Welcome, nerds of all kinds, to Nerd Nite Baltimore! Nerd Nite (in over 90 cities around the world!) combines imbibing and learning. Anyone with a passion can be a Nerd Nite speaker!

Join us for a night of educational drinking! Nerd Nite Baltimore is a bi-monthly event held at a local bar where information combines with fun. Talks at Nerd Nite are typically 20 minutes with a rollicking Q&A afterward.

The barkeeps at De Kleine Duivel will keep your glasses full of delightful Belgian beer & spirits. (This is a 21 and over venue.)

This September we have three AWESOME speakers lined up for your entertainment:

Topic #1: Hubble’s Colorful Universe

Zolt Levay, Imaging Group Lead, Space Telescope Science Institute

The Hubble Space Telescope, NASA’s flagship space science mission has provided an unobstructed view of the universe for over 25 years and has led to a dramatic impact on astronomers’ understanding of the universe. Hubble has also become familiar to many non-scientists around the world via the media and popular culture, and influenced everyone’s understanding of astronomy. One of the many reasons for this is a steady stream of dramatic, colorful images that show us wonders of the cosmos in more detail than ever before and help to communicate Hubble’s science discoveries. A combination of objective, scientific techniques and more subjective but traditional photographic principles are used in translating Hubble’s exquisite science data into engaging views of cosmic landscapes. Come hear how and why these images come to be and explore some common questions and misconceptions.

About Zolt:

Zolt earned a B.S. in Astrophysics in 1975 from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana and M.S. in Astronomy in 1978 from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. He was employed by Computer Sciences Corp. as an analyst and programmer with various space science missions at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. He joined STScI in 1983, developing science analysis software, and joined the Office of Public Outreach in 1993 as an image-processing specialist.

Topic #2: Forget the Birds and the Bees: What Fruit Flies Can Teach Us About Sex

Ethan Greenblatt, Biophysicists, Carnegie Institute

About Ethan:

Ethan received his PhD in Biophysics from Stanford University in 2011, moving to the Carnegie Institute in Baltimore in 2012 to learn fly genetics and the developmental biology of female reproduction. His current research focuses on uncovering genes that allow for eggs to maintain their incredible developmental potential during long periods of arrest.

Topic #3: Anatomy of a Joke: A Comedian’s Quest to understand What Makes Funny Funny

Jim Meyer, Stand-up Comedian

About Jim:

Jim is a stand-up comedian and writer who has spent much of the last 16 years wandering from stage-to-stage in a seemingly Sisyphean search for the roots to the tree of funny. And while his quest may never be complete, he has picked up a thing or two along the way and he’s love to tell you about it.