Nerd Nite Philly

Posts Tagged ‘antarctica’

Greetings Nerds!

Are you ready for one of TWO Nerd Nites happening in April? On April 1, join us for our usual nite of nerdy, featuring the below cast of characters. And then mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 29, when we’ll be teaming up with the Philadelphia Science Festival  for an evening of mythbusting, science, and, of course, beer.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s talk April 1. What can you plan on learning about over the course of this find evening?

“Living Off the Cuff: Freestyle as a Philosophy” by Jonathan Iwry

Most people regard improvisation as something just out of reach: impressive to watch, but terrifying to attempt. But when we take a closer look, we realize that combining creative thought with living in the moment is less a talent than a way of life—that we can harness it to find success and meaning in what we do.

“Baby Stars or: How I Learned to Observe Them and Came to Love Dust” by Nicholas Galitzki

This talk will describe how stars form from large clouds of dust and gas in our galaxy and one of the central mysteries of this elaborate process. Nichaols will also give a quick guide on how to build a balloon-borne telescope designed to gather clues about star birth.

About Nicholas: He is a 5th year graduate student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UPenn. He works with an experimental astronomy group there which means building telescopes before getting to observe with them. Nick has been interested in astronomy since grade school after being inspired by the fantastic night sky visible from his home in a rural part of Washington State.

“Crash and Learn: How Past Aviation Mishaps Have Shaped Airplane Safety Today” by Michael Ceriello

You’ve always heard that airplanes are the safest form of travel. Indeed, the drive to the airport actually is statistically more dangerous than the flight itself. But has this always been the case? Commercial aviation started out as a bumpy ride and went through significant growing pains before it could earn the safety title is holds today. This Nerd Nite, we’ll explore the data and engineering behind a few accidents which helped to shape and define the rules and regulations which govern the fastest and safest method of travel the world has ever seen.

About Mike : He works as a Structural Engineer for Boeing in Philadelphia and holds a degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he studied Aeronautical Engineering with a focus in fixed wing aircraft aerodynamics. During his career at Boeing, he has been involved in various programs such as the 787 Dreamliner, NASA’s Space Launch System, and, most recently, the 737NG. His discussion topic stems from his lifelong love engineering, airplanes, and Michael Bay-style explosions.

When: Wednesday, April 1

What time: Doors open at 4pm. Show starts at 7:30pm

How much: $5 cover gets you admission plus happy hour specials all night

Where: Frankford Hall, 1210 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19125

Be there and be square!

Nerd Nite Philly

Are you nerds ready for another Nerd Nite? We’ve got a fun one lined up for you filled with laughs, weirdness, scandal, and mysteries of the universe. Want to learn more? Join us Wednesday, March 4 @ Frankford Hall (as always).

Mike Bair, “Antarctica, It’s Weirder than You”
A brief exploration of Antarctica and the people who work there…. No need to listen. I’m bringing pictures.

 
About Mike: Mike Bair became a member of the United States Antarctic Program after serving six years as a sonar technician in the navy. He is one of 3000 people to have ever wintered-over in Antarctica.

Mary Pilon, “The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Board Game”
For years, the story of Monopoly’s origins was that the game was invented by an unemployed Pennsylvanian who sold his game to Parker Brothers during the Great Depression and lived happily–and richly–ever after. That story, however, is not exactly true. Ralph Anspach, a professor fighting to sell his Anti-Monopoly board game decades later, unearthed the real story, which traces back to Abraham Lincoln, the Quakers, and a forgotten feminist named Lizzie Magie who invented her nearly identical Landlord’s Game more than thirty years before Parker Brothers sold their version of Monopoly. Her game–underpinned by morals that were the exact opposite of what Monopoly represents today–was embraced by a constellation of left-wingers from the Progressive Era through the Great Depression, including members of Franklin Roosevelt’s famed Brain Trust.

David Schaffner, “It’s 2015: Where is My Mr. Fusion? (and other burning plasma physics questions…)”
It’s not shocking that Hollywood doesn’t always get science right. It might have been a little presumptuous for the Back to the Future writers to expect fusion power plants on our flying cars by 2015, but, really, how far off were they? And how much do we really know about this stuff called plasma that is often blithely identified as the 4th state of matter? Even though 99% of the visible universe is known to consist of plasma, there is still so much we do not understand. From the enormous, dangerous plumes of plasma ejected by the sun into the solar wind, to the sterile glow of a fluorescent light bulb, you may be surprised to learn just how much plasma affects us in our daily lives. As part of a series of Nerd Nite talks across the country in conjunction with Global Plasma Month, I’ll try to navigate you through this sea of hot charged particles, hopefully without getting zapped.

 
About David: David Schaffner is a postdoctoral researcher at Swarthmore College where he spends his time blowing magnetic bubbles of plasma in a vacuum chamber and studying their turbulent properties. He is interested in a broad array of plasma physics topics including the quest for controlled fusion power, but is particularly focused on recreating astrophysical turbulence in a laboratory setting.

Plus! Stand up by Stephanie Yuhas!

Wednesday, February 4

Doors open at 4pm. Show starts at 7:30pm

$5 cover gets you admission plus happy hour specials all night

Frankford Hall, 1210 Frankford Ave.

Philadelphia, PA 19125

Be there and be square!

Nerd Nite Philly