Nerd Nite Edmonton #80 comes crashing into April with another stellar roster of speakers. Come learn about AI (Machine Learning), how people get recruited into cults, and birds (including our favourite: owls).
When: Thursday, April 25th, at 7:30pm
(Doors & bar open at 7:00 pm with drinks available all night!)
Where: Studio Theatre at Fringe Theatre Adventures
Matthew Dowling: First Sip of AI: An Introductory Brew to Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have been around for a long time. Some of the ideas behind the so called Deep Learning models were invented in the late 1950s. It wasn’t until late 2022 though, when ChatGPT was released, that the public really started to consciously use AI instead of it being something hidden from view. In this talk I want to give an intuitive understanding of how ML and AI are different from regular computer programs and share some of my experiences with developing ML applications and playing with it over the last few years.
I am currently a Senior Lead ML Developer at AltaML, an Applied Machine Learning company based in Edmonton. I have a PhD in particle physics from the University of Alberta and have been working in the ML community for the past 6 years. I’ve been with AltaML since day 1 and as a result have worked on a large variety of ML problems in various industries ranging from Finance and Insurance to Industrial Operations. Most recently I’ve been doing a lot of work with Large Language Models (like GPT) and Generative AI.
Heather Hutchinson: The Siren Song Remains the Same: Cult Recruitment Tactics and Rhetoric
In spite of the advances of the digital age, cults remain as popular as ever. Does social media make their recruiting methods different? Are they more dangerous now because of the internet? Communications renegade Heather Hutchinson will tell you all. Or at least some.
Heather Hutchinson is a recent graduate of MacEwan’s Professional Communications program. She is fascinated by rhetoric, persuasiveness, cults, true crime, and enjoys playing the ukulele and yelling at people on Twitter.
Jana Teefy: Beaverhill Bird Observatory, MOTUS, and owls of Alberta
The Beaverhill Bird Observatory has over 40 years of migration monitoring data, which we collect through standardized bird banding practices. I’ll talk about our research, population trends over time, our MOTUS research. I’ll touch on a few owls of Alberta and the threats to their populations.
My name is Jana Teefy (Jay-na Tee-fee), self declared bird nerd and Head Biologist of the Beaverhill Bird Observatory. I have been with the observatory for 4 years. I have an Environmental Sciences diploma from Lakeland College with a major in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation and was a veterinary nurse in my previous career.
March is here. The ice is melting (again?) and we’re looking forward to listening to three nerds nerding out about their passions! We’ve got a potpourri of topics from a homogenous white male lineup of speakers ready to entertain you!
When: Thursday, March 28, 2024, at 7:30 pm
(Doors & bar open at 7:00 pm with drinks available all night!)
Where: Backstage Theatre at Fringe Theatre Adventures
Chris Robson: Revealing the Invisible – Hyperspectral Imaging From Space
There is a hidden world of light that we don’t perceive with our eyes. Using hyperspectral images from Space, Chris Robson, the CEO of Wyvern, is making it possible to reveal the invisible. Walk through how hyperspectral imagery can help us see methane leaks, identify different plant species, or figure out where to mine.
Chris Robson is the CEO and co-founder of Wyvern Inc, a space data company located in Edmonton Alberta capturing the highest resolution hyperspectral images of Earth from space. Before he was a space entrepreneur, Chris was an engineering and project leader with AlbertaSat. There he helped build and launch Alberta’s first satellite – Ex-Alta 1 which was deployed from the International Space Station in May 2017. While working on Ex-Alta 1 in his free time, Chris earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta.
Zac Erickson: Healing Journeys – Psychedelics and Modern Mental Health
Embark on an enlightening journey with Zac Erickson as we navigate the colourful past, dynamic present, and promising future of psychedelics in mental health. From their roots in ancient ceremonies to their resurgence as cutting-edge therapeutic tools, discover how these substances are unlocking new pathways to healing. This talk promises a deep dive into the science, safety, and societal implications of psychedelics like magic mushrooms and LSD, all while breaking down complex concepts into accessible, engaging insights for everyone.
Zac Erickson is a Registered Psychologist and the founder of Recharge Psychology. He has particular expertise in working with ADHD, mood disorders, and trauma, and enjoys bringing a blend of the practical and spiritual to his therapy practice, including mindfulness, breathwork, acceptance and commitment therapy, and cognitive behavioural therapy. With Masters degrees in both Neuroscience and Counselling Psychology, Zac is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to educate and inspire others, through therapy, podcasting, or public speaking.
