Albuquerque nerds unite! Nerd Nite, a monthly lecture series hosted in bars in more than 100 cities worldwide, will be taking over the downstairs bar area at Tin Can Alley on Thursday, Jan. 9. Whether you fancy yourself a bit of an intellectual or you’re just looking for something to get your mind off the grind while you get your drink on, Nerd Nite #9 has some geeky topics sure to tweak your busy brain.
From saving the future by teaming up with the machines to playing Dungeons & Dragons to help further your career, these lectures will certainly get your gears turning:
Structural Health Monitoring, AKA The Bridge Doctor
Dr. Fernando Moreu, a professional engineer and associate professor in the Department of Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering at UNM, talks about potential solutions to the national infrastructure crisis. Since 2010, Moreau has participated in the design and construction of over 30 bridges in seven states. Could bi-directional interfaces between humans, machines and data be the solution? At the very least, he’ll probably explain what a “bi-directional interface” is.
Critical Success: What D&D Can Teach Us About Strategic Planning
Explore goal setting, problem-solving, and collaboration in your personal and professional life through the lens of D&D with lecturer Hayley Weir. She’s not only a scientist, nuclear chemist and wildlife ecologist who serves as operations chief for the Air Force Wildlife Management Team, she’s an avid Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast. Weir will get you to think creatively and approach challenges with military precision — and she’s one hell of a storyteller.
Make a Connection With Possibility
Join Quest Master Mordakin (Matthew Stoltzfus) on an intellectual journey that deals with a different type of bridge: one connecting imagination and reality. Stoltzfus invites nerdy barhoppers to ponder whether games and quests can be used to solve real-world problems and elevate human consciousness. Dive into a paradigm — and maybe a couple of pints — where creativity and purpose come together.
Drink with your fellow nerds, make new friends and possibly prevent the apocalypse! If you’re interested in giving your own Nerd Nite talk, contact them at tiny.cc/nnabq-speaker
Nerd Nite # 9: Augmented Reality, Lessons From D+D and IRL Side Quests
Jan. 9, 7 p.m.
Tin Can Alley
6110 Alameda Ave. NE
Free