 years in the Michigan House of Representatives.

From there, we’ll switch gears to Unraveling the unknown… about Chlamydia. Chlamydia is the highest reported sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States and is caused by bacteria, Chlamydia trachomatis. Since chlamydial infections often show no symptoms, they frequently go untreated, and existing treatment options not only target Chlamydia, but also attack ‘essential bacteria’, contributing to antibiotic resistance. Scientists need to understand how the bacteria causes the disease and how it goes undetected. However, the major bottleneck in understanding chlamydial biology is that the function of genes in the chlamydial genome or genetic material, remains a mystery. Srishti Baid will share how her University of Kansas study worked to help unravel this mystery.

Srishti is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan. Her current research focuses on blood clotting mechanisms and protein transport inside the cell. She got her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Kansas, where she studied factors important for disease-causing ability in Chlamydia. In her free time, Srishti is involved in different science communication endeavors and outreach efforts, and enjoys traveling and trying new things.

Tired of sitting out the conversations about OpenAI and ChatGPT? Learn something meaningful to contribute with The Machines are Learning; Why aren’t we?: A short look into how AI and ML are shaping our lives. The past year has been an absolute cyclone of artificial intelligence news. Frank Murphy will look at the many ways that machine learning already weaves through our daily life. Then, he’ll review the latest advancements in the field and touch on some possible individual and societal impacts. He’ll conclude with a few proposals for how we could shape these coming changes.

Frank escaped the Land of Forever Hot (Florida) to study at Michigan Tech and considers himself a Michigan convert. One of his teeth is backwards, but he otherwise is a relatively modern person. He works for an ML startup and resides in Ann Arbor with his wife Emily, who he definitely did not bribe to get a speaker slot for his talk.

Nerd Nite A2 #84: Microplastics, Making Your Point, and the Magic of Spit

It’s NERD NITE A2 ALL OVER AGAIN! Do they ever stop? Yes, we are taking December off. Thank you so much for asking.

But before that, join us THURSDAY, November 9 at LIVE at 102. S. First St for the last NNA2 of 2023!! Doors open at 6:30 pm, talks start at 7 pm and as always, there’s no cover charge! Just bring a friend, grab a drink, and find a seat and we’ll wow with you the expertise of our amazing speaker lineup!

Microplastics are tiny bits of plastic no bigger than a pencil eraser, and they’re worryingly ubiquitous here on our little blue planet. We’ll take to the skies with Rebecca Parham in A Plastic Predicament: Are There Microplastics in the Air We Breathe? to better understand microplastics’ potential health impacts when inhaled, and who may be affected most. 

Rebecca is a graduate student in the doctoral program at the University of Michigan’s Department of Chemistry and studies air quality from an atmospheric chemistry perspective. Some of her favorite pastimes are reading and hanging out at the library, doing anything outdoorsy, and dreaming of one day having a dog.

In the just-in-time department: Matthew Facciani will help us consider How to Have More Productive Political Conversations At Thanksgiving. He’ll share five strategies that may very well be worth magic-markering onto your arm for later ease of use… decide for yourself, but come prepared!

Matthew is a sociologist at the University of Notre Dame, where he studies political polarization, misinformation, and media literacy. His forthcoming book, Misguided, describes how our identities and personal networks impact our susceptibility to misinformation and what we can do about it.

Could the Nite get more unbelievable? How about a neuroscientist talking about saliva? Believe it! Deanna Cannizzaro will give us the Salivary Sensory Scoop: neurons and the salivary glands are intertwined. Deanna will dig into the unseen role of sensory neurons in these glands… with relish.

Deanna is a PhD candidate at U of M studying how sensory neurons influence the salivary glands to promote healthy saliva and protect the mouth from disease and deterioration. When not in the lab, you can find her reading, writing, or hiking with her husband and dog.

Nerd Nite A2 #83: Geolocation, Germ Resilience, & Graveyard Evolution!

