Nerd Nite @ Live in Ann Arbor

Details

Nerd Nite

Talks start at 7:00pm. These events are sponsored by the Ann Arbor District Library. Parking is $1.50/hr in the city parking structures. The surface lot across from the venue is $2.50/hr.

Gather ‘round for an evening of informed and informal talks from a friendly neighborhood expert! We’ll have three speakers, each presenting on a different topic and sharing interesting facts that you never knew you never knew! Past Nerd Nite speakers have led deep dives into topics from the legacy of Louis Pasteur, to the origin of elements, to how a trumpet works, to a dissection of romance novel tropes. So bring a friend, grab a drink, and enjoy an evening among fellow nerds. Be there and be square!

SPEAKERS
Our first intellectual course brings Jennifer German with Why Do We Need Timezones on the Moon? And if on the Moon, why not also on Mars? But not only why, HOW? Time doesn't work the same on the Moon as it does on Earth . . . (You'll have to show up to find out!!)
Jennifer is a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador to Michigan, mother of two, software engineer, medical school educated, hopeless space geek.
Next we'll feed our brain with Work for Working Memory: Motivation and Cognitive Performance Across the Lifespan. Do you ever wonder why, as you get older, you have a harder time remembering things? Dahlia Kassel will share why that is a normal part of healthy aging and her research on boosting memory performance in older adults.
Dahlia is a PhD student in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Michigan where she studies cognition, motivation, and aging. She is a proud cat Mom to her nine-year old Maine Coon and loves to embroider, read, and bake in her free time.
And I hope you saved room for On the Relationship between Space Weather and the Close of the Vietnam War. On August 4th, 1974, over 4000 naval mines deployed off the coast of north Vietnam suddenly and unexpectedly detonated. On May 10th, 2024, the Aurora Borealis was visible directly overhead much of the continental United States, including Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dan Welling will explore the physics that connects these two events and how researchers at the University of Michigan are working to better understand space weather phenomena.
Dr. Welling is an assistant researcher at the University of Michigan's department of Climate and Space. He uses computer simulations to both understand and predict the impact of solar flares and mass ejections on the Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, including the development of the Aurora.