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. Online tickets are sold out, but there are always a few tickets at the door! Send us an instagram message and we will add you to the waitlist.
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.
Dr. Katherine C.B. Weiss is an urban wildlife ecologist and Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Marist University. Her work investigates how we can promote more sustainable interactions between humans and wildlife, with particular focus on mammal species. Her accolades include publishing 20 papers in peer-reviewed journals, being chased by angry bald eagles, feral dogs, and feral horses while in the field, and collecting hundreds of pieces of coyote poop. In her spare time, she likes to hang out with her three dogs, crochet cute stuffed animals, and nap.
Friday February 20th at 7:30pm at The Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY.
Doors at 7pm. Be there and be square!
**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.
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) at Industrial 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 Heroine by 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:
Beacon Bonfire Festival
Story Screen Cinema
Hit House Film
Beacon NY.
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.
Howland Cultural Center.
MUSIC PATHOLOGY | MAN vs. MACHINE | RABBIT HOLES!
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.
