Nerd Nite Pittsburgh is a lecture series that’s a mix between a TED talk, a comedy show, 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 nerds 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 !
This event will be downstairs during renovations and is certain to sell out with the smaller capacity, get your tickets early before they’re all gone!
February 8th will show the following presentations:
Cup Stacking: Not Your Average Pyramid Scheme:
Drew Wilfahrt is a retired cup stacker and a former member of the U.S. National Sport Stacking team. Drew spent a decade of his childhood competing in cup stacking tournaments across the country. Most famously, Drew demonstrated his dedication to the sport by skipping his High School Prom to compete in the World Sport Stacking Championships (much to the dismay of his girlfriend at the time). Today, Drew is a card-carrying immunologist at the University of Pittsburgh, but he spends his days and nights dreaming of the glory days when stacking cups was all he lived for.
Data Science, World Records, and Why Michael Phelps Kept Changing His Bathing Suit:
Orly Olbum is a statistician by training, a data scientist by trade, and has been a swimmer since before she could walk. A natural-born nerd and conspiracy theorist, Orly has always been curious about the textile swimsuit phenomenon best known to land-people as one of the reasons Michael Phelps is really freaking fast. Combining her love for numbers and her love for Michael Phelps (no matter what bathing suit he is wearing), she will explore swimming world record trends before the textile suit ban and how the ban has affected world record trends since. When not in the pool, Orly runs the Data Science department at Inpleo and enjoys putting together Star Wars Lego kits.
The History of Punxsutawney Phil – Pennsylvania’s Immortal Rodent:
Ali Mazzotta leverages her degree in journalism once a year to annoy her Instagram followers with a live play-by-play of Groundhog’s day. Her Pulitzer-worthy storytelling includes the holiday’s history, the dignitaries that care for Punxsutawney Phil and the secret to Phil’s immortality. This year, she’s excited to be given the opportunity to talk about Phil twice in the same month. When she’s not preparing for February 2nd (Groundhog’s day) or researching other obscure interests, Ali is a product manager at Security Journey – an AppSec Education Platform.
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.