No Host: Nerd Nite @ Live in Ann Arbor
Details
Nerd Nite
I have another event this night, but am posting for FYI purposes.
Talks start at 7:00pm. These events are sponsored by the Ann Arbor District Library. Parking is $1.50/hr in the city parking structures. The surface lot across from the venue is $2.50/hr.
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
We’ll kick things off by getting to know the Bats of Washtenaw County. Have you ever noticed a bat zipping through the twilight sky? These night time flyers are some of the most important (and under-appreciated) mammals in our local ecosystems, as Kim Williams-Guillén will tell us. What started as a casual request from the Wayne County Conservation District to help stop the destruction of an imperiled wetland has turned into a larger program of discovery and collaboration to leverage study of these incredible animals to protect forests and wetlands from development. Learn how wetlands, forests, and bats contribute to a healthy ecosystem for all Michiganders!
Kim is a scientist, conservationist, and regenerative farmer. After completing her Ph.D. on primate behavior, she developed an interest in bats. She completed a postdoc at the University of Michigan, studying the conservation and ecosystem services provided by bats in shade coffee plantations in Mexico. After working in academia and non-profit wildlife conservation, she started a regenerative farm in Romulus with her partner. She is also an adjunct professor at the U-M School of Environment, works part time for the Washtenaw County Conservation District, and supports citizen science work on bats in Southeast Michigan.
Next, Christina Liu will give us A Glimpse Into Open Source Communities. Inspired by the month and half period in 2024 where maps of Manhattan became Serbian, we’ll take a walk through the Rube Goldberg machine that is Wikipedia and examine how the transparent philosophies of both Open Street Maps and Wikipedia made it possible for strangers on the internet with no fancy credentials or logins to spectate the inner workings of open source communities.
Christina is a ceramicist based in Ann Arbor, with a background in pastry and web development. She finds open collaboration systems on the internet very, very fascinating, and hopes that this talk will encourage people to peek under the hood of the websites and applications we use every day!
What do memes, mirror neurons, and grassroots organizing have in common? Turns out—everything. To round out our evening, community engagement consultant and former elected official Kymmburleigh Clark unpacks how digital language—like GIFs, memes, and internet culture—can be used to build empathy, mobilize people, and literally rewire our communities for connection. Backed by neuroscience and real-life case studies, Kymm shows how emotionally intelligent content can activate civic engagement, build social trust, and train emerging technologies to reflect the world we want to live in.
Kymm Clark is an artist, entrepreneur, activist and former legislator. As the founder of LullCo Design Studio, Kymm blends creativity, activism, and tech to build community through unexpected mediums. Her work centers around visual language, accessibility, and rethinking how we connect, teach, and mobilize and restructure community in the digital age.
No Host: Nerd Nite @ Live in Ann Arbor