*Nerd Nite St. Pete will be at Coastal Creative in May*
Food Trucks: Carupano Kitchen and Franca’s Pizza
Event date: May 26, 2026. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets at Humanitix.
Kelli Nielsen presents Pain Is Inevitable. Suffering Is Automatic
We all experience pain, it’s wired into our biology. But neuroscience reveals something surprising: suffering isn’t inevitable, it’s automatic. Your brain runs deeply embedded scripts, beliefs and stories written long ago that automatically activate when pain arrives, transforming simple hurt into full-blown suffering. This talk explores the gap between pain and suffering, how your subconscious narratives hijack your experience, and why the good news is your brain can be rewired. Your circumstances aren’t creating suffering, it’s the stories you tell yourself about them. By bringing awareness to these automatic patterns, you can interrupt the suffering loop and find genuine relief, not by denying pain, but by understanding it differently. Perfect for anyone curious about neuroscience, psychology, resilience, and why the same situation affects different people so differently.
Alex Kaufman presents Will It Cut? The Science of CNC Waterjets
90,000 PSI of cold water blasting through a 0.015-inch diamond orifice, slicing through almost any material on Earth. While this sounds like science fiction, it is actually the reality of the WATERJET, one of the more elusive but interesting CNC technologies in the world today. Part surgical instrument, part industrial monster – the waterjet is the tool of choice for engineers, fabricators, and artists pushing the limits of precision and possibility. Join designer, engineer, and artist Alex Kaufman for a fast-paced dive into the science of waterjet cutting, featuring real-world public artworks made right here in St. Petersburg.
Alison Barlow presents Innovation District: Where Nerds, Startups, and Scientists Collide
What do you get when you mix a bunch of problem-solvers, caffeine-fueled entrepreneurs, and lab-coated innovators in one area? The Innovation District — our own science-meets-tech playground. It’s where ideas crash into each other (sometimes literally), and sparks of creativity turn into world-changing projects. Come hear how we are building the future — one wild idea, experiment, and collaboration at a time.