Nerd Nite Philly

Stephanie Gervasi will present “Disease Superspreaders”

“Superspreaders” are individuals who contribute disproportionately to the spread of infectious disease. Identifying the unique physiological and behavioral characteristics of superspreaders may be key to predicting when and where epidemics and disease-driven extinctions will occur. I will discuss how the integration of tools and principles from the fields of epidemiology, immunology and behavioral ecology has guided my past and present research about the dynamics of infectious disease in wildlife populations and risk of zoonotic pathogen transmission to humans.

Steph Gervasi is a postdoctoral scientist at Monell Chemical Senses Center (@MonellSc) who is fascinated by parasites and pathogens. As a disease ecologist, she endeavors to understand the factors that drive extinctions and epidemics in wildlife and increase the risk of pathogen spillover from wildlife to humans. Steph got her PhD in Zoology at Oregon State University, her MS in Natural Resources at the University of Michigan, and is thrilled to be currently living in the beautiful city of Philadelphia. She would love to talk to you about her favorite parasite-inspired horror movies and why toads are the coolest animals on the planet.

Sadhvi Saxena will present “More than Words – Tales of The Unspeakable Brain”

Imagine you want to say “I love you,” but you can’t actually speak the words. Imagine you have a gluten allergy, but you can’t read the ingredient list. Imagine that this happens all of the time, despite the fact that your intelligence, thoughts and consciousness are intact. Some stroke and brain injury survivors have to deal with this frustration everyday, because they have what is known as aphasia. Aphasia hinders one’s ability to speak, write and understand both written and verbal language. This talk will introduce the audience to the diversity of aphasia, it will discuss the brain and aphasia research from a clinical perspective, and it will delve into innovative methods for aphasia treatment.

Sadhvi is a shameless lover of broken brains. For 6 exciting years, she has been researching brain injury, dementia, and the use of noninvasive brain stimulation to study and treat brain disorders. When not working with patients or playing with data, she advocates for the development of personalized, continued, and affordable rehabilitation. She received her M.S. in Clinical Investigation from Boston University and is currently finishing up her M.H.S at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

Ryan Coffman will present “The Tobacco Industry: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors”

The talk would focus on the Tobacco Industry’s extensive history of deception and manipulation to promulgate the tobacco epidemic domestically and globally. This includes denying that nicotine is addictive concealing the harms of second hand smoke and general industry manipulation of scientific evidence and public health efforts to reduce adult and youth smoking. I would reference real industry quotes secured by litigation and actual campaigns the industry has launched to targeting vulnerable populations.

Ryan Coffman, MPH, CHES, CTTS-M is the Tobacco Policy and Control Program Manager for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.  In this role, he seeks to reduce adult and youth tobacco use smoking through out the city through policy, systems, and environmental strategies. Such as preventing youth tobacco use, helping tobacco users quit, mass media campaigns, and clean indoor and outdoor air laws. This presentation he will expose the source of the tobacco epidemic and pandemic. The Tobacco Industry itself.

Entertainment by Nerd Nite Favorite Ben Leach, who returns with Sears Wishbook “The Cost is Correct” trivia!

The details:
Doors open at 4pm. Show at 7:30pm. We recommend you get there early to ensure getting a good seat!
$5
Wednesday, December 7th
Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Avenue

Changing Canada’s Flag

Ever wonder how our Neighbors to the North chose their iconic flag? Come listen to this tale of political intrigue that starts with winning a Nobel Prize, ends in death threats, and leaves a certain college professor salty fifty years after the fact.

Simon “the Cannibal” Joseph (@Cannibal_Simon) is, among other things, the host of the much neglected podcast, The Vexillogicast. He’s also co-boss of Philly Nerd Nite and hosts board game nights at both Frankford Hall and South House. Finally, seeing as it’s election season, he’ll gladly talk your ear off about mixed-member proportional representation and how deeply flawed our current election system is.

The Ground Connection: Why You Should Be Aware of Your Feet

26 bones, 33 joints, and over a hundred small muscles and small tendons; and that’s just one of them. The human foot is one of the more intricate, complex and fascinating parts of the human body. Acting as the sole connection through ourselves and the earth below, we rely heavily on our feet to guide us through our day and allow us to participate in all the activity we love to do. Have you ever wondered how and why our feet are made to function the way they are? Have you ever looked down at them and wondered why the hell they hurt so bad? Join us as I take you on a journey of the foot and offer all the reasons why you need to be more aware of them than ever before.

My name is Dr. Matthew Klayman (@MatthewKlayman) and I am a Physical Therapist at Zarett Rehab and Fitness located in the Rittenhouse area. I recently graduated from Rutgers University with my Doctorate of Physical Therapy and have a strong passion in the treatment and understanding of orthopedic issues related to the lower extremity and foot. I have also attained my ACSM Health Fitness Specialist and a Bachelor of Sciences in Kinesiology at Penn State University. I am a runner in my spare time, completing two marathons and countless half marathons as well and have developed a particular interest in all types of running shoes. Although I am from New Jersey I have made a home in Philadelphia currently residing in the Queens Village neighborhood.

