What’s up Nerds! This is the homepage for Nerd Nite Pittsburgh. We host two types of events. Nerd Nite Classic is a comedy show that’s a mix between stand up, TED talks, and a social mixer. Speakers present for 15 minutes on a variety of topics related to science and technology, popular culture, history, and other nerdery with a vibe that’s as entertaining as it is academic! Audience members can ask questions, and beforehand there is an entirely optional social game called Speed Friending. If you like comedy, learning about random and interesting things, and meeting other nerds this is for you!
Our second event is Pittsburgh Mixers. With the enormous success of Speed Friending at our classic events we realized there was a need in Pittsburgh for more events to meet new people face to face. Pittsburgh mixers are specifically designed to make that as easy as possible. We start out with another round of Speed Friending and then set you free to hang out at a bar with chill music volumes, all kinds of fun social games, drinks, food, and the vibes you need to make new connections.
The next, or most recent, event will be below and feel free to check out past events with the links in our menus. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram or sign up for our mailing list to get notified when new shows are coming up. If you’ve never been out before and you want to know what you’re getting yourself into, check our ourGuest FAQ, our Code of Conduct, and videos from past speakers on our YouTube page. If you’re worried you’re not nerdy enough to come out, check out our page addressing that concern we wrote just for you!
If you’re interested in being a speaker in the future please reach out at !! Info for that can be found on our Speaker FAQ page.
Check out our first Wednesday event! The best way to meet new people is through the people you already know. This is why house parties are the best place to do it. Pittsburgh Mixers are designed to simulate all the benefits of a house party out at a bar with random strangers. It’s like going back to the good ol’ days when more people randomly met out in the world!
PHASE ZERO – Come early to check out the amazing food at Lawrence Hall for dinner before the event. We’ll have the space starting at 6 so plenty of time to come in for food and a pregame drink before the mixer starts.
PHASE ONE – Speed Mingling – 7:30-8:30: Speed Mingling will rotate you around with other guests for 5-minute conversations with new people. One of the best reasons house parties are so great for meeting people is that, almost always, everyone either knows the host or is a friend of someone who knows the host. So you are sure to be only a few mutual connections away from everyone there, and those who connect the dots are also in attendance! With Speed Mingling, our goal is to create an atmosphere with that same vibe. If you’ve never done one of these before please take a minute to read over how it works before you arrive. Rules of Speed Mingling are in line with the Stoplight Party rules outlined below. If you’re mingling with someone and you’re both wearing a green wristband go ahead and make it a speed date, but if either or you is red or yellow keep it friendly.
PHASE TWO – Starting at 8:30: The real mixer begins. We’ll keep the tunes at a medium volume so you can enjoy them and hear people easily. Additionally, we’ll have all the social games that you loved for the first parties. We’ll be partnering once again with CityOfPlay to have a wide selection of party games such as Telestrations, Codenames, and Monikers, and all are welcome to bring their own from home! We’ll also have dice and cards for whatever you want to do with them, and beer pong tables to re-live your college days. And, of course, there will be great food, drinks, and lots of extra space just to talk and hang out. Essentially the perfect party if you want it to be easy to talk to strangers.
In an effort to make our events a perfect vibe where singles can look for dating prospects while those just looking to make new friends still have a safe space they don’t have to worry about uncomfortable vibes, our mixers are Stoplight Parties! All this means is when you arrive, tell us what wristband color you want. Green means you’re single and looking to mingle. Yellow means you are looking but tells others not to flirt with you unless you flirt with them first. Red means you’re just here for friends and others should know to respect those boundaries. If you’re wearing red and anyone is not following the rules just let us know and those people will be warned and then removed.
The best way to meet new people is through the people you already know. This is why house parties are the best place to do it. Pittsburgh Mixers are designed to simulate all the benefits of a house party out at a bar with random strangers. It’s like going back to the good ol’ days when more people randomly met out in the world!
PHASE ONE – Speed Mingling – 7:30-8:30: Speed Mingling will rotate you around with other guests for 5-minute conversations with new people. One of the best reasons house parties are so great for meeting people is that, almost always, everyone either knows the host or is a friend of someone who knows the host. So you are sure to be only a few mutual connections away from everyone there, and those who connect the dots are also in attendance! With Speed Mingling, our goal is to create an atmosphere with that same vibe. If you’ve never done one of these before please take a minute to read over how it works before you arrive. Rules of Speed Mingling are in line with the Stoplight Party rules outlined below. If you’re mingling with someone and you’re both wearing a green wristband go ahead and make it a speed date, but if either or you is red or yellow keep it friendly.
