Nerd Nite @ TOP OF THE PARK in Ann Arbor
Details
Nerd Nite
SPECIAL EVENT at TOP OF THE PARK at Ann Arbor Summer Festival
Talks start at 7:00pm.
Location in the Annex Tent
These events are sponsored by the Ann Arbor District Library.
Gather ‘round for an evening of informed and informal talks from a friendly neighborhood expert! We’ll have three speakers, each presenting on a different topic and sharing interesting facts that you never knew you never knew! Past Nerd Nite speakers have led deep dives into topics from the legacy of Louis Pasteur, to the origin of elements, to how a trumpet works, to a dissection of romance novel tropes. So bring a friend, grab a drink, and enjoy an evening among fellow nerds. Be there and be square!
SPEAKERS
Our enchanting evening outdoors will begin with Dr. Daniel Welling and Space Doesn’t Suck: Why Space is NOT a Vacuum. Space is often described in bleak terms: Empty. Dark. Silent. A vacuum. While these terms may be apt in a biological sense, the reality is dynamic and exciting. Our solar system is flooded with the Sun’s atmosphere and magnetic fields. The interactions between the Sun and planetary bodies not only creates the aurora, but can affect atmospheres and conditions down to the surface. This talk explores the complexities of our heliosphere and the unsolved mysteries we have yet to answer.
Dr. Daniel Welling, who is veteran Nerd Nite presenter, is also an assistant researcher at the University of Michigan’s Department of Climate and Space. He uses computer simulations to both understand and predict the impact of solar flares and mass ejections on the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field, including the development of the Aurora.
Up next, Chien-An Yuan takes us on a journey with HOW THE ARRIVAL OF NIRVANA RUINED AMERICAN POP CULTURE FOR THE NEXT 34 YEARS. No offense to them, but once Nirvana arrived, American pop culture narrowed considerably—gone went dance pop, hair metal, hip house, and everything goofy about the 80s. Whatever your thoughts on those genres, the release of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ marked a significant shift towards a more serious, masculine, and monotonous approach. Come find out why American pop culture needs an injection of the ridiculous beyond just pop music. Enough with authenticity and angst—let’s widen the spectrum of pop culture, and let’s get weird again!
Chien-An Yuan is an interdisciplinary artist, designer, and educator based in Ann Arbor, MI. Yuan runs 1473, a record label specializing in improvisation, electronics, and collaboration. He is also a founding member of IS/LAND, a performance collaborative composed of AAPI movers, artists, and collaborators. Yuan launched the inaugural KYLYN AAPI Arts & Culture Festival in 2024. His work has been featured in The New Yorker, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, NewCity, Salon, ArtSlant, Huffington Post, and WNYC.
We will round out our evening with Kara Gavin and Cadavers, germs, genes & anemia: A whirlwind tour of U-M medical history. In fall of 1850, the University of Michigan Medical School’s first students arrived in Ann Arbor to learn how to be doctors for just $5 a year. Over the next 175 years, the city became a medical magnet for patients, health care providers and researchers. How did that happen, and why does it matter to us today? This talk will share key milestones – and a few sordid tales – from the history of U-M’s labs, hospitals, clinics and classrooms.
Kara Gavin is a science and medical writer at U-M, a medical history buff, and part of the team behind the celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Medical School and the 100th anniversary of the Old Main hospital.
Nerd Nite @ TOP OF THE PARK in Ann Arbor