This month, we’ve got diabetes! More specifically, Nerd Nite All Star Jess McLean is here to educate us for National Diabetes Month. Engineer George Avery returns to explain why some chef’s knives are so !%#&ing expensive, and comedian/neuroscientist double threat Nik Narain will tell us what humor does to our brains.
Plus a brand new mini feature debuts: the Fan Focus! This month, we’re going mad for Mad Max: Fury Road.
November 12th, 2026 doors 6pm, show 7pm at River Arts District Brewing Co.
Pre-sale tickets $10, door $15 (cash or Venmo). Get your pre-sale tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/nerd-nite-asheville-november-2026
This month’s lineup:
Jess McLean
The Not-So-Sweet Science of Type 1 Diabetes
Your pancreas typically manages blood sugar without asking you to do any math (yay!), but in Type 1 Diabetes, your immune system mistakenly attacks its insulin-producing cells (lame!). For National Diabetes Month, we’ll trace the science of life with a “lazy pancreas,” from the discovery of insulin to wearable technology that helps take over the job. Along the way, we’ll connect the biology to everyday diabetes management, how common diabetes is, and why adults should know the symptoms to watch for. Put your guesses to the test with prizes for predicting Jess’s continuous glucose monitor (CGM) reading, plus a free blood sugar check for one willing audience member!
Jess (she/her) is an Asheville native, local nonprofit leader, and Nerd Nite superfan whose pancreas apparently decided to take early retirement. Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes three weeks before Hurricane Helene hit in 2024, she’s since developed a very practical interest in immunology, insulin, and why the same breakfast can produce wildly different results. When she’s not checking her blood sugar, you can find Jess watching Star Trek with her husband, gardening, cooking a delicious vegetarian meal, or texting everyone she knows about getting tickets for the next Nerd Nite!
George Avery
Why Are Chefs Knives So Expensive?
You can get a full set of kitchen knifes from Walmart for $40. So how can a single professional grade chef knife cost over $300? Conan the Barbarian’s people stole the riddle of steel from their god Crom and now I will share it with you. You will learn the secrets of metallurgy and how an inexpensive kitchen knife differs from the coveted Japanese knife your friend always brags about. We’ll be talking about, chemistry, strength, corrosion resistance, crystal structure, manufacturing techniques, and much more! When we are done, you’ll never look at your kitchen the same way.
George Avery is a mechanical engineer for the United States Navy specializing in the riveting world of bolts joints. He has been working in the fastening world of fasteners for 10 years now. His work life bleeds into his personal life as he continues to replace all the screws in his bicycles with “better” ones.
Nik Narain
The Science of Funny
Laughter is a unique and incredibly strange social phenomenon. Why is our most universally recognized sign of joy and amusement an involuntary muscle spasm? What makes us laugh in the first place? And how can we integrate more humor in our daily lives? Comedian, science educator, and former neuroscientist Nik Narain will discuss the physiology and psychology behind why we laugh, followed by an interactive comedy writing workshop to put our learning into action!
Nik Narain is a comedian, writer, science educator, musician, drag king, and visual artist based in Durham, NC. He has spent the past year touring a one-hour stand-up show called “Rusk” across the country, including at the 2026 Asheville Fringe Festival. Nik is a huge fan of informal science communication and blending science and art in experimental and entertaining ways.
NEW! Fan Focus Mini-Feature!
An Ode to Fury Road
Calling all warboys, environmental feminists, explosion enthusiasts, and cinephiles! Join us for a deep (yet also sandy!) dive into the making of the Oscar-award winning action movie, Mad Max: Fury Road. Charlize Theron may only have 80 lines of dialogue in the film, but Superfan & Nerd Nite regular, Katie Phillips, has 80 million feelings and fun facts about how the movie was made. Witness as she brings 20 years of film making into a passionate mini-feature full of behind the scenes stories that will make you love that one guy playing the fire guitar even more.
Fan Focus will be a regular mini-feature in the show, similar to Von’s mini-features about Star Trek but about things that aren’t Star Trek. Got a nerdy fandom you want to represent? Email with your idea.
Don’t worry, Von will still talk about Star Trek at least quarterly.
With your host, Von
Von loves Star Trek–but in a major plot twist, Von also loves Mad Max: Fury Road. That’s right, Von likes at least two things!
Von claims this show for the Romulan Empire. (IG: @nerdniteAVL)