You may have the winter blues, but fear not, we have just the cure! Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations with music, prizes, refreshments and guaranteed good company. Tickets:bit.ly/NNHV-FEB20
We hear from Dr. Anthony Basile, Associate Professor of Biology at SUNY Sullivan with: “For the Love of Vitamins.” Did you hear the news? Vitamin D BOOSTS your metabolism of Nerd Nite! We all talk about the vitamins, see them written on our food labels, and eat them every day. Yet most people fail to appreciate how amazing the vitamins actually are. No, this talk is not about vitamin supplements. Instead, this talk is about the little bits of organic chemistry that we must eat every day to live. Why Because evolution has left us fully dependent on eating other species for nourishment. From A to K, this talk will present the vitamins as spectacles of human biology!
Dr. Anthony J. Basile is an Associate Professor of Biology at State University of New York (SUNY) Sullivan. As the only Evolutionary Biologist who is also a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, he holds a unique perspective on human nutrition. Anthony’s top three favorite foods are dark chocolate, plantains, and dried dates. As a musician from the Hudson valley, Anthony has surprisingly yet to perform in Beacon, so he is excited to be making his debut at Nerd Nite!
Next, we welcome Dawn Hunter, Nerd Nite St. Pete co-boss, with “Connection Before Content: The Secret Sauce to Better Communication.” Ever wondered why some conversations feel like a warm hug while others are as cold as a winter breeze? It’s all about connection! Think of it as the secret sauce to making your messages stick like glue. We’ll explore the magic of values-based messaging, setting the stage for communication that’s not just heard but felt. Then, we’ll sprinkle in some tools and strategies to help you discover your unique communication style. It’s like finding your inner superhero and learning how to use your powers for good! Remember, people want to know you care before they care what you know. Let’s make those connections count! Take the quiz at the bottom of this post for some fun participation.**
Dawn is one of the Nerd Nite St. Pete bosses, which means she’s usually behind the scenes troubleshooting tech, wrangling slide decks, and making sure the night runs smoother than your third drink. But for this event, she’s stepping out from behind the clipboard to nerd out about what makes communication actually work. By day, she runs a business focused on healthy boundaries, joyful living, and redefining the way we think about work and rest. By night, she’s probably reading three books at once, brainstorming podcast episode ideas, and indulging in cozy vibes. She believes data is sexy, naps are sacred, and life is too short to be ordinary.
Finally, Dr. Kate Weiss, urban wildlife ecologist and Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Marist University, brings us “The Birds, the Bees, and the Bizarre: Weird Sex in the Animal Kingdom.” We all think we know how sex works… but do we really? Through this talk, we will learn about the wacky and wild world of how species across the animal kingdom “get it on.” This will include investigations of anatomy, sex determination, pleasure, and the age-old question of “how could childbirth possibly get worse” (surprise, it can!). Through this talk, listeners will gain a deeper appreciation for the diversity of approaches to sexual reproduction and understand that this variation is key to allowing life to always find a way.
**For some added fun, you can take this anonymous quiz (no personal information is collected). Make sure to save your score and bring it to the show! https://tinyurl.com/MFTsurvey-book Once you close the survey, we have no way of identifying you, so please save your score.
Gird your loins! This may be our most stomach churning evening yet! But don’t worry, we have a plan for those that need a little gentle handling. Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations with music, prizes, libations and guaranteed good company at The Howland Cultural Center.
We hear from Dr. Hannah Brooks, board-certified General Surgeon and proud recipient of the American Cancer Society’s Lane Adams award for compassionate care with: “When Food Fights back: Gut Wrenching Tales of General Surgery.”Please be warned, this talk will include depictions of the surgery process.We will make sure to give you an opportunity to look away!
The digestive system is a finely-tuned marvel of anatomy and physiology, but when intestinal obstruction happens, the body can become a high-stakes battleground, where everyday foods transform into formidable foes. This talk explores gripping cases where simple bites turned into surgical emergencies. Learn how the science of a swift diagnosis and surgical intervention combine to save lives, and turn near‑disasters into triumphs of medical science.