PHASE TWO – Starting at 8:30: The real mixer begins. We’ll keep the tunes at a medium volume so you can enjoy them and hear people easily. Additionally, we’ll have all the social games that you loved for the first parties. We’ll be partnering once again with CityOfPlay to have a wide selection of party games such as Telestrations, Codenames, and Monikers, and all are welcome to bring their own from home! We’ll also have dice and cards for whatever you want to do with them, and beer pong tables to re-live your college days. And, of course, there will be great food, drinks, and lots of extra space just to talk and hang out. Essentially the perfect party if you want it to be easy to talk to strangers.
In an effort to make our events a perfect vibe where singles can look for dating prospects while those just looking to make new friends still have a safe space they don’t have to worry about uncomfortable vibes, our mixers are Stoplight Parties! All this means is when you arrive, tell us what wristband color you want. Green means you’re single and looking to mingle. Yellow means you are looking but tells others not to flirt with you unless you flirt with them first. Red means you’re just here for friends and others should know you do not want to be hit on at all. If you’re wearing red and anyone is not following the rules just let us know and those people will be warned and then removed.
Nerd Nite Pittsburgh is a lecture series that’s a mix between a comedy show, TED talk, and a social mixer! Speakers present for 15 minutes on a variety of topics related to science and technology, popular culture, history, and other nerdery with a vibe that’s as entertaining as it is academic! Audience members can ask questions, and beforehand there is an entirely optional social game. If you like alcohol, learning about random and interesting things, and meeting other humans this is for you! Social game starts at 6:30, Doors open for the show at 7:30, show starts at 7:45. If you have a topic you are passionate about and you’d like to be a speaker at a later event get in touch at ! June 6th will be at Spirit Pgh and will show the following presentations:
How to Unrehearse Shakspeare:
In order to get butts in the seats, Shakespeare’s company performed a different play every day, 6 days a week, and never repeat a show in a two-week period unless it was a HUGE hit (think a combination of Hamilton, Phantom of the Opera and Cirque du Soleil on mushrooms) and every two weeks they added a new play to the repertoire. Given that production schedule, when would the actors rehearse? Simple: they didn’t. Let’s see how Shakespear’s players (and The New Renaissance Theatre Company) really prepared for a role… or didn’t.
Andy Kirtland is co-founding Artistic Director of The New Renaissance Theatre Company. Pittsburgh acting credits include Pittsburgh Public Theatre, The REP, Unseam’d Shakespeare Company, Prime Stage, Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater. NYC credits include: The Public Theatre / Amerinda Theatre, Folding Chair Classical Theatre and Raised Spirits Theatre. For NRTC Andy has directed The Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet, The Tragedie of Macbeth, As you Like it, The Life of Henry the Fift, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsommer Night’s Dreame, and The Tragedie of Othello, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Richard III.. Other directing credits include work with Prime Stage Theatre, Unseam’d Shakespeare Company, Greensburg Civic Theatre, and Poor Yoricks Players.
website: www.newrentheatre.com
Facebook: The New Renaissance Theatre Company
Instagram: @newrentheatreco
The Sex Lives of Hermaphroditic Land Snails:
Monty Python’s sketch, the Randy Mollusk, is tame compared to the real sex lives of snails. Did you know most land snails are simultaneous hermaphrodites (male and female at the same time)? Join Dr. Tim Pearce (the snail joke guy, Curator of Mollusks at Carnegie Museum of Natural History) describing the wacky behaviors and internal plumbing of these snails and slugs. Some self-fertilize, or when they do mate, they often both get fertilized. Bizarre adaptations in the reproductive tract include a sperm receptacle that is a digestive gland! Considering the biological dogma to pass on your genes, why would some banana slugs chew off their penis after mating, and some sea slugs give received sperm during a subsequent mating? Hint: if you can choose sex role, be the one who controls mating.
