Nerd Nite St. Pete-May 2026

Name: Nerd Nite St. Pete-May 2026
Start: 2026-05-26T18:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-05-26T21:30:00-04:00
Location: 2201 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712, USA

Schedule

Tue May 26 2026 at 06:00 pm to 09:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

2201 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712, USA | St. Petersburg, FL

*Nerd Nite St. Pete will be at Coastal Creative in May*
Food Trucks open at 6pm:

Learning hits different with a drink in your hand and smart people around you. Nerd Nite is a worldwide phenomenon, popping up in over a hundred cities, including right here in St. Pete.
Each month, three passionate presenters take the stage for fascinating and fun 20-minute talks on things they truly geek out about. You will get to sip cocktails, eat from local vendors, mingle, laugh, and follow curiosity wherever it wanders.
Think of it as a lecture series that ditched the podium and grabbed a beer instead.
Drink. Learn. Connect. Come for the fun facts, stay for the conversations, and leave knowing something you didn’t when you walked in.
Doors open at 6pm. Presentations begin promptly at 7pm.
Tickets are $6.91. All tickets will be sold online.
No need to print tickets: Give us your name and we will check you in.
Check out this month's speakers:

Kelli Nielsen
Pain Is Inevitable. Suffering Is Automatic
What if the key to emotional resilience isn’t grit—but play? In this engaging, science-backed talk, Kelli Nielsen explores how neuroscience reveals our brains can be rewired for healing, adaptability, and joy, no matter what life throws at us. Blending real-life storytelling with humor and practical brain-based tools, Kelli shows how laughter, creativity, and connection literally reshape neural pathways and restore balance after stress or loss. Audiences will walk away with a fresh perspective on resilience—one that’s playful, purposeful, and proven by science.

Kelli Nielsen is a resilience speaker, author, and neuroscience nerd with a passion for turning pain into play. After losing her mother and son just a year apart, she dove into the science of grief and discovered how the brain—and a good laugh—can literally rewire us for healing. Now, she teaches others how to bounce forward, not just back, using humor, neuroscience, and improv-inspired tools that make personal growth feel like a game. Kelli is the author of You’re Not Crazy, You’re Grieving and founder of The Unscripted Living Project, where she helps people rediscover joy and purpose after life’s hardest plot twists.

Alex Kaufman
Will It Cut? The Science of CNC Waterjets
90,000 PSI of cold water blasting through a 0.015-inch diamond orifice, slicing through almost any material on Earth. While this sounds like science fiction, it is actually the reality of the WATERJET, one of the more elusive but interesting CNC technologies in the world today. Part surgical instrument, part industrial monster - the waterjet is the tool of choice for engineers, fabricators, and artists pushing the limits of precision and possibility. Join designer, engineer, and artist Alex Kaufman for a fast-paced dive into the science of waterjet cutting, featuring real-world public artworks made right here in St. Petersburg.

Alex Kaufman is an engineer-turned-jeweler-turned-3D-printed-cookie-cutter-magnate-turned-public artist based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Known for projects like The Sunshine City Mosaic and MGA Sculpture Studio’s First Flight Monument, Kaufman has been the CAD mind behind some of the city’s most ambitious public artworks. Originally from Ft Lauderdale, he’s called St. Pete home since 2016, carving out a behind-the-scenes role in the city’s creative fabric. His work blends engineering, machinery, and art — constantly pushing the boundaries of design in the public realm.

Alison Barlow
Innovation District: Where Nerds, Startups, and Scientists Collide
What do you get when you mix a bunch of problem-solvers, caffeine-fueled entrepreneurs, and lab-coated innovators in one area? The Innovation District — our own science-meets-tech playground. It’s where ideas crash into each other (sometimes literally), and sparks of creativity turn into world-changing projects. Come hear how we are building the future — one wild idea, experiment, and collaboration at a time.

Alison Barlow, a proud (almost) St. Pete native, is the CEO of the St. Petersburg Innovation District. She turns bold ideas into real-world impact — and occasionally chaos (the good kind). She’s the force behind the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub - a clubhouse for ocean geeks and tech nerds - and co-runs a national ocean accelerator network.