Nerd Nite No. 64: Mapping the Arctic, Smoking Grass, and Beanie Babies!
Here’s the lineup for this first August Nerd Nite:
Kelly McCarthy with “Mapping the Arctic from 1500 Feet: A Glimpse into our Changing Earth”
The Arctic, known for its pristine beauty and terrifying isolation, largely unoccupied by humankind, is one of the most sensitive and telling regions of our dynamic Earth. But without setting foot in most of its great expanse how can we understand exactly how it is changing? NASA’s Operation IceBridge uses remote sensing methods from aboard an airborne laboratory to collect data on the thickness, depth, and movement of ice features in the Arctic and Antarctica. Fly along with PolarTREC teacher Kelly McCarthy on the largest airborne survey of Earth’s polar ice ever conducted to learn about how this critical data is collected, life in the field during an airborne Arctic campaign, and the implications of the data acquired from this extensive operation.
About Kelly: Kelly McCarthy has been a science educator in Pennsylvania for the past eight years. With a background in physics and enthusiasm for NASA’s airborne and space science programs, she is passionate about making STEM accessible and exciting for all students. As a 2016 PolarTREC teacher, Kelly worked in the field with NASA’s Operation IceBridge during their 2016 Arctic Campaign in Greenland and recognizes the importance of sharing the processes, science, and implications behind the work this team does year after year.
Katie Bohri with “Smoking Grass for the Environment – Managing native grasslands with fire”
How to maintain a grassland environment: Add fire to it! Each spring land managers across the country set prescribed burns to grassland environments. These fires maintain the health of habitats. Katie Bohri talks about the how and whys of prescribed burns.
About Katie: Katie Bohri works for Mt. Cuba Center, a botanical garden that focuses on native plants and the habitats that sustain them, where she is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator.
Kae Lani Kennedy with “The Secret Life of Beanie Babies”
The Beanie Baby craze is one of the most talked about trends of the 1990’s, with Ty Warner being hailed as one of the decade’s most brilliant businessmen. But was Ty Inc.’s success really the result of a well-run company with a genius marketing strategy? Explore how Chicago soccer moms, the rise of a secondary investment market, and the dawn of the Dot Com, all puppeteered by a mad man, turned $5 under-stuffed plush dolls into one of the strangest market bubbles of the 20th century.
About Kae Lani: Kae Lani is a travel writer and photographer whose global exploits are guided primarily by food. She and her partner, Jon, run Foodful Thinking — a site where thousands tune into to watch broadcasts about nostalgic food brands, weird dishes, and anything foodie culture. Kae Lani is also a media historian, an economics nerd, and a trends enthusiast. Recently, she’s been putting her Business degree to work, analyzing and profiling one of the most perplexing multi-billion dollar companies to grace the 90’s: Ty Inc.
PLUS! Music by Pixel8ter!
The details:
Doors open at 4pm. Show at 7:30pm. We recommend you get there early to ensure getting a good seat!
$5
Wednesday, August 3rd
Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Avenue
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