At long last, after generations of effort, NerdNite is coming to Saskatoon!! The very first Saskatoon NerdNite, set to take place on July 23 (mark the date in your calendar).
We are very proud to present to you some of Saskatoon’s, and dare we say, the world’s top scientists, physicists, and baritones to share with you space-time, things that go ’round and ’round, and super smart computers … all while you get to enjoy a pint or two with friends!
As always, if you have an idea for a presentation or are just interested in NerdNite in general, feel free to reach out to us, we are really pretty good at getting back to you!
Tickets at
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/saskatoon-nerd-nite-inaugural-event-tickets-927004243647
Our Presenters:
About time and space – is everything relative? – Alexander Moewes
Have you ever asked yourself which physics properties are absolute, and which are relative? How about time, length, mass or speed of light?
In 1999, Time magazine selected physicist Albert Einstein as the person of the millennium. His powerful theory of special relativity touches on these questions and are based on a very simple yet surprising basic assumption – the speed of light is a constant.
In my talk I will touch on these parameters and explain some of the surprising implications from this theory.
Alexander Moewes was educated in Hamburg, Germany. After furthering his experimental skills at various synchrotrons in the US, he joined the physics department of U of S in 2000 where he is a physics professor and Canada Research Chair. For his research, he uses the Canadian Light Source to study new materials. Alex has a knack for fundamental physics questions – especially when at first glance they seem to contradict common sense.
How does a Cyclotron support healthcare and nuclear innovations? – John Root
Imagine you have been invited to apply your life’s experience as a neutron-beam researcher and manager of the Canadian Neutron Beam Centre to help place Saskatchewan among global leaders of nuclear research development and training. And by the way, the organization you will be establishing is expected to operate the brand new Saskatchewan Cyclotron Facility to support healthcare and innovation in nuclear imaging and therapeutics.
John Root has never before made a presentation at a Nerd Nite, and is primarily known around here as the Executive Director of the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation, Inc., or perhaps as an amateur singer (baritone). He is thrilled with the invitation to introduce an audience of fellow Nerds to the general idea of smashing protons into targets, generating radioactive isotopes, producing nuclear-imaging agents to diagnose cancer and other diseases, and providing Saskatchewan innovators with some cool tools to develop new therapies or reveal metabolic processes in living plants.
Conversations with a Quantum Future – Steven Rayan
We often remark, with full hindsight, on how different life must have been before the adoption of disruptive technologies, such as electricity, the telephone, or the computer. Observers from before the times of these technologies, even with the most imaginative foresight, would have found it very challenging to fully anticipate the many irreversible changes to everyday life arising from such devices. Guess what? We might be at a similar juncture. Let’s meet your first quantum computer and imagine, together, our post-quantum lives.
Steven Rayan is a mathematician, mathematical physicist, and quantum scientist who received his doctorate from the University of Oxford in 2011. He then spent 5 years researching and teaching at the University of Toronto before taking up a professorship at the University of Saskatchewan. At USask, he founded the campus’ quantum research centre (quanTA), which convenes quantum research activities in the province of Saskatchewan. Dr. Rayan has been a champion of quantum computing, and he has been twice featured in Scientific American, first for his work in the mathematics of quantum materials and again for his work in quantum jazz (yes, you heard that right). One of Dr. Rayan’s recent papers in quantum materials was a finalist for the prestigious Cozzarelli Prize (2022) of the US National Academy of Sciences, selected from over 3200 papers. Steven is a highly sought after speaker, giving over 100 invited talks around the world since 2010, as well as podcasts, numerous panel sessions, and a 2023 TEDx talk titled “Quantum Magic: Using Mathematics and Art to Make the Impossible Possible”. He invites you to join him in trying to make impossible things possible