Come one, come all to our Juneteenth show on (when else?) Wednesday, June 19th at the Rickshaw Stop! We’ll be celebrating Black nerds in the Bay Area and their brilliant talks about the ecological chaos caused by domestic cats, the Blackness of birds, and the incredible legacy of the movie FernGully. Join us!
Tyus Williams – “Claws & Consequences: How Feline Frenemies Shape the East Bay Ecology”
Join Tyus at Nerd Nite’s Juneteenth show for a purrfectly quirky exploration into the ecological havoc wreaked by our beloved yet mischievous domestic cats in the East Bay. From prowling predators to cuddly companions, discover the untold tales of feline folly and their impact on local wildlife. Prepare for a whisker-twitching adventure filled with humor, insights, and a few surprise guests (no, not your cat)! Let’s unravel the mysteries of our furry friends and their pawprints on the environment.
Tyus Williams is a third-year PhD candidate and NSF Fellow at UC Berkeley in the Schell and Brashares labs studying carnivore and spatial ecology. Currently, his work is on how the ecological impacts from free-roaming domestic cats in the East Bay might be facilitated by urban environments. Tyus is interested in how human-dominated landscapes may indirectly mediate collision within wildlife communities. He is the author of one of Kirkus Review’s ‘Best Picture Books of 2022 for Animal Lovers,’ A Day in the Life: Big Cats. Tyus is also a passionate science communicator, committed to engaging the public with inclusive efforts.*
Julian Nesbitt – “The Blackest of Birds: Waiting for the Moment to Arise”
About a decade ago, renowned Black birder and professor, J. Drew Lanham wrote ‘9 Rules for the Black Birdwatcher.’ The rule that stuck out to Julian Nesbitt the most was #5: “Black birds — any black birds — are your birds…They’re largely ignored because of their ubiquity and often persecuted because of stereotypes and misunderstanding. Sounds like profiling to me.” This got Julian thinking, in what other ways can black birds, from red-winged blackbirds and others from the actual blackbird family, to corvids like crows and ravens, to nearly all species of penguin, relate to the Black human experience? And what other birds can we claim as well? Come to Juneteenth Nerd Nite to find out.
In 2006, a young boy watched Animal Planet for the first time and discovered his passion for singing, and the rest was history. Nearly two decades later, Julian is showing no signs of recovering from the nature-lover bug that bit him. Between nature and the arts, an ecologist by day and performer by night, Julian has had plenty of opportunities to nerd out on these two areas of life. Julian, a Birding for Everyone Fellow in the Golden Gate Birding Alliance, has found a way to combine his Blackness with his passions and showcase his knowledge and talents while representing his roots. From classrooms at school, to hangouts with friends, even overseas and now here at Nerd Nite.*
Chelsea Connor – “For Our Children’s Children: The History, Natural History and Legacy of FernGully”
When FernGully: The Last Rainforest was released in 1992, it did what few other animated movies of its time did. It inspired young naturalists and conservationists. A departure from the Disneyfication of wildlife, with real world concerns and inspirations, FernGully is a cult classic. Join Chelsea on a journey through the rainforests of Australia, cataloging the creatures, themes, impact and Burlesque skeletons from a well woven tale that wants to help us save our planet.
Chelsea Connor is an award winning wildlife biologist who does it all. Drawing, painting, sculpting and writing (but not her thesis) to name a few. She is currently a graduate student at San Francisco State University and a Birding for Everyone Fellow through the Golden Gate Birding Alliance. When she is not co-hosting Nerd Nite, you can find Chelsea on social media, procrastinating, making funny birding videos and writing 20 tweet long threads at 4AM about her current hyperfixations.