Title: “The Fascinating, Fantastic, Fabulous Family of Fishes: Seahorses, Seadragons and Pipefish“
Ever wonder where those mythological images of King Neptune riding on horses under the sea came from? Did you know there are dragons that live in the ocean? Have you seen a tiny fish that is about the size of a large colorful toothpick? These myths of these unusual creatures are most likely derived from the existence of seahorses, seadragons and pipefish! Find out fascinating facts about the fantastic fishes in the Syngnathidae family. Birch Aquarium at Scripps has an accomplished program in the exhibit and propagation of seahorses and their relatives.
Our talented aquarist team have been rearing seahorses in captivity for more than 20 years. Many of these Birch Aquarium-born seahorses are on display, and many have been sent around the world to help reduce collection pressure on wild populations. We have successfully raised 12 species of seahorse and shipped over 4000 seahorses to more than 100 aquariums and zoos around the world. Our Seadragon Propagation Program was created to focus on breeding these fabulous fishes related to seahorses. Learn what a seadragon is, they are super cool! We are excited to share our success in breeding and rearing of weedy seadragons at Birch Aquarium.
Leslee Matsushige is a graduate of the University of Hawaii and has been an Associate Curator at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego since 1992. Her specialty is in the husbandry of syngnathids, mainly with seahorses and seadragons. She instituted a very successful seahorse propagation program in 1996 and a seadragon propagation program in 2012. The successful propagation of syngnathids has been a vital part of the Birch Aquarium’s conservation programs.
Leslee is also a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Seahorse, Pipefish and Seadragon Specialist Group. This group provides independent technical and scientific advice to governments and other groups to improve the conservation status of these species. The members regularly assess the threat of extinction for these animals, undertake and publish research that supports the survival of wild populations, and develop conservation action plans for threatened species.
Leslee has made contributions to the Syngnathid Husbandry Manual that shares pertinent information on the care and propagation of Syngnathids. She collaborates with syngnathid researchers, and has given many presentations for aquarium conferences and public interest groups.
Pascal Gagneux
Title: “How sperm sweet talk the female”
Your existence is due to the successful fusion of two haploid gametes, an egg and a sperm, nine months before your birth. Most of us do not appreciate how extremely unlikely the fateful encounter between these two cells was. Sperm cells are one of the few cell types that evolved to travel within the body of another individual. In order to reach their goal successfully, sperm cells have come to rely on countless remarkable adaptations, including a powerful “outboard engine”, the flagella and midpiece packed with energy-generating mitochondria, and thick and complex sugar coat. This sugar coat can dynamically change and acts as an antiadhesive, invisibility cloak and general life saver for the sperm. Sperm cells are active without expressing a single gene, as their DNA is tightly packaged in the sperm head and remains totally silent.
Pascal will walk you through the epic journey that half of each of you completed before you were even conceived. You will come to think of sugars not just as a source of calories, but as a part of the language of life, allowing cells to recognize each other and communicate, before individual development even starts.
Pascal Gagneux is Professor and Chair of Anthropology, and Professor of Pathology at UC San Diego and is the Executive Co-Director of CARTA, the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny. He is interested in the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for generating and maintaining primate molecular diversity, especially with regards to glycans, sugar molecules coating every living cell.
Pascal has studied the behavioral ecology of wild chimpanzees in the Taï Forest, Ivory Coast, population genetics of West African chimpanzees, and differences in sialic acid biology between humans and great apes with special consideration of their differing pathogen regimes and sexual selection via cryptic female choice.
Speaker #3 to be announced soon!
Nerd Nite San Diego is thrilled that Matt Wasowski will attend our February event and kick things off with the fun story of how Nerd Nite began. As CEO of Nerd Nite, Matt also edited the book “How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi,” which is full of essays from Nerd Nite speakers from around the world. We’ll have copies for sale at the event!
Title: Species that Sleigh: Exploring San Diego’s Natural Holiday Spirit Who says SoCal has no holiday spirit? Join expert naturalist, Cypress Hansen, on a journey through San Diego’s nature in search of our most festive flora and fauna. From mistletoe and holly berries to Christmas cactus and the animals that depend on them, this talk will showcase the rich biodiversity of our region and highlight the connections between nature and “The Holidays”. Go beyond the clichés and see the wild side of the season.
Cypress is a professional science communicator, naturalist, and illustrator. She started her career as a marine biologist, but quickly pivoted to science communication when she watched her fellow scientists run and hide from lab visitors (true story). Cypress has worked for a variety of major public-facing science institutions (Monterey Bay Aquarium, The Smithsonian, The Nat in Balboa Park) but now runs her own outdoor guiding business, North Star Naturalist, where she develops and leads unique outdoor excursions around San Diego County. When she’s not outside looking for snakes, mushrooms, or native bees, Cypress writes about physics, paints in watercolor, cares for her native plant garden, and cooks up serious storms in the kitchen.