Distressing the Damsel

Playwright Jeremy Gable will explore the history of film noir, how it changed the way we watch movies, and how its typically male-driven world is bringing in some diamond-tough ladies in the upcoming rock cabaret “Nowhere Fast”.

Jeremy Gable (@Jeremy_Gable) is a local playwright whose works have been seen at Philadelphia Theatre Company, InterAct, Theatre Exile, Azuka, and Theatre Horizon. He writes about the triumphs and struggles of women in the 21st century. As the Resident Playwright for Sam Tower + Ensemble, he penned the script to last year’s Fringe Festival hit “901 Nowhere Street”, as well as the upcoming “Nowhere Fast”. He spends his day just trying to figure this whole damn thing out.

Entertainment by local artist Mike “FonzaRelli” Roberts! Check out his music here: https://soundcloud.com/fonzzdawg1029

The details:
Doors open at 4pm. Show at 7:30pm. We recommend you get there early to ensure getting a good seat!
$5
Wednesday, November 2nd
Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Avenue

We’re excited to once again participate in Archives Month! Here’s what’s in store for you:

Matt Shoemaker: Dungeons and Dragons

Archivists working “in the field” with communities to assemble and collect archival collections is a difficult but important process for preserving historic narratives. This is no different with the communities that created tabletop and role playing games (RPGs) in the 1960s, especially Dungeons and Dragons. Over the past four years I have been working with these men and women on behalf of a Dungeons & Dragons film documentary project in order to gather, organize, and describe original and digitized material related to the early history of RPGs. This talk should be of interest to any archivist curious about working with communities to build archival collections and to anyone who wants to learn more about the materials I found while filming the documentary and what it was like to “collect” them.

Matt Shoemaker has worked to build the digital scholarship program on Temple’s campus since 2013. He has created and given workshops in several areas of digital scholarship including making technologies (3D printing, 3D scanning, physical computing, photogrammetry), basics of GIS for digital scholarship, creating digital exhibitions, textual analysis, data cleanup, project design, games for education and as historical models and other DS areas. Prior to coming to Temple University, Shoemaker worked for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania where he led the development of HSP’s digital library, digitization program, and co-authored several successful grant proposals for digital projects. Shoemaker holds an MA in history, focused on French empire in North Africa, and an MLIS with a concentration in archives; both received from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. He is currently assisting with a project at the Philadelphia Museum of Art focused on digital uses for their Marcel Duchamp collections as well as co-producing a documentary on the history of Dungeons and Dragons.

David J. Gary: Collecting Horror and Exploitation VHS Tapes

In early 2015, Yale purchased nearly 3,000 horror and exploitation VHS tapes from a private collector in Ohio. The project was conceived to help scholars explore the connections between the emergence of the prerecorded video industry, the development of the horror and exploitation genres, and the growing concern of materiality in media. This talk will focus on why and how Yale purchased this collection, its importance beyond mere nostalgia, and the problems of managing a VHS collection. With the last new VCRs rolling off the production lines a few months ago, it is an opportune moment to take stock of the role of video tape in the production of culture.

David J. Gary is the Curator of Printed Materials at the American Philosophical Society, where he builds, interprets, and promotes collections. Before moving to Philadelphia in June, he was the Kaplanoff Librarian for American History at Yale University Library. At Yale, David was the liaison to the history, American Studies, and African American Studies departments and performed collection development duties in the area of American history. One of his large projects at Yale was co-founding the Yale Horror and Exploitation VHS Collection, which is the basis for his talk tonight. He has a PhD in American history, with an emphasis on early America and the history of the book, from the City University of New York’s Graduate Center.

Erin Bernard: Public History Truck

The Philadelphia Public History Truck is Philly’s own mobile museum, but it does not simply bring history to the people. It makes exhibitions with others, sometimes with archival materials, sometimes including archivists! But what do those collaborations look and feel like? How else could these collaborations work? Erin Bernard, the project’s creator, is ready to share all her archives dirt– errr– fuel with the audience of Nerd Nite.

Erin Bernard is the creator of the Philadelphia Public History Truck, a mobile museum which creates exhibitions with people here in the city. Her work has earned her the National Council on Public History’s 2016 Best Project of the Year Award, a John Andrew Gallery Community Action Award from the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, and the Best In Real Life Project of the Year from the Philadelphia Geek Awards. She is a Senior Lecturer of Museum Studies at the University of the Arts and an Adjunct Professor of History at Moore College of Art and Design for Women. She is the recipient of a 2016 Individual Project Grant from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage to complete the History Truck W.I.C. Work/Shop while the project’s neighborhood work continues for its fourth year, this time in Fairhill. Erin is a Mom of two living in South Philly.

