Nerd Nite is pleased to announce that we will once again be working with The Research Bazaar, in 2016. Our 2 February event will be hosted at the University of Melbourne, where we continue to bring you three awesome speakers while we congregate under the stars in outdoor tents.
Find us at the South Lawn at the University of Melbourne. Doors 7:30pm, no cover.
*Presentation 1
ResBaz “our theme is diversity”, Shasta “insects are diversity!”
by Shasta Claire
Description: There is so much diversity in the insect world, you could spend a lifetime studying a single group of species or study almost any process on earth using insects as a lens. Shasta has learned so many fascinating tidbits while researching any single topic, such as the future of food or how to grow up to be a forensic entomologist; some of it has to hit the cutting room floor. She often winds up over educating people at bars with these unspent sound bites of invertebrate trivia. This talk utilises those disparate pieces of information to highlight the incredible diversity of the invertebrate kingdom. Here is the director’s cut, including how dung beetles saved al a carte dining, how flies turn cow poo into biofuel and why crickets are better than steak – in literally every way. Hors d’oeuvres provided.
Bio: Shasta is an Honours graduate from the University of Tasmania and a journeyman entomologist. She maintains a personal insect collection as well as volunteering in collections management at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, has studied invertebrate Taxonomy at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, advocated for entomology on ABC Radio and TV and presented a number of talks at the inaugural Festival of Bright Ideas (2015). Her first published writing is due to appear in Pyramid Island’s food edition (2016). And (doesn’t) tweet as @ShastaBare.
*Presentation 2
Operations research – lessons healthcare can learn from FedEx
by Dr Olivia J Smith
Description: Have you ever wondered how your GPS works out the fastest/shortest/easiest path to where you want to go? Or how mining companies decide which bit of a mine to dig up when? Or how shipping companies decide which truck your package should be on? Or how air crews are allocated to flights? No? Well this talk will take you on a brief tour of how these types of questions are answered mathematically, the history of this mathematics, where it’s heading in the future and how it is relevant to a wide variety of industries.
Bio: Olivia is a researcher at IBM Research who has loved mathematics ever since she realised in primary school that you could convey much more information with much less writing in maths than in English. She did her PhD in problems related to airline scheduling, and has worked also worked in mining, transportation and healthcare. Since 2008, she’s also been teaching at the National Mathematics Summer School, where high school students from around the country gather to learn some beautiful maths and experience research. On the rare occasions she tweets, it’s at @LivSmith21.
*Presentation 3
I see the light! Understanding photographic lighting aka how to use photons for good and not evil.
by Sharon Blance
Description: Great photos aren’t a result of simply having a ‘great camera’. The camera doesn’t create pictures – it’s just a dumb device for recording how light is falling on stuff. It’s about what the light is doing that’s the important bit. In this whistle-stop tour of the power of photographic lighting we’ll examine how the quality of light vastly influences the way a photograph looks. It can evoke different moods, be wielded with flash for creative control, and take photos from bland to beautiful. Being able to ‘See the Light’ is a major step in the journey from being someone who ‘takes photos’ to someone who ‘makes photos’. Whether you want to geek out about the inverse square law or just want to take better Instagram pictures, this talk is for you.
Bio: Sharon is a Melbourne-based commercial photographer. Raised in Canada, she’s been making pictures for as long as she can remember – her first love was painting, but a school project to make a pinhole camera out of a shoebox sparked a lifelong fascination with the captured image. She shoots a range of subjects including creative/performing arts, hospitality and corporate as well as travel pieces and arty personal work. Sharon works with all kinds of businesses including small start-ups, large corporates, graphic designers and ad agencies. She collaborates on photographic endeavours with her partner-in- crime Brence Coghill under the name Image Workshop. You can check out their photography on www.imageworkshop.com and on Twitter @imageworkshop