It’s the Nerd Nite SF Sesquicentennial and we’re ready to celebrate! This month we commemorate one-hundred and fifty (150!) boozy, nerdy shows at our beloved venue, in our beloved city of San Francisco. Since we’re in a reflective mood, we’re excited to share a talk about the origins of the universe (Just how big was this “big bang”, anyway?), the banality of evil (How do “evil empires” start?), and vital truths about pelvic health! (What even is a “kegel” and how do you exercise one?) Come to the Rickshaw Stop at 7pm on April 17th and party down with us!
The Beginning and End of the Universe (And Some Things in Between)
By: John Groh
A crash course in modern cosmology: catch up on what we do, don’t, and might soon know about our universe. Along the way, learn how the cosmic microwave background – the afterglow of the Hot Big Bang – is helping us unearth our cosmic origins.
Dr. Groh is an experimental physicist who develops technologies and builds instruments to precisely measure the cosmic microwave background, understand our universe, and search for new physics. His studies and research have taken him from Penn State to UC Berkeley to the National Institute of Standards and Technology to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he now leads a small group and collaborates with other scientists on a variety of cosmology and dark matter experiments.
The Banality of Evil
By: Parsa Moein
We all feel it. There is a darkness spreading like rust that is often indistinguishable from the other pillars of our lives. Modern evil isn’t what the Disney movies portray, it’s infinitely more malicious and worst of all, it’s so boring that we cannot even bring ourselves to pay attention to it. Join us for a succinct dissection of modern evil: how to identity, fight, and succeed against it.
Parsa Moein is a Bay Area native who has no idea how to code (oooo scandalous). She loves history and the dissemination of it, which encouraged her to become a high school social science teacher – and loves almost every second of it! In addition to working towards dismantling oppressive systems, she enjoys cooking, biking, LEGO, and Helldivers 2.
Pelvic Perceptions: Separating Fact from Fiction
By: Dr. Karah Charette
Join Dr. Karah for a fun and informative session where we tackle common misconceptions about pelvic health. Through a lively ‘Fact or Fiction’-style talk, we’ll separate myth from reality, exploring everything from pelvic floor exercises to bladder control. Whether you’re a pelvic health pro or just curious, this talk will leave you with practical tips and a better understanding of your body!
Dr. Karah Charette is a doctor of physical therapy with a specialization in pelvic health. She co-owns a clinic in Oakland called Bodyful Physical Therapy and Wellness and she has a focus on somatic approaches towards care.
Spring has sprung and here at Nerd Nite SF headquarters, we’re preparing – as so many critters in the natural world do – to strut our stuff in the sunshine. We’ve put together a program to help you look and feel your best as the weather warms and longer days urge us from our hibernation (and doomscrolling) to socialize once more! This month, we’re tackling the art, science, and history of nail polish and piercings, and taking a look behind the veil at some of the fashion world’s dirtiest secrets. It’s all kicking off at 7pm on March 20th, at our beloved Rickshaw Stop, so shine those shoes and break out the lint roller: it’s time to get fashionable!
Nailed it: The Science Behind the Perfect Manicure
By Julie Cushen
Ever wonder what’s in your nail polish? What’s the difference between nail lacquer, gel, and acrylics, and where did all of these products come from? Join us as we discover the history and fascinating materials science behind some of the most underappreciated highly engineered functional formulations that are both loved – and hated – by people who paint their nails.
Julie Cushen earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2013 and since then has led UV curable formulation projects at various startups for a wide variety of applications ranging from 3D printing to display coatings to nailcare. In 2021 she launched her plant-based nailcare company Lilaque, introducing the world’s first soy-based gel nail polish and plant-based press-on nails.
Piercings 101: Holes, Poles, and the Art of Stabbing Yourself on Purpose
By Teo Lin-Bianco
Let’s talk about the basics—how piercings actually heal, why placement and jewelry matter, and what’s really happening when your body decides to fight back. Is a $50 piercing really worth it, or is a dorm room safety pin just the same? (Spoiler: probably not.) Expect a history of piercing culture, a little ear anatomy, and, for the freaks, a dive into some more NSFW placements—plus plenty of audience participation.
Teo Lin-Bianco is a former piercing staff member who spends way too much time thinking about the perfect hole. Having successfully healed dozens of piercings (and just as successfully taken out about as many), Teo is an expert in both good decisions and bad ideas. When not talking about skin and steel, they choreograph dance works exploring identity, intimacy, and the weirdness of being human.
