February 8th, 2024 doors 6pm, show 7pm at River Arts District Brewing Co.
Meet your presenters for February’s Nerd Nite:
Isaac Khaneles
GPS, and How Space Clocks Detect Nukes
GPS is a space-based service that is used by billions of people around the world for positioning, navigation, and timing. We will be learning about the beauty of how this infrastructure works, and discussing one of its lesser known features — detecting NUDETS (Nuclear Detonations).
Isaac is your typical “weird” Asheville resident, with a career and passion in the space industry. After five years of working as a Systems Engineer on the next generation of GPS ground control, he started a space industry engineering recruitment firm — finding niche people to work on special projects. Find him out and about in town, or on the trails.
Dr. Rider Barnum
Science Fails of The Dark Knight Trilogy
Whether you loved the comics or the movies, Batman is a classic superhero. And the Dark Knight trilogy was a brilliant piece of cinema history… with some TERRIBLE science moments! From microwave death rays to impossible physics and even fusion reactors, grab a seat and nerd out as we break down some visually amazing yet horribly inaccurate “cinema science” that has been living rent-free in my brain since the mid-2000’s.
Rider Barnum holds a PhD in Chemistry as well as a BA in Theatre Arts. Originally from north Louisiana, he currently lives in northeast Tennessee with his wife and daughter. Professionally he has been an industrial research and development chemist for over ten years. In his spare time he enjoys doing science demonstrations for education outreach ever since grad school, as well as performing in community theatre productions. He is excited to be collaborating with Nerd Nite as part of spreading interest in STEM to a wide range of audiences in a way that is WAY more fun than your average class in school. IG: @DramaticChemist
G. Inez Figueroa
Piercing and Pleasure
Tired of partners not hittin’ your spot? Yearning for bedazzled privates? Or maybe you’ve always been curious about why people would ever pierce their junk in the first place! This is your opportunity to find out all the deets! Inez will take you on a safari of all the intimate piercings, their functions in pleasure, and some funny stories from the piercing room. No piercings required to attend.
Inez (They/Them) is a professional piercer and member of the Association of Professional Piercers) with a background in anatomy and kinesiology. With an ambition to provide a safe space for all walks of life, they found their passion in piercing. Inez aspires to always place autonomy back into the client’s hands. Ready to adorn your body and soul? They are here to help. IG: @inezwithsharps https://linktr.ee/inezwithsharps
With your host, Von
Von’s Star Trek mini feature: “That’s Why I’m a Trekkie”: Star Trek’s Wokest Moments
After denouncing Star Wars for being “too woke and feminist”, Fox News personality Emily Compagno flashed a backwards Vulcan salute and proudly proclaimed, “That’s why I’m a Trekkie.” Actual Star Trek fans found this hilarious, considering that Star Trek broke some of media’s “wokest” barriers decades ago. Learn about some of these great moments while laughing at Fox News’s ongoing absurdity in this month’s mini-feature.
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, 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)