It’s summer in the city! Open your windows wide, let in the fresh breeze, and then throw our regular Nerd Nite schedule out that window because we’re going back to Top of the Park, baby! In June (specifically on Wednesday, June 17) we’ll be at the Annex Tent at Top of the Park (915 E. Washington St.) at 7pm for our annual Special Top of the Park Edition of NNA2!!! Want more info about how to get there and where to park? Check out A2SF’s FAQ)
Kicking us off is Sarah Bassiouni with Block(or)bust: How the heck is my childhood’s neighborhood video rental store connected to WWII? Lights! Camera! …Blockbuster? Anyone of a certain age may remember the familiar sight of that blue and yellow sign heralding an exciting night of popcorn and movies at home. But where does the name even come from? In this talk, let’s take a quick dive into the journey of the word “Blockbuster” from the 1940s to the 1980s, and beyond.
Sarah is a PhD candidate studying infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Michigan. Outside of school, she enjoys trivia, stationery, gardening, attending crossword tournaments with her spouse, and spending time with their beloved cats.
Nerd Nite regulars may remember something they learned a few years ago about llamas? And Nanobodies? But also GIFS? Great news, it’s time for Nerd Nite 2: Electric Boogaloo! Expanding the Protein Binder Universe: From Llamas to Generative AI. The Taubman Nanobody Initiative’s Mary (Skinner) Mora is returning to the stage, and she’s determined to make things even weirder. Step into the bizarre world of “molecular lockpicking,” where we explore how tiny, llama-derived nanobodies are revolutionizing medicine. But this time, there’s an eco-futurist plot twist: Mary will reveal how Generative AI is stepping in as an unlikely green hero, slashing the massive plastic and environmental footprint of traditional laboratory science. Come for the llamas, stay for the compelling tech, and find out how failing in pixels can help save our physical planet.
Mary is the Research Lead at The Taubman Nanobody Initiative at the University of Michigan and has been working in the molecular biology field for the past 17 years.
Closing things out, we have Amir Baghdadchi with Doing the Worm & Pigging Out: the Revolutionary Politics of Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day? Does a classic children’s book extolling the virtues of commerce and work secretly outline a subversive vision of the meaning of human endeavor? And what is that worm in a hat up to? We investigate.
Amir is a writer, comedian, and host of The Moth StorySLAM in Ann Arbor. He has appeared at the Pickathon Festival and on the Moth Radio Hour, and was once hired by the San Francisco Bay Guardian to eat at every 24-hour restaurant in the city in a 24-hour period.