Nerd Nite Albuquerque #9: Augmented Reality, Lessons From D&D, and IRL Side Quests

Name: Nerd Nite Albuquerque #9: Augmented Reality, Lessons From D&D, and IRL Side Quests
Start: 2025-01-09T19:00:00-07:00
End: 2025-01-09T22:00:00-07:00
Location: Tin Can Alley Albuquerque

Schedule

Thu Jan 09 2025 at 07:00 pm to 10:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

Tin Can Alley Albuquerque | Albuquerque, NM

Nerds of Albuquerque: Join us for Nerd Nite #9 on January 9th!
Nerd Nite is a monthly lecture series that takes place in bars in 100+ cities around the world. And we've got our very own Albuquerque chapter!
Join us to learn, laugh, and drink, on Thursday, January 9, at 7:00pm at the back of the downstairs bar area of the Tin Can Alley Food Hall.
Please note two important changes!
1. Date!!: This event will be on January 9th, the second Thursday in January, as opposed to our usual first Thursday of the month. Given it's the day after New Years day, we wanted to give folks a bit of a break :).
2. Location!!: Due to the cold, we will be trialing hosting this event at Tin Can Alley, located at 6110 Alameda Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113 . We'll see how it goes at this new location, and may consider hosting there throughout the winter months, with a return to the outdoor space at Green Jeans when the weather warms up.
=======================
Title: Structural Health Monitoring, AKA The Bridge Doctor
Blurb: We are experiencing a nationwide infrastructure crisis. In recent decades, infrastructure decay challenges, human and social behavior, urban and rural environmental changes, and natural disasters have increased in number, complexity, and frequency. Infrastructure designers and stakeholders need to understand, assess, and manage infrastructure more accurately, and faster. This nerd talk summarizes new research on Human-Infrastructure Interfaces (HII) advancing new bi-directional interfaces between human, machines, data, and infrastructure.
Speaker: Dr. Fernando Moreu is an associate professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at UNM. Fernando Moreu is a professional engineer since 2010 and has participated in the design and construction of over thirty bridges in seven states in the Midwest. Fernando founded in 2015 the Smart Management of Infrastructure Laboratory (SMILab). SMILab advances new interfaces between humans, structures, and data across time and space using control, Augmented Reality, and AI.
=======================
Title: Critical Success: What D&D Can Teach Us About Strategic Planning
Blurb : Discover how planning and playing Dungeons & Dragons can enhance personal and professional growth. This talk explores goal setting, problem-solving, and collaboration through the lens of D&D, offering practical tools for success. Perfect for professionals and creatives, it’s a fresh take on using imagination to tackle real-world challenges.
Bio: Hayley Weir is a materials scientist, nuclear chemist, and wildlife ecologist who serves as operations chief for the Air Force Wildlife Management Team. A patented researcher and avid Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast, she merges military strategy, scientific expertise, and creative storytelling to help others achieve their goals. Drawing from her unique career journey, she bridges the worlds of strategy, facilitation, and imagination, offering innovative tools for personal and professional success. Through her talks, Hayley inspires audiences to think creatively and approach challenges with precision, adaptability, and a storyteller’s vision.
=======================
Title: Make a connection with possibility.
Blurb: Join the Quest Master on an adventure that bridges imagination and reality! Consider how games and quests could be used to solve real-world problems and elevate human consciousness. Dive into a paradigm where fun, creativity, and purpose come together.
Presenter: Quest Master Mordakin (Matthew Stoltzfus)

=======================
Come join us for a drink, learn something new, and meet fellow nerds. Tell your friends, and help us spread the word about Nerd Nite Albuquerque at Green Jeans!
And, as always, if you're interested in giving a talk of your own, hit us up at https://tiny.cc/nnabq-speaker . Nerd Nite happens because of nerds like you!