History of Godzilla, Black Divas on Screen and Star Wars & Climate Change! November 6th
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
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