ThoughtGallery.org > Nerd Nite NYC | Destroying Planets, or Why I Had a Boeing 747 Almost to Myself + More

Nerd Nite NYC | Destroying Planets, or Why I Had a Boeing 747 Almost to Myself + More

*Presentation #1
Death and the Audience: How We Fit Into Hollywood’s Long-Standing Love-Affair with the Masses
by Kevin Maher

Description: From the popular vote to the scary mob, crowds have been a recurring character throughout the history of drama. In this fast-paced multi-media journey we’ll look at portrayals of the audience in superhero movies, crass comedies, cartoon shows and cult musicals.

Bio: Kevin Maher is an Emmy-nominated comedy writer whose work has appeared on HBO, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. He hosts the live video-variety series “Kevin Geeks Out.”

*Presentation #2
Destroying Planets, or Why I Had a Boeing 747 Almost to Myself
by Dr. Joel Green

Description: Is the road to planets in our galaxy a bumpy one?  Is it simple, gradual accumulation of tiny dust and gas parcels, or do we get to hit the “reset” button a few times on a new solar system?  Did it happen here?  Intrepid astrophysicist Dr. Joel Green will take you on a journey 42,000 ft above the coast to bring you the latest on “gluttonous” stars that gobble and incinerate the planetary material around them… and wonders whether our seemingly friendly Sun has such a dark past.

Bio: Joel D. Green is one of the bosses of Nerd Nite Baltimore! In his day job, he is the Project Scientist in the Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute — the Home of Hubble and the upcoming James Webb Space Telescopes, working closely with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.  Previously he was a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin. A New Yorker who spent twelve years in upstate NY, six years in Austin, and now a resident of scenic Baltimore, he has acquired a fondness for crab and barbecue, cowboy boots and hats, sunshine and Civil War battlefields.

*Presentation #3
Placebo, Nocebo, and Voodoo Death
by Dr. Mark Green

Description: Many think that placebos are an inactive pill that’s used in clinical trials, but it has a much more important meaning.  If optimally used, the placebo effect can enhance the efficacy of a drug; if used poorly, it can make an effective drug ineffective and cause serious side effects.  But placebos aren’t just pills!  We are all placebos or nocebos depending upon how we approach a situation with the expectation of success or failure.   The most serious “nocebo” (the bad version of placebo) is voodoo death, a real event that can lead to the demise of an individual. The power (and risk) of placebos challenge our societal norms on health and treatment.

Bio:  Dr. Mark Green is a Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Rehabilitation Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai in New York.  He is also Director of Headache and Pain Medicine.  He is an active panel member for the FDA’s section on Central and Peripheral Nervous System Drugs where he evaluates drugs and recommends approval or not to the Food and Drug Administration.











When: Sat., Sep. 17, 2016 at 7:00 pm
Where: Littlefield
635 Sacket St.
718-855-3388
Price: $10 presentations, $14 with trivia
Buy tickets/get more info now
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*Presentation #1
Death and the Audience: How We Fit Into Hollywood’s Long-Standing Love-Affair with the Masses
by Kevin Maher

Description: From the popular vote to the scary mob, crowds have been a recurring character throughout the history of drama. In this fast-paced multi-media journey we’ll look at portrayals of the audience in superhero movies, crass comedies, cartoon shows and cult musicals.

Bio: Kevin Maher is an Emmy-nominated comedy writer whose work has appeared on HBO, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. He hosts the live video-variety series “Kevin Geeks Out.”

*Presentation #2
Destroying Planets, or Why I Had a Boeing 747 Almost to Myself
by Dr. Joel Green

Description: Is the road to planets in our galaxy a bumpy one?  Is it simple, gradual accumulation of tiny dust and gas parcels, or do we get to hit the “reset” button a few times on a new solar system?  Did it happen here?  Intrepid astrophysicist Dr. Joel Green will take you on a journey 42,000 ft above the coast to bring you the latest on “gluttonous” stars that gobble and incinerate the planetary material around them… and wonders whether our seemingly friendly Sun has such a dark past.

Bio: Joel D. Green is one of the bosses of Nerd Nite Baltimore! In his day job, he is the Project Scientist in the Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute — the Home of Hubble and the upcoming James Webb Space Telescopes, working closely with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.  Previously he was a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin. A New Yorker who spent twelve years in upstate NY, six years in Austin, and now a resident of scenic Baltimore, he has acquired a fondness for crab and barbecue, cowboy boots and hats, sunshine and Civil War battlefields.

*Presentation #3
Placebo, Nocebo, and Voodoo Death
by Dr. Mark Green

Description: Many think that placebos are an inactive pill that’s used in clinical trials, but it has a much more important meaning.  If optimally used, the placebo effect can enhance the efficacy of a drug; if used poorly, it can make an effective drug ineffective and cause serious side effects.  But placebos aren’t just pills!  We are all placebos or nocebos depending upon how we approach a situation with the expectation of success or failure.   The most serious “nocebo” (the bad version of placebo) is voodoo death, a real event that can lead to the demise of an individual. The power (and risk) of placebos challenge our societal norms on health and treatment.

Bio:  Dr. Mark Green is a Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Rehabilitation Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai in New York.  He is also Director of Headache and Pain Medicine.  He is an active panel member for the FDA’s section on Central and Peripheral Nervous System Drugs where he evaluates drugs and recommends approval or not to the Food and Drug Administration.

Buy tickets/get more info now