Choices for Voting Systems:
This talk will focus on ranked choice voting, but possibly talk about other voting systems as well.
Andrew Somerville is a Software Engineer who has spent most of his 20 year career writing software for Robotics projects, but has dabbled in teaching English and tech leadership. He is currently working on prediction systems inside of autonomous driver assistance for Ford vehicles at Latitude AI. In the past he was involved in the Darpa robotics challenge, and was the CTO of a small legal tech company Hire an Esquire. He’s interested in just about everything, but not baseball so don’t ask him anything about baseball if you don’t want to be disappointed. For some reason, even though he has no business talking about voting, he decided to do so.
Social game:
Our social game will take place before the show from 6:30-7:30. Similar to ‘Speed Dating’ or ‘Speed Networking’ our game is ‘Speed Friending’! Whether you are new to the city and hoping to make friends or trying to expand your professional network with other nerds, the game is just about meeting new people! We have a system in place to rotate everyone around to meet someone new every 5 minutes, then you can fill out an online form with which conversations you enjoyed and we’ll email you your matches! You are welcome to join late, but if you want to get the most of it arrive at 6:15 to register and the first round will start at 6:30.
If you haven’t been here before, check what this is about with videos from our youtube channel,
This event is 21+ and requires ID. The venue has limited space and there may not be door sales if we sell out, which happens regularly. Be sure to get a ticket before heading over.
The best way to meet new people is through the people you already know. This is why house parties are the best place to do it. Pittsburgh Mixers are designed to simulate all the benefits of a house party out at a bar with random strangers. It’s like going back to the good ol’ days when more people randomly met out in the world!
PHASE ONE – Pitch-A-Friend – 7:00-7:30 – If you want to meet people because you’re single we start out with a segment just for you! Pitch-A-Friend is Shark Tank for dating. Pitch-A-Friend will allow folks to gush about their single friends in Nerd Nite’s classic entertaining and silly PowerPoint format to potential prospects in the audience! Do you have a single friend who you want to help find love? Are you single and have a friend who knows how awesome you are? Fill out this form to let the world know! Are you single but don’t want to be in the limelight? Then come out to enjoy the show and find time through the rest of the night to say hi to anyone who catches your eye or reach out to them later through the contact info in the presentations! Doors open at 6 to come in and grab a seat. Check the details before coming over since start time may be pushed back if we don’t have enough submissions to fill the whole hour.
PHASE TWO – Speed Mingling – 7:30-8:30: Speed Mingling will rotate you around with other guests for 5-minute conversations with new people. One of the best reasons house parties are so great for meeting people is that, almost always, everyone either knows the host or is a friend of someone who knows the host. So you are sure to be only a few mutual connections away from everyone there, and those who connect the dots are also in attendance! With Speed Mingling, our goal is to create an atmosphere with that same vibe. If you’ve never done one of these before please take a minute to read over how it works before you arrive. Rules of Speed Mingling are in line with the Stoplight Party rules outlined below. If you’re mingling with someone and you’re both wearing a green wristband go ahead and make it a speed date, but if either or you is red or yellow keep it friendly.
PHASE THREE – Starting at 8:30: The real mixer begins. We’ll keep the tunes at a medium volume so you can enjoy them and hear people easily. Additionally, we’ll have all the social games that you loved for the first parties. We’ll be partnering once again with CityOfPlay to have a wide selection of party games such as Telestrations, Codenames, and Monikers, and all are welcome to bring their own from home! We’ll also have dice and cards for whatever you want to do with them, and beer pong tables to re-live your college days. And, of course, there will be great food, drinks, and lots of extra space just to talk and hang out. Essentially the perfect party if you want it to be easy to talk to strangers.
In an effort to make our events a perfect vibe where singles can look for dating prospects while those just looking to make new friends still have a safe space they don’t have to worry about uncomfortable vibes our mixers are Stoplight Parties! All this means is when you arrive, tell us what wristband color you want. Green means you’re single and looking to mingle. Yellow means you are looking but tells others not to flirt with you unless you flirt with them first. Red means you’re just here for friends and others should know you do not want to be hit on at all. If you’re wearing red and anyone is not following the rules just let us know and those people will be warned and then removed.
