1. Haunted Mansion Spoiler Special
   by Lizzie Bracken
   
   Welcome foolish mortals to a special edition of Lizzie Bracken’s famous Haunted Mansion Spoiler Special – a glimpse into how some of our favorite ghosts appear throughout this beloved ride.
   
   Lizzie is a designer, artist, and architect living in Chicago. She is currently an Architectural Designer at Jonathan Splitt Architects, Ltd. She is an award winning theatrical designer and former Assistant Professor of Theatrical Design and Technology at North Central College, and is also a company member with The Ruffians and Playmakers Laboratory (formerly Barrel of Monkeys) in Chicago. Lizzie has a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame, and a MFA in Theatrical Design from the University of Texas at Austin.
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2. Have you tried turning it off and on again?
   By Morgan Van Arsdall
   
   How has the Hubble Space Telescope managed to keep operating for the last 30 years? What happens when there’s a problem? Nerd out with a Hubble engineer and learn all about their operations and anomaly response! (Spoiler alert: they have definitely tried turning it off and on again!!)
   
   Morgan Van Arsdall is the Systems Manager and an Anomaly Response Manager for the Hubble Space Telescope program. She has been part of the Hubble Mission Operations and Systems Engineering team since 2001, participating in the last two Hubble Servicing Mission and working to make sure Hubble keeps observing the universe. Morgan lives in Maryland with her husband, who is also an aerospace engineer, their two awesome kids, and a dog.
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3. The (Not So) Hard Truth of Porn Star Sex: What I Learned About the Industry and How It Can Impact Your Sex Life
   by Justin Dubin, MD
   
   Pornography has changed many people’s expectations and perceptions of sex. Sex sells, and when it comes to sex, everyone talks about wanting to perform like a porn star. But upon closer look, is that really what we want? Dr. Justin Dubin from the University of Miami is one of the first physicians to investigate the sexual health of pornstars and will provide you with insight into the (not so) hard truth of the sexual health of adult entertainers and how other interactions during sex may affect your love life. Make sure to join us on August 13 th for the titillating answers to all your questions.
   
   Dr. Justin Dubin is a Chief Resident in the Department of Urology at the University of Miami. Justin grew up in Wayne, NJ before getting his BA in Biology at Johns Hopkins and later on getting his MD at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson. Justin plans on focusing his practice on Men’s Health, including Sexual Medicine, Andrology, and Male Infertility.

Watch the recap:
https://fb.watch/1ok4n_A7hs/

Amazing night at the Perez Art Museum Miami with our first ever all female line up.  It was a beautiful night by the water with some really informative talks.

Nerd Nite Miami 2.1.18

Nerd Nite at PAMM
(featuring some badass lady nerds!)
February 1, 2018, 7:00pm
Perez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132

1) “Florida’s Deadliest Hurricane (It’s Not Andrew)” by Ta-Shana Taylor
The Hurricane of 1928 is the hurricane that had Lake Okeechobee breach it’s dikes, flooding the surrounding towns. It’s the 2nd deadliest hurricane in American history. Ta-Shana Taylor discussed the storm and the impacts to the local communities.

Bio: Ta-Shana Taylor is a lecturer with the University of Miami’s Department of Geological Science where her most popular course is Natural Disasters: Hollywood vs Reality. She also volunteers for a national nonprofit organization called Outdoor Afro where she leads trips here in South Florida that celebrate and inspire black leadership in nature. Ta-Shana has recently been awarded Outdoor Afro Leader of the Year for 2018.

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2) “Nature Knows Best” by Danni Washington
Why create something from scratch when you can steal the next great idea from nature? Danni Washington highlighted a few examples of brilliant inventions that were inspired by nature! She dove into the whimsical world of biomimicry and we discovered that some of nature’s best-kept secrets could be right in your own backyard.

Bio: Miami native with Jamaican roots, Danni Washington is deeply passionate about our oceans and science communications. She co-founded the Big Blue & You, has served as a science filmmaker with Untamed Science, and currently, hosts Xploration Nature Knows Best, which is a STEM educational TV show which features the latest advancements in bio-inspired technology and design syndicated nationwide on FOX, HULU and Amazon Prime. A graduate of the University of Miami with a degree in Marine Science & Biology — she is also a scuba diver, proud curly girl and overall lover of the outdoors.

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3) “Florida Man” by Sara Yousuf
A criminal justice nerd walked us through the insane and irrational rules of Florida’s penal system. Did you know that in Florida it’s more serious to attend a cockfight than to commit your second DUI? Did you know that in Florida your driver’s license will be suspended for failing to pay child support (thereby making it harder to pay child support)? Did you know that in Florida it’s more serious to steal copper wire from a house than to commit rape? OMG WTF.

Bio: Sara Yousuf, Esq. is a board-certified criminal defense attorney who has represented Miami’s indigent accused for 12 years. She chairs Engage Miami, a nonprofit that involves young people in local politics. Sara co-founded Emerge Miami, a grassroots community group that makes Miami better through progressive social events, Sara also co-founded Sweat Records, Miami’s premiere independent record store. Sara can beat you at Scrabble and has a lifelong love of origami.

Ancient Aliens and Crystal Skulls: The Stellar Truth About Archaeoastronomy
by Mallory Fenn

Let’s set the record straight: archaeologists have never actually uncovered alien skulls, ancient spacecraft, or found evidence for any extraterrestrial species’ involvement in the construction of monuments or pyramids. However, some archaeologists do study the way human beings interacted with space thousands of years ago. While light pollution has changed the way we see the sky today, celestial bodies were of vast importance to ancient humans. The movement of the sun, moon, stars and planets are thought to have affected architecture, landscaping, and the way people living all over the planet understood the universe. We’ll be talking about real archaeoastronomy, and how scientists figure out what the sky meant to human beings before light pollution.

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Snakes in the (saw)Grass
by Dawn Shirreffs

Pulling back the curtain on the world’s largest ecosystem restoration program reveals conflicts lurking in the shadows of Miami which threaten to derail the worlds largest ecosystem restoration project . Although so much of it seems suitable for a telenovela – the problems and pythons are a very real threat to our lifestyles and livelihoods. Can America’s Everglades survive a landscape of invasive snakes, politics and radical environmentalists?

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I See Dead People and So Can You!: An Introduction to Forensic Anthropology
by Tony Morales

This presentation will introduce forensic anthropology with a focus on biological profiling. We’ll talk methods, look at some gory images, and discuss the types of information that can be ascertained through analysis of the human skeleton. By the end of the presentation, attendees will each have had a chance to sex (yes, sex) dead people. Expect to leave feeling disgusted, amused, or both!

Nerd Nite Miami @ PAMM 2.2.17

“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 amongthe 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 go get some graphic action!

“Sex Underwater: A Slightly Inappropriate Musical Revue” by Gary Bremen
Sex has a purpose. Sex can be violent. Sex can be a solo experience. Sex can be kinky. The really cool, nerdy connection is that all of these are happening RIGHT NOW in the waters off Miami. Marine science educator Gary Bremen gave our audience a humorous (and maybe even inspirational) look at everyone’s favorite “hobby,” with a soundtrack to match.