Nerd Nite ATL

Holy mackeral! Can’t believe that this is our 12th straight month of nerding out with all you ATL folks. It hardly feels like a year ago that I was biking around the alien landscape of Atlanta trying to pitch the event and rustle up speakers for our first go. But here we are! We’re setting this thing off on the eve of Dragon Con, and what better way to prep for the big event than to come nerd out with your favorite local nerds? Especially when you can bone up on your comic book and shark knowledge! This month, we’ve got some great talks, and we hope to see you all out to celebrate one year of Nerd Nite ATL.

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What: Nerd Nite ATL, No. 12
When: WEDNESDAY 8/27. Show at 8:00pm, but get there EARLY if you want to get a good seat and get a jump on ordering food/drink.
Where: Manuel’s Tavern, 602 North Highland Ave NE
Cost: $5 Cover
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“The neuroscience of pleasant and sensual touch” by Kevin Watkins.

The skin, our largest sense organ, has also been referred to as the largest sexual organ. Researchers are just now starting to understand how pleasant social touch is sensed and processed differently than other sensory information. So what does the field of Neuroscience have to teach you about touching your loved ones?

Bio: Bio: Kevin Watkins is a Neuroscience PhD student at Emory University, where he studies how pleasant touch interacts with physiology. Previously he has done chimpanzee social research, taught high school Biology in East Oakland, and led canoe field trips in the San Francisco Bay. When not doing science, he works on slowly turning his Kirkwood home into a small hobby farm.

“Crisis of Terrible Comics: The Worst of DC and Marvel.” by Evan Valentine

From Days of Future Past, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America: Winter Soldier, we find ourselves in a renaissance of great comic book cinema and storytelling. HOWEVER, there is a dark side that few dare to venture toward. That’s right, there have been almost a century of comic books put forth from DC and Marvel respectively, so there were bound to be a few stinkers in the pile. In Crisis of Terrible Comics: The Worst of DC and Marvel, guest speaker Evan Valentine will discuss the worst of the worst in comic book story lines. From deals to the devil to hyper aging ninja children, it’s all downhill from here folks.

Bio: Evan Valentine is a standup comedian in the Atlanta Area who has performed with the likes of Chris Tucker (Rush Hour) and Ron White (Blue Collar Comedy Tour) to name a few. Mr. Valentine also writes for the website, Collider, as their comic book guru with regular features on the site. He was recently featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution for both his standup comedy and his day job as a Marketing Director.

“Sharks (with or without freakin’ lasers)! ” by Rachel Pendergrass

Sharks are cool. Duh. We all know that. They even have a whole week dedicated to them. But why are they so important to us? And why are we so important to them?

Bio: Rachel Pendergrass is a marine biology student, writer, and science communicator native to the Atlanta area. When she’s not working on her shark research or school work, she is a co-producer of WRITE CLUB Atlanta and the assistant director of the Dragon Con Science Track. She was also the official poetic journalist of TEDxPeachtree in 2013.