Date: Wednesday, December 4th
Time: 8pm
Location: High Noon Saloon

Our first speaker is Ben Rush with “Unused CT scan data for individual and public health”: CT scans are incredibly valuable for diagnosing medical conditions, but their usefulness does not end with a single diagnosis! Abdominal CT scans contain rich information about the health of our entire bodies, but this information about our muscle, bone, fat, liver, and other organs is rarely used. We will take a tour of how CT scans can be used beyond one diagnosis to inform us about our overall health, shape public health, and potentially redefine aging.

Next to the stage is Erica Christensen, presenting “One Brick at a Time: A Brief History of Lego”. This is one woman’s exploration of the history and cultural impact of her favorite childhood past time.

Last but certainly not least is Michael Yu, sharing his talk “Leave Room for GPT: AI’s Say in Your Dating Life”: Another cuffing season is here, but this time it wants to open up the relationship. Come speed date the newest member of your polycule—artificial intelligence (AI). Learn about its hobbies, interests, and how a $621.19 billion industry is influencing your love life from AI-driven Tinder matches to the people marrying AI (if you want this to be raunchier, you can replace “the people marrying AI” with “AI-powered sex robots”).

Date: Wednesday, November 6th
Time: 8pm
Location: High Noon Saloon

Join us for an incredible celebration of knowledge and nerdom with the amazing Madison Nerd Nite community!

In addition to our line up of 3 speaker, we will be celebrating with Nerd Nite branded swag for the first 50 attendees, cake, book sales hosted by Lake City Books, and more!

First is Lu Lu with “100 Trillion Neutrinos Through You Each Second: Why They Matter”: Neutrinos, often called “ghostly particles”, can pass through walls, the Earth, and even entire galaxies without interacting. In this talk, Lu will discuss how we have captured neutrinos that originate from supermassive black holes, using detectors located deep in the ice of Antarctica.

Our second speaker is Andrew Park, presenting “Gleaning the Cube”: Dive deep into the wild world of twisty puzzles! From the inception of the Rubik’s Cube to solving in the internet age, learn as much about this silly little toy as twenty minutes will allow. **FREE NERD NITE-BRANDED RUBIK’S CUBES FOR THE FIRST FIFTY PEOPLE TO ARRIVE AT THE EVENT**

Last is returning presenter Rob Lumley with “The Rise and Fall of Erotic Thrillers”: In 1987, Fatal Attraction was the third biggest movie of the year. This was a result of Erotic Thrillers flooding the theater (and video stores) peaking with Basic Instinct in 1992. From 1980’s Dressed to Kill through 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut, let’s look at what caused the rise and fall of this strange genre.

Date: Wednesday, October 2nd
Time: 8pm
Location: High Noon Saloon

It’s our last Nerd Nite in the double digits, and it is a wild one! We are doing an arts/culture heavy evening this time around with three exciting talks!

First is DJ Shotski with “Why polka music is poised for its 100-year comeback (and what that has to do with the 90s swing dance revival)”: Polka became Wisconsin’s official state dance in 1994. Soon another dance craze was about to sweep the nation. Like the swing dance revival of the late 90s, polka is poised to make a comeback. Learn why it’s time to learn how to polka.

Second is returning Nerd Nite presenter Sam Hurley, sharing “Ten Facts about Final Fantasy VII (FF7) and How it Revolutionized Modern Gaming”. Released in 1997, Final Fantasy VII (FF7) was a masterpiece of video gaming. When developer Square (now Square Enix) moved development of their classic Final Fantasy series from Super Nintendo to Sony PlayStation, the Japanese Role Playing Game (JRPG) was officially ushered into the modern era of 3D gaming. Combining traditional RPG elements of fantasy and magic with modern themes of corporate greed, environmentalism, and economic inequality, FF7 builds a unique and beautiful Dieselpunk world of floating cities, high technology, guns, swords, magic, and mysterious Mako energy for the player to explore. With the recent releases of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth creating renewed interest in the series, this talk takes the opportunity to explore the original game and how it was groundbreaking for its time.