Dr. Hannah Brooks practiced as a board-certified General Surgeon in NYC and the Hudson Valley for almost three decades. She received her MD at Albany Medical College, completed General Surgery training at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and, during her career, established Breast surgery clinics and genetic testing and High Risk Oncology programs at multiple medical centers in NYC and the Hudson Valley. Dr Brooks is a Fellow (emeritus) of the American College of Surgeons and is also certified in Cancer Genetic Risk Assessment. She has published in peer-reviewed journals in the areas of Surgery and Oncology/Immunology, and is a proud recipient of the American Cancer Society’s Lane Adams award for compassionate care. In her spare time, Brooks founded the Beacon Literary Festival and is an intermittently-inspired writer whose work has appeared in the NYT, Chronogram, and the podcast Anamnesis, among others.
Next, we welcome Telly and Webby award-winner Trace Dominguez from PBS’s weekly astronomy show Star Gazers, who specializes in translating complex STEM topics for general audiences with his talk: “Invading New Jersey with Squirrels: A Proposal.” Please be warned, this talk will give you ideas.
What’s one thing all successful supervillains have in common? Well-trained pets. Ernst Blofeld had his cat. Maleficent had her raven. Gru had his minions. Well, I have my squirrels. In the following presentation, I will demonstrate how an elite squad of trained squirrels can systematically invade and cripple the state of New Jersey. Investment opportunities available. Thank you for your consideration.
Trace Dominguez makes science fun across every screen he can find. He hosts PBS’s weekly astronomy show Star Gazers, answers ridiculous questions on his podcast That’s Absurd Please Elaborate, and created the YouTube science channel Seeker which earned over a billion views. He’s thrown up in an F-18 jet, learned to echolocate while blindfolded, and is an Emmy-nominated host and Webby award winner.
Finally, Mike Price, an Artist, a Taxidermist, a Story Teller, gives us a talk on what to do with all those squirrels once they enter NJ with “Meddling With Nature: Taxidermy and the Beauty of Going Skin Deep.” Please be warned, this talk will show depictions of the taxidermy process.We will make sure to give you an opportunity to look away!
Through this artist’s journey from classical figure study to the visceral realities of taxidermy, we will explore how true observation of the animal kingdom requires confronting what we’re culturally trained to ignore – that of our growing blindness to the dead and the psychological cost of treating once-living beings as mere objects. Through vivid storytelling and anatomical reflection, we’ll ask ourselves what it truly means to be human…and how the process of taxidermy forces us to face the very thing we cannot preserve – our humanity.
Mike is a Hudson Valley based artist, taxidermist, and storyteller. Trained in painting, sculpture, and drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and The Art Academy of Cincinnati graduating in 2013, Mike now works full-time at world renowned Fine Art Foundry UAP (Polich Tallix). Through the lens of an artistic practice, Mike’s taxidermy is less about ‘dead animals’ and more about how we, the viewer, are living ones.
Special Guest Maker Keith Decent reveals a Nerd Nite surprise!
Attention Cinephile Nerds! In collaboration with the Beacon Bonfire Film Festival, we present a Film Themed Nerd Nite.
We are so excited to welcome Actor, Writer and long time Nerd Nite collaborator Shyaporn Theerakulstit presenting “Godzilla: History, Biology and Behavior of Hyper-Evolved Theropod Kaiju.” We welcome back the wonderful Mia Mask, Professor of Film at Vassar College, presenting “Foxy Forever: Pam Grier and the Birth of the Badassss Heroine.” And finally, Environmental Science Professor at Marist University Ramesh Laungani comes back with a Star Wars themed talk: “It’s a Trap!: Monarchs, Milkweed & the Dark Side of Climate Change…and How We Can Be Their New Hope.”
Thursday November 6th. Doors at 6:30, show promptly at 7pm (it is a school night after all) atIndustrial Arts Brewery, a fine venue for Drinking While Learning. 511 Fishkill Ave. Beacon, NY 12508
Get your festival pass here which gets you into all Beacon Bonfire festivities including Nerd Nite or buy tickets at the door for $20 (first come first serve, get there early!).
It’s a Trap!: Monarchs, Milkweed, and the Dark Side of Climate Change…and How We Can Be Their New Hope by Ramesh Laungani
Monarch butterflies are getting tricked by the Dark Side of climate change, turning a favorite food into an ecological trap —but WE can be their New Hope. Science, action, and Star Wars references collide in this epic winged adventure!
