Nerd Nite Pittsburgh is a lecture series that’s a mix between a TED talk, a happy hour, and freshman orientation. 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 networking game. If you like alcohol, learning about random and interesting things, and meeting other nerds this is for you! Networking game starts at 6:00, Doors open for the show at 6:50, show starts at 7:15. 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 ! The speakers for August 5th are:
Dr. Matt Moynihan: Matt has been a nuclear fusion blogger, podcaster, consultant, researcher and writer since 2008. He got his PhD in fusion from the University of Rochester in 2012. During graduate school, he wrote popular science articles that explained fusion research to normal people. After leaving school, Matt worked as a science advisor to several fusion startups and was the host of The Fusion Podcast (www.thefusionpodcast.com). He also started New Light Consulting, a company that helps investors make sense of private nuclear fusion (www.fusionconsultant.net). He was Quoras’ Top Writer on Fusion in ‘17 and ‘18 with over 500 answers and 1 million views. Matt also organized The Nuclear Fusion Shark Tank a forum for fusion startups to pitch to potential investors (https://www.nuclearfusionsharktank.com/). He is writing a popular science book on nuclear fusion for Springier. Presenting: Why Nuclear Fusion Would be Awesome – If We Get It To Work.
Rikki Rabbin: Rikki is a registered dietitian nutritionist with degrees from the University of Maryland and the University of Pittsburgh. She likes talking about poop in general terms, but does not want to hear the specifics about what happened after you ate corn/beets/sugar free chocolate/too much coffee. She attended her first Nerd Nite in Washington, DC in 2010, and has since been counting the days until it would be her turn to present. Presenting: How We Turn Food into Poop.
Todd Medema: Todd is a Product Manager at Tesla, game designer and Citizens Climate Lobbyist deeply passionate about using systems design to minimize climate change. His views are his own. Presenting: Renewing Renewables: Where do we stand on clean energy?
This month we will be repeating our most successful networking option from before pandemic again which means our game will take place before the show from 6-7. If you come out to these events to meet people, or just would rather play a game than stand in line before the doors open, just sign in early and come upstairs. 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! You’re welcome to come late or leave early. We have a system in place to rotate everyone around to meet someone new every 5 minutes, and then you can fill out a form with which conversations you enjoyed and we’ll put you in touch if there’s a match!
If you haven’t been here before, check what this is about with videos from our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVl964vvbYrgRJaUCLifPgw 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.
Nerd Nite Pittsburgh is a lecture series that’s a mix between a TED talk, a happy hour, and freshman orientation. 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 it’s followed up by an entirely optional networking game. If you like alcohol, learning about random and interesting things, and meeting other nerds this is for you! Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7:15. 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 !
February 20th will be our second themed Nite! For the month of Valentine’s Day all three speakers will be discussing a subject in the realm of romance or sexuality. Speakers are:
Nicolette Pawlowski, PhD – Nicolette is a sex educator and CEO of Apassionato Co., which provides sexual health sessions for individuals, organizations, and events. Random fact: to support her Masters and PhD work, Nicolette co-founded a dance company, Los Sabrosos Dance Co., which is now one of the top dance companies in the Pittsburgh area. Sex and salsa, anyone? Presenting: Sex Through the Life Course
Dina Brenci – Watching people struggling through the dating scene and continually being frustrated with their results (or lack of results), Dating Coach, Dina Brenci has made it her mission to support individuals in making organic connections in partnerships that last. Combining years of animal behavior studies, with her unconditionally loving and non judgmental persona, she has designed a unique approach to dating that feels completely new. She is an ICF certified coach that specializes in helping her clients date with out dating. Talk: Dating with Scrum (How Agile can help you achieve your dating goals)
Maura Randolph, Adriana Mazzotta and Ali Mazzotta – Maura, Adriana, and Ali are three childhood friends who founded a non-profit (called Happy Cycling) to provide underprivileged women in Pittsburgh access to long-term feminine hygiene products. When they’re not crowded over a computer planning their next Happy Cycling event, they are busy having vaginas, likely chugging wine, or are at their day jobs – Maura is an Engineer, Adriana is a Designer and Ali is a Product Manager. Presenting: Period Poverty – We’re Not Ovary Acting
This month we will be mixing it up and doing our networking game before the show instead of after! We’ll be running the game from 6-7. If you come out to these events to meet people, or just would rather play a game than stand in line before the doors open, come downstairs to Spirit Hall and let us know you’d like to play. Since this is romance night, similar to ‘Speed Dating’ our game this month will be ‘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! You’re welcome to come late or leave early to get a seat upstairs. We will have a system in place to rotate everyone around to meet someone new every 5 minutes, and then like speed dating you can tell us which conversations you enjoyed and we’ll put you in touch if there’s a match!
We are a volunteer run organization and could use some extra hands! If you’re free to come early at 5:30 or stay late from 10:00-10:30 shoot us an email and there will be free drinks and admission in it for you!
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.
Nerd Nite went back to Spirit January 23rd with our first of many themed nights! All three speakers for this one were from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Event went great for our 5th sold out show! Speakers were. Soon (or now!) you can see these talks and others on our youtube channel.