Our last talk of the night is brought to us by Matthew Daley: “The Open Gaming License (OGL): What it is, what it does, and where it came from”. Many who were on the internet in January of 2023 recall the mess around Wizards of the Coast’s attempted dissolution of the Open Gaming License (also known as the OGL), but not everyone knows about what the License is or its checkered history. Matt Daley, a game designer who has published over 50 releases under the OGL is here to give you the full story of what the license entails, what it does for the gaming industry, and what publishing game materials under a license means.

Date: Wednesday, September 4th
Time: 8pm
Location: High Noon Saloon

School’s in session, and so is Nerd Nite! We are thrilled to bring you three more amazing presenters this month.

First up is Wil Koeb teaching us about the history of pre-film animation!
Second is Rebecca Stone with “Today’s Brain Rot Generation: How to be a Skibidi Rizzler”: Confused by all of gen alpha’s brain rot lingo? Same! But as a teacher of small brains, I have developed a comprehensive key to understating the confusing randomness of the internet. Join me, melt your brain, because nobody wants to be Ohio (that’s bad).
Last but not least is returning presenter ARJ with “Some Like it Raw: Parallelisms between Drinking Raw Milk and Unprotected Sex”. Your hosts never thought they’d have to google images of “sexy milk”, but here we are!

Date: Wednesday, August 7th
Time: 8pm
Location: High Noon Saloon

Madison Nerd Nite is back from Summer break, and we have got an awesome lineup of speakers!

David Trossman is our first speaker with his talk “The Sounds of the Oceans Between Us”: Jacques Cousteau was wrong: the ocean is not a silent world. And it’s not just because of whales and waves or even human-made sounds. You probably don’t listen to music for the science, just like you don’t listen to comedy to have jokes explained to you. But I’m going to tell you about the science that my own ocean-themed songs are about anyway. At the very least, you may hear music inspired by artists you actually like.

Next up is Chris Ott with “What is High-Speed Rail– and When Can You Ride It?”: In 2010, Wisconsin cancelled plans for a new train to Madison—but it wasn’t high-speed rail. What exactly is high-speed rail anyway? And what are the prospects for getting better American trains running, including for us in Madison?

Our last speaker of the night is Adam Spencer, explaining why we should worry about AI later and not now, but cybersecurity now and not later. AI is disruptive technology that with great potential impact – later. There are no real pathways to real disruption in the near term. Cybersecurity is having a devastating impact now, particularly economically – but in the mid-term there is reason to have hope for positive change.

Date: Wednesday, March 20th
Time: 8pm
Location: High Noon Saloon

Get ready for the final Nerd Nite ’til AUGUST! Come get your fill of nerdiness with three spectacular topics!
First, we have Max Olmsted with “The History of the Nintendo PlayStation Prototype: The Rarest Video Game Console in the World”: Imagine a world where Mario and Crash Bandicoot teamed up! That almost became a reality with the Nintendo PlayStation, a legendary console shrouded in mystery. This presentation dives into its exciting backstory – a tale of a vanished prototype, and a dramatic rediscovery. Get ready to journey into a hidden chapter of gaming history!

Next up is Bartje Wakker taking us into outer space with “Oops! All Neutrons!: The End of Lives of High Mass Stars”: Big stars burn bright and die young, but how do they die? And what happens next? And where do they come from in the first place? Understanding these and their demise can tell us where the elements come from, why there exists as an atomic nucleus the size of manhattan, and even how the strongest material in the universe is… tasty?

Our final presenter til we meet again in AUGUST is Dr. Sarah Koske, getting us ready for Derby Day! She will be presenting “Bat Ship Bray: Why Racehorses Have Crazy Names”: Have you ever wondered why racehorses have such bizarre names? Racehorse names can range from badass (Hades) to funny (Bodacious Tatas), to sentimental (Always Dreaming), so how do these athletes come to be named? Sarah will explain the various horse naming traditions and the complex system of rules that govern the naming of racehorses. We’ll also touch on the psychology behind names and how they might affect your own performance at the track.

Date: Wednesday, March 20th
Time: 8pm
Location: High Noon Saloon

Spring has sprung, and it is time for another exciting Nerd Nite!