Ramesh Laungani is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Marist College. Before Marist, Ramesh was a professor of Biology for +10 years at Doane University in Nebraska. Dr. Laungani’s background is in plant ecology and climate change and has given many Nerd Nite talks back in Lincoln, NE and even a few in Brooklyn before moving up to the Hudson Valley. He also used to co-host a podcast about climate change called Warm Regards with Dr. Jacquelyn Gill from the University of Maine. Ramesh has given many Nerd Nite talks country wide, but this is talk 2.5 with Nerd Nite Hudson Valley!
Foxy Forever: Pam Grier and the Birth of the Badassss Heroineby Mia Mask
Pam Grier’s vast and varied film career is unusual and impressive. She’s accomplished much and inspired many. In her presentation, Mia Mask considers the larger social, political and cinematic contexts in which Grier emerged and became the original “final girl.”
Mia Mask is the Mary Riepma Ross Professor of Film at Vassar College. She received her Ph.D. from NYU. At Vassar, she teaches African American cinema, documentary history, African national cinemas, and genre courses. Mask is the author of Divas on Screen: Black Women in American Film and Black Rodeo: A History of the African American Western, edited the anthology Contemporary Black American Cinema and published the jointly edited collection, Poitier Revisited: Reconsidering a Black Icon in the Obama Age. Her cultural commentary has been featured on National Public Radio programs “Tell Me More,” “Marketplace” and “Morning Edition,” and in documentaries for the Smithsonian Channel, the Criterion Channel and CNN’s The Movies. This is Mia’s second talk with Nerd Nite Hudson Valley. She wowed us in April 2025 with Black Rodeo.
Godzilla: History, Biology and Behavior of Hyper-Elvolved Theropod Kaiju by Shyaporn Theerakulstit
Tsunami, earthquake, hurricane and typhoon all rolled in one, Godzilla, “King of the Monsters,” has both plagued and benefited humanity for over seven decades. By examining the origins and zoology of this force of nature, people and nations will be better equipped to deal with the awesome destructive power of our radioactive visitor from the Cretaceous.
Shyaporn Theerakulstit is an actor, writer, fake scientist, Z-list YouTuber and general “nerd about town.” He has lectured at Nerd Nite, TEDx and the Smithsonian, produced and written for Dark Horse Comics, and could be seen off-Broadway playing Admiral Kirk in “Khan!!! The Musical!”, shows such as The Flight Attendant and Girls5eva, and the upcoming movie musical, Songs Sung Blue, with Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson on Christmas Day. Yet never once on Law and Order. YT & IG: @Shyaporn
Nerd Nite is happy to be collaborating with the following Hudson Valley Companies:
Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations at The Howland Cultural Center! We hear from Jermaine Archer of RTA, Rehabilitation Through the Arts, a program made famous in the Oscar nominated film Sing Sing, Julia Janson, former conservation biologist and interpretive naturalist with The Association of Zoos & Aquariums and the U.S. Forest Service, giving a talk on remote sensing for wildlife conservation and Galen Ballentine, researcher of psychedelics and neuroscience who did one of the largest studies ever on hallucinogenics and psychedelics.
Friday September 19th at 7:30pm at The Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY. With fun music, prizes, libations and guaranteed good company: Doors at 7pm. Be there and be square! Tickets: bit.ly/nnhv-sept19
“Reclaiming Self: Rehabilitation Through the Arts” by Jermaine Archer
Jermaine Archer, once a proud science and math major, succumbed to the lure of the glamour and glitz of the street life while in high school. He applied his gifts for numbers and elements to become a practitioner of non-FDA approved pharmaceuticals and ended up in state prison. Using his intellect to survive incarceration, he re-embraced his academic intelligence and exited prison, once again, a self-professed nerd.
Incarcerated for a crime he did not commit, Jermaine earned a Master’s degree, became a certified paralegal and taught himself several languages. Since his release, he’s been a sentence mitigation specialist, joined a national foundation to support organizations working to end the over-criminalization of people from poor communities, and recently was named executive director of Rehabilitation Through the Arts.
