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Hey all you nerd dudes and nerd gals, if you want to stay off the naughty list this year, you better haul you’re heinies on out to the fourth installment of Nerd Nite ATL! There’ll be plenty of holiday cheer to go around and three more totally great talks to fill up your brains before the new year. And this month, instead of a talent act in between talks, we’ll be holding a couple rounds of Nerd Nite Trivia where your nerdy know-how could net you and your team one of three fabulous prizes! Peep details below, and bring your friends. Remember, doors are at 7:30, and show up early for a seat and food/beer. a step out of the cold and into a warm Nerd Nite ATL, Atlanta! This month we’re getting down on a Tuesday, with three great talks and one great music act to keep your spirits high as we shiver into the holiday season:
When: Wednesday, December 18th. Doors @ 7:30pm, Show @ 8:00pm sharp (arrive early!)
Where: Manuel’s Tavern, Poncey-Highlands, 602 N Highland Ave NE.
Cost: $5 cover.
WHO YOU’LL SEE, AND WHAT YOU’LL HEAR:
“We are 98% chimp and 50% bananas: What apes can teach us about our own shortcomings” by Darby Proctor, Ph.D. and Julia Watzek.
Humans behave in ways that don’t make sense. We study nonhuman primates to attempt to gain an evolutionary understanding of these human quirks. We will touch on everything from monkey economics to chimpanzee innovations and relate stories of how these amazing primates continually surprise us.
Bio: Dr. Darby Proctor and Julia Watzek both have years of experience working with nonhuman primates. They currently work at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center with Frans de Waal doing behavioral research with chimpanzees, one of human’s closest living relatives. Both have survived the wilds of Africa while working with wild primates as well as becoming adept at dodging whatever the chimps fling at them.
“Sound and Synthesizers” by Billy Gewin.
This talk will cover some basic physics of sound and synthesizers, highlighting a few well-known recordings with a discussion of how their signature synth sounds were created. We’ll explore some important inventors who contributed to western music’s arsenal of electronic instruments like Luarens Hammond, Leon Theremin and Bob Moog, and will attempt to underscore how magic can happen when two simple elements are combined to make something special.
Bio: Billy Gewin is a musician, singer/songwriter and studio owner. He’s recorded with many local singer-songwriters and bands, co-written songs with many local artists including Sugarland, and plays live at bars, coffeehouses and festivals around Atlanta.
“Agony and Ecstasy: The Story of a Love Drug” by Daniel Curry.
From its humble beginning in a Merck laboratory, MDMA has become one of the world’s most widely used illicit drugs. Its fascinating ability to engender feelings of love and closeness towards others has inspired new subcultures and generated significant interest in the drug’s therapeutic potential. Yet, as overdose deaths accumulate, its dangers have never been clearer. Is MDMA a dangerous drug of abuse or a medicine of the future? We’ll discuss its history, pharmacology, and what “love” in a pill can teach us about our own biology.
Bio: Dan is a doctoral student in Neuroscience at Emory University. His research focuses on the pharmacology of “club drugs” such as MDMA and understanding how they affect the neurobiology of social behavior. When not in lab, Dan is involved with the Atlanta Brain Bee and is an instructor for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Emory. He is interested in the history of drug use and the dynamic relationship between cultures and mind-altering substances.
Don’t forget to bone up on all your nerdy know-how for two rounds of nerd trivia!
Tell your friends!
Be there and be square!