Nerd Nite #95
We love spooky season at Nerd Nite Edmonton. Our fall 2026 season kicks off with a mighty fine variety of talks. Feel free to come in costume. We’ll give out tickets to the best dressed guest!
When: Thursday, October 29th at 7:30pm
(Doors & bar open at 7pm, with drinks available all night)
Where: The Backstage Theatre at Fringe Theatre
Adventures
Fringe Theatre Arts Barn, 10330 84 Ave NW, Edmonton
How much: $30
Premee Mohamed — Myconarratology: We Need So Mushroom For This Talk
Why are fungi so often used in media when you could use something else – a monster, a bacterium, a virus, an insect? We will discuss the history of fungi in fiction, lots of examples, a little bit of horror (or a lot), and what a fungal narrative looks like!
Bio: Premee Mohamed is a Nebula, World Fantasy, Ignyte, Locus, and Aurora award-winning Indo-Caribbean scientist and speculative fiction author based in Edmonton, Alberta. She has also been a finalist for the Hugo, British Fantasy, British Science Fiction, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Crawford awards. In 2024, she was the Edmonton Public Library writer-in-residence, and she has taught at establishments including the Banff Institute for the Arts, the Clarion Workshop, and the Carl Brandon Society. She has judged short fiction contests for CBC and Alberta Views Magazine and can be found on her website.
Instagram @premeesaurus
Bluesky @premeemohamed.com
Frank Florian — The Majestic Aurora: The Myths, Science and Beauty
Did you know that some Canadian provinces are the best places in the world to view the spectacular aurora? Come and explore the wonders of the aurora together as we investigate the history, the science and the beauty behind nature’s best light show! During the presentation, many images and videos will be shown of auroras captures over Alberta by Frank and others from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
Bio: Frank Florian is the Senior Manager, Planetarium and Space Sciences at the TELUS World of Science – Edmonton. He has held a variety of positions in the science centre’s programming areas since 1986. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the University of Alberta, with a focus on nuclear and astrophysics as well as a Bachelor of Education degree specializing in secondary education, with a major in the physical sciences and mathematics. Having originally intended to pursue a career in space sciences with Canada’s newly born manned space program, Frank changed his interest to communicating science to the general public through his experiences working part-time as a science interpreter at the then Edmonton Space Sciences Centre while studying at the university. His TELUS World of Science – Edmonton experience has included working as a science interpreter, science demonstrator, community astronomer, public programmer (designing and implementing science camps, computer courses and astronomy courses), planetarium operator and planetarium and laser show producer, Director of Public Programs and VP Science. In his work he has also worked closely with the exhibits department in the design and implementation of some of the current exhibits and has created scientific equipment for use in the science demonstration program. Frank now focuses his attention to the planetarium and any astronomy and space science programming at the TELUS World of Science – Edmonton.
Twitter: @FrankTWOS
Beth Sterling Lee — A Spooky Chocolate Conspiracy?
Chocolate and Halloween go together like witches and broomsticks, or pumpkin spice and lattes. However, you may have noticed that the chocolate bars in your baskets are more tricks than treats. Perhaps your previously decadent candy bars are now “chocolate flavoured,” and taste like a ghost of their prior selves. Is this a sudden realization that your taste buds have grown up? Or are there spookier forces at play?
Bio: In the life I allegedly have outside of work, I have two cats who have trained me well. I bake while talking my husband’s ears off about the kinetics of bread staling, and attempt to not kill houseplants. I once spent three evenings organizing my fountain pen inks by the resistor code colour scheme, and have no regrets. I can usually be found with my nose stuck in a fantasy novel, with some sci-fi for breadth.
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Nerd Nite
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$30.00 inc $4.00 fees -
October 29, 2026 -
150 minutes -
19:30 -
The Backstage Theatre -
General (G)