Hey Nerds, the team and I have had a regrouping session and are making an announcement. When Nerd Nite Pittsburgh first started one of the main changes I wanted to add to the standard event from other chapters was for there to be an organized social activity. After a few duds, Speed Friending has become a crowd favorite and regularly reported as one of the best ways in Pittsburgh to meet new people. Despite this, after some feedback on our events this year we feel like we made a mistake. It is a significant enough mistake that we wanted to make a formal announcement that we are changing how we’re running things so everyone has the same expectations moving forward and so that we can get our event back to being the type of event we want it to be.
We have had the same description of Speed Friending since the beginning “Whether you are new to the city and hoping to make friends, trying to expand your professional network with other nerds, or are single and looking to mingle, the game is just about meeting new people!” We’re nerds. We’re a little awkward. It’s part of who we are. We do better when social rules are clearly defined. So when one person in a friend-match is “single and looking to mingle” and the other person in the match is “new to the city and hoping to make friends” we have received feedback that there have been uncomfortable interactions. We want everyone to feel welcome, safe, and respected at our events. Because of this feedback, moving forward “single and looking to mingle” will no longer be a part of Speed Friending at our comedy/TED nights. I want to be incredibly clear here, no one has done anything wrong except for us. This is our fault we don’t want anyone to feel bad about their choices at our previous events related to this rule change.
Moving forward for the singles: Our mixers with Pitch-A-Friend and stoplight parties are becoming our most popular event. At these events we will run Speed Mingling rather than Speed Friending. We will continue hosting these events so you can bring out your inner Casanova to those wearing green wristbands while yellow and red wristbands will fall back on the Speed Friending rules. Additionally, everyone says through-a-friend is the best way to meet a partner, so making friends and helping us build this community will help you with that goal in the long run too.
With this change, uncomfortable romantic conversation during Speed Friending will result in a warning and a second offense with removal from the event. If someone is removed from a second event on a later night they will no longer be welcome to attend in the future. The same goes for initiating romantic conversation with people wearing red wristbands at the stoplight parties. If someone is breaking these rules just let an organizer know. Thank you for bearing with us as we evolve this event together. We appreciate all of your continued support and will always be happy to hear feedback on how to make this event better for everyone.
Pittsburgh Girls Who Walk and Nerd Nite Pittsburgh present our next women’s mixer – Brunch and Buds! Proceeds from the event will go towards fundraising for Girls Who Code. Doors will open at 11:00 to come in and get registered for Speed Friending and then the festivities will begin! Speed friending will occur 11:30-12:30, then there will be a brunch buffet and games to play until 3:00. Brunch will include quiche, breakfast potatoes, biscuits and gravy (sausage or mushroom), seasonal salad, granola, and yogurt and fruit parfait. This one is more expensive because brunch is included! This event is only for female-identifying guests, if that is not you stay tuned for our other mixers and speaker/comedy nights!
PHASE ONE: The usual Speed Friending will rotate you around with other guests for 5-minute conversations with new people. One of the best reasons house parties are so great for meeting people is that, almost always, everyone either knows the host or is a friend of someone who knows the host. So you are sure to be only a few mutual connections away from everyone there, and those who connect the dots are also in attendance! With Speed Friending, our goal is to create an atmosphere with that same vibe. For our womens mixers you will be rotated in into a new group of four every 10 minuntes instead of one-on-ones every 5 minutes!
PHASE TWO – During and after brunch, we’ll keep the tunes at a medium volume so you can enjoy them and hear people easily. Additionally, we’ll have all the social games that you loved for the first parties. We’ll be partnering once again with CityOfPlay to have a wide selection of party games such as Telestrations, Codenames, and Monikers, and all are welcome to bring their own from home! We’ll also have dice and cards for whatever you want to do with them. And, of course, there will be great food, drinks, and lots of extra space just to talk and hang out. Essentially the perfect party if you want it to be easy to talk to strangers.
Grab your girlfriends or come out to make new ones! See you there!
