Echos of the Past: Mammalian Fossils from the White River Formation of Weld County, CO
Colt Johnson
Captured in the heart of the Pawnee Grasslands, the White River Formation documents the boundary between the Eocene and Oligocene epochs. Through exploring the fossil remains of mammals, reptiles, and insect burrows, we are able to paint a picture of what our home here in Colorado looked like over 30 million years ago. While studying and documenting never before seen fossil localities on private lands, we see the occurrences of amazing and exciting creatures from the past!
Facts, Fiction, and the Unknowns of Climate Change
Marybeth Arcodia
The climate is changing, rapidly. We dive into the who’s, what’s, and why’s behind climate change and debunk common myths. We will then explore the (un)certainties of our future to empower the curious and concerned through knowledge to step into action.
Dirt! In! Spaaaace!
Scott Denning
Space is filthy! This is not the same stuff as you track into the mud room or you find under your couch. It’s carbon+hydrogen+oxygen+nitrogen: CHON, the very breath of life. There’s WAY more of it out there than the stuff that makes rocky worlds, yet it plays a central role in the formation of stars, planets, plants, and people.
Hypertrophy Hacks: The Science of Bigger, Stronger Muscles
Luke Peterson
Whether it is for looks, functionality, or longevity, building muscle is important. Discover the fascinating science behind the molecular/cellular pathways our bodies use to build muscle. Learn about evidence-based practices for optimizing muscle growth through training, nutrition, and recovery. Finally, understand the impact muscle mass has on your overall longevity
Poetry and Empathy: How to Better Fit in Someone Else’s Shoes
Mitchell Perque
When I was little, I had a very hard time understanding the motivations and machinations of other people. Each individual I met was a new complex puzzle to take apart and pattern. As I grew up, however, I realized that this was a futile strategy. It was better not to attempt to rationalize others through my own mind but to find ways to step into their own world instead. What better way to learn these other worlds then through an equally complex and ever changing physical medium; Poetry. In this talk, I’ll discuss how I utilized the concept of poetry to help bridge the gap between myself and others; both socially and introspectively
This talk is about the birth of Computer Graphics at the University of Utah, where the pioneering work was done. The list of achievements there was very extensive, including fundamental work in geometric modelling, scene rendering, lighting and shading, texture mapping, and so on. My talk explores the progression all the way from text-based terminals to modern graphics workstations, feature films, and video games.
“Careful with that plutonium, Eugene” – FAFO Goes Nuclear
Eric Lingerfelt
Large scale nuclear accidents are common household names: Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima are so synonymous with radiation release events that they are interchangeable in daily language. But not all nuclear accidents are related to the complete failure of a production reactor’s engineering and test regime. Some are caused by individuals whose recklessness, arrogance, or simple curiosity led to illness or death for themselves and others. We will present three cases where individuals FAFO that nuclear physics cares for no one.
Worst Party Ever: Everything You Didn’t Know About the Donner Party
Hannah Bauer
Most people hear “Donner Party” and think “cannibalism.” Valid—but that only scratches the surface of this historical tragedy. We’ll cover the historical context of the Donner Party, the heroes and villains of the story, and why it should be called something other than the “Donner Party.”
The Strength Within: One Woman’s Health Caper
Erin Maruzzella
What do we know about our bodies? What makes us strong? Where does that strength come from and what does it all mean? Join us for a deep dive into at least one wild answer.
Global warming is “Simple, Serious, and Solvable”, but denial of the science is still rampant in the US. To exacerbate the general distrust of scientists in certain groups, a vocal minority of pseudo-experts regularly broadcast their half-baked ideas to cast doubt and downplay the seriousness of the problem. These ideas span a wide range from conspiracies about greedy, corrupt scientists to alternative, factless theories of climate system processes, or complete denial of the basic physical mechanisms that have been understood for a century. I’ll discuss this landscape and talk about my experience as a climate scientist trying to find common ground with various types of deniers, as well as my feeble attempts to combat misinformation. I’ll also touch on research exploring how people can become entrenched in climate science denial.
Ozempic: Miracle Drug or Too Good to be True?
Amber Bartlett, PharmD, BCPS
Have you been hearing about or know anyone taking this novel weight loss drug? Curious about all the hype? Wonder about the short-term and long-term effects? I’m here to help dispute any medical misinformation (which could be an entire topic in itself) and explain the drug’s effects and safety profile in detail.
Mastering Chaos: A Spooky Intro to Predicting the Future
Senne Van Loon
The Earth system is chaotic. In theory, the flap of a butterfly’s wings could set off a tornado on the other side of the world, but could just as easily stop a tornado from forming. This makes it difficult to make predictions, and yet we are able to make decent weather forecasts, at least on the timescale of a couple of days. All of this is possible due to a meticulous combination of physical model predictions and observations, a technique called “data assimilation”. We will elucidate the basics of this technique and investigate if, with it, it is possible to become Masters of Chaos.
Why I Love Math from a Guy Who Hates Numbers
Scott Sieke
I never liked math in school, yet I’ve come to consider it one of the most interesting and creative fields of human achievement. I’ll share some hands-on examples of math that don’t require any specific background to appreciate. You’ll learn how to create your very own photo-graph (in Excel), as well as learn about infinities of different sizes, geometry in shapes and tiling, and finally, I’ll share some of the most beautiful equations in all of mathematics—the shortest ones with the fewest numbers.
