by Jeremy Blankenship
Stearns American comes to Nerd Nite! Join us as Jeremy takes us on a deep dive into whiskey making. He’ll give us a “tour” of the different types of whiskey and explain how they go from grains to our glasses. Learn about brewing and fermentation, distilling, and the barrel aging process. And find out how you can find the newest whiskey in the county. Bottoms up!
by John Mielke
What is this obsession with cars?! Why do some people see an A to B transport and others see artistic metal ships? See through the eyes of someone who looks at an old car as a canvas to express color and shape…and also to make growling sounds while smelling up the environment with burned fossil fuels. In his presentation, John will provide some history on his favorite cars, Volvos. Come learn how the merging of visual appeal with safety and fun made these cars so much more than just “Boxy but Nice”.
by Andrew & Melissa Grosberg
Join Andrew Grosberg (Iver Erlandssen) and Melissa Grosberg (Æssa Stefánsdatter) as they present on typical armaments from the Viking Age. They’ll discuss what a Viking warrior might have carried into battle, and also why they did not have horns on their helmets. Skål!
by Tyler Carlson
As of November 2021, 129.32 million Americans hold a full-time job. 2021 has also been described as “The Great Recession” due to millions of employees quitting their jobs, changing jobs, or simply taking time to rethink life’s priorities. Industrial and Organizational Psychology (IO) is a field determined to use psychological principles to create a workplace that gives each of those employees a chance to be happy at work, earn a livable wage and make an impact on others. Join Tyler he takes you through principles in IO Psychology that help to create a desirable place to work while offering people a place to make an impact.
Jade Harveland
Children around the world have wondered how Santa can deliver all those presents in a single night! The answer is actually quite simple. Santa is a mutant! Not just any mutant…an Omega-level mutant. Santa has made numerous appearances throughout the Marvel Universe and was finally ID’d as a mutant by one of Marvel fans’ favorite professors, Charles Xavier.
by Aria Harveland
The mystic tarot has been used for centuries by fortune tellers for divination. Many believe that the use of these cards is “the work of the devil”. However, contrary to this belief, the tarot is infused with Christian themes and symbolism. In her presentation, Aria will explain the origins and history of the tarot and how it became what it is today.
Norwegian Christmas Traditions
by Frank Haynes
What hides in a barn, is about 3 feet tall and brings presents on Christmas morning? Well if you lived in Norway, you would know it is the Jule Nissen. Broaden your holiday knowledge and amaze your friends this holiday season by learning about many of the Christmas (Jule) traditions of Norway. No lutefisk will be served at this gathering.
by Mark Becker
We live in a world where we continuously hear of crime, division, distrust and prejudice. Most of us struggle through life in fear, and wonder what our purpose here is. We strive for happiness, without really knowing what that means. On the other side of the fence lies enlightenment. We are all capable of reaching it, and it is where we find true happiness and meaning. In this talk, our speaker will share what he has learned from hours studying personality types, psychology, spirituality, near death experiences, hypnotherapy, telepathy, psychics and mediums in his search for enlightenment.
by Steven Dorsher
Many Nerds already have some familiarity with special relativity, which says that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light and that space and time coordinates depend on the speed of the person who observes them. Many Nerds also have some familiarity with black holes, which can either be the remnants of stars or much larger and found at the centers of galaxies. They are so massive they don’t allow light, or anything else, to leave, within the Schwarzschild radius. But what new properties does a spinning black hole have? And how have we observed spinning black holes in nature?
The History of Diapering
by Morgan Carlson
Diapering isn’t usually something people think about until that baby comes into your life; changing your perspective on many things. Did you ever wonder what people did before diapers were invented? Or why has the average potty training age doubled in the past 60 years? I’m here to tell you a bunch of fun facts about the history of diapering and some alternatives to the current mainstream potty culture!