Nerd Nite Boston

Archive for September 23rd, 2009

Hello Nerdnite fans,
The next nerdnite approaches — next week, Monday September 28.  8pm
at Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge (details below).  Last Cambridge
Nerdnite was a great turnout and I hope we can repeat the feat again
this time.  We have two talks on the agenda that sound super exciting,
plus DJ Claude Money will be spinning all night.

The talks:
1. “Wimpy Supermassive Black Holes”
by Anil Seth
Leave it to astronomy nerds to turn even black holes into something
wimpy.  Supermassive black holes and massive star clusters live at the
centers of most galaxies.  Although they only occupy a tiny area,
these objects appear to play an critical role in the evolution of the
galaxies they live in.  Anil’s talk will explain how studying the
“wimpiest” (i.e. lowest-mass) of these black holes can teach us
something about formation of galaxies.
Anil is a postdoc at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics.  He was groomed for academic success at Wesleyan
University and University of Washington.  When not sitting in front of
a computer, he enjoys cooking, playing music and the sporting life.

2. “The Psychology of Sexual Attraction”
by Jason Mitchell
What is the root of human sexual attraction?  It seems unlikely that
nerds would be able to shed any light on this subject, but as it turns
out, insights from evolutionary theory have provided some unexpected
answers to this question. For instance — people can tell an
unattractive person by smell alone.  Jason’s talk will review these
findings and others that derive from a Darwinian view of romance.
Jason is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at
Harvard University, where he relentlessly clawed his way up from being
a graduate student.  He hasn’t been the same since the conclusion of
Battlestar Galactica.

Be there and be square!
Monday September 28, 8pm ($5)
Middlesex Lounge
315 Mass Ave
Cambrige, MA
boston.nerdnite.com
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=52318050296
groups.google.com/group/nerdnite_boston

Hello Nerdnite fans,
The next nerdnite approaches — next week, Monday September 28. 8pm
at Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge (details below). Last Cambridge
Nerdnite was a great turnout and I hope we can repeat the feat again
this time. We have two talks on the agenda that sound super exciting,