Marc MacKenzie: Frickin’ Laser Beams – Fighting Cancer with Physics
Advances in physics knowledge and the applied technologies have been in lock step with improvements in outcomes for cancer patients. This talk will be an overview of advancements over the last 130 years, and our continuing evolution of understanding of diagnosing, imaging, and treating cancer, all from a physicist’s perspective.
Dr. Marc MacKenzie, PhD, is a physicist whose specialty is radiation oncology physics. He’s been a practicing clinical physicist for almost 25 years, partly at the Cross Cancer Institute, and more recently as Director of Medical Physics for Community Oncology.
It’s not every year that February 29th rolls around, so we’re doing something special for Nerd Nite #78. Roll on down to the Fringe Theatre to hear some talks that rock from geologists who are also poets and musicians, and rock out to some live music played by the very same speakers!
When: Thursday, February 29, 2024, at 7:30 pm
(Doors & bar open at 7:00 pm with drinks available all night!)
Where: Backstage Theatre at Fringe Theatre Adventures
In his second book of poems, David Martin digs deep into an examination of the world using the lens of geology. With lyrically experimental poems expanding and retracting, this collection finds sonic and conceptual energy from the perspective of deep time and the geological forces that have shaped and continue to shape the Earth. Enacting seismic shifts, catastrophes, and erosions throughout the natural and cultural worlds, Martin’s poetic practice pushes forward to contend with the contemporary environmental changes and the structure of the Anthropocene that affect how we live in the twenty-first century. The collection veers from the Rocky Mountains and explorations of “fossilized” towns to family histories and myth-soaked theories, all while seeking a balance between disruptive poetic techniques and the centred lyrical voice.
David Martin works as a literacy instructor in Calgary and as an organizer for the Single Onion Poetry Series. His first collection, Tar Swan (NeWest Press, 2018), was a finalist for the Raymond Souster Award and the City of Calgary W. O. Mitchell Book Prize. David’s work has been awarded the CBC Poetry Prize, and has been shortlisted for prizes from FreeFall, Vallum, PRISM international, and the Alberta Magazine Awards. As well, he was named a “Writer to Watch” in 2023 by CBC Books. His latest collection, Kink Bands, was published by NeWest Press in September of 2023.
Mountains inspire us, challenge us, and confound us. As part of the Rocks and Roll Nerds Night I’ll be talking about my research in the Himalayas, the Canadian Rockies, and the Coast Ranges, and how Indigenous knowledge has helped changed my outlook on how we do science in the mountains.
Joseph Shea is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Science at the University of Northern British Columbia and a musician with Trundled and The Ebbs. The central theme of his research is mountains, and he incorporates the theories and tools of a wide range of fields (remote sensing, glaciology, meteorology, climatology, hydrology, and geohazards) to investigate how mountains are responding – and will respond in the future – to climate change. These themes creep into his songwriting in surprising and unexpected ways. He is the lead investigator of the Mountain Snow Hydrology Lab (www.moshlab.org), a member of the Hidden Figures team exploring racism and erasure of BIPOC scholars in Canadian academic environments (www.hiddenfigurescanada.org), and a lead author of the recently published Canadian Mountain Assessment, which brought together Indigenous and scientific knowledge in a ground-breaking report on the status of mountain regions in Canada.
Floods are powerful events. They erode, move, and deposit massive amounts of sediment. A single event can sculpt landscapes in a matter of hours and repeated events can build entirely new landmasses over millennia. Because of this power, floods leave strong signatures in the geological record. Floods also heavily influence human livelihood. They can rejuvenate agricultural systems just as easily as they can destroy entire communities. Like their geological signatures, floods have left vivid impressions in our archaeological, historical, and artistic records. This talk will trace how floods have been interpreted in western scientific tradition and musical record over the past 2,000 years, with emphasis on the last two centuries. Among other stops, we will visit ice age floods of near biblical proportion near Fort McMurray, Alberta and the deluged Mississippi River valley of 1927.
Robin is an Assistant Professor at MacEwan University in Edmonton. He studies the Quaternary Period, the most recent division of the Geological Timescale (ca. 2.6 million years ago to today). He specializes in geomorphology, geospatial science and geoarchaeology. His research focuses on how processes associated with present day industrialization and climate change affect the preservation of heritage landscapes contained in the geological and archaeological records of western Canada. He has also run a semi-professional roots band called The Super 92 for over a decade.