You’re Dressing Like SH*T! – The Not-So-Fabulous Secrets of Fashion
By: Corey Goodman
A deep dive into the messy, often not-so-fabulous world of the garment industry—where style meets scandal, innovation clashes with exploitation, and the price tag rarely tells the whole story. I’ll share some tips and tricks to ‘possibly’ avoid contributing to the beast we call the fashion industry.
Cody Goodman (He/They), a fashion industry insider with a BFA in Apparel Design from The Academy of Art, a Luxury Sales certificate from Parsons, and a track record of selling millions at Neiman Marcus, Todd Snyder, and APC, and wherever else my day job continues to bring me. Whether dressing San Francisco’s finest or building my own brand, I bring an eye for style and a sharp critique of the industry that shapes what we wear. Let’s unravel fashion’s dirty little secrets—together. I’m on instagram media as @cashmere.Cody
Greetings beloved nerds, and welcome to the 2025 Season of Nerd Nite SF! Get ready for your monthly dose of nerdy delight starting with our inaugural show! Seek refuge from the chaos of 2025 with fun, funny, inspiring talks about the art of a classic Nawlins dish, the future of healthcare, and the power of collective action.
Lawrence Mckendell – The Art of GumboThe origin, influences and styles of a delicious, metaphorical cuisine. Lawrence created this gastro-ed talk as an homage to his late mother, Helen McKendell, and the vibrant city of New Orleans. The talk explores gumbo’s origins, cultural influences, and why it serves as an iconic metaphor for the region.
Bio: Lawrence McKendell traces his roots back to New Orleans’ 7th Ward, a predominantly Creole neighborhood on the edge of the now-famous French Quarter. As an Army brat, he was raised in many states, but Louisiana. However, thanks to his mom’s culinary magic—boiled crawfish and shrimp, red beans and rice, étouffée, stuffed mirliton, and, of course, the crown jewel, seafood gumbo—frequently graced the family dinner table, allowing his taste buds (and waistline) to fully embrace his Creole heritage. When he’s not dreaming of New Orleans cuisine, Lawrence is an award-winning graphic designer based in Oakland, CA, and coaches Ultimate Frisbee at Albany High School in Albany CA. He’s lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 50 years.
Barbie Klein & Rosalyn Plotzker – The Virtual Approach to Gynecology
Whether or not you’ve had a Pap test yourself, have you ever stopped to wonder, “How do people learn how to do that before they start seeing patients?” The Virtual Approach to Gynecology Project was created for healthcare trainees to practice the steps of a gynecologic exam in virtual reality. Come learn how VR is being used to help future healthcare providers deliver sexual health services.
Bio: Roz Plotzker is the UCSF Baum Family Simulation Scholar, and an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. After doing a Preventive Medicine residency in New York City, Roz came to San Francisco for a fellowship in Sexually Transmitted Infections which led to her current non-monogamous job of teaching, research, clinic and public health work.
Ivy Anderson & Devon Angus – Red Light Revolt! How Sex Workers Fought Gentrification in 1917 San Francisco
1906: San Francisco has been leveled by earthquake and fire. As the city rose again from the ashes, opportunistic speculators and moral reformers sought to mould the city in their own image. This included the erasure of the Barbary Coast, the city’s legendary vice district. In 1917, 300 sex workers stormed the church of the Rev. Paul Smith, a notorious anti-vice crusader. Kicking the man of the cloth off of his pulpit, they pleaded with his congregation, demanding better wages for working women and a cessation of the mass evictions they faced. Join historians Ivy Anderson and Devon Angus as they discuss a brief history of sex work, suppression and resistance in San Francisco from 1849 to today.
Bio: Ivy Anderson and Devon Angus are historians, writers, and filmmakers based in San Francisco. Their book, Alice: Memoirs of a Barbary Coast Prostitute, won the California Historical Society Book Award, and compiles previously unseen first-person narratives from sex workers and other working women living in San Francisco circa 1913. They are currently adapting this work into a feature-length film.
Our speaker Stepy Kamei will not be able to make it for this month’s show due to unforeseen circumstances; HOWEVER, the brilliant and generous Sahil Bansal will be stepping in to give a talk about SPACE, the celestial objects in it, and the people who have pursued them throughout history:
“Chasing Shadows – Tales of the Greatest(?) Eclipse Chasers”
From ancient civilizations to modern day American presidents, solar eclipses have fascinated us all. This talk is about those people who dared to go beyond the ordinary, running across the surface of the Earth in epic quests to chase our Moon’s shadow. Want to know about these fun/whimsical/ill-advised voyages and how they informed our modern sense of wonder and curiosity about space? Let’s dive right in!
