We launched Nerd Nite St. Pete in February 2019 and had just enough time to perfect our craft before the pandemic forced us to take a break. Have no fear! We have been dusting off our nerd gear, practicing in front of a mirror, and getting ready to bring you the best monthly lecture event with an inebriated, salacious, and yet deeply academic vibe. Join us to hear about everything from deep sea creatures to wimpy clouds to obscure but exciting video games, and everything in between.

Marguerite Boissonnault, Embodied Awareness: Catalyst for Transformation
John Broshears, Real Pathologists: Would you tell your mother if you became one?
Erica Moulton, Getting Wet with Robots

This month we are exploring how to apply skills from theater in our lives, what it’s like to be a real-world pathologist, and underwater robots! Join us for another dynamic and engaging St. Pete Nerd Nite event.

Get your tickets on Humanitix.
See you at Bayboro Brewing!

We are now partnering with Humanitix for our events. Get your March tickets here: March 26 Nerd Nite tix.

Keven Hohl presents: Everything you wanted to know about Augmented Reality, but were afraid to ask!

Kevin will talk about the evolution of Augmented Reality development, from web cams in 2009, to mobile AR, to the launch of Quest 3 and Apple Vision pro. He will give live demonstrations of AR experiences that he has created throughout his career, explaining the technology behind each experience.

Aaron Williamson presents: Was Jesus a mushroom? The answer may surprise you.

The red mushroom with the white flecks goes by many names: soma, the Mario mushroom, the flesh of the gods. It illustrates art from medieval illuminated manuscripts to Alice in Wonderland. It’s been credited as the inspiration for the colors of Santa’s red and white coat and the Christian gospels. It’s a potent stimulant and soporific, perfectly legal, and grows wild in the backyards of St. Petersburg. Yet for many, the world’s most recognizable mushroom remains mysterious. This talk will explore the history, folklore, and psychopharmacology of the Amanita Muscaria mushroom and equip audience members to explore its magic properties at home.

Heather Judkins presents: A Day in the Life of a Marine Biologist at Sea

Dr. Heather Judkins is an associate professor at USFSP and as part of her research, she has gone out on multiple research cruises over the years.  She will be talking about her life at sea and share interesting stories about some of her favorite moments which include discussing the realities of ship life in the open ocean, observing the largest animals on earth, and working with her favorite group of animals- squid and octopus!

Get your tickets on Eventbrite!!!

Join us for the first St. Pete Nerd Nite of 2024 with three amazing speakers:

Linsey Grove, “Thank You for Dying: Public Health and Death”

Chad Mairn, “Science Fiction to Reality: The Future of Extended Realities and Artificial Intelligence”

Agustin Valenzuela, “NASA’s DART: One of the Most Important Missions of Planetary Defense”

Location: Bayboro Brewing, 2390 5th Ave S St. Petersburg, FL 33712

Tickets on Eventbrite

Join the Nerd Nite St. Pete crew on Tuesday, November 28th for our next event.

Location: Bayboro Brewing, 2390 5th Ave S St. Petersburg, FL 33712

We have some exciting speakers lined up! Matt Taylor, Allison Quatrini, and Dawn Shirreffs

Tickets on Eventbrite

Join the Nerd Nite St. Pete crew on Tuesday, October 24th for our next event.

Location: Jazzy Cat Cafe and Lounge, 400 49th St. S St. Petersburg, FL 33707

Tickets on Eventbrite

Join us on September 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Cage Brewing to catch the official Relaunch of Nerd Nite St. Pete. Get your tickets on Eventbrite. Speakers include:

Cathy Salustri, “Disney Saves the Everglades (No, Really!)”
Many people don’t realize that Walt Disney World’s perched at the headwaters of the Everglades. Even more people don’t know about the massive undertaking The Walt Disney Company’s undertaken to restore and protect those precious headwaters. Come hear about the Disney Wilderness Preserve — not only is that the only thing with “Disney” in the name that’s absolutely free, its story offers hope for a world that seems like it’s on fire.

Cathy Salustri, author of ‘Backroads of Paradise’, has a master’s degree in Florida Studies. Her next book, ‘The Florida Spectacular’ (due out 2024) celebrates the best parts of the Sunshine State — including Disney. She owns a hyperlocal weekly paper, ‘The Gabber Newspaper’, and works for fan-based WDW Magazine as a copywriter and contributor.

Ricardo Williams, “Marvel at the Death of Cinema”
Comic book adaptations have become the dominant genre in the film industry. And while Marvel Studios has assembled its roster of superheroes into the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, the MCU is not without its critics. This talk will give a nuanced perspective on the Marvel vs cinema debate, a brief lesson on big budget filmmaking, and their effect on the theatrical experience.

Ricardo Williams is the host of Nerd Nite Orlando. Ricardo is also a designer, filmmaker, and musician. Currently, he writes about culture, history, and US politics. Learn more about his work at bit.ly/rwwebsite

Philip Gravinese, “A Changing Climate is Nothing to Shell-a-brate!”

The Florida stone crab is an iconic fishery that contributes $25 million per year to the state economy, however, the fishery may not be sustainable with future changes in climate. This is because stone crab larval (babies) swimming behaviors and survivorship are negatively affected by extreme stressors like reduced pH (ocean acidification) and warmer ocean temperatures. These conditions are expected to become more common and widespread along Florida’s Gulf coast which may impact the number of larvae that replenish both fished and unfished populations, making this a potentially claw-ful scenario for our prized fishery.

Phil is an Assistant Professor of Marine Science at Eckerd College. His research focuses on determining how both singular and simultaneous environmental stressors like ocean acidification, elevated temperature, hypoxia, and red tide impact the early life stages of marine invertebrates. Specifically, he focuses on understanding how these environmental stressors may affect the larval physiology and behavior of Florida’s commercially and ecologically important crustaceans including stone crabs, spiny lobsters, and the Caribbean King crab. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time at the beach with his wife and 3 year old daughter. He is actually horrible at making puns despite his title (credit to his wife and interns).

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