June Nerd Nite on the Rocks
Rick Rentz
Rick started out as a child, and hasn’t really grown up because he’s still plays with toys! Ancient toys began with rocks and sticks. Stones were used to build cairns, play catch, and skim on water. Sticks could be made into spears among other things, and sticks that you could throw and would come back to you were called boomerangs. When people began to make strings, it opened up a whole new world of toys. Buzz toys, bullroarers, and diablos were all made with strings. Rick will give us a closer look at some of these toys and more.
June Nerd Nite on the Rocks
Rebecca Woods
Every year, countless drug trials fail, not because the drugs didn’t work, but because the “ruler” that was used to measure their efficacy wasn’t suitable for detecting real-world changes. For children with rare neurodevelopmental disorders, the measurement problem is especially challenging because a one-size-fits-all approach can’t address the variety in symptomology inherent to such disorders. In her presentation, Rebecca will discuss barriers to effective clinical assessment of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and describe methods being used to resolve these issues.
May Nerd Nite on the Rocks
Jade Harveland
Many say Emperor Palpatine was the grand puppet master pulling the strings in the Star Wars saga. Was Palpatine just evil for the sake of evil or were his motivations forward thinking with the goal of helping save the galaxy from a secret invasion?
May Nerd Nite on the Rocks
Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson, engineer and programmer, has spent over 10 years designing software. In his presentation, he’ll discuss the basics of computer programming and he’ll explain the process of designing a program and coding. He’ll also give a brief history of programming and how it has become more accessible to everyone.
April Nerd Nite on the Rocks
Lee Graham
Polyamory may seem trendy and new, but did you know it goes back to the beginning of man? In this presentation, you’ll learn about what it means to be polyamorous with a personal take. Lee will discuss ethical non-monogamy, its history and types, and what distinguishes it from cheating.
April Nerd Nite on the Rocks
Mark Becker
There’s mounting evidence that true happiness and contentment are not only possible, but likely through a spiritual paradigm shift. Our presenter, Mark Becker, has been on a spiritual enlightenment quest that has opened a multitude of unexpected avenues. Finding happiness through what he has learned and experienced is just one of the many benefits he has encountered. He’s passionate about sharing that journey with those who are interested.
April Nerd Nite on the Rocks
Heidi McCarter
Have you ever wondered, “Why haven’t they called me for the job?” or feared being pulled into Human Resources for a “talk”? In Heidi’s presentation, you’ll hear the ins and outs of job recruitment from a 20+ year veteran of Human Resources who specializes in recruitment—everything from applying for the job to landing the perfect role. This talk will be blatant and blunt with a “how to” approach to current job searching.
by Rebecca Woods
March Nerd Nite on the Rocks
There is evidence to suggest that the types of gender-typical toys children prefer can be explained by biological factors such as hormones that predispose children to prefer those types of toys. However, countless studies demonstrate that many of the differences between the sexes once thought to be biologically determined, actually originate from societally-constructed environmental differences. Can the same be said about toy preferences? Studies investigating the emergence of these preferences in infancy and toddlerhood can help answer this question.
By Jade Harveland
March Nerd Nite on the Rocks
In the back streets of Whitechapel late 1800’s fear had a name. It’s name was Jack, but behind the masquerade of a killer, surely there was a real person. Join three-peat Nerd Nite speaker, Jade Harveland, for a tour of the events surrounding the infamous serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.
February Nerd Nite on the Rocks
Jordan Billings
Under the 2nd amendment, citizens of the U.S. retain the right to keep and bear arms. With that right comes the responsibility of safe and conscientious gun ownership. There are many legitimate reasons to own a gun, from hunting to personal protections. Victory Arms’ firearm educator Jordan Billings will discuss gun ownership within the context of current regulations, safe use, and misuse to help us to see gun rights from a responsible gun owner’s point of view.
