The Art (and some Science) of Influential Communication
Matt Sodnicar
Do you struggle communicating important topics at work? Are you not being understood? Do you get frustrated – or do you frustrate others in conversation? Well, it’s not you, it’s them! Actually, it’s you too – but you’ll learn how to recognize how others process information and adapt your messaging to be better understood.
Robo Norbert Wiener
Justin Fritz
Norbert Wiener was a prolific scientific mind whose work influenced and predicted the technology that shapes our institutions and interactions. This talk and presentation will explore the state of the art in technology and AI with the help of an AI model of the founder of the science of cybernetics: RoboWiener. We will diagram the technology popularly referred to as ‘AI’ to better understand it and to make some predictions about what is to come. Finally we will close with some ideas about how individuals and society can survive and thrive in this modern world.
Your next difficult conversation, the corals and the bees: The similarities between the two and how you can help
Rich Karp
Bees and corals are both critical to their respective ecosystems and live interesting lifestyles. However, they are both threatened by increasing human populations. Here we will compare and contrast two seemingly dissimilar animals and discuss ways you can help conserve them.
Recycling brewing by-products
Charlie Hoxmeier
Brewers spent grain is a nutritionally dense by-product of brewing, even after brewers have extracted what they need. What’s left has a lot of potential to be repurposed as a human or animal protein source.
Nerd Nite is a fun informational, educational live show conducted by a team of local nerds who recruit other nerds to talk about, well, nerdy stuff. It’s fun! Anyhoo, we are having a free social in lieu of our regular show because we are all tired from hosting the anniversary special at The Lyric last week.
What to expect at the social? Well, while we don’t have any talks lined up we do have space at The Wolverine Farm so let’s make the most of it. Stop by and chat with the Nerd Nite Fort Collins hosts about what sparked your curiosity from a previous show or workshop a talk that you would like to present.
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.”
