Date: Wednesday, November 18th
Time: 7pm New, earlier start time!
Location: High Noon Saloon
For our November event, we are inviting back our old pals with the Wisconsin Wayfarers group! Details TBD, but if you are a nature lover, this event is the one for you!
More info coming soon!
Our first presenter is Seth Bausman to share some info about rare cryptids!
Our second speaker, Anna Calinawaan, will be talking about the science of cheese meltability. Mmmm!
Lastly, Matt Daley will join us to talk about The Weird Circle: The Original Cinematic Universe.
Elycia Degenhardt will speak about parasites you can get from your cat!
More speaker information coming soon! If you are interested in speaking at this or another event, send us an email at !
We are so excited to be back after summer break for another fabulous Nerd Nite! Join us at SEVEN PM (one hour earlier!) for three great talks:
First is Gabby Ante presenting about connection, optimization, and gamification: How games can be used to create connection and growth.
Our next presenter is Natalie Tocco, returning for another edition of “Dumb Ways Animals Die”! Explore the second rendition of dumb ways animals get themselves into stick situtations with a veterinary pathologist! Sometimes survival of the fittest doesn’t always look metal or pretty!
Lastly, we have returning presenter Adam Spencer to give us more information about AI and cybersecurity.
Another exciting Nerd Nite coming your way this April, the last of the spring season before our summer break!
First is James DeBano rescheduled from a previous nite to share “the Sennight Situation”! Why do we organize our lives in 7-day increments? Let’s adventure down the rabbit hole and dare to answer such bold questions as: Is ancient Babylon truly to blame for your case of the Mondays?
Second to the stage is shiftBacktick, presenting “Synthesizing the Unseen: A sighted developer’s journey into blind-friendly games”. shiftBacktick is a web developer by day and a computer musician by night. When they combined these passions to create games, they inadvertently entered the world of audio gaming. In this talk, they’ll share the last decade of their life and the accessibility insights they gathered along the way.
Last for our evening is Solventless Seb with “The Combustion Conspiracy: What BIC Lighter Doesn’t Want You To Know (an introduction to vaporizing cannabis)”. Everyone’s been lighting up the same for decades, centuries even- and no one has questioned it until now. Join Solventless Seb for a deep dive into the chemistry of combustion vs. vaporization, complete with research and evidence that could change the way that you consume cannabis forever.
Three new exciting talks await you this month!
First we welcome Jessi Jablonski to the stage to tell us about Small Space Gardening: Gardening in a small space doesn’t mean thinking small — it means thinking outside the pot! In this talk, I’ll share practical, creative strategies for turning patios, balconies, and tiny yards in Madison into lush, productive gardens filled with beauty and purpose. Whether you want pollinator plants, perennials, or edible favorites, you’ll leave inspired and confident to make the most of every square foot.
Our second presenter is Natalie Tocco with “Dumb Ways Animals Die” (not sad): We always hear survival of the fittest but that doesn’t mean the design is always right and bad luck happens! Let’s take a look at the silly ways animals get taken out in nature with a veterinarian who sees animals after they cross the rainbow bridge!
Last for the nite is returning presenter Matt Daley with his talk “Hallowed be thy Game: A Gazetteer of Christian Tabletop Roleplaying Games”. While the Satanic Panic led to many Christians targeting TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, hundreds of creators have since tried their hand at integrating Christianity into their games of pen, paper, and dice. Game Designer Matt Daley takes you through a collection of the most significant, fascinating, and bizarre Christian-themed RPG books, ranging from Sunday School Instructional Aids to Old Testament D&D Adventures to an official RPG published by the Church of Sweden.
Three fabulous presenters await you at February’s Nerd Nite!
Our first speaker is Bartje Wakker to share info about a unique biome: temperate rainforests! When you think of a rainforest, you probably think of a hot, humid jungle full of colorful birds, monkeys and tigers or jaguars lurking in the undergrowth – the so called “Lungs of the Earth” – but not all rainforests are so warm or even far from home! Come and learn about one of the rarest and most endangered ecosystems on earth – those rainforests that grow in cool, temperate climates and host just as incredible biodiversity and ecological importance as those in the tropics – and even some of the largest and oldest organisms in the world.
Second up to the stage will be Luke Chamberlain with “Why am I so goddamned Fascinated by James Cameron’s Avatar?”. Originally I was going to title this “a defense of Avatar” (the blue people, not the Airbender!) but I don’t know if that’s what it is anymore. I have become fascinated by these movies, but should I defend them? In this presentation I seek to understand and communicate why. I’m not going to try to convince you of the quality of anything, I promise! Art is subjective!
Our final presentation is titled “13 Steps to Raising a Proficient, Math-loving Kid!” by Suzy Scudder. Here’s Suzy’s description: I was a math interventionist for 11 years, and in that capacity I interviewed thousands of early primary (K-2) kids, and noticed some skills they lacked that are easy for parents to teach. The presentation is a distillation of those years of experience as well as intensive training I received in how to teach essential early numeracy skills. I also wrote a picture book on counting, called Count upon your Friends, and will introduce the audience to the book and explain why I wrote it.
Our first speaker is James DeBanof, presenting “The Sennight Situation”. Why do we organize our lives in 7-day increments? Let’s adventure down the rabbit hole and dare to answer such bold questions as: Is ancient Babylon truly to blame for your case of the Mondays?
Second is Shea Topel, who will share “World’s Craziest Birds.” Shea will take us on a look into some of the most unique and crazy birds to have ever lived. This includes 10-foot tall giants, birds that skewer live animals onto stakes, and the poisonous birds of Polynesia.
Third speaker TBA.
Our first speaker is Simrun Shroff, presenting about “Stop Spreadshitting Yourself Thin: Essential Tools to Organize Your Life”. Learn about ways to make your life better, just in time for New Years resolutions!
Second is Steve Hingle, who will share “Art from Code and a Digital Art Museum”. Steve will talk about how art can be made from code with random elements and will talk about the digital art museum he and his fellow board members are creating. They’re bringing several interactive art installations plus over 70 pieces of art from around the world. More info at madmat.org.
Our last speaker is Matt Wallrath with his talk “Tree of Heaven…or Tree of Hell?”. Learn about an invasive species you’ll find in Wisconsin and what we can do about it!
This month, we have guests from the Wisconsin Wayfarers for all three of our presentations! If you love animals, this one is for you.
First up is Elizabeth Braatz with “Bees! Who are the bumble bees of Wisconsin, and how you can help”: Did you know that there is an endangered bumble bee in Wisconsin, and you might be able to see one here in Madison? Learn about the bumble bees of Wisconsin, who they are, where they go in the winter, and how we can all help pollinators.
Our second talk is “Monarch Butterflies: Mighty Morphin’ Marathoners”, presented by Marie Jensen: Monarch butterflies are one of the most charismatic creatures of the insect world, but there’s serious brawn behind the beauty! Learn about their insane migration, why you should care about their protection, and what makes Madison special when it comes to monarch conservation.
Our last presentation will be given by Lisie Kitchel: “The complicated life of Wisconsin’s Native Mussels, not just rocks on the bottom of a stream”. The 50 species of native mussels in Wisconsin have amazingly complex life histories with unique ways to accomplish critical life stages. Their diversity is only excelled by their creative ways to accomplish reproduction, pretty smart for the lowly clam.