Whether or not you’re one of those people whose weekend starts on a Thursday, what better way to celebrate than with Nerd Nite: NOW ON THURSDAY NIGHTS (NITES?!?!)! That’s right! Amble over to LIVE (102 S. 1st Street) at 7pm on Thursday, October 12 for an excellent evening of Nerd Nite goodness and start that last part of your week off right!

First, Gregg Saldutti Jr. gets us situated with Finding Their Bearings: How to Google Your Way Through Geolocation. He’ll show us how to geo- and chrono-locate images using open-source tools and techniques—and also suggest why finding the when and the where of photos might be useful beyond just impressing your friends.

Gregg is a geographer, bike rider and computer nerd who can attribute most of his success (both personal and professional) to being good at internet searches.

Then we’ll find out How Germs Live to Fight Another Day from Achala Chittor. Do you know disease-causing bacteria can survive antibiotic treatment by modifying their trash chutes to expel antibiotics? Achala does, and she’ll teach us all about it!

Achala is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan in the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology department. She grew up in Portland, Oregon, and received her bachelor’s degree from Williams College in 2015 and her PhD from Harvard in 2021.

Things take a turn to the macabre (or will they?!) when Sexton Leif Laufeyarsen takes us through The Evolution of the Cemetery. Learn about the difference between a cemetery and the graveyard (did you even know there was one?) as Sexton takes us through the shift from graveyard to cemetery and some surprising activities that took place in those early cemeteries. He promises it won’t get (too) gross!

Leif has a degree in history and has presented at tours, museums, and cemeteries in South Eastern Michigan and South Eastern France. He has also been known to roam the countryside looking for lost cemeteries, usually with success.

Nerd Nite A2 #82: Bonefish, Reading Across the 50 States, and the History of Krypton!

The final weeks of summer may be upon us, but at least that means that we’ve reached the time for September’s Nerd Nite!!! Whether fall is in the air, or we’re getting the last dregs of a heat wave, LIVE on a Nerd Nite is always the coolest place to be! So put Wednesday, September 13 at 7pm in your calendar and meet us at LIVE (102 S. 1st Street)!

Have you heard of the Bonefish: Florida’s fish worth $3500 a year that NO ONE can eat? We hadn’t either, but luckily we’ve got John Heider to teach us all about Florida’s bonefish population, what makes them and their habitat unique and worth preserving, and how the purely recreational, catch-and-release fishery for the “Grey Ghost of the Flats” brings in an estimated half billion dollars a year for the Sunshine State.

John is a photojournalist, freelance writer, kayaker and fisher (sometimes both at once). He is the sole proprietor and owner of Ann Arbor’s only Confuse-A-Cat business.

Surabhi Balachander will take us on a journey of Reading the 50 states in 2023. Surabhi is intentionally reading a book about or set in each U.S. state, one book a week, going through the states in alphabetical order—as of now, she’s up to Nebraska! Surabhi will incorporate insights from her background as a scholar of multiethnic and rural American literature to discuss the goals of this project and focus on some of her favorites.  

Surabhi is a PhD candidate in English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan, where she studies rurality, race, and environment in American literature from 1920-2020. In her spare time, she reviews books and talks about how much she loves AADL on Instagram @surabhi.reading.

Modern depictions of Superman’s home planet are generally quite serious and sterile, but it wasn’t always that way. Scott Vertical is thrilled to share vibrant stories of The History of Krypton that have been unheard for generations!

Scott is the Morning Host on Ann Arbor’s 107one and has been collecting comics for over 40 years. His collection includes a complete run of ActionComics from 1985 – 2011. He thinks Batman needs to get over it already.

Nerd Nite A2 #81 Building Neighborhood Ecosystems, Killer Bacteria, and Finding Exoplanets!

What’s better than ONE Nerd Nite at LIVE? Why, it’s returning there as our regular venue, of course! That’s right, folks, Nerd Nite and LIVE are back together and better than ever! Celebrate the reunion of Ann Arbor’s nerdiest “it couple” (or as much of a couple as an event and a nightclub can be) by coming to A2NN #81 on Wednesday, August 9 at 7pm at LIVE (102 S. 1st Street)!

