Nerd Nite Los Angeles - January 2025

Nerd Nite is fun-yet-informative lectures at a bar. It's like TED Talks...but with beer.

We all know that learning is more fun when you’re drinking with friends and colleagues. Thus, Nerd Nite is a monthly event held in more than 100 cities across the globe during which several folks give 20-minute fun-yet-informative and easily accessible presentations across all disciplines – while the audience drinks along.

https://linktr.ee/nerdnitela

FAQ's:

- Doors open at 7pm. Intro at 7:45pm. Presentations at 8pm.

- The Brewyard Beer Company is a 21+ venue.

- There is free street parking surrounding the bar, but we recommend utilizing a ride share service.

PRESENTATION LINE-UP:

PRESENTATION #1: Building Better Creatures: Using Science To Inform Creature Design in Entertainment

By Dr. Michael Habib

Summary: From games to film, many of our favorite stories are filled with astonishing creatures. Be it recreating an animal long extinct or building fantasy monsters, these creatures need to feel real to light up our imaginations. Building compelling creatures, and making them work on-screen, often requires an intersection of science and art. Dr. Michael Habib will share some of his favorite moments and insights from 20 years of working as a scientist-consultant for creature creation, animation, and VFX projects. From the math that drives a breaching mosasaur to the physics of digital dragons, learn about the secret science behind some of your favorite creatures.

Bio: Dr. Michael Habib is a Director of Data Visualization and Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, a Research Associate in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, an Adjunct Professor in Biology at College of the Canyons, and a freelance writer/consultant. He is an expert in biomechanics exploring the relationships between evolution, structure, and performance in animals (including humans) using a combination of anatomy, art, and engineering. Dr. Habib has authored over 40 scientific papers, appeared in a diverse array of television specials, and worked as a scientific editor for National Geographic Magazine. He regularly writes for Scientific American Magazine and is currently completing his first book on creature design, in collaboration with legendary LucasFilm artist Terryl Whitlatch. Dr. Habib is an experienced animation and creature design consultant, and he has applied science to creature design on over 20 projects for leading studios, including projects for BBC, CBC, National Geographic, Creative Differences, YouTube Originals, Amblin Entertainment, Apple TV+, and Netflix. He is currently on a project (under NDA) in collaboration with famed effects studio, Industrial Light and Magic.


PRESENTATION #2: The Six Degrees of Neal Baker: How a Little Known Restaurant and its Founder Played a Big Role in Fast Food History

By Javier Servin

Summary: What do McDonald's, Taco Bell, Del Taco, Naugles, and Wienerschnitzel have in common? Well, Neal Baker of course! Never heard of him or his restaurant, Baker's Drive-Thru? You're not alone! Your history homie Foo Howser™ invites you to discover how this chain from the Inland Empire and its founder, Neal Baker, helped shape fast food history!

Bio: Foo Howser™ AKA Javier Servin is a dude that loves the rich and diverse history of California and wants to get others excited about it as well. His passion for California history was sparked by watching Huell Howser and by the amazing history teachers he had growing up. He earned a B.A. in History from UC Merced, where he wrote his thesis on the life and rebellion of Estanislao of the Lakisamni Yokuts of the San Joaquin Valley. He earned an M.A. in Moving Image Archive Studies from UCLA and currently works as an archivist in Hollywood. He is a first-generation Mexican immigrant and has the vaccine scar to prove it.


PRESENTATION #3: Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room: From Restaurant to Revue

By Ken Bruce

Summary: From its inception all the way up to a scant eight months before debuting, 'Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room' was to be a tropical themed eatery. Ken Bruce, author of ‘Before the Birds Sang Words’, the definitive biography of the classic Disneyland attraction, shares the tale of how a simple Tiki infused cafe slowly evolved into a surreal and somewhat unsettling upscale restaurant ‘experience' before pivoting to its final beloved incarnation — the world’s first fully automated musical revue. Join Ken for a behind-the-scenes exploration of the most consequential theme park attraction of all time!

Bio: Ken Bruce is a two-time Emmy Award-winning animation director and storyboard artist. His story work has appeared in three Best Animated Feature Academy Award winners — Toy Story 3, UP, and Shrek — two of which were nominated for Best Picture. Other credits include The Simpsons, Ren and Stimpy, and Fairly Odd Parents. Currently he’s a crew member on the hit series Family Guy. A lifelong fan of classic Disney animation and theme park history, his first visit to Disneyland at age five was a formative event, permanently searing into his consciousness a deep appreciation for the captivatingly kinetic, masterfully immersive environments that Walt Disney and his team of Imagineers dreamed up for a completely new kind of amusement park. Ken currently lives in Los Angeles.