-Pittsburgh Girls Who Walk Team and Nerd Nite Bosses
Nerd Nite Pittsburgh is a lecture series that’s a mix between a comedy show, TED talk, and a social mixer! Speakers present for 15 minutes on a variety of topics related to science and technology, popular culture, history, and other nerdery with a vibe that’s as entertaining as it is academic! Audience members can ask questions, and beforehand there is an entirely optional social game. If you like alcohol, learning about random and interesting things, and meeting other humans this is for you! Social game starts at 6:30, Doors open for the show at 7:30, show starts at 7:45. If you have a topic you are passionate about and you’d like to be a speaker at a later event get in touch at ! Feb 1st will show the following presentations:
Making Sense of Your Mental Breakdown(s) with the Theory of Positive Disintegration:
Alexis Obernauer is a seminary student, strategy consultant, and coach with good news for gifted humans who struggle with procrastination, existential dread, and/or light substance abuse disorder. It’s called “The Theory of Positive Disintegration,” and suggests that inner conflict is a vital part of the path to becoming an authentic, actualized, and altruistic person. By overviewing the little-known framework for personality development, Alexis’s talk will provide long-awaited answers for those prone to Google searching “Why doesn’t anyone see how f*ucked everything is?!!?!”
When not running or editing articles about TPD, the Pittsburgh native and boomeranger can be found arranging paint samples in her arts and crafts room.
Robots Gone WIld: Mistakes and Lessons Learned in Field Robotics:
“Making robots is really difficult. If you think Honda Asimo falling down the stairs or the Mars Climate Orbiter dying a fiery death due to a unit conversion error are signs of gross incompetence, think again. Those robots were pushing the limits of what was possible at the time and consequently necessitated a high degree of complexity and risk. Things don’t always go as planned when you’re pushing the technological envelope to that extreme.
Spencer Krause has spent over 22 years of his life building robots for a variety of purposes. He hasn’t worked on Asimo or the Mars Climate Orbiter but he has seen (and caused) a lot of mistakes and learned something from every one of them. Every mistake presents an opportunity for growth and this talk aims to explain and solidify that philosophy while divulging war stories and showing the audience some epic robot fails. In his spare time Spencer records a Podcast – “Collaborative with Spencer Krause” where he drinks heavily and talks to people doing interesting things in technology, research, and entrepreneurship. Check it out on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform today! “
The Scientific(?) Revolution:
Science in the past was straightforward and clean, totally unlike the science of today, right? No! Obviously not! That would be crazy! If you think about it, what are scientists but nerds who went pro? And you know that nerdom is never simple. So join me in looking back at some of history’s most famous astronomy nerds and how their nerdery helped lead us to today.
It’s only science fiction if they do science on screen; otherwise it’s just sparkling space opera. Rafi Segal has been a space and robotics nerd since childhood. He was the beta tester for Scratch, founded an intern rocket team at SpaceX, and has presented a robot to the World Economic Forum as part of Red Whittaker’s lab. CMU SCS ’15.
Social game:
Our social game will take place before the show from 6:30-7:30. Similar to ‘Speed Dating’ or ‘Speed Networking’ our game is ‘Speed Friending’! Whether you are new to the city and hoping to make friends, trying to expand your professional network with other nerds, or are single and looking to mingle, the game is just about meeting new people! We have a system in place to rotate everyone around to meet someone new every 5 minutes, then you can fill out an online form with which conversations you enjoyed and we’ll email you your matches! You are welcome to join late, but if you want to get the most of it arrive at 6:15 to register and the first round will start at 6:30.
If you haven’t been here before, check what this is about with videos from our youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flOg5cRkceg&list=PLcx6pXs_8CRUItElXY8Cvs5vhXtZN_j9w
This event is 21+ and requires ID. The venue has limited space and there may not be door sales if we sell out, which happens regularly. Be sure to get a ticket before heading over.
The best way to meet new people is through the people you already know. This is why house parties are the best place to do it. Pittsburgh Mixers are designed to simulate all the benefits of a house party out at a bar with random strangers. It’s like going back to the good ol’ days when more people randomly met out in the world!
PHASE ONE – Pitch-A-Friend – 6:30-7:30 – If you want to meet people because you’re single we start out with a segment just for you! Pitch-A-Friend is Shark Tank for dating. Pitch-A-Friend will allow folks to gush about their single friends in Nerd Nite’s classic entertaining and silly PowerPoint format to potential prospects in the audience! Do you have a single friend who you want to help find love? Are you single and have a friend who knows how awesome you are? Fill out this form to let the world know! Are you single but don’t want to be in the limelight? Then come out to enjoy the show and find time through the rest of the night to say hi to anyone who catches your eye or reach out to them later through the contact info in the presentations! Doors open at 6 to come in and grab a seat. Check the details before coming over since start time may be pushed back if we don’t have enough submissions to fill the whole hour.