1) Matt Lamanna is the dinosaur paleontologist at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. He’s been fascinated by dinosaurs since he was four, and not much has changed, mentally speaking. Presenting: Stupid Shit in Jurassic Park
2) Dr. Chase Mendenhall is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist with degrees from the University of Wyoming and Stanford University. Mendenhall’s research emphasizes the role cooperation plays in the natural world to create cells, build bodies, and determine behaviors that challenge traditional narratives of what it means to be an individual, a male, a female, or part of a family or group. Using novel mathematical frameworks, Mendenhall incorporates altruism and cooperation into existing theories of natural selection. His research uses cooperative behavior birds evolve to successfully raise offspring to empirically test hypotheses. Presenting: Sex Ed
3) Jen Sheridan, PhD, is a tropical community ecologist and curator of amphibians & reptiles at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Sheridan’s superpowers are being able to identify a Simpsons episode applicable to any situation in life, and almost never getting bitten by mosquitoes (which is very handy in her field work). While trekking for hours over rough terrain in Borneo to count frogs, she often asks herself what business a kid from Detroit has being out there… Presenting: Frogs: who are they, and what are they doing here?
Next Nerd Nite will be November 15th! This one will be a collaboration with the Carnegie Science center. Once a month they do 21+ nights to have access to everything without having to fight with children to see the exhibits. Their next one is November 15th and we’ll be doing a Nerd Nite series right in the middle!
We are not selling separate tickets. It’s part of the 21+ night ticket. This also means coming to 21+ night doesn’t mean you have a reserved seat for our show since the auditorium will not fit everyone. When you get to the science center be sure to check in with them about when doors will be opening.
Because of the change in venue, rather than getting new speakers we will be using three we have had before. One will be giving a new talk, but if you came to our July 25th event you have already seen two of these. However, if you didn’t we called back some crowd favorites so it will be a great show!
We will still be doing a networking ice breaker afterwards! It will be trivia based on the talks and there will be prizes! However, it will not be in the same auditorium like it is at Spirit. We’ll announce what room to go to next at the end of the show if you’d like to play!
So without further ado, the three talks that will be happening are:
BS in SPACE: An Astronomical Adventure Through Cosmic Misinformation: Ralph Crewe, Program Development Coordinator and host of SNaQ (Science News and Questions) podcast
Chinese Marriage Markets: A Guide on How to find your Adult and Woefully Single Child a Spouse: Nicolette W.M. Wong, Pitt Anthropology PhD Student and Oxford trained Sociologist
Computer Vision, Artificial Neural Networks, and How the Brain can Inspire A.I.: Rorry Brenner, Robotics Research Scientist and Nerd Nite coordinator
Nerd Nite Pittsburgh is a lecture series that’s a mix between a TED talk, a happy hour, and freshman orientation. 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 it’s followed up by an entirely optional orientation-style networking game. If you like alcohol, learning about random and interesting things, and meeting other nerds this is for you! Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7:00. 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 !
Seth Neustein! Seth is an internationally touring mentalist and luxury event host and consultant. Following an early retirement from project management, he pursued his lifelong passion and traveled the US apprenticing with many of the worlds’ best magicians and mentalists. Since then he has performed for Fortune 500s, hosted exclusive experiences for distinguished society elites, and has realized the truly impossible – a full time career as a creative where he takes joy in crafting one of a kind personalized experiences. That is, Seth specializes in gifting you with cherished lifelong memories. Seth is also host to the hit charity event series, Secret Speakeasy, right here in Pittsburgh. With a PMP (look it up!) and a background in information sciences, cognitive sciences, music, magic, game design (he helped develop Magic: The Gathering Online [you’re welcome])… Seth is the self-described biggest nerd you’ve ever met. This month Seth will be presenting “Your Mental Compass: a primer to the psychology of perception”. Letting you see behind the mask, Seth will be talking about the psychology of illusion and how our perceptions of each other and the information we trust are not always what they seem. Who knows, there might even be some hands on demonstrations where you will get to read the mind of someone else in the audience!
Anastasia Maria Coates! Formerly a performing artist, school teacher, and current online Spanish coach, Anastasia will share insight on how to take ownership of a new language. Whether you’re learning a world language, have to use field-specific terminology, or want to grow your personal conversation skills, she wants you to make the most of your online or app-based lessons and training so you can apply your hard work, effectively in real life. Learn a bit of liquid Spanish while cheersing to some perspective on how you can internalize language from the screen to the physical world. Even if you’re not picking up where you left off in high-school world languages or learning human anatomy, she’s also worked in sales, customer service, and in kitchens, which is why Anastasia wants to give you some tips that will help you adapt to any new language goal so you can refresh and adapt to changes in how you give and take information. More info on her here: http://www.lanvoylearning.com/2019/05/09/learning-spanish-as-an-adult/?fbclid=IwAR2o6fPT32fB0JxS7-Vcy0UDCi6wz74Thm4mhr0AdJJBXup5is-0VFfRg5I
Bob Creo, Attorney, Arbitrator & Mediator is a native Pittsburgher currenly living in Lawrenceville. He is passionate about learning and connecting via storytelling in all of its many forms. He is the founder of Steel City Storytellers and is a frequent performer at The Moth. He is in the process of creating a series of oral story-profiles of famous, infamous, unknowns, and jagoffs, with Western Pennsylvania ties. Presenting the first public performance of the series: TESLA– An Electifying Spirit!
