Thursday, March 7
Doors 6pm / Show 7pm
Free!
Green Jeans
Event info here!
Join us for the inaugural Nerd Nite ABQ!
Join us to learn, laugh, and drink, on Thursday, March 7, at 7:00pm at the Green Jeans Food Hall, and thereafter the first Thursday of the month.
Our first Nerd Nite is entitled: Microplastics, Tobacco, and Bears, Oh My!
Talk #1: A (Very) Brief History of Tobacco Farming in New Mexico’s Middle Rio Grande Valley
The story of the hilariously misguided efforts in the 1920s to turn central New Mexico into a tobacco farming powerhouse. Like every other effort at finding the next big commercial crop, this was a spectacular failure. And yet….(flipping to the serious message) the underlying goal – creating an economic framework to enable the development of a modern American city – was a spectacular success. There’s still a Tobacco Road in the South Valley, the site of the old tobacco curing shed is a KFC, and Albuquerque is awesome.
Speaker: John Fleck – Writer in Residence, Utton Center, University of New Mexico School of Law. Fleck is writing a book about the Rio Grande and the making of Albuquerque.
Talk #2: Cleaning up the Rio Grande Microplastics – Use your Brain!
Microplastics — small pieces of plastic that come from a variety of sources including cosmetics, clothing, food packaging, and industrial processes — are everywhere, we don’t really know what they do to us, and now they’ve found their way into our blood…and our testicles. Hear about how we’re measuring and containing this growing menace and what it means for our future.
Speaker: Dr. Matthew Campen – Director, New Mexico Center for Metals in Biology and Medicine. Dr. Campen leads the Cardiovascular Toxicology Laboratory in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, which investigates cardiovascular impacts of environmental toxicants.
Talk #3: Bear Spray and Sunscreen Won’t Save You: How Exclusion and Fear Mongering Mangled Our Relationship with Nature
Quick, what 10 things do you need to be prepared for a 10 mile hike? Sunscreen? Bear spray? What about good spatial awareness and an open mind? Does engaging with nature require a laundry list of protective items, or have we forgotten how easy it is to simply be outside?
Speaker: Aidan Manning – Rivers and Waters Program Associate, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance.
Come join us for a drink, learn something new, and meet fellow nerds. Tell your friends and help us spread the word about Nerd Nite Albuquerque at Green Jeans!
Be There AND Be Square.