Thursday, March 6th, 7:00pm
Free!
Green Jeans Food Hall – 3600 Cutler Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110

Event info here!

Nerds of Albuquerque: Join us for Nerd Nite #11 on March 6th!

Nerd Nite is a monthly lecture series that takes place in bars in 100+ cities around the world. And this is our local Albuquerque chapter!

This will be a special “Birthday Edition”, celebrating the official one year anniversary of the founding of the Albuquerque Chapter. There may be an Excel Sheet sheet cake. And party hats.

Join us to learn, laugh, and drink, on Thursday, March 6, at 7:00pm — this month back at Green Jeans!

Our talks:

Title: Micro and Nanoplastics: Don’t Let your Brain Be the Last to Know!

Blurb: As global levels of micro and nanoplastics rise, so do concerns about their impact on human health. Recent studies have confirmed the alarming presence of these tiny particles in vital organs like the kidney, liver, and brain. Surprisingly, brain tissues show higher concentrations of plastics, often in the form of nanoscale shard-like fragments. These findings raise critical questions about how plastics accumulate in our bodies and, more importantly, what they are doing to our brains. Join us for a discussion on how these micro and nano invaders may be linked to different health conditions and what we can do to better understand and tackle their growing presence in our tissues.

Bio: Dr. Marcus Garcia is a native New Mexican, born and raised in Las Vegas, NM. He is currently a PhRMA Foundation Fellow at the University of New Mexico’s College of Pharmacy, specializing in toxicology. His research primarily focuses on the environmental and health implications of micro and nanoplastics, investigating their effects on human tissues, reproduction, and development. Dr. Garcia has been working on innovative techniques to quantify micro and nanoplastics in biological samples, aiming to better understand the potential risks these pollutants pose to human health. With a PharmD from UNM and extensive research experience, he is committed to advancing clinical and translational toxicology to better inform public health decisions and foster sustainable solutions.

Title: The Newsboys Strike of 1899

Blurb: Popularized by the 1992 Disney musical, “Newsies,” The Newsboys’ Strike of 1899 was a youth-led movement that saw the newsboys of New York demanding liveable wages from the two largest publishers of the time, William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. Though it took place at the turn of the 20th century, the themes of the strike– mobilization, resistance, and triumph over greed– are very much relevant to the struggles workers face today.

Bio: Leyna Inberg is a nurse practitioner, writer and educator. She specializes in treating mood disorders, ADHD, and PTSD, and teaches in the Oak Street Nurse Practitioner and Behavioral Health Fellowship programs. This is her second Nerd Night.

Title: Secret Lights AI : The Science of Fiction, Or how a short story keeps me awake.

Blurb: A meta narrative of how AI is catching up with science fiction.

Bio: Taylor Cheek is a writer and multimedia artist known mostly for his live performances in comedy and music. In 2019 he developed the concept for a comic book called Secret Lights. In this talk he covers the story and how the world changed around it.

Come join us for a drink, learn something new, and to meet fellow nerds. Tell your friends, and help us spread the word about Nerd Nite Albuquerque!

And, as always, if you’re interested in giving a talk of your own, hit us up at https://tiny.cc/nnabq-speaker . Nerd Nite happens because of nerds like you!