Be there and be square on February 26th for a special 1-year anniversary Nerd Nite in conjunction with the Ocean Sciences conference!
Doors at 7:30, talks at 8 PM. Free with Ocean Sciences badge, $5 without
DIFFERENT LOCATION! Rumours Nightclub, 410 Atkinson Dr.
With a special musical performance by Megaphone!
“A serenade to the sea by Maggie Mccain: Honey, get the kids inside – the glaciers are melting!”
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Cam McNaughton: Carbon Capture and Storage: Stuffing Things in Deep Holes to Save the Planet
Abstract: The World’s two largest carbon capture and storage projects are being built in Western Canada. Cam will describe these projects and the baseline environmental measurements being used to study ecosystem CO2 dynamics prior to the injection of CO2 into the deep Earth.
Bio: Cam is an Environmental Engineer with Golder Associates Ltd., holds a Ba.S.C. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Waterloo, an MS and PhD from the University of Hawaii and is a Fellow International of the prestigious Explorers Club.
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Lori Ziolkowski: Arctic permafrost: frozen tundra is hot stuff
Abstract: Over the past few decades, the global temperatures are rising. This warming is amplified in the Arctic, where soils currently contain twice as much carbon as is currently in the atmosphere. Lori will describe how a warmer Arctic may affect the global carbon cycle, and therefore the global climate.
Bio: Lori is an Assistant Professor at University of South Carolina. With degrees in Environment Chemistry, Chemical Oceanography and Earth System Science, Lori loves figuring out how the global carbon cycle and chemistry are related.
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Grieg Steward: My Tiny Valentine: Viruses can make you sick, but can they also make you sexy?
Bio: Grieg is an oceanography professor at C-MORE, the center for Microbial Oceanography Research and Education, at UH Manoa. He holds a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and his work focuses on the ecology of marine viruses.
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Be there and be square on December 11th!
Doors at 7:00, talks at 8 PM. $5 cover
Mercury Bar, Downtown Honolulu
Nerd Nite #11: Freezing bugs, big waves, and individuality amid symbiosis!
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Ryan Caesar: Colder than a snow flea’s aedeagus: Diversity and Adaptation of insects in extreme cold climates
Bio: Ryan is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hawaii where he studies insect evolution. He earned his Ph.D. from Ohio State University and a masters from Texas A&M.
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Jeanette Clark: Town and Country: The Science Behind Oahu’s Waves
Abstract: When the wave breaks here, don’t be there – why waves break the way they do
Bio: Jeanette has a B.A. in Environmental Science from Columbia University and an M.S. in Physical oceanography from University of Hawaii. She can often be found surfing town-side at Diamond Head.
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Maggie Sogin: Who are we really: Investigating Individuality
Abstract:
Symbiosis is all around us – learn about microbial interactions and the endosymbiotic theory to the Gaia hypothesis.
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DJ Globes rocks Mercury with appropriately nerdy jams.
Be there and be square on November 13th!
Doors at 7:00, talks at 8 PM. $5 cover
Mercury Bar, Downtown Honolulu
Nerd Nite #10: Biomes, cussing, and coffee!
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Shawn Steiman: Why does coffee taste that way and other things we don’t know
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Keala Fung: Pacific Crest Trail: a 2,668 mile hike through 6 of the 8 world biomes
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Ben Bergen: What’s makes a four-letter word? (Hint: it’s not four letters.)
Abstract:
What is it that makes a word taboo–what does “shit” have that “shoot” doesn’t? For answers, we’ll turn to history, to social norms, and to the brain.
Bio:
Bergen is Associate Professor of Cognitive Science and director of the Language and Cognition Lab at UC San Diego. He swears like Elena Kagan.
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DJ Globes rocks Mercury with appropriately nerdy jams.
Join us for a very special spooky Nerd Nite on October 9, 2o13!
Doors at 7:00, talks at 8 PM. $5 cover.
We’re back at Mercury Bar!
Nerd Nite #9: Scary tales, blood, and spooky songs!