“Psychedelic Experiences: Language, Time, and Ineffability” by Galen Ballentine
Psychedelic drugs can trigger various types of experiences and their therapeutic value depends on the subjective qualities of these experiences. This talk will summarize Galen’s research that attempted to answer two crucial questions: 1. What neurobiology accounts for the subjective differences between drug-induced states? 2. How do these mental states unfold through time?
Galen Ballentine is a psychiatrist and researcher focused on novel methods for measuring subjective psychoactive effects of drugs, in particular psychedelic drugs, with an eye to their potential therapeutic uses. He grew up in rural Pennsylvania and then the Bronx, and has graduated from College of the Atlantic and Drexel College of Medicine. He is passionate about somatic therapy, gardening, dance, and not taking oneself excessively seriously.
”Zooming in on Wildlife” by Julia Janson
Cell phones, laptops, and satellites have become integral tools in our daily lives. In the twenty-first century, where environmental issues such as climate change, deforestation, and pollution have exacerbated habitat loss, these tools will become crucial for monitoring populations of critically endangered wildlife. Julia will cover some of the basics of remote sensing technology and demonstrate how it can be a powerful tool for supporting wildlife conservation. Using examples from her research, we’ll learn how to directly contribute to science and make a positive impact in our communities.
Julia Janson is a former naturalist and conservation biologist. She has spearheaded several conservation and citizen science projects with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the U.S. Forest Service, during her two years of service in AmeriCorps. She has also written and published natural history articles for ‘The Outside Guide’ in northern Nevada, The Peregrine Fund at The World Center for Birds of Prey, and Elevate Magazine, where she was featured as one of the Top Writers for 2015. In 2020, Julia earned her Master’s Degree in Environmental Education and hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology. When not out saving the world, Julia enjoys hiking, skiing, reading and writing science fiction.
Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations about the fascinating world of the FBI, Rubik’s Cubes and Spaces on the Spectrum. We hear from former FBI Agent James Gagliano, Author & Vassar Sociology Professor Dr. Catherine Tan and Math extraordinaire Dr. Joe Kazemi. Friday July 18th at 7:30pm at The Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY. With fun music, prizes, libations and guaranteed good company: Doors at 7pm. Be there and be square!
“Behind the Badge: The Inside Story of the FBI – The World’s Premier Law Enforcement Agency” by James Gagliano.
In his talk, James will cover the FBI’s proud, yet complicated 117-year history and candidly address and examine “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” of the domestic law enforcement agency charged with keeping Americans safe – at home and overseas. The talk will includes successes and controversies, declassified covert operations, and both accurate/inaccurate Hollywood portrayals of the organization that Gagliano devoted quarter-century of his life.
The truth is out there!
James A. Gagliano is a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent and serves on the board of directors of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF). He is a 1987 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and doctoral candidate in Homeland Security at St. John’s University. He frequently appears in media circles as a law enforcement and security analyst. A recovering politician, he just successfully completed two terms (2021-2025) as mayor of his beloved community of Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York. His wife Tiffany, a practicing attorney, is smarter, prettier and far more accomplished than he is.
“Life Lessons Humans Can Learn From Rubik’s Cubes”by Joe Kazemi
In a playful, not too nerdy and hopefully humorous manner, Joe lists 20 lessons imagining Rubik’s Cubes speaking to us as though they are our best friends, sage elders, or even caring therapists. Instead of a therapist couch however, Joe brings a collection of Rubik’s cubes of various types and sizes for everyone to see, touch, handle, and twist as much as they like!
Joe is a nerdy Hudson Valley area resident, a friendly mathematician, and an avid cuber who loves using Rubik’s Cubes in his work as a tutor and a counselor.
“Quacks and Snake Oil: The Futile Search for an Autism Cure” by Catherine Tan
Catherine Tan explores the world of parents, medical practitioners, and peddlers who continue to believe in the long debunked vaccine-autism myth. The myth has stoked parents’ fears of disability and contributed to a decline in vaccination rates. Yet, for some parents, the myth is a source of hope that forges a path toward autism “recovery.” Believing in a vaccine-autism link, parents reimagine their autistic children as temporarily injured and sick people. Now, with the installation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary, Catherine Tan’s research teaches us what can we expect from a neoliberal approach to healthcare.