We’ll start things off learning to Recreate a Functioning Ecosystem in Your Neighborhood. So the world is falling to pieces, eh? Let’s grab those pieces and put’m back together. William Kirst of Adapt will show you how.

William is the founder of Adapt Community Supported Ecology and Adapt Landscapes. He’s fairly optimistic that we humans can do this.

Get ready to dive into the world of bacteriology and microorganisms! In Killer Klebsiella: The Bacterium You Need to Know About, Lavinia Unverdorben will teach you enough to become an “honorary microbiologist” before exploring the dangerous yet fascinating bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Lavinia is a PhD student at UofM studying risk factors associated with bacterial gut colonization and infection. When not in the lab, you can find Lavinia at a local CrossFit gym or hanging out with her cat, Teddy.

We’ll close out the night with Finding Exoplanets, Fixing the Drake Equation. Jim Ottaviani will show how we detect exoplanets and share what we have found so far. As a bonus, he’ll also touch on “The Drake Equation: the most famous way to estimate if ETs are really out there. It’s old enough to get Social Security and could use an update. Let’s fix it together!

Jim is a NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassador (SSA), a comic book writer, a retired librarian, and a former nuclear engineer.

Cancelled::: Nerd Nite A2 #81 Making a Difference in Local Politics, Reading Across the U.S. and the History of Cemeteries!

Unfortunately, due to a SOLIDLY green radar and a (YIPES) 90% chance of heavy thunderstorms at the EXACT TIME our outdoor event is scheduled to start, we’re cancelling tonight’s Nerd Nite. Stay tuned and see these wonderful speakers at future months, and stay dry and safe tonight!

It’s patio season!! Time to sit relax outside with a cool beverage, enjoy the company of fellow nerds, and maybe even learn something new at the same time! That’s right, it’s time for the lo-tech “Summer Vacation” edition at Nerd Nite on the Patio at York (1928 Packard). Join us there at 7pm on Wed. July 12!

We’ll kick things off learning about Changing the World and Why ‘Island’ is the Best Card in Magic the Gathering with State Senator Jeff Irwin (MI-15). Sen. Irwin will share his experience and knowledge of the local politics that impact us, his policy priorities, and why “Island” is the best card in Magic the Gathering. Sen. Irwin was raised in Sault Ste. Marie, but his family made Washtenaw County their home. He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, Kathryn, and their two children, Sylvia and Mackinac. Prior to being elected to the State Senate in 2018, he served 11 years on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners and 6 years in the Michigan House of Representatives.

Surabhi Balachander will take us on a journey of Reading the 50 states in 2023. Surabhi is intentionally reading a book about or set in each U.S. state, one book a week, going through the states in alphabetical order—as of now, she’s up to Nebraska! Surabhi will incorporate insights from her background as a scholar of multiethnic and rural American literature to discuss the goals of this project and focus on some of her favorites.  

Surabhi is a PhD candidate in English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan, where she studies rurality, race, and environment in American literature from 1920-2020. In her spare time, she reviews books and talks about how much she loves AADL on Instagram @surabhi.reading.

Things take a turn to the macabre (or will they?!) when Sexton Leif Laufeyarsen takes us through The Evolution of the Cemetery. Learn about the difference between a cemetery and the graveyard (did you even know there was one?) as Sexton takes us through the shift from graveyard to cemetery and some surprising activities that took place in those early cemeteries. He promises it won’t get (too) gross!

Leif is a volunteer docent and master chef at Cobblestone Farms.

Nerd Nite A2 #80: Nature’s Navigator, Revisiting Goldilocks and an Oddball Instrument!

Summer in Ann Arbor … it’s here folks! And what a better way to celebrate the true beginning of summer than with an EXTRA-AMAZING Nerd Nite at Ann Arbor Summerfest! Guess what, that’s exactly what we’re doing on Wednesday, June 21 at 7pm!

