It has been TWO YEARS since our first Nerd Nite Asheville! Two years of incredible presentations full of knowledge and creativity, two years of incredible nerds coming together to share the joy of learning, and two years of Von never shutting up about Star Trek. It’s time to Allamaraine harder than you’ve ever Allamarained before!
August 14th, 2025 doors 6pm, show 7pm at River Arts District Brewing Co.
Pre-sale tickets $10, door $15 (cash preferred, Venmo etc. available). Get your pre-sale tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/nerd-nite-asheville-august-2025
This month’s lineup:
David O. Freedman
It’s a Wormy World
There are more worms that parasitize humans than humans in the world. This time David will talk about a few worm infections that can sometimes be acquired right here in the US. Examples include the nature of RFK’s supposed brain worm, the sushi worm, creeping eruption (acquired from dog poop), and angiostrongylus (vegetarians not safe from this one). The reality of these worms will be demonstrated with real life clinical photos, x-rays, and live parasites themselves. NC House Bill 618 will make ivermectin, a wonder drug for many worms but not so much for other things, available over-the-counter without prescription and is about to pass the legislature-find out more.
David O. Freedman, MD, originally from Montreal, Canada, birthplace of William Shatner, is a retired Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama (UAB). He has spent his career traveling around the world in search of new infectious diseases organisms and how travelers spread them. He has always been fascinated by parasitic worms and cared for many infected patients in the US and abroad. In 1988, he published the first ever paper on the use of ivermectin to treat human intestinal worms.
Douglas Yuhan Rao
Be a Scientist Without a Fancy Diploma
Science is always better when we can bring more people into the process of science discovery. For decades, citizen science has provided opportunities for community members to collect data and contribute to important scientific discoveries in astronomy, biodiversity, meteorology, and computer science. We will explore the history of citizen science and its contribution to biodiversity and climate research. Douglas will also share three ways that you can be part of the citizen science movement in our daily lives.
Douglas (he/him) is a nerd who had dreamed to be a scientist since he was eight years old according to his diary. In his daily job as a climate researcher, he uses satellite data and computer models to study the impact of climate for ecosystems and society. Outside of his own research, he is also a citizen scientist helping fellow scientists out who are desperate for data.
Z Hawkwood
What the Hell is Homestuck??
In 2009, Andrew Hussie uploaded a single gif onto his website: mspaintAdventures. 17 years later, it would become one of the longest works of English literature in history. Homestuck thrived online, using irony, trolling, and comedy to tell an epic story involving over 34 main characters and spanning millions of years. It spawned art communities, created friendships, and changed internet culture forever. But what exactly is it? A joke? A work of multimedia art? A subversive deconstruction of point-and-click adventure games? Whatever it was, its legacy lives on, and there will never be anything else like it.
Hawkwood is a novelist, Youtuber, and game designer. He’s the creator of the Hawkwood Youtube Channel, where he focuses on detailed retrospectives of older media. You might like his videos on the French anime Wakfu, the history of Dropout.TV, or the wild origin of the 1993 Super Mario Bros movie. http://youtube.com/@Hawkwood
With your host, Von
Allamaraine, it’s our anniversary! This month, we’ll recap the past year and pay tribute to all of the presenters of Nerd Nite Asheville season two.
Von (they/them) is a local 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: @nerdniteAVL)