Catherine Tan is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Vassar College. She is author of Spaces on the Spectrum: How Autism Movements Challenge Experts and Create Knowledge (Columbia University Press). Her research on health and wellness has been published in academic journals, like Social Science & Medicine, Social Studies of Science, and Ethnic and Racial Studies. Her writing has also appeared in public outlets, including Newsweek, Time, and CNN. Beyond teaching and research, Catherine enjoys horseback riding, creating stained glass lamps, and hiking with her dog, Piscola.
Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations about Aliens, Activism and Agriculture! We hear from Agriculture Teacher Rebecca Cossa, Activist and Artist Steve Lambert and Author Gabriel Mckee. Friday May 16th at 7:30pm at The Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY.
With fun music, prizes, libations, a surprise guest and guaranteed good company: Doors at 7pm. Tickets: bit.ly/nnhv-may16
“Magriculture: The Everyday Magic of Agriculture. Episode 1: Plants” by Rebecca Cossa
There are wondrous and curious things that happen around us everyday that help people survive and thrive in relation to agriculture. We often take these things for granted because they occur regularly or we don’t really understand how they work. Let’s take a “Did You Know” tour to uncover some of the riddles and science-based magic of plants.
Rebecca Star Cossa has been involved in agriculture for over 25 years. 13 of those have been as a New York state certified agriculture teacher in public schools in Queens and Poughkeepsie. She has worked on farms, with non profits and CSAs, in urban and sustainable agriculture, and in various educational contexts. She is New York Botanical Garden certified floral designer and has education and experience in horticultural and art therapy, which are applied through community workshops. She is pleased to add “Nerd Nite Presenter” to her future bio.
“Weird Wins:Unusual Activist Victories“ by Steve Lambert
In activism, the more you try to repeat a victory the less effective it becomes. The opposition learns your tricks, then comes up with new ones of their own. Winning requires innovation. Winning requires getting weird.
Steve Lambert’s father, a former Franciscan monk, and mother, an ex-Dominican nun, imbued the values of dedication, study, poverty, and service to others – qualities which prepared him for life as an artistic activist. In 2009, Lambert co-founded the Center for Artistic Activism (C4AA) and has worked in over 20 countries on 6 continents helping artists and activists use their creativity and culture to impact power. He co-authored The Art of Activism: Your All-Purpose Guide to Making the Impossible Possible (O/R Books). As an artist, Lambert is known for large scale, public works that engage new audiences on difficult topics. His work has been shown internationally, from museums to Times Square, in 4 documentary films and over two dozen books. Steve dropped out of high school in 93′ and has since built a robotic chimp named James Chimpton that interviews artists, a video game that measures your stress level, a browser plugin that replaces ads on the internet with art and much much more. Currently, he is an Associate Professor at SUNY Purchase.
“Saucer on a String: The UFO Hoaxes of Gray Barker” by Gabriel Mckee
The founder of one of the earliest flying saucer fanzines, Gray Barker (1925-1984) played a major role in shaping the cultural narrative of unidentified flying objects. A master storyteller, he disseminated the folklore surrounding UFOs, strange creatures, and conspiracies of silence– even making stories up when the mood struck. Drawing on his recent biography of Barker, THE SAUCERIAN, Gabriel Mckee will dig into some of Barker’s wildest hoaxes, and the lasting impact they have had on the UFO subculture.
Gabriel Mckee is a librarian at New York University. His research concerns popular culture, book history, theology, and parahistoriography. His recent work includes authoring The Saucerian: UFOs, Men in Black, and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker (MIT Press), co-editing Theology and the DC Universe (Lexington Books), and serving as the managing editor for the Zebrapedia project, an online repository of manuscript material by science fiction author Philip K. Dick.
Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations about Building Castles, Failed Spelling and the History of Black Westerns. We hear from Nancy Bisaha, Professor of History and Director of Medieval & Renaissance Studies, Author Gabe Henry and Dr. Mia Mask, Professor of Film. Friday April 18th at 7:30pm at The Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY.
With fun music, libations and guaranteed good company: Doors at 7pm.
