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Nerd Nite #18 - Bubbles and sound: Explosions in people for the greater good

Bubbles and Sound: Explosions in people for the greater good
Everyone knows that bubbles delight children, clean dishes, and add the fizz to champagne. But it may surprise you to find out that they can also wreak havoc on ships, deliver cancer drugs to the brain, and break apart anything from steel to human tissue. During this talk we’ll step into the wonderful world of bubbles and take a look at how scientists are trying to use ultrasound to trigger carefully controlled bubble collapses and explosions in the body to fight cancer, kidney stones, and other ailments.

About Brandon Patterson:
Brandon is a cheerful and curious fellow, haphazardly wandering through life as he tries to figure out how the world works. For now his wandering has brought him to the University of Michigan to pursue a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, studying how bubbles collapse and explode in tissue. When not playing with bubbles, Brandon enjoys biking, reading, tinkering, and arguing.

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Nerd Nite #16 - Fat and Diabetes: What it is, how it works, and how to get rid of it

Gabriel Martinez-Santibañez - Fat and Diabetes: What it is, how it works, and how to get rid of it
Gabriel addresses the many hats worn by the macrophage; the underappreciated sentinels that play key roles in regulating how our fat grows, shrinks, and functions. He will describe the ins and outs of Type II diabetes and how these macrophages are involved in its development. He also shares tips on how to lose weight and prevent the development of diabetes by comparing and contrasting some of the most popular and successful diet strategies (Atkins, Zone, glycemic index, Mediterranean, paleo, juicing). Finally, he discusses the most successful weight loss strategy that uses “THIS ONE SECRET!!!”

About Gabriel Martinez-Santibañez:
Gabriel is from Southern California and is currently a Ph.D student at the University of Michigan, where he studies obesity and the immune cell components involved in the development of Type II Diabetes. When not in lab, he likes to grow things in the garden, read about international cuisine, and discuss the merits of jam.

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Nerd Nite #19 - Fear + Brains ≠ Zombies

Have you ever been cornered by zombies and not had a shotgun on hand? Did your palms sweat and your breathing increase? If so, you’ve experienced fear! Fear is one of our most basic emotions, and it is necessary for living beings to avoid undeath. During this talk, we will discuss the brain regions that help individuals determine what and when to fear. There will also be a demonstration of how scientists study fear in the laboratory. If you are interested in feeling the back of your neck prickle on the week before Halloween, you’re probably not a zombie, so this talk is for you!

About Katherine Prater:
Katherine adores science (both with and without the fiction). When she is not sciencing with her labmates, Katherine can often be found playing computer games with her husband, playing board games, or reading a good book. She also may be found playing with her “love”bird, known to some as “the destroyer of worlds.” Recently, Katherine has had the great pleasure of being a co-founder of RELATE, an organization at the University of Michigan that endeavors to teach STEM graduate students to better explain their research to lay-audiences.

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Nerd Nite #19 - What is in your Brains: Why Zombies are Malnourished

Ever wondered what your brains are made up of, beyond the Beginning Biology textbook discussion? Ever wonder how Zombies could possibly get enough nutrition from one food source? Ever heard that ridiculous statement that we only use 10% of our brains? Hopefully you said yes to at least one of these, because that is what you will hear about in my talk. I will explore some real neuroscience, but mix in some Halloween fun.

About Susan Starr:
I am a born teacher. Maybe I just like to think I’m always right. Anyway … I have taught at the college level for almost 30 years. I have taught just about every Biology class you can think of (Medical Parasitology anyone? Economic Zoology? Neuroanatomy?), but spent the majority of my career teaching Human Anatomy and Physiology to future nurses, doctors, physical and occupational therapists, and now Physician’s Assistants in the new EMU program. I LOVE my new job … like the cherry on top of a great career. My favorite places in the world are the woods (especially if mountains and/or water are nearby), my home & garden, and my Anatomy (cadaver) Lab. I’ve been married over 35 years to the same (very patient) guy, and we have a wonderful, compassionate son and daughter-in-law on the East Coast and a beautiful, talented daughter on the West Coast.

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Jump Cuts: Hello Machine/The More We Get Together

AADL storyteller Miss Rachel and story musician Sara M. Keller, with the help of a big green frog, demonstrate how to build a Hello Machine, and sing The More We Get Together, a sweet little song about togetherness, sharing and happiness.

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Jump Cuts: Star Song Medley

AADL storyteller Miss Rachel and story musician Sara M. Keller sing a medley of nighttime tunes, including Star Light, Star Bright, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and The Stars At Night, using flashlights as playful props to represent starlight and moonbeams.

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Jump Cuts: Tap Dancing Dog

AADL Storyteller Miss Rachel and story musician Sara M. Keller bring along a performing pooch to accompany the song Rig A Jig Jig. The pup bounces along to the rhythm of this catchy little tune.

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Nerd Nite #27: The Battle for Iron - What’s all the “Fe”ss about?

Iron is an important nutrient that we all make sure to get enough of in our diets. Did you know bacteria need it too though? Learn about the battle invading bacteria wage against your body over iron atoms. Those bacteria have some pretty cool tricks up their sleeves, but so do we!

About Ada Hagan:
Ada is a PhD student in Microbiology and Immunology and spends her days doing recon on the strategies bacteria use to invade our bodies. She is passionate about communicating science because she feels the more we all know about science and how things work, the better choices we can make about our lives. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors with her dogs, and fishing with her husband. Ada is also involved with MiSciWriters, a student-run science writing blog.

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Nerd Nite #15 - Meet your Puppet Master: Toxoplasma gondii

Aric J Schultz - Meet your Puppet Master: Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite that infects humans worldwide. It is well known that T. gondii can manipulate the behavior of infected rodents, and current research is focusing on the parasite’s ability to manipulate the behavior of its human hosts as well.

About Aric J Schultz:
I am a graduate student at the University of Michigan, studying microbial pathogenesis. My thesis work focuses on aspects of the Toxoplasma gondii life cycle, and how it causes human disease.

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Nerd Nite #15 - Prime Directive: The Ethics of Star Trek

Marcus Dillon - Prime Directive: The Ethics of Star Trek

In this talk, Marcus Dillon outlines the world of Star Trek and the ethical system that governs the United Federation of Plants; the Prime Directive. Trek has touched on many issues over the course of its 50 year history. To name a few: freedom of speech, military interventionism, racism, the existence of God, transgender issues, and photon torpedoes. Using a few episodes as a guide, Marcus challenges the merits and limits of this system and the moral predicaments it presents to the interstellar explorers of the future.

Don’t worry if you don’t know the difference between a tachyon and a tribble, this talk won’t go over your head.

About Marcus Dillon:
Marcus is an Ann Arbor native and has undergraduate degrees in US and Chinese history from Miskatonic University. He writes jokes on the internet pseudonymously. The Canadian border police have made it clear that he is no longer welcome in that country. He is totally unqualified to speak on any topic at any event, but hey, he works for free.