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“Spooky tales from a Halloween Baby” – Jeffrey Gere
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“Vampire University: Food Science 201” – Kehau Kaneshiro
Abstract: Hemophilia (blood-loving) is for vampires! Come join your classmates at Vampire U to learn about the science of a spooky dinner.
Bio: Kehau is an experienced phlebotomist and phlebotomy instructor.
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“Halloween Ballads and Tales” – James McCarthy
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DJ Globes rocks Mercury with appropriately nerdy, scary jams.
Nerd out with us on Wednesday, September 11! Be there and be square!
Doors at 7:00, talks at 8 PM. $5 cover.
NEW LOCATION! RaKuen Lounge, 1153 Bethel Street
Nerd Nite #8: Symbiosis, Climate Change, and Swagger
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“I’m not ready for that kind of commitment: the complications of symbiosis” – Lydia Baker
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“Climate change in a hurry” – Maggie McCain
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“Becoming wonder woman: the science of swagger” – Jennifer Milhollen
Confidence is something we all struggle with. There are those walking among us that just seem to exude self-assurance. “How do I get some of that,” or “man, how do they do that,” you may say. Well, good news! Those people may just be full of it, and you can be, too. Turns out, there is far more of a physical than abstract connection to the feeling of power and confidence than commonly conceived. You can actually fake it til ya make it. Come along as we delve into the chemical manufacturing of self-confidence with swagger and power
posing.
Bio: Beyond a love and appreciation for the elegance of natural systems, Jen is prepared to wax nerdy with you because of a degree and field work in Biology, and current
work as an energy efficiency consultant.
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DJ Globes rocks Mercury with appropriately nerdy jams.
Nerd out with us on Wednesday, August 14th! Be there and be square!
Doors at 7:00, talks at 8 PM. $5 cover.
Mercury Bar 1154 Fort Street Mall Honolulu, HI 96813
Nerd Nite #7: Chameleons, Chocolate and Dance! Wednesday, August 14
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“Why Hawaiian chocolate is so damn good!” By Nat Bletter
Why is Hawaii one of the best and most interesting places in the world to grow cacao and make chocolate despite being tough since this is the coldest place in the world where cacao grows, dubbing Hawaii “The North Pole of Cacao” or even the “Pluto of Cacao”. If you can get around the cacao-shivering temperatures in Hawaii to ferment by following what we call “The Hawaii 5-I”, you can create some of the best and most unique tasting cacao & chocolate in the world. We might even give out some free samples of this now award-winning chocolate!
Dr. Nat Bletter has 15 years of experience in botany, documenting exotic fruits and vegetables, gathering food in the wild, herbal and traditional medicine, and exploring Asia, South America, Central America, and Africa. He has a Ph.D. in Ethnobotany from the City University of New York and New York Botanical Garden, where he researched medicinal plants of Peru, Mali, and the Guatemalan Mayans, ethnobotany, taste-modifying plants, and stimulant plants such as cacao, which has spurred him to start a traditional-ingredient, high-antioxidant, artisinal chocolate company Madre Chocolate. He now works at Madre making chocolate from scratch and developing new flavors based on his experience with the world’s vast array of flavors.
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“Physics and Fouettes: The Science of Dance” by Christina Comfort
- Evolution of Dance: Dance is often thought of as uniquely human, but many other animals also display “dances,” often to entice a mate. How does the purpose of dance vary across species? Why did dance develop in human culture in the first place, and how has it changed since the first caveman ever dropped it low?
- Physics of Dance: Basic physics principles can be employed to understand how balance, turns, and leaps work. A physical perspective on dance can also illustrate concepts and help to understand why certain body movements are more or less difficult. Get ready for a crash course in ballet physics!
Christina is an oceanographic research specialist at University of Hawaii studying environmental impacts of marine renewable energy. She is also an avid modern dancer, and dances with Convergence Dance Theatre and Upside-Down Dance in Honolulu.
