November 9th, 2023 7:30pm at River Arts District Brewing Co.
Meet your presenters for November’s Nerd Nite:
Helaine Resnick, PhD MPH
What Kills You and What Doesn’t: News You Can Use from America’s Emergency Rooms
This talk will offer a humorous (and potentially informative) take on relative and absolute risk using national data on emergency department admissions. Topics to be covered include, but are not limited to: walking into walls, alligators, yoga, bungee jumping, and chickens.
Helaine Resnick earned a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Michigan, a Master’s degree in health policy from Yale University, and a Bachelor’s degree in history from Tufts University. She completed a three-year fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Resnick has published more than 130 book chapters, journal articles, and technical reports on topics including aging, chronic disease, health information technology, long-term care, and research design. She has served as the Principal Investigator of numerous federal grants and contracts, and she has been a co-PI, senior consultant, and adviser on many others. Dr. Resnick has extensive experience with analysis and publication of national public health data sets, clinical trials, and patient registries, and she has been an invited speaker at meetings in the U.S. and internationally. She splits her time between Asheville and Washington, DC. https://resnickchodorow.com/
Bill Kopp
The Mighty Mellotron, The British Sports Car of Musical Instruments
The Mellotron is a 1960s keyboard instrument; it’s the forefather of modern-day samplers, and its influence on popular music is massive. The thing is completely mechanical… and British; it shouldn’t (and often doesn’t) work, but people love it anyway. Come find out why!
Bill Kopp is an author, speaker, musician and freelance journalist. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and the site – home to over 4500 interviews, essays and features – has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). He hosts lecture/discussions including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock ‘n’ Roll at UNC Asheville’s College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues, more than 30 to date. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published in 2018. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021. His third book, What’s the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. The Mellotron is his favorite musical instrument. http://blog.musoscribe.com/
Von Infinity
A Night at Tacheles, Berlin
Kunsthaus Tacheles was a famous fixture of Berlin’s post-Soviet art and nightlife scene for two decades, until the mostly-destroyed building finally succumbed to the push towards a cleaner, more commercial Berlin. Von will take you on a tour of Tacheles from their time living in Berlin, and regale you with a story of the time a Belarussian resident artist’s manager performed a moon ritual. Just a typical night at Tacheles.
Von (they/them) is a local drag performer known for their radioactive style, political commentary, and inability to shut up about Star Trek. A lifelong nerd of both science and theater (including two years as a performer in Berlin), they were an avid lover of Nerd Nite in Los Angeles before moving to Asheville and starting the local Nerd Nite Chapter.
Von claims this show for the Romulan Empire. (IG: @von.infinity)