PHASE TWO – Speed Friending – 7:30-8:30: Speed Friending will rotate you around with other guests for 5-minute conversations with new people. One of the best reasons house parties are so great for meeting people is that, almost always, everyone either knows the host or is a friend of someone who knows the host. So you are sure to be only a few mutual connections away from everyone there, and those who connect the dots are also in attendance! With Speed Friending, our goal is to create an atmosphere with that same vibe. Despite phase one being a dating thing, this is still just for making new friends! If you’ve never done one of these before please take a minute to read over how it works before you arrive.
PHASE THREE – Starting at 8:30: The real mixer begins. We’ll keep the tunes at a medium volume so you can enjoy them and hear people easily. Additionally, we’ll have all the social games that you loved for the first parties. We’ll be partnering once again with CityOfPlay to have a wide selection of party games such as Telestrations, Codenames, and Monikers, and all are welcome to bring their own from home! We’ll also have dice and cards for whatever you want to do with them, and beer pong tables to re-live your college days. And, of course, there will be great food, drinks, and lots of extra space just to talk and hang out. Essentially the perfect party if you want it to be easy to talk to strangers.
In an effort to make our events a perfect vibe where singles can look for dating prospects while those just looking to make new friends still have a safe space they don’t have to worry about uncomfortable vibes our mixers are Stoplight Parties! All this means is when you arrive, tell us what wristband color you want. Green means you’re single and looking to mingle. Yellow means you are looking but tells others not to flirt with you unless you flirt with them first. Red means you’re just here for friends and others should know you do not want to be hit on at all. If you’re wearing red and anyone is not following the rules just let us know and those people will be warned and then removed.
The best way to meet new people is through the people you already know. This is why house parties are the best place to do it. Pittsburgh Mixers are designed to simulate all the benefits of a house party out at a bar with random strangers. It’s like going back to the good ol’ days when more people randomly met out in the world!
PHASE ONE – Pitch-A-Friend – 6:30-7:30 – If you want to meet people because you’re single we start out with a segment just for you! Pitch-A-Friend is Shark Tank for dating. Pitch-A-Friend will allow folks to gush about their single friends in Nerd Nite’s classic entertaining and silly PowerPoint format to potential prospects in the audience! Do you have a single friend who you want to help find love? Are you single and have a friend who knows how awesome you are? Fill out this form to let the world know! Are you single but don’t want to be in the limelight? Then come out to enjoy the show and find time through the rest of the night to say hi to anyone who catches your eye or reach out to them later through the contact info in the presentations! Doors open at 6 to come in and grab a seat.
PHASE TWO – Speed Friending – 7:30-8:30: Speed Friending will rotate you around with other guests for 5-minute conversations with new people. One of the best reasons house parties are so great for meeting people is that, almost always, everyone either knows the host or is a friend of someone who knows the host. So you are sure to be only a few mutual connections away from everyone there, and those who connect the dots are also in attendance! With Speed Friending, our goal is to create an atmosphere with that same vibe. Despite phase one being a dating thing, this is still just for making new friends! If you’ve never done one of these before please take a minute to read over how it works before you arrive.
PHASE THREE – Starting at 8:30: The real mixer begins. We’ll keep the tunes at a medium volume so you can enjoy them and hear people easily. Additionally, we’ll have all the social games that you loved for the first parties. We’ll be partnering once again with CityOfPlay to have a wide selection of party games such as Telestrations, Codenames, and Monikers, and all are welcome to bring their own from home! We’ll also have dice and cards for whatever you want to do with them, and beer pong tables to re-live your college days. And, of course, there will be great food, drinks, and lots of extra space just to talk and hang out. Essentially the perfect party if you want it to be easy to talk to strangers.
In an effort to make our events a perfect vibe where singles can look for dating prospects while those just looking to make new friends still have a safe space they don’t have to worry about uncomfortable vibes our mixers are Stoplight Parties! All this means is when you arrive, tell us what wristband color you want. Green means you’re single and looking to mingle. Yellow means you are looking but tells others not to flirt with you unless you flirt with them first. Red means you’re just here for friends and others should know you do not want to be hit on at all. If you’re wearing red and anyone is not following the rules just let us know and those people will be warned and then removed.