Kicking things off is Linda Lay with A Brief History of K-Pop! Learn about the sound of the Hallyu Wave! Whether you’re an established fan, or just want to relate to your niblings as they trade photocards at Thanksgiving, come listen to a seasoned veteran go over almost 30 years of K-pop history combined with some personal anecdotes.

Next up is Kaitlyn Abshire presenting Love Hurts: the Intimate Mating Rituals of Snails and Slugs. Snails and slugs have some of the most unique mating rituals, ranging from using love darts to dangling from mucus ropes to penis fencing and much more! Let’s explore the fascinating sex lives of snails and slugs.

Last but not least, we welcome Eric Niemeyer (of Nic Cage presentation fame) back to the Nerd Nite stage! Eric will be discussing Climate Change Anxiety. This will be a mix of science and storytelling from various scientists, activists, and other folks involved in climate change solutions. Join us to find the humor in a topic near and dear to many of our hearts!

Be there, and be square!

Date: Wednesday, February 7th
Time: 8pm
Location: High Noon Saloon

Winter woes got you down? Nerd Nite is here for you! We have three fabulous presenters lined up to entertain and educate you this February!
First is McKenzie Beyer to explain why so many people feel disappointed on their birthdays! Birthdays are complicated, and relationships with them change over time. McKenzie will also give some advice about avoiding those birthday blues.
Second is Dan Gantman talking about another stressor: traffic! We all get eaten up by the daily grind, but why is our daily commute so painful? During construction, commuters are often required to merge into a single lane of traffic, a bottleneck causing serious back-up, frustration, and late Zoom calls. It seems obvious when one should merge and yet commuters are polarized: Do you get in line right away or merge at the last second? In this presentation, we will settle the debate once and for all between anti-mergers and pro-mergers. You will learn how to simulate traffic and be empowered with equations to prove who is right about zipper merging, who is wasting everyone’s time, and who is just an asshole.
Our final speaker is returning Nerd Niter Larry Werner, who will be sharing the history of insurance! Insurance impacts all of our lives, whether we have it or not– its origins are more interesting than you may think!

Date: Wednesday, January 3rd
Time: 8pm
Location: High Noon Saloon

Start your year off right with Nerd Nite!
Our first speaker is Erica Hagen, to teach us about the wonders of soil: “We take for granted the stuff under our feet, but soil has memory and feels stress just like us. Let’s get the scoop on this fascinating engineering material!”
Second is Matt Kendrick with “A Royal Scandal: The King of Gondor Marries his Cousin?” This will be an overview of some of the notable events of the ancestors of Aragorn and Arwen. Lord of the Rings nerds, we see you!
Our third speaker is Paul Matthews to get us in the springtime mindset! “Learn about the magic of growing veggies in strawbales! This dirt-less method combines the advantages of no weeding, reduced watering, and bonus compost for next year’s garden!”
We will see you all at the High Noon on Wednesday! 

Date: Wednesday, December 6th
Time: 8pm
Location: High Noon Saloon

Get your final Nerd Nite fix before the year ends!

First speaker is Ben O’Connell, with “The Map to Your Heart: How Wisconsin was Gerrymandered”. In the 2022 elections, Wisconsin’s Democratic Governor Tony Evers won with 51% of the vote, while at the same time Republicans held a 2/3 majority in the State Senate and nearly a 2/3 majority in the State Assembly. The reason? Wisconsin is one of the most gerrymandered states in the United States. In this presentation you’ll hear how Wisconsin was gerrymandered, how it relates to the movie Flubber, and some extraordinarily silly theories on what happened in closed door meetings on redistricting.

Next, we have Shea Topel, to teach us about animals! Drinking! Shea will be citing evidence and cases of how animals seek out and consume alcoholic substances for various reasons. Some examples include monkeys forming social circles of different kinds of drinkers, Russian bears huffing jet fuel and the amazing alcohol tolerance of the tiny pen-tailed tree shrew.

Lastly, we have NERD NITE AFTER DARK. This one will be a wild ride! ARJ will be discussing comparative phallology, or….animal genitals.
Join us for the least stressful holiday season event you’ll attend! Kick back, relax, and be nerdy with us!