Lisa Will
Title: The Reason for the Seasons
December marks the Winter Solstice in San Diego and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. Did you ever wonder what causes the seasons? Is the Earth the only planet with seasons? Join us to find out!
Lisa Will earned her BS in Astrophysics from UCLA and her Ph.D. in Physics from Arizona State University. She is a Professor of Astronomy and Physics at San Diego City College. She is also the Resident Astronomer at the Fleet Science Center and co-host of the Facts & The Furious podcast. She has researched the nature of dust grains in space and innovations in astronomy education. She is obsessed with Star Wars, the MCU, and Doctor Who and has been a proud geek girl since watching Star Trek and Star Wars as a child. She lives in San Diego with her husband, science fiction and fantasy author Greg van Eekhout, and their two dogs.
Effie Fine
Title: Heat from the Deep: Santa’s Sleigh is on Thin Ice
This holiday season, let’s go on a journey far up north, into the Arctic Ocean. Here, warm waters from the south threaten the delicate balance that sustains the Arctic ice cap. You’ll learn about ocean mixing and ocean heat can affect sea ice, the factors that protect the ice from this heat, and about the specialized instruments we use to study these processes hundreds of meters below the ocean surface.
Effie Fine is a physical oceanographer at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She got her BS in Physics from Stanford University and an MS degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she realized she could combine her love of physics with studying the ocean through exciting fieldwork around the world. She moved to San Diego and got her PhD at Scripps, focusing on ocean mixing in the Arctic Ocean. When she’s not working Effie enjoys yoga, dog training, and introducing her one-year-old daughter to all the natural wonder San Diego has to offer.
Title: “The Disco Inferno in the Sea: The importance of phytoplankton and bioluminescence in our oceans.”
Dive into the vibrant world of oceanic bioluminescence. We’ll explore the vital role of phytoplankton, with a special focus on the bioluminescent species Pyrocystisfusiformis. Discover how these tiny marine plankton light up the seas and help support the entire ocean ecosystem and why they are far more than just glowing waves.
Dean Sauer is an ocean lover, science enthusiast, entrepreneur, and proud dad of two. He’s fascinated by all things that glow and finds joy in watching bioluminescent plankton light up the night. After years of working in biotech, Dean decided to dive into the world of marine biology and founded PyroFarms, a company dedicated to cultivating and sharing bioluminescent phytoplankton. When he’s not tinkering with his latest projects, you might find him lost in the mountains. Well, he hopes someone does.
Dr. Jeremy Long
Title: “I do dance now, I mek science moves“
Linking science and pop culture can serve as a platform to attract underrepresented students to STEM fields. Such efforts can empower underrepresented students to consider scientific careers and to foster environmental stewardship. This should be especially true in a country like Jamaica where the shared love for music and dance is world-renowned. However, these linkages continue to be rare. Thus, our team has been using dance and movement to connect Jamaican youth to science and the environment via Dancehall. I will share highlights of our “Mek Moves” project that blended science and dance for hundreds of children through a partnership between dance creatives and scientists. Also, I will ask you to dance with me.
Dr. Long is a Full Professor of Ecology at SDSU. As part of a Fulbright Scholarship during his 2024 sabbatical, he traveled to Jamaica to study coral reefs and lead outreach efforts. This project merges Dr. Long’s professional interests with his personal interest in Dancehall. His interest as a guest in this vibrant culture began in Island Fusion dance classes at CultureShock San Diego. He became more interested during his last sabbatical in Sweden when he found a dance studio in Gothenburg with a dancehall emphasis. But perhaps the most influential period was during the pandemic when Dr. Long found joy and exercise through interactions with Jamaican dancers offering Zoom classes from their homes. Because Dancehall has meant so much to him, he hopes to give his time and expertise to work with Jamaicans to help excite students about science and the environment.
Dr. Jackson Vane
Title: “Portrayal of (Bad) Medicine in TV and Movies”
Have you ever watched a TV show or movie and wonder, “Hey is this how it really happens in the hospital?” or “Is there enough blood on this injury?”. The talk will go over what Hollywood gets right and wrong in medicine.
Jackson is not only a pediatric emergency medicine doctor but played one on TV. He got in trouble by the director for correcting the actors on how to say certain words.
Does going to warp around a sun send you back in time? And how does one get back? What exactly are chronitons, gravitons, or tachyons? How does the “Harry Kim Wormhole” work? We’ll explore all the times Star Trek has played around with space and time for better or worse.
Erin Macdonald received her PhD at 25 in gravitational astrophysics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland as a member of the LIGO Collaboration searching for gravitational waves. She left academia less than a year-and-a-half before their Nobel Prize-winning detection, but she promises she’s not bitter (giving talks in a bar helps!). After working as a researcher and educator, she became a technical advisor for the Department of Defense. In 2020 Erin ditched the engineering career to focus on her work as the official Star Trek science advisor. In addition, she now works full time as a writer, a voice actor, and produces independent LGBTQIA+ sci-fi short films with her company Spacetime Productions. She is a regular Nerd Nite speaker and contributed an essay “Artificial Gravity in Science Fiction” to the recent Nerd Nite book “How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi”.