About Sahil:
Aside from being an amateur solar eclipse chaser, Sahil works by day trying to make the internet a better place as a product manager in cloud storage. You can talk to him about all that goes into orchestrating a synchronized dance of electrons to bring you cat videos anytime, anywhere. Care to become a fellow eclipse chaser? Come say hi!
Spring is in the air and with the changing of the seasons come deeper questions about what it means to “change.” Change can be as mundane as putting on new clothes – or as complex as getting into an elaborate cosplay. Change can be as world-spanning as human-made climate shifts or as subtle as evolutionary adjustments to the shape of a finch’s beak. Join us for a night of fascinating fun; to learn about how people, laws, and animals change and how you can be a change-maker too!
Foxy McQueen – “A Glimpse Into The World of Cosplay!” A peek into the world of cosplay and all that goes into bringing your favorite characters to life! The word “cosplay” comes from a blend of two words: “costume” and “play.” Cosplayers buy or make their own costumes to pay tribute to their favorite characters (from anime, movies, video games, comics, etc) and wear them to conventions, movie premieres, and so much more! Some cosplayers use their craft as a profession, while most do it out of passion as a hobby. Come catch a glimpse of what it’s like to be a cosplayer!
Speaker Bio: Foxy McQueen (@foxyscreamqueen) is a local California cosplayer and published model. She began cosplaying locally in 2017. Since then, Foxy has cosplayed as over 20 different characters from various different fandoms and has attended conventions all over California and occasionally out of state. She uses a combination of purchased items and crafting pieces to make her costumes. To Foxy, cosplay is more than just a hobby; it’s a lifestyle. Check her out on IG to follow her cosplay journey!
Sonja Chen – “Can Grazin’ Goats Solve California’s Climate Crisis?” We’ve all heard that goat grazing helps fight California wildfires, but how feasible is the idea really? Behind those cute goats monching on the side of the road lies a complex economic and legal scheme that spans from the backcountry of the Sierra Nevadas to the mountains of Peru. We will explore the ways in which the structure of California’s goat grazing industry obstructs the state’s efforts to address climate change by restricting the growth of a sustainable vegetation management industry. You will never look at grazin’ goats the same way!
Speaker Bio: Sonja Chen is a law student at UC Law San Francisco concentrating in social justice and dispute resolution. Spurred by unending curiosity, her wide range of hobbies and interests include urban farming, painting, reading creative nonfiction, swimming, and enjoying nature. She currently owns a boutique events business and an orange cat named Rory. Her favorite mathematical experience is the Fibonacci sequence and her favorite English word is juxtaposition. She is a Gemini and a Wood Dog.
Adan Deeb – “If You Give a Bird a French Fry: Urbanization’s Effects on Beaks of Darwin’s Finches” We see birds eating things they shouldn’t eat almost daily. This quirky behavior of theirs is commonplace (and kind of cute). But what really happens when birds eat french fries, eggs, or tortillas instead of bugs and seeds? In this talk, we will try to understand one way that urban civilization affects how animals interact with their environment, and how that drives evolutionary change.
Speaker Bio: Adan is a biologist passionate about environmental justice and equitable scientific education. She is an unapologetic nerd and spends her free time birding, reading, and consuming her body weight in coffee.
They say that music soothes even the savage beast, and while we can’t vouch for any beast-related benefits, we are excited to welcome the brain-tingling Dan McCalley and Shell Space to the stage for this month’s Nerd Nite!
Dan McCalley – “A New Era in Mental Healthcare: Brain Stimulation Therapy for Addiction and Beyond”
A (brief) history of alcohol and drug use throughout human society, a look at our previous (not-so-great) attempts to treat addiction, and a final pitch for how brain stimulation may bring about a new era of medicine for addiction and beyond.
Bio: Dan McCalley, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford. His research focuses on developing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, an FDA-approved depression treatment, for addiction.
Shell Space (Band) – “Nerd Rock”
A musical tour of nerdom, from literature to mathematics and everything in between.
Bio: Shell Space is a six-piece indie rock band birthed in Berkeley. Their songs reference Tilden Park, rectangles, and feldspar
