Nerd Nite ChCh #31: Algae-rithms of Deceit
Event description
Are you ready to get nerdy!?
Think TED talks with beer. Discovery Channel meets Drunk History.
Be there AND be square!
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Speakers
"Cyanobacteria: Your Toxic (Algae) Ex"
by Stephanie Koviessen
Everyone's had a toxic ex—but cyanobacteria might just take the crown. They show up uninvited, take over your favorite swimming spot, and leave behind a nasty toxin-laced mess. But like any ex, there’s more to the story. This session spills the tea on cyanobacteria’s ancient legacy, their role in ecosystems, and why they’re acting out in modern environments.
Stephanie recently emerged from the depths of a Master’s degree in Water Resource Management, fueled by coffee, curiosity, and a deep love for all things water quality. Her thesis took a deep dive into the world of cyanobacteria living in urban stormwater ponds—because what’s more fun than studying microscopic troublemakers? With a background in water quality and a tendency to get a little too excited about algae, she is passionate about making science accessible and keeping our waterways clean and healthy.
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"Christchurch’s 19th Century Scandals"
by Lydia Mearns
When researching places and people in Christchurch during the 19th century it doesn’t take long before you come across some pretty outlandish and sometimes even scandalous stories. While these tales don’t always make it into the history books, it’s about time someone told them.
Lydia graduated from Canterbury University with a bachelor’s degree with Honours in History in 2015. For the past decade she has been researching and writing the history of archaeological and heritage sites around New Zealand.
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"What if Maths Just Ghosted Us?"
by Clemency Montelle, PhD
What would life actually look like without maths? Can we imagine a world without numbers? From ancient tally sticks to TikTok algorithms, maths has shaped the rise of civilisation underpinning absolutely everything we do. This talk takes a lighthearted journey through history to explore just how lost we’d be if maths stopped answering our messages.
Professor Clemency Montelle is the Head of the School of Mathematics and Statistics in the University of Canterbury’s Faculty of Engineering. Crazy about mathematics and hooked on ancient languages, researching the history of mathematics was the perfect way to combine her two passions. Professor Montelle graduated from the History of Mathematics department, Brown University, USA, as a Fulbright scholar. She firmly believes Sanskrit grammar is just another kind of algorithm, and that ancient astronomers were the original data nerds. When not buried in dusty manuscripts, she’s likely plotting her next research trip to some impossible-to-access museum collection or testing the structural integrity of her office with too many books.
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