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“, , , , , Chameleon: vicariance, adaptation, and awesomeness” By Chris Jury
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DJ Globes rocks Mercury with appropriately nerdy jams.
Nerd out with us on TUESDAY, July 2nd at Mercury Bar!
Be there and be square!
Doors at 7:00, talks at 8 PM.
$5 cover.
Mercury Bar
1154 Fort Street Mall
Honolulu, HI 96813
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Nerd Nite #6: DNA, Monopoly, and Going Green!
Tuesday, July 2
“You can do what with DNA?” by Michael Norton
Why nanotechnology, and why now? With an emphasis on how controversial characters have gotten us where we are in the particular area of molecular nanotechnology, DNA nanotechnology will be introduced. Drinking may be required in an illustrative game titled, “Origami (AKA: Are you smarter than a 40mer DNA Oligo?).”
Mike is a chemistry professor at Marshall University. He is co-founder of a DNA production company, Vandalia Research (http://www.vandaliaresearch.com/) and a DNA design company, Parabon Nanolabs (http://www.parabon-nanolabs.com/). May the Borgs beware!
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“House rules: on Monopoly and its variations” by Jaimey Hamilton Faris
Nobody really plays Monopoly by the official rules (or if they do they might be considered a NERD!?!). “America’s Most Popular Board Game,” available in 111 countries in 43 languages, and co-franchised with just about every imaginable pop culture icon in existence, is also one of the most convoluted (and endless) games we play. That’s probably because it has had multiple inventors since 1904, with very different agendas. Will this explain our love-hate relationship with the “banker” and how we really feel about that “Go Directly to Jail. Do Not Pass Go! Do Not Collect $200” card?
Jaimey is Associate Professor of contemporary art history and critical theory at UHM. She specializes in “applied culture” and runs occasional pop-up creative events as [OFF]hrs in Honolulu (www.offhrs.org). She is currently obsessed with art about games and play (jaimeyhamiltonfaris.com).
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“Green alternatives: save your cash for the bar” by Danielle Best
TBA
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DJ Globes rocks Mercury with appropriately nerdy jams.
Be there and be square!
Wednesday, June 12.
Doors at 7:00, talks at 8 PM.
$5 cover.
Mercury Bar
1154 Fort Street Mall
Honolulu, HI 96813
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“Charismatic Megaflora: Plants in Pop-Culture” by Matt Lurie
Plants are an important part of the human experience. Unsurprisingly, pop-culture is chock-full of references to our photosynthetic friends, from poetry to Little Shop of Horrors to mind altering substances. Plants truly are charismatic!
Matt Lurie is a Ph.D. candidate in the Botany Department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He studies the mechanisms of non-native plant invasions and lives by the motto, “the truth is out there.”
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“Ecology of an Underwater Demolition Range” by Lee Shannon
Dolphins and explosions are really cool, but exploding dolphins are not. We’ll take a look at the ecological effects of underwater demolition training here in Hawai`i, using bioacoustics and other observation techniques, to answer some interesting questions about the hazards and benefits of restricted military training ranges. Is it possible that one of the safest places for a reef fish in Hawai`i is near an active blast zone??
Lee Shannon is a diving and underwater explosives expert. He is also a Ph.D. candidate at UH, and a marine ecologist obsessed with preserving underwater ecosystems. He is attempting to reconcile these two seemingly opposing fields without going insane.
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“Battle in the Bulge: The Silent Saga of Conflict After Conception” by Jon Whitney
We commonly view human pregnancy as being a harmonious process of cooperation between mom and her developing offspring. Problem is: mom and fetus don’t always agree – and that innocent little nugget has evolved some deceptive ways to get what it wants. We’ll take an in-depth look into maternal-fetal conflict in humans and explore the evolutionary arms race that continues to be waged in the womb today.
Jon Whitney is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is generally fascinated about learning how evolution shapes the life histories of animals. Although he spends much of his time studying marine creatures, human reproduction is never far from his mind.
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DJ Globes rocks Mercury with appropriately nerdy jams.