Nerd Nite Pittsburgh is a lecture series that’s a mix between a comedy show, TED talk, and a social mixer! Speakers present for 15 minutes on a variety of topics related to science and technology, popular culture, history, and other nerdery with a vibe that’s as entertaining as it is academic! Audience members can ask questions, and beforehand there is an entirely optional social game. If you like alcohol, learning about random and interesting things, and meeting other humans this is for you! Social game starts at 6:30, Doors open for the show at 7:30, show starts at 7:45. If you have a topic you are passionate about and you’d like to be a speaker at a later event get in touch at ! October 26th will show the following presentations:
(What the hell is) Metagrobology and You: An Interactive Journey through the Past and Future of Puzzles.
Join me as we cram ~2200 years of puzzle history into a whirlwind 15 minute enigmatological adventure. While we’re at it, perhaps you have what it takes to find hidden clues and solve puzzles contained in the discussion & flex your mental muscles on your friends, loved ones, and/or date(s). Or don’t. I’m a talk description not your boss.
Bio: Nate Martin is the Co-Founder of Puzzle Break, the first American escape room company. A business journal 40-Under-40 honoree, Martin is a frequent lecturer on the topics of escape rooms, interactive entertainment, experience design, gamification, and puzzles. He was profiled by MSNBC where he was first dubbed the “Founding Father of Escape Rooms.” A graduate of the DigiPen Institute of Technology and former professional poker player, he was a senior executive at Microsoft and Electronic Arts prior to Puzzle Break. He has shipped software used by billions of users as well as some of the most beloved video games of a generation.
Stomp 2: A New, Smashing Musical about Spotted Lantern Fly Murder
Do you hate it when spotted lantern flies recklessly dive-bomb into your unmentionables? When the caress of the face is more often an insect wing than a hand of a significant other? If so, you’ll enjoy this provocative sequel of the dance troupe, Stomp. Now with more murder and less music. From the inventive minds of Mr. Rogers and Mario’s, comes a how-to guide of ultimate lantern fly carnage (vacuuming, carnivorous goldfish, and unhinged toddlers…). Stomping, squishing, and smashing come together to produce a show that will empower you to take back your dignity with lighthearted bloodshed for the whole family.
As a method actor, Song-My has immersed herself in the “edifice complex” to lure in unsuspecting spotted lantern flies. She’s become quite an expert. When not thinking about insect massacres, Song-My works for a Dutch biotech as a travelling scientist. She enjoys pranking people, lying in board games, and peer-pressuring friends into eating her unique food concoctions.
The 5 Habits of Highly Effective Drinkers
Like me, you probably like things that make you happy, but hate things that make you sad. If so, you probably don’t enjoy the experience of feeling like demons have put Beyblades in your skull after a raucous night out. Join me as I take you down the journey of my research into learning why hangovers happen and, more importantly, how to prevent them.
Dr. Rorry Brenner’s hangover credentials come from getting Ph.D. in neuroscience at University of Southern California. For nerd credentials he’s got a decade of experience making military robots, is a D&D dungeon master, top half percentile chess player, and is your MC and organizer for Nerd Nite Pittsburgh!
Social game:
Our social game will take place before the show from 6:30-7:30. Similar to ‘Speed Dating’ or ‘Speed Networking’ our game is ‘Speed Friending’! Whether you are new to the city and hoping to make friends, trying to expand your professional network with other nerds, or are single and looking to mingle, the game is just about meeting new people! We have a system in place to rotate everyone around to meet someone new every 5 minutes, then you can fill out an online form with which conversations you enjoyed and we’ll email you your matches! You are welcome to join late, but if you want to get the most of it arrive at 6:15 to register and the first round will start at 6:30.
If you haven’t been here before, check what this is about with videos from our youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flOg5cRkceg&list=PLcx6pXs_8CRUItElXY8Cvs5vhXtZN_j9w
This event is 21+ and requires ID. The venue has limited space and there may not be door sales if we sell out, which happens regularly. Be sure to get a ticket before heading over.
