Nerd Nite Miami at Home (virtual)
Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 7:30pm
Nerd Nite is a monthly event during which several folks give fun-yet-informative presentations across all disciplines – while the audience drinks along.
Grab a beer from the fridge, put on your comfy pants, have a laugh, and learn something new. Make sure to tell your out of town friends they too can enjoy Nerd Nite Miami virtually this month!
This month’s speakers and topics:
1) “If You Build It They Will Come”
by Gabriela Fernandez Sanchez
The story of Front Yard Theatre Collective: how one woman decided to stop waiting around for an opportunity, and started her own theater company in a front yard.
Gabriela Fernandez Sanchez is half Venezuelan, half Spanish, but a Miamian at heart. She studied theater in Madrid, in one of the cities’ most important schools: Laboratorio de Teatro William Layton. Once graduated, migrated to Miami out of love. She is the proud founder, director and producer of the Front Yard Theatre Collective, the official MC of the Moth in Miami and works as a freelance producer in TV, Film and live events.
2) “Redistricting”
by Yanelis Valdes
Redistricting is a process that happens every 10 years, based on Census data. The process can entrench power for politicians. Or it can fairly represent our communities—allowing us to have power over the decisions made about our everyday lives and having elected officials who truly represent our needs. Miami-Dade is in the process of redrawing district maps at this very moment. We need to protect our communities and demand fair representation. It starts with education and awareness about the process and how to advocate for our futures.
Yanelis Valdes is the director of organizing and advocacy at Engage Miami.
3) “Okavango – Survival of the Fittest!”
by Ron Magill
Having traveled to Africa over 50 times, Ron Magill has been privileged to see many unforgettable wildlife moments. This presentation will cover the events of the most unforgettable evening he ever experienced there. It is a visual journey into nature in its rawest and most intense form!
Ron Magill is a wildlife expert and photographer. He is the host of HITN’s national wildlife documentary program, “Mundo Salvaje con Ron Magill.” As Zoo Miami’s “Goodwill Ambassador”, he has made frequent television appearances on many programs including, “National Geographic Explorer”, the Discovery Networks, the “Today Show”, “Good Morning America”, “The Late Show ”, “CBS’ This Morning”, “Dateline” and “CNN” as well as on Spanish networks Univision and Telemundo, all to promote animal and conservation causes.
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Join us via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/91483935134
or Facebook live: facebook.com/nerdnitemiami
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December 9, 2021 * 7-9pm * Gramps Bar, Wynwood
We have invited 3 of our favorite speakers back to entertain you and teach you something new. Join us in celebrating the end to this very strange year!
1) Patty Suau
– Coming off a busy week at Art Basel, the TinyFcknPix lady will be back to share more of her art with us.
Patty is a sassy and spunky artist choosing drawing as her medium for communicating across different cultures. A formative moment in her evolution as an artist came in 2013 when she debuted TinyFcknPix, a series of miniature erotic drawings framed in large formats. The series was born from the desire to heal the pain of breaking up with her ex-fiance and figuring out her self-confidence. Today the works continue to evolve, varying in size but always addressing self-love, connection, intimacy and emotional intelligence.
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2) “Maximizing Your Rewards”
by Joe Brutus
– The credit card guy will be back to share more about credit cards – A teasing insight into the history of credit card rewards!!
Joe Brutus is a Miami Hurricane and FIU Panther alum. Prefers frequent short walks to the fridge over long walks on the beaches. Somehow stumbled into the financial industry during the ’08 recession.
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3) “Why the UFC exists”
by Flip Awesome Aguilera
– Since hand to hand combat began there has always been the question “what’s the best system to protect oneself”? The first Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) were put on to answer this very question. Once the lights were on, which system came out on top? Which system reigned supreme?
Join Nerd Nite Colorado Springs Boss (and Nerd Nite Miami alum) Flip Awesome Aguilera as he takes us back through time to help us find out!