Be there and be square!
Doors at 7:00, talks at 8 PM.
$5 cover.
Mercury Bar
1154 Fort Street Mall
Honolulu, HI 96813
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“T. rex-tion: What really killed the dinosaurs” by Travis Atwood
So a big space rock came and killed the dinosaurs….Is it really that simple? How does a species become extinct, and what does reproduction have to do with it? Just what do we know about dinosaur sexual relations anyway? And maybe a few more revelations about those that ruled the world before us.
Travis Atwood grew up digging fossils outside of Austin, Texas. In grad school, he reconstructed terrestrial paleoenvironments using various geochemical methods on fossils. Two years ago (after a brief stint in oil and environmental industries) he moved out here to be a science educator at Bishop Museum.
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“How they do it on the Discovery Channel: Kinky sex-lives of animals” by Christie Wilcox
We humans like to think we have the corner on kink. We whip out our ball gags and chains, flouting our sexual ingenuity. But the fact of the matter is, animals beat us to just about every fantasy we’ve ever had— from double penetration to rough sex. Heck, they have a few tricks up their sleeves that we can’t even imagine. So come with me and enter the dirty boudoir of some of my favorite animals, and learn a bit more about the bizarre sex that they are having.
Christie Wilcox is a PhD candidate in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Hawaii, and moonlights as a blogger for Discover Magazine. Though her research is on fish venoms, she has a little too much interest in animal sex.
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“Traffic: My least favorite jam” by Clay McKell
Traffic here is bad. Chances are it’s the worst you’ve ever had. We’ll take a light-hearted but critical look at traffic and congestion levels from two perspectives: that of the urban planner (we have those in Honolulu, right?) and that of the everyday driver. We’ll see why throwing capacity at the problem isn’t always the best answer and take a look at some up-and-coming technologies that aim to take the sting out of road rage.
Clay McKell is getting his PhD in electrical engineering with a focus on the math behind controlling complex systems. He has spent his entire life in three of the top four most congested cities in the U.S. and now mostly rides his bike.
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DJ Globes rocks Mercury with appropriately nerdy jams.
Be there and be square!
Doors at 7:00, talks at 8 PM.
$5 cover.
Mercury Bar
1154 Fort Street Mall
Honolulu, HI 96813
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“Fishing the Twilight Zone” by Richard Pyle
TBA
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“Your third-grade teacher lied: you CAN sing!” by James McCarthy
Despite what most of us were told as young crooners by some well-meaning but misinformed adult (okay, apologies to your third grade teacher), the vast majority of human beings have the capacity to sing well. And James McCarthy is here to prove it through demonstration and ‘human power point’ that will get the place raising happy (drunken) voices together. As the primary leader of Irish bar songs in the city, James has the practice down and also the theory–combining the overtone series, the ‘ornithological capacity,’ vocal puzzlers and kinesiology in a way only a professional entertainer can. So raise your glasses. Then your voices. Then your glasses. Repeat till complete.
James McCarthy attended Harvard Graduate School of Education and is the co-founder of Doolin Rakes and Truetone/Hawaii School of Voice. His recent CD Nows the new Later highlights his diverse singing styles.
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“The only book worth burning is the Scrabble Dictionary” by Julia Wieting
Everyone needs rules, right? Especially when they so nicely set you up to triple-word-score your opponent’s ass. Yet, try to turn ‘ring’ into ‘ringtone’, dazzle some ‘bling’, or whip out that ‘unibrow’ and you’ll end up with a high score of… zero points. At least, according to the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary. Come learn why all dictionaries can be pilloried as conservative approximations of language (‘but wait, they tell us what words mean!!’) and why the OSPD is the worst of them all.
Julia Wieting has an M.A. in Linguistics and will be starting her Ph.D. in English in the fall. And even with both degrees she will still only be able to spell PHAMD (13 points).
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Alex Globerson rocks Mercury with appropriately-themed DJed music, and James McCarthy demonstrates his “ornithological capacity” with live guitar and vocals.