Joint talk from Elizabeth Rega and Stuart Sumida: “Revenge of the Nerds: How Science (and Sex) Illuminate Character Design and Movement“
Elizabeth and Stuart will describe their backgrounds (anthropology, anatomy, and paleontology) and how important actual science is to the making of animated films believable (not necessarily accurate, but believable) visual effects, and effective video gaming.
A Professor of Anatomy and Vice Provost at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA, Dr. Elizabeth Rega has published numerous peer-reviewed and popular papers on pathology of ancient humans, dinosaurs and other extinct taxa and has conducted fieldwork on three different continents. Her specialization in teaching anatomy to medical students has led her to be a frequent consultant to the film, animation and game industry, she provides an anatomical and anthropological perspective to inform the development and animation of characters, as well as to highlight the problematic history of racial depictions in film, animation, and entertainment.
Stuart Sumida is a professor of biology at California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB, or as it is more affectionately known – CSU on the way to Vegas’). He is a paleontologist by research specialization, and the president of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (close to the ultimate in nerd cred). He specializes in the study of the earliest animals that made it out onto land without having to back to the water to have sex. He is also a frequent anatomical and paleontological consultant to the entertainment industry, having worked on over seventy animated films, video games and theme park rides.
San Diego Nerd Nite is co-hosting a free event at San Diego Comic-Con. Real-life scientists will be on hand to answer any of your burning questions, pop culture related or not. Come out, have a drink (cash bar), and mingle with other science-minded folks!
Marriott Marquis Marina’s South Pool Patio Saturday, July 27 from 4-7pm
Hosted by Cosplay for Science, the San Diego Science Writers Association, San Diego Nerd Nite, and Star Warsologies. Scientists from the Fleet Science Center and the American Association for the Advancement of Science are also participating. More details coming soon!
Part of our July 25 Comic-Con event includes a group of women in STEM who will share their research and passion for science via a panel discussion. They are all part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s ambassador program.
Chanté Summers is an organic chemist and has worked in pharmaceuticals since 2016. She has worked in oncology and infectious disease, including a short time in analytical testing of compounded pharmaceuticals. Most recently she put out a lab fire that, sure – she started by accident but avoided the embarrassment of a building evacuation and has a fun story to tell. Chanté is known for having her hands in too many things – from ceramics and photography, to rock climbing, and kayaking. She loves falling into a good fiction book and napping with her rescue dog, Bindi.
Not only is she a knitting and outdoors enthusiast, Gracie Ermi is a computer scientist at Impact Observatory, where she builds machine learning technology to better understand how the planet is changing in the face of climate change. Her work is all about quickly synthesizing large amounts of satellite images to empower decision-makers with timely, science-based insights about the ecosystems they are working to protect. Her career has centered around using technology to better protect the planet, and previously she worked on technology to support wildlife research – with projects related to killer whales, elephants, dolphins, and more! Gracie also loves to share her story with the next generation of innovators, and she has spoken to over 150 audiences around the world about how they can use computer science to create change in their communities and in the world.
Dr. Beata Mierzwa studies how human cells divide and shares the beauty of science through art, fashion, and interactive media. Her postdoctoral research aims to advance the world’s understanding of cell division and improve cancer therapy. Beyond her academic career, Beata creates science-themed drawings and clothes. Her hand-drawn illustrations use metaphor to portray scientific concepts in intuitive ways, while her microscopy fashion celebrates the beauty of the molecular world. She also created a science video game, Microscopya, that invites players to explore the beauty inside our cells. Through her AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadorship for science outreach and her work with Young Women in Bio – Southern California, she aims to inspire creative students to pursue careers in STEM. For more information, please visit www.beatascienceart.com or follow @beatascienceart on social media.
Dr. Kimberley R. Miner is a Climate Scientist and Program Manager at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. Her research on climate risks has taken her to the planet’s extreme environments- from the North Pole to Antarctica and Mt. Everest. Dedicated to science communication, Kimberley’s research teams have reached international audiences with features in the BBC, NYT, GQ, and a 2020 Guinness World Record. Before coming to NASA, Kimberley worked on climate security for the Department of Defense in DC, and holds a research professorship at University of Maine and Virginia Tech. She is also writing a book on how younger generations can plan for climate change–to be released in early 2025. Kimberley is a Black belt, wilderness Firefighter, and lives in a fishing harbor on the Pacific Ocean.
Our next event takes place the Thursday of San Diego Comic-Con! We’re taking full advantage of the influx of nerds to our city. Details about the lineup are coming soon. There will be a panel of AAAS If/Then ambassadors representing kick-ass women in STEM plus a couple of scientists in town for the convention.
