Nerd Nite Brighton

February is Brighton Science Festival and we’re excited to be partnering up with them again. Check out everything that’s on but on 25th Feb swing by to our friends at Otherplace Brighton for:

1. The extraordinary story of water – Alok Jha

Water may seem the most ordinary of substances – it pours from our taps and falls from the sky – but you would be surprised at what a profoundly strange substance it is. It bends the rules of chemistry and defies easy scientific understanding. Without this rebel behaviour, however, none of us would exist. Alok Jha will change the way you look at water – showing how it has shaped life on earth, and how this molecule connects you and everyone else to the birth (and death) of the universe.

Alok is ITV’s Science Correspondent having previously worked for The Guardian and has reported on everything from space to stem cells. He has broadcast live from Antarctica, flown in a zero-gravity plane normally used to train astronauts and told the exclusive behind-the-scenes story of the scientists who made world’s first lab-grown burger. In 2015 he authored The Water Book: the Extraordinary Story of Our Most Ordinary Substance. You can find him on Twitter and Facebook

2. What do babies think about colour? Alice Skelton

One of the most common myths that parents hear about their child’s development is that babies can only see in black and white but this isn’t the case. Although colour is just a wavelength of light, we (grown ups) do a lot of strange things with it, like group them together, and pick favourites. So what about babies? Once colour reaches the infant brain, what do they make of it? How do they think about colour?

Alice is a PhD student working at the The Sussex Baby Lab at the University of Sussex investigating infant colour perception. The Sussex Baby Lab is a colourful, friendly place that is interested in finding out how babies see, think, and learn. Disappointingly it does not involve any baby sized lab coats. Alice’s favourite colour is a sort of blueish-purple.

3. Astroquizzical: unusual questions for an astrophysicist – Jillian Scudder

Astroquizzical began 3 years ago as an open forum for people to anonymously submit their questions about the Universe, and receive a reasonably complete, clearly worded reply in exchange. Astroquizzical has since fielded questions about the plausibility of movie and video game scenes, some technical explanations, and many questions which begin “what would happen if…”. This talk will walk you through some of the least anticipated questions Astroquizzical has received, and their answers.

We’re excited to have Dr. Jillian Scudder return to Nerd Nite. Jillian is an astrophysicist working at the University of Sussex. She studies galaxies, particularly how they change after colliding with another galaxy. Jillian runs Astroquizzical, a blog which answers questions from the public about anything to do with space. Astroquizzical posts have appeared in The Conversation, Medium, and Forbes. You can find her on twitter

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Drinks, Cake, Quizzes, Lots of Silliness as per usual
Hosted by Dr Mick Taylor from University of Sussex and GoodMoney
Doors 7.30pm for an 8pm start
£4 regular nerds, £3 student/65+ nerds

tickets from the venue

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