Also as you may know, we are a volunteer run organization and could use some extra hands! If you’re free to come early at 5:30-6:30 or stay late from 10:00-10:30 shoot us an email and there will be free drinks in it for you!
If you haven’t been here before, check what this is about with videos from our first event at https://www.magecreate.com/nerdnitepgh.
Nerd Nite Pittsburgh is a lecture series that’s a mix between a TED talk, a happy hour, and freshman orientation. 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 it’s followed up by an entirely optional orientation-style networking game. If you like alcohol, learning about random and interesting things, and meeting other nerds this is for you! Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7:00. 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 ! Get your tickets for September 5th!
Speakers for September will be:
Shyaporn Theerakulstit is an actor, writer, YouTuber, cosplayer and general “nerd about town.” He has given talks on Godzilla biology and how to become Batman at Nerd Nite, TEDx and the Smithsonian Institution. He has written and produced for Dark Horse Comics and is also the host of the science lecture series “Real/Fake Science.” His YouTube channel has over 5 million views (youtube.com/Shyaporn). Presenting: “Star Trek vs Star Wars: Modern Perspectives on Past Future and Future Future Technologies,”
Dr. Karl Smith is a Biophysics PhD, a former Amazon software developer, and now a science storyteller. He tours schools and museums as Doctor Sparks with a show of his inventions and stories. He is the former Storyteller-in-Residence at the Carnegie Science Center and the MOXI (The Santa Barbara Children’s Museum) and his storytelling has been profiled in USAToday, Scientific American, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Presenting: “This Muffin Hat Teaches Science – how a Biophysics PhD came to earn his living telling kids stories.”
Kate Lukaszewicz is a home-grown yinzer whose fascination with the US presidency started when she mock-voted for Michael Dukakis in elementary school. It turned out to be a slippery slope and within four years she was threatening to move to Canada if the 1992 election didn’t break her way. Slippier still, she ended up with a BA in Political Science and an MA in Government but 2016 taught her that she doesn’t really know anything at all. For her talk, she’ll be breaking some tough news to you: “The Framers of the Constitution Didn’t Trust (Most of) Us: The Electoral College.”
Also as you may know, we are a volunteer run organization and could use some extra hands! If you’re free to come early at 5:30-6:30 or stay late from 10:00-10:30 to help setup tables use discount codes COMEEARLY or STAYLATE for a couple bucks off!
Locked down details for number 3 in July! Speakers will be:
Lizzee Solomon – Lizzee is a visual artist and designer based in Pittsburgh, PA. New York City born, Chicago suburbs raised, Carnegie Mellon School of Art trained. She’s also housebroken, is learning how to dance Salsa and speaks Spanish – Presenting: ‘Cuba for Dummies’
Ralph Crewe – Ralph is a professional science nerd, working as program development coordinator for the Buhl Planetarium and Observatory at Carnegie Science Center. He coordinates astronomical programming like SkyWatch, hosts the Café Scientifique science lecture series, created and hosts the SNaQ podcast, and is generally geeked to talk science with anybody he can. In his spare time, he plays music (bass and piano), rides his bicycle, and competes in birdwatching competitions-Presenting: ‘BS in SPACE! An Astronomical Adventure Through Cosmic Misinformation’
And me! Your MC Rorry Brenner – When I’m not hosting Nerd Nites or climbing rocks, I work as a Robotics Research Scientist. Computer Science undergrad at CMU and couldn’t figure out why robots were so blind so went off to USC to get a PhD in neuroscience – Presenting: ‘Comptuer Vision, Artificial Neural Networks, and How the Brain can Inspire A.I.’
Pittsburgh’s first Nerd Nite was a blast! Thank you to everyone who came out! Our speakers were:
Julian Whitman – CMU Robotics PhD Student – Creeping, Crawling, and Collaborating: Robots for Every Occasion
Nicolette W.M. Wong – Pitt Anthropology PhD Student – Are the Mafias the Alternative Po-Po?
Luis Von Ahn – CEO of Duolingo – How Duolingo Uses AI
Also gonna throw a few shoutouts on this post:
– Thank you to our speakers Julian, Nicolette, and Luis you were all amazing!
– To our videographer Alex Liu can’t wait to see how things look! Alex is the founder of MageCreate.com, a business that helps leaders create impact through video. Definitely reach out if you are looking for someone to work with on a story you want to tell!
– Musical guest Nathan Zoob, you crushed it up there!
Next one has just been locked down for May 9th! If you had fun, or if you weren’t able to make it to this one but are interested in the future, like/follow our main page https://www.facebook.com/NerdNitePittsburgh for updates! You can also message us there or at if you’d like to talk about being a speaker, it comes with free admission and drinks for your friends! And as this was our first time doing this please let us know if you have any feedback, comments, questions, or concerns!
Thanks again for coming out and see you all next time!