Hypersonics: The science behind going really f&%*ing fast and how we got there
Sean Zeeck
A deep dive on the world of hypersonics and its effect on aerospace. From learning about its existence, learning how to make things go that fast, and its current state in the industry. Some insight into how the media portrays things (like Maverick ejecting at Mach 10 somehow) and some current items in the headlines like the heatshield for the Artemis program to some less exciting things like the latest missile race.
Chasing Tornadoes: The Science, The Process, and The Fanatics
Ben Toms
“Ever wanted to risk it all and drive in front of one of the most powerful storms on Earth? Cool, you’re just like me and thousands of other insane people across the world! If not, congratulations, you’re sane.
So, how do people chase tornadoes? Why do they chase tornadoes? I’ll be talking about the scientific basis for forecasting when and where tornadoes will happen, all the way down to how people position themselves the day of an event and how they get as close as they possibly can to one of the most powerful phenomena on Earth.”
Are you ready to dive into a world of intriguing talks, engaging games, and a whole lot of nerdy fun? Join us at Nerd Nite for an unforgettable evening! Whether you’re a seasoned Nerd Nite attendee or a first-timer, this event promises something special for everyone.
What to Expect:
Three Captivating Talks: Each talk lasts between 20-30 minutes, covering topics that will spark your curiosity and ignite your imagination.
Games and Fun Activities: Between the talks, enjoy a variety of games and activities designed to entertain and challenge your inner nerd. Plus, the Cosmic Cowboys will be at the show with telescopes to help you explore the night sky!
Pre-Game for Comic Con: Our first two speakers are also presenting at Comic Con Fort Collins, happening the weekend following Nerd Nite. Get an exclusive deep dive from these amazing speakers before the big event!
A “five year mission” to boldly explore nearby star systems won’t be as fun if we can’t figure out how to travel faster than light! In this talk, Erin will walk through the scientific rules for traveling in our universe and how we can break them! We’ll explore wormholes, hyperdrives, jump gates, and of course warp drives, talking about the science of each of them and the possibilities for the future.
To Seek Out New Life: The Astrobiology of Star Trek Michael Wong NASA Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow, Carnegie Science’s Earth & Planets Laboratory Ever wished you could “explore strange new worlds” and “seek out new life and new civilizations”? No need to wait until the 23rd century—scientists are using fantastic new telescopes, daring space vehicles, and cutting-edge technology to scan for signs of life in the universe today! Together, we’ll boldly go where no Nerd Nite has gone before and examine the real astrobiology behind Star Trek!
The Sounds of Star Wars Jim Shima Technical Fellow, BAE Systems
Jim will talk about the iconic sound design from the classic Star Wars trilogy. We’ll go over how many of the sounds were created by legendary sound designer Ben Burtt—using archival footage and actual discussions with Ben. This talk includes an introduction into the actual methods, original recordings, and even a recreation of some of the popular effects.
Don’t miss this chance to geek out with fellow enthusiasts, learn something new, and have a fantastic time! Mark your calendars and join us for an evening of nerdy delight at Nerd Nite!
Dosimetry in a FLASH: the future of radiotherapy?!
Verdi Vanreusel
PhD candidate, AReRO, University of Antwerp
Flash radiotherapy is a technique that might revolutionise the way cancer is treated. It uses ultra-high dose rates to achieve a strong reduction in the adverse effects associated with radiotherapy. However, these dose rates lead to saturation of the dosimeters used for the quality assurance of conventional radiotherapy treatments. In this talk alternative approaches are presented that can guide the clinical implementation of this promising treatment strategy.
Climate Change: It’s Real, It’s Serious, It’s Us and there’s (significant) Hope. But how do we know this for sure?
Tony Mitchell & Jim Hand
Citizens Climate Education and GoElectricColorado
That the Climate of our planet Earth has always been changing is a truism, although it has been relatively stable globally for the past 8,000 years or so. But the latest rapid rate of Climate Change is being caused by the unintended consequences of the industrial revolution, with the rapid rise in demand for energy provided by fossil fuels. The Greenhouse Gases emitted are warming the planet and causing harm in many ways including sea level rise, increased frequency of severe weather events and a rapid rise in life form extinctions. The scientific evidence is unequivocal, we are the cause. The good news is, since we are the cause we have the ability to fix it. This interactive session will take the audience through the evidence and then explore the extraordinary progress that is being made in enabling an energy transition to a carbon free, sustainable future.
The human brain has a remarkable ability to find patterns in data. Assessing the validity of those patterns is a more nuanced skill, and I’m here to help! While Nerd Niters are generally a skeptical bunch and not prone to over-attribution bias, understanding how your brain finds patterns is valuable for understanding our survival as a species and – maybe – for making everday life a little more sensical.
Vegan Mythbusting
Jessica Runchey
Vegan cook and author of Sauté Queen
What about protein? B12? Carnivore bros? Join Jessica Runchey as she busts common myths about veganism, defines what it truly is, and shares the real challenges. With six years of cooking experience and three years
as a vegan, Jessica runs the popular blog Saute Queen, featuring 54 delicious vegan recipes. Her passion for plant-based nutrition makes her the perfect guide for this enlightening talk. Don’t miss it!
