We’re handing the whole room over to Jennie Agin, who runs Nerd Nite Colorado Springs and Storyfull Matchmaking, for a Nerd Nite Singles Night.
Come solo or bring a friend, grab a drink, settle in. There’s a light icebreaker to loosen everybody up, then rotations — groups of four or five, ten or twenty minutes, then you move — with card games and conversation prompts built to get you past “so what do you do.” Then an open social to let the night go wherever it wants to go. If you hit it off with somebody, there’s a way to match and swap contact info at the end.
Structured enough that you actually meet people. Loose enough that you enjoy it.
Meet someone. Expand your circle. Or just enjoy a great night out.
Thursday 15 October · 6:30 pm · Wolverine Farm Publick House, 316 Willow St
Did you draw the Death card? Don’t sweat it. This talk will demystify tarot with a brief history and a basic overview of the deck. From there, we’ll go beyond the cards as an Etsy witch parlor trick and examine they relate to Jungian psychology, mythology, and philosophy—and how they can help us better understands our “shadow selves.”
What the hell is DND anyway?: background and how to play
Al Marino
My talk will be about Dungeons and Dragons, the history and the basics on how to play. This is an introductory talk that will hopefully get you inspired to play your own game or at least learn more about something you’ve heard of but don’t know where to start. It will be slightly interactive in rolling dice and discussing what a character sheet looks like.
Speaking in different accents seems like magic, but there are predictable rules and practicable skills that anyone can learn. Combining research in linguistics, performance, and psychology, this talk demystifies the process of learning any accent by breaking them down into their component parts and relying on real human speakers of the accents for data.
Psychobiotics & The Microbiomes That Make Us
Ryan Burns
Did you know your gut microbiome weighs roughly as much as your human brain? In the last decade, research into the Gut-Brain Axis has fundamentally changed how we understand mental and physical health. Psychobiotics leverage these trillions of microbes to communicate directly with our nervous and immune systems. Join us to explore how bacteria dictate daily wellness and discuss a real-world case study of gut microbiome modulation to revitalize mental and autoimmune health.
6:00 PM — USS Cordilleran Monthly Planning Meeting
Joint session with Nerd Nite Fort Collins
The USS Cordiliron holds its monthly planning meeting, with a joint session alongside the Nerd Nite team to coordinate upcoming events and collaborations.
7:00 PM — Trivia Demo Night (Free & Open to the Public)
Justin Fritz
Come help us build a better show! We’ll be testing and demonstrating trivia formats, and we want your input. This is a low-key, free community night at Wolverine Farm where we workshop ideas to improve Nerd Nite Fort Collins. Get a free ticket to reserve your space to play along, and tell us what you think.
Pipe organs are the most complicated musical instruments on earth, with a history stretching back to Roman antiquity. In this talk, I’ll walk you through the basics of how pipe organs work: from the wind supply, to the keys, to the pipes. During the course of the talk, we’ll assemble hundreds of parts to form a fully functional, 2-octave, hand pumped, mechanical action pipe organ.
The Grid’s Growing Pains: Meeting Capacity Demand in an Electrifying World
Evan Wilson
Recent headlines will convince you that AI and datacenter demand will spark grid collapse and skyrocketing bills if left unchecked. Evan breaks down how generation, transmission, and distribution work together to meet demand, explores how the electric power utility sector is evolving to build and optimize capacity, and examines the demand drivers reshaping the equation: data centers, EVs, manufacturing, and home electrification.
Land Value Tax: How Taxing Dirt Could Solve Sprawl, Save the Climate, and Fix Inequality
Matthew Behunin
What if we taxed land instead of buildings and work? This Nerd Nite introduces the idea of the land value tax: a policy that rewards building homes and businesses while discouraging land speculation and rent-seeking. We’ll look at why economists across the political spectrum support it, how it can lower the cost of housing, improve development patterns, and reduce wealth inequality.
Moon joy: behind the scenes with the Artemis II Lunar Science Team
Rachel Barry
Rachel Barry spent Artemis II inside NASA’s Science Evaluation Room of Mission Control at Johnson Space Center, embedded with the lunar science team and helping tell the story of the mission as it unfolded. The internet called it “Moon Joy”: that burst of pure, contagious excitement as astronauts brought humanity along as they observed our planetary partner, but what you saw was just the surface. Come behind the scenes for the science, the chaos, and the very real humans chasing that feeling… and trying to keep it going.
When we think about stuff and things the foundations of our thinking are so familiar that they fade into the background. Time is a basis for computation and our understanding of reality as people who ascribe meaning to the linguistic tokens I am presenting to you here. I am so excited to hear Anna’s perspective on time, I have no idea what she will say, it’s going to be amazing! Rainbows are beauty in canonical form, resultant from elementary physics and a great topic to understand why they call it ‘elementary’ when the equations look so complicated!
