Nerd Nite Miami - June 5, 2025

Nerd Nite Miami is back Thurs, June 5th at Gramps.

Nerd Nite is an evening of entertaining and educational presentations. Speakers present for 15 minutes, followed by a brief Q&A with the audience. Doors at 6. Presentations begin promptly at 7pm. We’ll do a few rounds of trivia in-between the presentations.

Guest speakers

Jessica Brady

Ed Casas

Shalini Uppu

Hosted by Ricardo Williams

PRESENTATION #1

“Xenoanthropology 101: The Nazca Mummies” by Ed Casas

Ed Casas is a graduate of FAU with BA degree in Anthropology, and Social Sciences & Ethnic Studies. Casas ran the education department at the Graves Museum of Archaeology & Natural History.

PRESENTATION #2:

“Hex Appeal: From Ancient Spells to Modern Magic” by Jessica Brady

A chaotic (but educational) crash course in hexing for the witch-adjacent and mildly unhinged: we’ll explore the history of curses from ancient tablets to contemporary chaos magic, and unpack the cultural context and symbolism behind why people turn to the dark side of spellwork. Ethics? Optional. Results? Emotionally satisfying. No Hogwarts spells here, just enough chaos and sass to make you second-guess every candle you’ve ever bought.

Jessica is a Syracuse grad with a double major in psychology and neuroscience, but her real passions lie in hiking, reading, and traveling. She works as a fashion tradeshow coordinator, volunteers to raise child literacy rates, and never says no to a good outfit. Funny, adventurous, and always game for a good time, she’s the friend you’ll wish you’d met sooner.

PRESENTATION #3

By Shalini Uppu

Shalini grew up in Miami and is a proud graduate of a Miami-Dade County Public School. As a student at Yale, she worked in the admissions office which sparked a lifelong interest in college admissions. Later, she served in the admissions offices at Duke and UChicago before moving back home to Miami. Now, she and her colleague support local students with their college applications. Shalini enjoys tennis and long walks at Publix.