PLUS! Entertainment by Christine Irizarry

The details:
Doors open at 4pm. Show at 7:30pm. We recommend you get there early to ensure getting a good seat!
$5
Wednesday, October 5th
Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Avenue

We are having a bonus Nerd Nite at The Rail Park! Joining us for this evening of outdoor nerdery will be:

Stephanie Kroll will present “Amazing Aquatic Insects: Adaptations for Living in Water.”

Did you know that a caddisfly knows how to fish, or that many beetles are actually scuba divers, taking their own air stores into the water? Streams and rivers are often thought of as calm, relaxing places, but the physical environment within waterways can be a tough place to live. Aquatic insects have been facing the challenges of living in water for millions of years, and they have a diverse array of adaptations that have made them successful.

I am Assistant Research Professor in Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES Department) at Drexel, and a Project Science Director at the Academy of Natural Sciences for a collaborative program that protects clean water, called the Delaware River Watershed Initiative.  The Initiative works with over 50 non-profit organizations working to protect water resources.  My group does research and takes samples from streams throughout the Basin, and I also have a laboratory to identify aquatic insects.  I have been living in Philly for 3.5 years and before that I lived in Spain for 8 years, where I worked as a translator and interpreter until I started graduate school there.  I’m from Central New York, and grew up fishing and camping in the Adirondacks and saving spiders from getting squashed.

Jeremy Gable and Sam Tower will give a talk entitled “Distressing the Damsel”

Finally, Loretta Maps Bolt will take us on an adventure all about “What if you could talk to plants? Or better yet what if the plants could talk back to you…”

PLUS! A tie-in with Jeremy and Sam’s talk, Alec MacLaughlin will perform a set featuring his unique brand of gritty guitar ambience. MacLaughlin’s music scored the theatrical worlds of 901 Nowhere Street, Nowhere Fast and New Paradise Laboratories’ 27. Jess Conda, BRAT Artistic director, will perform some of Nowhere Fast‘s rock noir inspired cabaret covers, accompanied by MacLaughlin.

The details:
Wednesday, September 21st

7:30 pm. $5

See you there!

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, we’re excited to change things up a little bit: we’ll have four presenters giving you the ins and outs of Star Trek. Our very own Chris Cummins will be taking on TOS, returning researcher Suraiya Haroon (previously of Mitochondria disease: From worms to humans) will be talking ’bout TNG, cartographic champion Henry Bernberg (previously of Mapping the Galaxy Far, Far Away) will discuss DS9, and first time speaker Marshal Staggs will review Voyager.

Chris Cummins is a Philadelphia-based writer and comics historian who regularly contributes to Den of Geek and Uproxx. He is also the producer/host of Sci-Fi Explosion, a cosmic cabaret of craziness that explores the wacky world of science fiction. You can follow him on Twitter at @bionicbigfoot and @scifiexplosion.

Suraiya Haroon with Star Trek: The Next Generation – from across the other pond!

At a time when sci-fi had not gained as much popularity, TNG allowed young science to go on voyages to explore the unknown.  This talk will reveal a perspective from a country far far away on the TNG series.  Discussions of a few characters will unveil some of the commentaries TNG makes on the human condition and take a look at some predictive technologies the show used.

Suraiya is a postdoctoral researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with a degree in Experimental Breeding. She is a lover of all model organisms, specially yeast, fruitflies, frogs, mice and worms. Suraiya is always willing to rant about science in exchange for beer and cheese.

Henry Bernberg with The Most Interesting Man in the Alpha Quadrant

Deep Space Nine stands out amongst the Star Trek series as the only one to rely on long form storytelling. Its unique setting and continuous story arc let the show foster relationships amongst the characters, be they heroes, renegades, or villains, while exploring complex social questions in ways that engage the viewer emotionally. All the while each character tries to claim the title of The Most Interesting Man in the Alpha Quadrant.

Henry is a sci-fi, cartography, and Lego nerd and creator of the Online Star Wars Galaxy Map. He holds degrees in Historic Preservation and Urban Spatial Analytics and works for the Philadelphia Water Department Office of Watersheds in stormwater management.

Marshal Staggs with A Boatload of Spocks

This talk will explore how the atypical setting of Voyager is effectively used as a lens through which to examine the history of the Star Trek franchise and the character archetypes upon which it traditionally relies. Through a discussion of selected characters and episodes, “A Boatload of Spocks” will show how Voyager was a natural evolution of the franchise and, as Star Trek shows often are, the Star Trek show that we needed at the time it was on the air.

Marshal is a graduate of The George Washington University and American University, where he completed a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in 2013. Since then, he has been working as an editor and writing his second novel in his spare time. He firmly believes that the best episode in the Star Trek franchise is Voyager’s “Bride of Chaotica!,” and will loudly argue with anyone who disagrees.

The details:
Doors open at 4pm. Show at 7:30pm. We recommend you get there early to ensure getting a good seat!
$5
Wednesday, September 7th
Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Avenue