Time: What even IS that?
Anna Bjornson
Time seems intuitive and obvious, but can we accurately define it? We go about our daily lives with certain assumptions and beliefs about the nature of time…but many of them are wrong. Time is not what we think it is.
Rainbows all the way: where is the third rainbow?
Senne Van Loon
Everyone loves rainbows. If you’re lucky, you might even have seen a double rainbow. But where is the third rainbow? In this talk, you will learn all about the physics of rainbows and how there are an infinite number of them.
Nerd Nite Fort Collins is back at The Lyric with an extra special show featuring the live, interactive, video game themed band EXTRA LIVES! This team of professional musician nerds tour the world delivering sick beats inspired by the games that inspired us. We welcome Tony Meade, Musician and Uber-Tolkien Nerd to regale us with his knowledge of the art and the artist with his talk “Of Story & Song: Tolkien’s Musical adaptations”. Mark Gants, a nerd’s nerd if we’ve ever met one will explore how all this playing around may be just what we need right now with his talk “The Hidden Power of Games”. Two talks and live music!?!? YES! Join Nerd Nite March 28th at The Lyric for this epic lineup!
EXTRA LIVES: Interactive Video Game Concert
Extra Lives is the world’s first Audience RPG: a full narrated choose- your-own-adventure game where you are the main character! Plunge into an exciting story with lights, music, sound effects and visual from the legendary console games of the ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s… and a live score provided by the lovable nerds of Extra Lives. This immersive feast for the imagination will transport you back to your childhood whether you grew up playing video games or not!
Of Story & Of Song: Tolkien’s Musical Adaptations
Tony Meade, Musician and Uber-Tolkien Nerd
Tolkien’s creative world is founded on music, and not only are the characters moved and shaped by music, it has provided inspiration for many musicians to engage creatively with the world through their own work. From classical compositions to heavy metal thunder, from parody songs to some of the greatest film scores of all time, Middle-earth has set the scene for many adaptive works. This talk will explore the role of music in the stories, a timeline of adaptations and music inspired by Tolkien, and a little of my own work in this area.
The Hidden Power of Games
Mark Gants, Engineer, Gamer, Teacher, Nerd
In a time of growing division, differences over tightly held convictions often lapse into conflict. Drawing on a lifelong passion for gaming, a game developer explores how shared play, rather than debate, can help people relate to one another and see each other differently. By looking closely at what happens at the gaming table, we uncover unexpected insights about connection, perspective, and human interaction in the midst of disagreement.
Join Nerd Nite Fort Collins this month for a deep dive on some fun and interesting topics pertinent to Valentines Day and everyday.
Bug Sex: A Valentine’s Day Special
Sophia Anner
Ever wonder how bugs get it on? Whatever you’re thinking, they probably do that and more. Insects are incredibly variable, fascinating, and (relatively) easy to study, which makes them ideal for showcasing a broad diversity of sex strategies. I’ll walk through some of the wacky (to us!) ways that insects reproduce, informed by the latest evolutionary biology and animal behavior research.
Why We Need Our People
Natalie Pennington
Growing up you might have felt the pressure to be in a relationship, or to think of your romantic partner as your best friend. While being friends with the person you are dating is great, research also suggests having other people in our lives (aka, friends) that support us is really important, too. I’ll share about what that research tells us, and offer some practical advice for building stronger relationships.
A new year means a new season of Nerd Nite Fort Collins! Join the nerd crew for a year in review slide show, some fun science trivia and two great presentations all at the wonderful Wolverine Farm Publick House.
Show your Nerdy colors! We have Nerd Nite Fort Collins t-shirts available for purchase with your tickets or at the door. These high quality blended fabric shirts feature the Nerd Nite Fort Collins logo in dramatic multi-color screen printing and are guaranteed to help its wearer demonstrate their nerd credentials. Sizes S,M,L and XL available for $20 or 2 for $35.
This talk will explore the fascinating interplay between seasons, light, and mental health. We’ll uncover the neurobiological and environmental factors that contribute to SAD. I’ll then go over the most effective evidence-based treatments, from light therapy and medication to lifestyle changes.
The Endless Battle of Tech Communication: Simplicity vs. Precision and How to Be Understood
Matt Sodnicar
How do you effectively communicate technical concepts? Ever get lost in jargon, acronyms and details? Ever communicate details completely and still not be understood? This talk will help you realize that simplicity vs. precision is a sliding scale – and when to push either direction. But, first you have to know your audience.
