December 10, 2020 at 7:30pm via Zoom and Facebook Live.
Each year we bring back some of our favorite speakers from the year to entertain and educate us once more. Join us online on December 10, 2020 to hear from some Nerd Nite all-stars.
Line Up:
1) Pepper’s (?) Ghost (Because What 2020 Needs is More Horror) by Lizzie Bracken (the haunted mansion lady)
Lizzie is back to go into more detail on the history and techniques of theatrical illusions, specifically on creating ghosts and holograms.
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) Washington, D.C. – Taxation Without Representation. by Kristofer Hernandez (the electoral college guy)
A look at why the national’s capital is not a state, what that means for its residents, and what can legally be done about it.
Kristofer B. Hernandez is a graduate of the University of Chicago with a focus on Electoral Politics and self-proclaimed civics nerd. Kristofer is also an attorney, a member of the Board of the ACLU of Greater Miami, a member of the Voter Services Committee of the League of Women Voters of Miami-Date, and the Miami-Dade Chair of the Floridians for National Popular Vote.
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3) Sailor Moon Part 2: Unmasking the Magical Girl, A Critical Take by Darwin Rodriguez (the Sailor Moon guy)
A critical analysis and summary of Sailor Moon, arguably the most successful and world-renowned example of the “Magical Girl” Anime genre. This presentation will contextualize Sailor Moon as a catch-all of numerous Eastern and Western narrative, religious, and visual tropes, employing various analytical lenses. Basically, let’s geek out over Sailor Moon with art history, sociology, anthropology, and some anecdotes here and there. Darwin Rodriguez is a public historian that works primarily at the Perez Art Museum Miami as a Teaching Artist and museum education facilitator. He is also an adjunct professor of History at FIU, specializing in Western Civilization and US History. He hails from Hialeah by way of Washington Heights, calling both Miami and New York home. Darwin is most interested in democratizing visual learning through social interaction, and is also an anime nerd.
Nerd Nite Miami is a monthly event during which several folks give fun-yet-informative presentations while the audience drinks along. It’s like the Discovery Channel… with beer! The drinking is just as important as the learning.
Virtual Nerd Nite Miami: Thinking and Drinking at Home!
Nerd Nite is a monthly event during which several folks give fun-yet-informative presentations across all disciplines – while the audience drinks along. It’s like the Discovery Channel… with beer! Now from the comfort of your own home!
This Month’s Speakers & Topics:
The Shocking Truth About Lightning and Thunderstorms by Eric Cramer
Although lightning is one of the most commonly known and destructive natural phenomena on Earth, it remains poorly understood. Eric will discuss the theoretical and experimental aspects of lightning research, present the biggest questions in the field, and show the connection between the atmospheric science of thunderstorms on Earth and the astrophysics used to describe high energy bursts of distant galaxies.
Bio: Eric has a Ph.D. in Physics from Florida Institute of Technology. His dissertation work involved the simulation and modeling of energetic particles inside thunderstorms. After a postdoctoral assignment at the University of Alabama and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, he became a systems engineer at Northrop Grumman.
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Change and the Effects on our Brian by Elizabeth Davis / / / / /
A Modest [Beer] Proposal by Tracy Kurtz
Nerd Nite Fargo Boss Tracy Kurtz will discuss the science of beer, share first hand observational research, and attempt to convince us that Natural Lite is immune to staling. You do not want to miss this special guest appearance!
1) Banned Books: What’s your number? by Madhuri Nagaraj
The power of language has always had the ability to influence people; the United States of America has been built on the concept of free speech since 1791. And yet throughout history, many books have been banned or challenged from the shelves of libraries. Come find our which books are frequent offenders, which books are classics, which books surprise you and how much of a rebellious reader you are!
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2) Discover the World of Genever by Anthony Espinosa
A mainstay in the European Low Countries since the Middle Ages, genever arrived in the U.S. in the 1800’s and became the spirit of choice. Although the World Wars and Prohibition drove it into obscurity, mixologists have revived it in recent years, inspired by demand for both vintage recipes and even-more-creative-cocktails.
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3) Graduating from the Electoral College by Kristofer Hernandez
You think you know how the U.S. elects its Presidents. But what really is the electoral college? Where is it? Why do we even have it? Come learn about the complicated reasons why the leader of the free world is chosen by only 538 people, and how that affects our democracy.