Nerd Nite Miami
Thursday, November 11, 2021
7-9pm
Gramps Bar, Wynwood
This month’s speakers and topics:
1) “The Committee Thanks You For Your Time.”
by Stephanie Block
Violist Stephanie Block talks about the role of grit and determination in her life as a childhood cancer survivor, triathlete, and professional musician. This is an in-depth look at the crazy process of orchestral auditions, the reality of being a professional musician, the many connections between athletics and music, and the life-threatening months that inspired it all. Stephanie presents a raw and self-deprecating perspective on failure, dimmed hope, and the importance of never giving up when you can’t help but love the path you’ve chosen.
Stephanie Block is a violist in the New World Symphony. A graduate of The Juilliard School, she has appeared on PBS NewsHour and PBS American Masters and has performed all over the world as a chamber musician and orchestral musician. Stephanie is a survivor of the rare cancer Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis and has raised money for research since high school. She has appeared as a recurring speaker for Miami Cancer Institute’s “Inspire You” and has organized monthly visits to Sylvester Cancer Center. Stephanie is a division winner in several Chicago-area triathlons and a top finisher in the Chicago Triathlon.
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2) “Orgazmik After Dark..the Sexy side of healing and connection”
by Diane Vich
When the lights go out and you are alone or with a partner – healing and connection can be taken to new heights with Orgazmik Multi-sensory Meditations. You will go on a sensory journey to open you up to the possibilities of Orgazmik healing. Join us as we taste and experience the sweet, savory and seductive side of meditation.
Diane Vich is a registered nurse, author, nursing professor, hypnotist and holistic health coach who helps people overcome chronic illness and pain through mind, body and soul connection. Through her own experience healing herself with alternative therapies, Diane helps clients overcome trauma, chronic disease, digestive issues and negative patterns that impact their health.
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3) “Falafels in Fallujah”
by Pete Wintersteen
A former Marine infantryman reflects on memory as it relates to combat, death and your favorite place to get a bite to eat.
Pete Wintersteen is a United States Marine Corps combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Illiterate in several languages, but a late-90s pie-eating contest champion, he rarely backs down from a challenge or opportunity to learn something new. With a BS in Natural Resource Studies from UMass Amherst and an MFA in Visual Art from the Lesley University College of Art and Design, he has pivoted from the profession of combat arms to the profession of environmental conservation and science communication. He enjoys contemplating humanity’s odd conundrums like the relativity of humor, cognitive dissonance being a trait diagnostic of Homo sapiens, and the imperative truth of our best human traits presenting alongside our worst.
October 14, 2021 at 6:30pm, Gramps Bar, Wynwood
Help us celebrate our 7th birthday with beer, balloons, and 3 nerdilious talks!
This month’s speakers and topics:
“YouTube Tutorials can change your life” by Daniel Richter
While YouTube can be a complete timesuck of rabbit holes, if used correctly it can be life changing. Learning through YouTube videos can take you to places you would have never imagined. Everyone can use free content to learn new skills and follow their passions. Daniel Richter is a self-taught pianist, electronics technician, 3D modeler, arduino, youtuber, and now after moving from Venezuela to Miami 5 years ago, he found a career and path in his life, after so many years of being lost.
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“Girls Gone Wild: Women Protecting South Florida’s National Parks” by Gary Bremen
Marjorie Stoneman Douglas’s activism on behalf of the Everglades and other ecosystems is legendary, but she is far from the only woman who played a significant role in creating and protecting national parks in our area. Meet May Mann Jennings, Juanita Greene, Polly Redford, and other women who fought, and continue to fight, to create an environmental legacy here in South Florida when Gary Bremen presents, “Girls Gone Wild: Women Protecting South Florida’s National Parks.” Veteran Nerd Nite Miami presenter Gary Bremen is a South Florida native with a passion for national parks and local history.
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“Python Hunting” by Dylann Turffs
Pythons have become the face of invasive species in South Florida and are often blamed for all of the Everglades’ problems. Dylann Turffs discusses how the python problem came to be and share stories of her experience encountering and removing pythons from the greater Everglades over the last decade. How does the way we value or fear certain animals shape how we choose to manage them and what treatment of them we tolerate and encourage? Dylann Turffs is a naturalist, environmental educator, and outreach specialist with nearly a decade of experience nerding out about south Florida’s natural spaces.