So You Wanna Build a Castle? by Nancy Bisaha
If you’ve ever built a castle out of sand, snow, or Legos, you understand the fascination these structures hold for us— well into adulthood. You may think you know a lot about castles, but the truth will surprise you. Unlike ancient or modern fortresses or palaces, castles are truly medieval in origin and function. For a few centuries they changed the nature of warfare and society, giving the feudal nobility a huge advantage over the other classes and reason to beat the heck out of each other. Everyone, it seems, wanted a castle, if not several of them. This talk will explain what made castles so special, how fast you could throw one up, their instrumental role in the Norman Conquest and Crusades, and why they stopped being built almost overnight.
Nancy Bisaha is Professor of History and Director of Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Vassar College. She received her BA from Rutgers College in 1990 and her PhD from Cornell University in 1997, where she worked under the direction of John Najemy. In 2004 Bisaha published Creating East and West: Renaissance Humanists and the Ottoman Turks (UPenn Press), which examines the ways in which humanists created an intellectual discourse depicting the Ottoman Turks as a cultural and religious other. In 2013 she published a translation of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini’s De Europa in collaboration with Robert Brown. Bisaha’s third book, From Christians to Europeans: Pope Pius II and the Concept of the Modern Western Identity, was published by Routledge Press in 2023. In addition to teaching survey courses on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Bisaha teaches such courses as “The Dark Ages c. 400-900,” “The Crusades,” “Machiavelli and his Contemporaries,” and “Constantinople/Istanbul:1453.”
Enough is ENUF! A (Brief) History of the Simplified Spelling Movement by Gabe Henry
Why does the G in George sound different from the G in gorge? Why does C begin both case and cease? And why is it funny when a philologist faints, but not polight to laf about it? Gabe Henry explores the quirky history of the Simplified Spelling Movement, which tried for centuries to streamline our spelling by turning through into thru, laugh into laf, and enough into enuf (tu naim a few). Gabe also attempts, without shame, to sell you his new book Enough is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Eezier to Spell. It will be available for purchase at our show.
Gabe Henry is the author of three books including the poetry anthology Eating Salad Drunk (Vulture’s Best Comedy Books of 2022), a humor collaboration with Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Odenkirk, Margaret Cho, Mike Birbiglia, Janeane Garofalo, Roy Wood Jr., and other titans of comedy. He has spent more than a decade exploring the strange and forgotten history of simplified spelling, which, by his own admission, has only made him a worse speller. He lives in New York.
Black Rodeo: A History of the African American Western by Mia Mask
The Western is easily the most impactful American Film Genre, the reinterpretation of history into cinematic mythology. Black Westerns like Buck and the Preacher, Sidney Poitier’s Directorial Debut, set the stage for modern-day westploitation films like Django Unchained. Professor and author Mia Mask covers the significance of African American Westerns, the political importance they brought to cinema, and their continued impact on today’s movies. Her book Black Rodeo: A History of the African American Western will be available for purchase at our show!
Mia Mask is the Mary Riepma Ross Professor of Film at Vassar College. She received her PhD from New York University. At Vassar, she teaches African American cinema, documentary history, African national cinemas, and genre courses. She is the author of Divas on Screen: Black Women in American Film. Mask edited the anthology Contemporary Black American Cinema and published the jointly edited collection, Poitier Revisited: Reconsidering a Black Icon in the Obama Age. Her cultural commentary has been featured on National Public Radio programs “Tell Me More,” “Marketplace” and “Morning Edition,” and in documentaries for the Smithsonian Channel, the Criterion Channel and CNN’s The Movies.
Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations about Howler Monkey Testicles & the Bee Gees, Breastfeeding Through the Ages and Pythagoras Meets Pink Panther! We hear from Dr. Ramesh Laungani, Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Marist College, Julie Kling, a humor, health, and parenting writer and Yvonne Caruthers, a 35 year career cellist in the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington, D.C. Friday February 21st at 7:30pm at The Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY.
With fun music, libations and guaranteed good company: Doors at 7pm.
THE SPEAKERS
Yvonne Caruthers Science and Music: from Pythagoras to the Pink Panther
You see a flash of lightning and immediately start to count: one thousand one, one thousand two….based on a snippet of science you learned as a wee child. Science underpins everything we love about music, from the instruments we play to our favorite soundtracks. Yvonne Caruthers plays her cello to blend scientific principles with musical excerpts…as well as a pop quiz!
