Nerd Nite Miami XXIII 9.8.16

“Adventures and Misadventures in Marine Biology” by Ian Enochs

So you want to be a marine biologist…. are you sure?? A career in marine science can take you to remote uninhabited islands, sunken volcanoes, and beautiful coral reefs. Sometimes these places lead to new discoveries that teach us about the impacts of climate change. Sometimes they lead to a hospital with a chunk bitten out of your arm and a gentleman handcuffed to the gurney next to you.

Ian Enochs is an Associate Research Scientist at the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies and NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. He received a PhD from UM’s Rosenstiel School in 2010. He has published 23 peer-reviewed publication and 4 book chapters on coral reefs and reef-associated animals. Some of this research has been featured in the Miami Herald, Gizmodo, IFLScience, and PBS Changing Seas, among others. Most importantly, he has been hurt a lot of times in the field.

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“Have you tried turning it off and on again? – The Infrastructure of the Internet” by Brian LeBlanc

From the humble beginnings of ARPANET, the internet has grown into a vast network of global infrastructure that you use every day and probably never think about.  We took a brief tour of the internet, including networking protocols, DNS, the interaction of server and browser software, cloud computing, Google indexing and the dark web.  We learned the basics of web technology with everything that makes the internet great: Grumpy Cat, sunglasses, explosions, fun!

Brian LeBlanc is a web developer at the University of Miami, a citizen of the internet since the days of Netscape Navigator, and a recovering World of Warcraft addict.  When offline, he is an active local stage musician, avid snowboarder and a world traveler.  He has visited all 7 continents, climbed the great wall of China, swam in the Antarctic ocean, jumped off the Auckland Skytower, toured the Lord of the Rings filming locations in New Zealand, and competed in the Broadway Bomb, an un-sanctioned 8 mile skateboard race through New York City traffic.

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“Graphic Classes: Why Graphic Novels should be a Literature Teacher’s Best Friends” by Adam Schachner
From Batman to Bukowski, or from The Far Side to Foucault, graphic novels are among the most effective tools for teaching readership, analysis, and inference, but many veteran teachers and old-school curriculums dismiss them as just base “comic books”. There’s a case to be made for graphic narratives and their ability to expand minds, not limit interpretation or reduce the canon to childishness. Open your mind, read between the panels, and get ready for some graphic action!
Adam Schachner has taught high school literature for 13 years, and in the process has developed curriculum dedicated to incorporating graphic novels in the classroom. Using them as tools for interdisciplinary topics and to create classes that foster collaboration and creativity across a range of learning types, he is always thrilled to share these methods or just to geek out on his passions. Demonstrating that creating a curriculum is maybe just a little self-indulgent for a teacher, he is excited to share his love of teaching graphic novels to fellow nerds eager to have their brains popped.