Poster designed by Rebecca Cohen.
Spend your Memorial Day with Nerd Nite East Bay. Alumnerd Vincent Tanguay will explain how nuclear weapons work, our own Rebeca Cohen will talk about the history of Bugs Bunny, and former Doctors Without Borders volunteer Patrick Maguire will talk about how it isn’t just MDs who fight epidemics; a bit of engineering helps too.
As usual, doors/bar/food (Lumpia Co.) are at 7. As is Ann-Marie Benz’s Detention (our social program before the talks). We will study the complexities of paper airplanes. Make airplanes out of our pre-printed paper, our blank paper, or bring you own airplane. We’ll spend time making the planes, then see which type goes the farthest.
Rick, guest DJ Rubberband Girl, and the Oakland Public Library will get that wascally wabbit.
Be there and be square.
This event is 21+.
Monday 5/30/2016 Doors (+food,drink,"Detention" preshow) at 7 pm, talks start at 8 pm and end by 10:30 pm Club 21, 2111 Franklin St, Oakland (two blocks from the 19th St BART) Advance tickets are $8 (or less if you take advantage of our Early Nerd discounts) and are available until 3PM the day of the show or until they sell out. Your CC statement will denote these come from Drinkified Learning, LLC. Any door tickets will be $10 (cash or card). tickets fb
Atomic Bombs for Dummies by Vincent Tanguay
This past January, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear weapon test and claimed it detonated a hydrogen bomb. This controversial claim has sparked debate over the nature of the test: was it a fission bomb, a fusion bomb or maybe something in between? Let’s explore the difference between these different devices, how they work and how they are made. We’ll discuss some of the scientific breakthroughs that led to the bomb from the late 19th century to the Manhattan project. Unfortunately, because of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, there will be no live demos.
Vincent Tanguay, Ph.D. (has been known as “Dr. Explosion”) has a background in explosives and detonations. In his former life, he worked as a scientist in a Canadian National Lab.
Devil May Hare (The Evolution of Bugs Bunny) by Rebecca Cohen
Who is Bugs Bunny, really? Cartoon character, cultural icon, skilled drag performer, intergalactic basketball star… Bugs has played many roles in his 75-year history (76 in July). This talk will examine Bugs’ early history, specifically how the character came into existence and how he evolved from almost unrecognizable origins to become The Rabbit we all know and love. Along the way, we’ll get a healthy dose of close textual analysis surrounding the Bugs-Elmer dynamic, because Rebecca didn’t get that master’s degree in Film Studies for nothing, folks.
You probably already know Rebecca as co-boss of Nerd-Nite East Bay. She also writes and draws webcomics and is kind of a little bit internet famous for that. She definitely made that thing about feminism and/or cats you saw on your Facebook feed. Check out her Twitter (@gynostar) for links to all the comics stuff. With a BA in English from Cal, an MA in Film Studies from NYU, an MST in elementary education from you don’t care where, and a bartending certificate, Rebecca’s hobby is collecting useless pieces of paper. Her day job is the pursuit of educational equity through the Oakland-based nonprofit Aspire Education Project (donations pls?). While she has introduced and watched many Nerd Nite presentations, this will be the first Nerd Nite talk Rebecca’s ever delivered herself.
Fighting Cholera with Engineering by Patrick Maguire
Cholera outbreaks kill tens of thousands of people every year, and infect millions more. Providing medical treatment for cholera patients, while crucial, is only one part of effectively combating outbreaks. Just as important are effective logistics, construction, and sanitation – moving tons of medical supplies around the world at the first hint of an outbreak, hiring and training hundreds of staff, and quickly building sanitary treatment centers from scratch that don’t result in more infections than cures. Come learn how plastic sheeting, 2x4s, and hydrogen chloride save lives, and why Doctors Without Borders needs engineers as well.
Patrick Maguire is one of those extremely rare individuals – a software engineer in the bay area. Prior to selling his soul, he got a degree in civil engineering, taught science as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania, and worked with Doctors Without Borders and a technical and construction logistician, first in South Sudan and then Haiti. He looks forward to the day when people will stop assuming that as he worked for Doctors Without Borders he must be a doctor.