nna2-2017-june-shareableIt’s thinking and drinking time again, my friends! Britain Woodman will be covering the Great Retail Space Race of Ann Arbor, recounting what has come, gone, and what will rise again. Laura Drislane will set the record straight on psychopaths – spoiler alert, what you’ve seen on TV is not a 100% accurate depiction of the condition. Long time NNA2 friend Brad Pingel will explain ways new antibiotics are disarming bacteria in a bid to undercut super-villainous superbugs.

It’s gonna be a great one, folks! Bring your friends, the overextended retail worker and the one you suspect of being a psychopath, leave your superbugs at home, and come enjoy another excellent Nerd Nite Ann Arbor!
When: Thursday, June 15 – doors 6:30pm/talks 7:00pm
Where: LIVE (102 S 1st St)
How much: $0, gee, thanks for sponsoring, AADL!

laura drislaneLaura Drislane – Psychopaths: Myths and Misconceptions
Media portrayals of psychopathic individuals are often sensationalized and inaccurate, leading to misconceptions about what this condition entails. This talk will cover what exactly a psychopath is (and is not), and the intersections between psychopathy and other phenomena, including psychosis and serial murder.
About Laura: Laura is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Florida State University in 2017. Her research interests include psychopathy, antisocial behavior, personality, and substance use. Outside of the lab, Laura can be found enjoying a craft beer at one of the local breweries or scouring the internet for the perfect canine companion. Check out @SSSpsychopathy or the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy.
britain woodmanBritain Woodman – Schemes From a Mall
I started a blog that is the talk of the town. By “the town,” I mean “my friends,” but I have a lot of friends in this town. I want to take a few minutes to discuss my influences, my past as a retail worker, and the interesting stuff I found when I went looking for a support group online. Please don’t leave, there’s still alcohol here.
About Britain: Britain Woodman grew up in Ann Arbor, moved away for a few years (for work), and came back at the beginning of this decade (also for work). He met (and hugged) two of the Last Poets at Rick’s, and the others are probably a little jealous. Check him out @Britain and learn about the A2 retail scene at http://a2retail.space/.
brad pingel

Brad Pingel – Pacifying Pathogens

While there is a myriad of different antibiotic agents available, almost every one of these agents falls into one of five modes of action. These mechanisms actively disrupt the growth of both helpful and harmful bacteria, facilitating a strong selection for mutations that can continually overcome our current roster of antibiotics. What if we could design antibiotics that only target the bad apples? Is it possible to slow down the evolution of resistance if we simply disable instead of destroy pathogenic bacteria? Can we clip the capes of the ever-growing population of superbugs?

About Brad: Brad is a recent graduate from the University of Michigan with a Masters in Microbiology and will be beginning his Ph.D at Balor College of Medicine in the fall. He is currently a researcher in the Schmidt lab at the University of Michigan and studies the interactions between bacteria and archaea in the human gut microbiome. Find him @bpingel31.