Nerd Nite Los Angeles - October 2024

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: Corn, Hecho en Mexico

By Ismael "Alex" Cortez

Summary: From industries to empires, the presence and power of maize is more ubiquitous than you might believe. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’ll dive deep into the history of this staple grain, nixtamalization, ancient Mesoamerican dishes that are still made to this day, and the deadly impacts ignorance wrought on the European continent. It may be corny, but you’ll wanna be all ears for this one.

Bio: If you’ve been to Nerd Nite LA before, you’ve definitely met him! Ismael "Alex" Cortez, our regular Brewyard Beertender, was born and raised in Los Angeles, with an indelible connection to his Latin American/Hispanic roots. He’s never shy to try new cuisine, but ultimately, masa dishes are top tier.


PRESENTATION #2: Welcome to My Nightmare: How I Fought Movie Zombies and Mosquitoes in Canada Alongside Adam West!

By Frank Dietz

Summary: In 1985, Frank Dietz landed the acting role he'd always dreamed of: the star of a horror movie! But the dream quickly became a hilarious nightmare involving an incompetent director, fired zombies, ravenous mosquitoes, misplaced actors, TV's Batman, Tia Carrere, Shawn Levy... and Mystery Science Theater 3000!

Bio: Frank Dietz started his career as a cult horror movie actor in the 80's (BLACK ROSES), and went on to become a feature film screenwriter (I HATE KIDS), a Disney animation artist (TARZAN, ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE), and an award-winning filmmaker (BEAST WISHES). Most recently, Dietz has written for the Creepshow TV series on Shudder and released his entertaining and hilarious memoir, "Monsters, Movies and Me."


PRESENTATION #3: Delicious in Dungeon: Examining the Monsters and Ecology of the Hit Anime Series

By Gabriel Santos and Dr. Earyn McGee

Summary: Delicious in Dungeon brings a fresh taste to the fantasy genre of adventurers and dungeons. From trying to understand the ecology of Living Armor to discussing the complex food webs of dungeon environments, Delicious in Dungeon is actually a wonderful introduction to wildlife biology and conservation! Scientists and cosplayers, Gabriel Santos and Dr. Earyn McGee dive deep into the scientific lore of this hit anime and answer questions like: How would a conservationist explore a dungeon? How would new dungeon species be identified and studied? Would slaying monsters affect a dungeon’s ecology?

Bio: Gabriel Santos is a paleontologist and Director of Education at the Alf Museum of Paleontology in Claremont, California. He's studied ancient rainforests and extinct marine mammals of California. His work now focuses on science education helping others discover the science in their lives through projects like the Cosplay for Science Initiative. Gabriel was named a 2021 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow with National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions and accompanied an expedition to Antarctica as part of his fellowship. He recently joined as a cohost of the hit PBS digital series, PBS Eons, where gets to share stories of deep time. Find him online at @paleoparadox and @cosplayforscience.

Dr. Earyn McGee is passionate about field research, herpetology, and social justice. Find her on socials at @Afro_Herper where she runs a popular web game called #FindThatLizard. Every week she sends out a photo of a lizard camouflaged in its natural environment via her newsletter to almost 500 subscribers and cross posts to her 50k followers on X and 25K on Instagram. Currently, she works as the Coordinator for Conservation Engagement at the Los Angeles Zoo.