Join us at the Annex at Top of the Park (915 E. Washington St.) for an evening of Nerdy Delights! (Want more info about how to get there and where to park? Check out A2SF’s FAQ)

Have you ever wondered what your drunk self, Holartic wildfowl and Glen Campbell can teach us about how the brain makes maps? Then meet Chloe Rybicki-Kler and Get Lost in the wild world of the Retrosplenial Cortex, nature’s ‘Navigator Extraordinaire!

Chloe is a Michigan Alum and a 4th Year Candidate in the PIBS Neuroscience Program. Her research focuses on the cholinergic and serotonergic of retrosplenial spatial navigation circuits in health and neurodegenerative disease.

Why do we keep retelling a story about a felonious blonde, some bears, and a frankly terrible breakfast? Join Amir Baghdadchi for So Wrong It’s “Just Right”: The Bewildering Story Mechanics of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” We’ll revisit this legendary cottage in the woods and discover how “The Three Bears” doesn’t just violate the thermodynamic laws of porridge cooling, it flouts everything we’re taught about proper storytelling.

Amir is a writer, comedian, and host of The Moth StorySLAM in Ann Arbor. He has appeared at Pickathon Festival and on the Moth Radio Hour, and he actually really does live in a cottage deep in the pines, but prefers room temperature muesli.

“Hey, you got your tuba in my vintage synthesizer!” “No, you got your vintage synthesizer IN MY TUBA!” Guess we’d better Journey to the Center of the Sousaloopaphone. The Sousaloopaphone is part loop pedal, part vintage synth, part sega genesis, and 100% PURE TUBA. Come hear Eli Neiburger its hapless inventor detail the mistakes that led to such an abomination.

Eli plays most woodwinds, a little brass, and a lot of Kerbal Space Program. He is the instigator of the Nintendoland Family Band and can frequently be found in the Director’s office at the Downtown Library.

Want to put more Nerd Nite on your calendar? (OF COURSE you do!) We’ve got LOTS of great Nerd Nites coming up!

Wed. June 21, 7pm, The Annex at A2 Summerfest
Wed. July 12, 7pm, York
Wed. Aug. 9, 7pm, LIVE
Wed. Sept. 13, 7pm, LIVE
Wed. Oct. 11, 7pm, LIVE

Nerd Nite A2 #79: Naming Fruit Flies, Hall Thrusters and Your Genetic Code!

There’s no place like home and for long-time Ann Arbor Nerd Niters, that home is LIVE!

We’re thrilled to make the homecoming for a science-filled evening at LIVE (102 S. 1st Street). See you there on Wednesday, May 10 at 7pm!

Emma Thornton-Kolbe, a neuroscience graduate student in the Clowney Lab at the University of Michigan, will bring us What’s in a Name?: Nerds Having Fun in the Fruit Fly Genome. In humans and other animals, named genes are usually acronyms related to the disease they are associated with. But scientists have gotten a bit more creative when it comes to fruit flies! Hear about some of their more whimsical choices that are more fun, but are just as useful as those boring acronyms!

Leanne Su, a Ph.D. candidate in the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory at the University of Michigan will be Turning it Up to Eleven teaching us about Scaling Hall Thrusters to High Current Densities. What are those? Just the electric propulsion systems that could eventually TAKE US TO MARS! No big deal, right?

Kayla Zochowski, a biologist who has dabbled in lots of “ologies” including virology, molecular biology, and computational biology, will be diving into our DNA with DNAncestry: Glimpsing the Past with Your Genetic Code. Learn how a tube of spit can turn into information about your ancestors!

Want to put more Nerd Nite on your calendar? We’re hitting up lots of great Ann Arbor spots in the coming year.

Wed. May 10, 7pm, LIVE
Wed. June 21, 7pm, The Annex at A2 Summerfest
Wed. July 12, 7pm, York
Wed. Sept. 13, 7pm, Venue
Wed. Oct. 11, 7pm, LIVE