Before Yvonne Caruthers moved to Beacon in 2021, she had a 35 year career as a cellist in the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington, D.C. In addition to made-for-TV specials, and foreign tours, in the early ‘90’s, the NSO began a series of state residencies, and it was then that Ms. Caruthers realized a need for programs connecting music to the standard school curriculum. Tonight she presents a short version of “Science and Music,” borne out of those experiences.She began studying the violin at 8 in her local public school, switched to the cello at 9 and never looked back. She has three adult children and three grandchildren.
Julie Kling It’s Udderly Fascinating! A Look at (Mostly Human) Breastfeeding Through the Ages
Raise your glass/bottle and prepare for a milk-drenched romp through the wild history of nursing! Did you know the Milky Way got its name from the Greek myth of Hera accidentally spraying a whole bunch of breast milk across the sky while trying (and failing) to nurse baby Hercules? Or that medieval aristocrats hired wet nurses so they could get back to partying and making more heirs? From Victorian-era doctors warning that “overindulgent” breastfeeding could spoil a child’s character to modern debates over formula, public nursing, and breast pump technology, we’ll explore how feeding babies has always been both essential and (for some reason) controversial.
Julie Kling is a humor, health, and parenting writer based in a New York suburb that is not as cool as Beacon. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Scary Mommy, and on-stage at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Sign up for her free and sporadic newsletter Mom Rage(r): Turning Your Mom Rage Into Raging Fun! @ juliekling.com
Dr. Ramesh Laungani Howler Monkey Testicles: Should Barry Gibb have Sung the Theme Song to Shaft?
What do howler monkey testicles, Barry Gibb’s falsetto, and the “Shaft” theme song have in common? More than you think. From Barry Gibb’s high notes to Shaft’s swagger, this talk unravels the wild connections between one of nature’s loudest voices and well… their packages, revealing one nature’s quirkiest trade-offs. Come for the Bee Gees and Shaft and learn a little biology along the way.
Dr. Ramesh Laungani is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Marist College. Before Marist, Ramesh was a professor of Biology for +10 years at Doane University in Nebraska. Dr. Laungani’s background is in plant ecology and climate change and has given many Nerd Nite talks back in Lincoln, NE and even a few in Brooklyn before moving up to the Hudson Valley. He also used to co-host a podcast about climate change called Warm Regards with Dr. Jacquelyn Gill from the University of Maine.
Friday January 10th at 7:30pm at The Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY! Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations about our music pathology, Man vs. Machine and Rabbit holes. We hear from Dr. Táhirih Motazedian, Associate Professor of Music Theory at Vassar College, Kevin Maher, Host of Kevin Geeks Out, a long-running variety show, and Emily Menez, Slackjaw Editor and Writer for CBS, Funny or Die, McSweeney’s and The New Yorker.
With fun music, libations and guaranteed good company: Doors at 7pm.
THE SPEAKERS
Táhirih Motazedian Your Generation’s Music is The Worst: The NeverEnding Story of Music Pathology
Táhirih Motazedian is an Associate Professor of Music at Vassar College. Her book, Key Constellations: Interpreting Tonality in Film (University of California Press, 2023) explores how key and pitch relationships in film soundtracks tell a story. Before her career in music theory, Táhirih was a planetary scientist at NASA.
Kevin Maher Now is the Winter of our Cheap Content: Creating Art in the Time of A.I.
Kevin is a writer, filmmaker, comedian and producer who has worked at over 100 jobs: creating everything from award-winning poetry and guided meditations to kids’ TV shows, theme park rides and fast-food commercials. He’s the host of Kevin Geeks Out, a long-running variety show/ spiritual sibling to Nerd Nite. www.LoveKevin.com
Emily Menez Rabbit Holes!
Emily Menez has written for The New Yorker, CBS, Funny or Die, Nike, and McSweeney’s, amongst others. Her original plays and sketch shows have been performed throughout NYC, including “Slackjaw: LIVE” and “Screen to Sketch Comedy,” which both ran at Caveat.
Join us for a screening of the 1997 Jodie Foster film CONTACT. Based on Carl Sagan’s 1987 book, we speak with Reverend Amanda Wagner and Professor Clara Sousa-Silva, a quantum astrochemist and molecular astrophysicist and then go on Robert Zemeckis’ epic journey of science & faith (with popcorn & beer)
