Nerd Nite Hudson Valley

05/15/2026

It’s a Bird, it’s a Plane, it’s…Ursa Major?Please meet Dr. Moiya McTier! presenting Constellations: the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly.

Officially, the sky is divided into 88 zones called constellations, each with their own rich mythological histories and fascinating astronomical objects. But this astrophysicist/folklorist has to be honest: some constellations are undoubtedly awesome and some just objectively suck. This talk will reveal the best and worst constellations, scientifically and folklorically speaking.

Dr. Moiya McTier is an astrophysicist, folklorist, and author living in NYC. Since breaking barriers at both Harvard and Columbia, McTier has given hundreds of talks around the world, helped design museum exhibits, and consulted on multiple projects with Disney. These days, McTier advocates for artists’ rights with the Human Artistry Campaign and hosts a weekly astronomy podcast called Pale Blue Pod. Her next book, MOTHERS OF INVENTION, a history of creativity from the perspectives of the Greek Muses, comes out this August.

05/08/2026

🚲Welcome back Yvonne Caruthers! One of our May speakers presenting: Physics, Fashion, and Feminism: How Bicycles Continue to Change the World. 

The simple 2-wheeled vehicle that most of us learn to ride as kids has become a global phenomenon since its invention in the early 1800’s. No longer considered to be “just for kids,” bicycles have challenged our conceptions of clothing as well as city planning, and have become powerful cultural symbols as well. 

Yvonne Caruthers is co-founder of Beacon Bicycle Coalition where safe, practical, and enjoyable cycling is accessible to all kinds of riders. Before Yvonne moved to Beacon in 2021, she had a 35 year career as a cellist in the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington, DC. In addition to made-for-TV specials and foreign tours, in the early 90s the NSO began a series of state residencies. It was then that Ms. Caruthers realized a need for programs connecting music to the standard school curriculum.

Yvonne began studying the violin at 8 in her local public school, switched to the cello at 9 and never looked back. She has three adult children and three grandchildren.

This is her second time back with Nerd Nite and we couldn’t be more excited!

05/01/2026

May Day May Day! Nerd Nite Hudson Valley no. 14: Cycling to the Constellations!

Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations to kick off our summer break with music, prizes, refreshments and guaranteed good company.

This show will be out of this world!

Early Bird Pricing ($15) from May 1st to May the 4th be with you. After May 4th, $20.

Beacon Bicycle Coalition Co-Founder Yvonne Caruthers, a 35 year career cellist in the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC, presents Physics, Fashion, and Feminism: How Bicycles Continue to Change the World.

Next, Astrophysicist, Author & Folklorist Dr. Moiya McTier brings us Constellations: the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly.

Finally, Dr. Clara Sousa-Silva, a quantum astrochemist and molecular astrophysicist takes us into the strange and unknown with How to Maybe Find Aliens.

Friday May 29th at 7:30pm at The Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY.

Be there and be square.

To read more about our presenters and their talks and to purchase tickets: hudsonvalley.nerdnite.com

04/23/2026

03/27/2026

A wonderful packed house for March 20th! Thank you to all the nerds who continually show up and those that gave us a try for the first time. We love all your faces! Here are some, but not all of the highlights of the night!

See you April 17th at !

Photos:

03/20/2026

Hi, it’s Urkel here. TGIF: Thank Geeks it’s Friday!

Get those #2 pencils sharpened, your glasses polished and buckle up for a diverse mix of nerdy topics at our SOLD OUT show!

From bad ass medeival women warriors, to building and breaking dictators, to 267 slides in 20 minutes on your shared Amazon Prime account…this is bound to be a wild night!

See you at The Howland Cultural Center.
Doors 7pm, show at 7:30. Be there and Be Square!

👓⚔️👱‍♀️📚🧠🛜⚔️🧠📚👓⚔️👱‍♀️🧠👓

Happy World Frog Day!

03/17/2026

For our final speaker, we hear from Comedian and Writer Luke Strathmann who runs the communications team at Yale’s Department of Economics with “Surveillance Capitalism & Digital Secrets You Wish Your Family Didn’t Know About You.”

Tech companies track, profile, and monetize us, but sometimes the real risk and embarrassment comes not from Big Tech, but from the people who can see our digital behavior up close: our families who we share passwords with. In this talk, Luke explores what tech companies actually know about us, what our digital footprints accidentally reveal, and why the biggest threat to your privacy is coming from inside the house (e.g. the people you love who have access to your account history).

Luke is a comedian and writer and runs the communications team at Yale’s Department of Economics. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker and McSweeney’s, and he hosts EconLOL, the world’s first, best, and only economics-themed comedy show. He’s performed comedy at Comedy Cellar, UCB, Littlefield Stand Up NY, Caveat at more. He’s previously worked for MIT, the United Nations, Omidyar Network, and AI Now Institute.

Friday, March 20th, 7:30 PM doors at 7pm.

Be there and be square.

👓👀🛜🧠👓👀👩‍💻🧠👓🛜👀🧠👓

03/09/2026

Did you know March 20th is International Day of Happiness? On that day, investigative journalist and author Cillian Dunne brings us “How a Dictator Is Built and Broken: My Time Living With Noriega’s Right-Hand Man.”

The United States has spent more than a century shaping who holds power in Latin America, beginning with the Monroe Doctrine of 1823. This talk uses Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega as a case study to show how dictators are not born but carefully engineered through intelligence agencies, money, and foreign policy. Drawing on extensive research from his time in Panama, writing the book The Right Hand Man, author Cillian Dunne takes the audience behind the scenes of how the same system that builds strongmen eventually turns on them. 

Cillian Dunne is an Irish-American author who writes about crime, intelligence, and political power, usually by going places he probably should not. He is the author of The Right Hand Man, based on hundreds of original documents once owned by Manuel Noriega and months of reporting inside the former dictator’s inner circle in Panama. His work has appeared in The Times (UK), The Boston Globe, The Sunday World, and The Irish Sun. 

Friday, March 20th, 7:30 PM doors at 7pm.

Be there and be square.

👓👑❌🧠👓👑❌🧠👓👑❌🧠👓

03/02/2026

Kicking off Women’s History Month, we introduce our March 20th presenter Nancy Bisaha with her talk “Badass Women Warriors of The Middle Ages”

When you think about the Middle Ages (as one often does!), you probably envision warfare and a lot of knights running around. But you may be surprised by how many historical and literary sources from the period feature dozens more cases than just Joan of Arc. We see women leading troops, supporting armies, and even fighting in battles and defending cities under siege. Was this just a myth or anomaly, or part of a broader trend that lends deeper insight into women’s history, military history, and medieval society? Find out as we explore some of these cases together!

Nancy Bisaha is a Professor of History and the Director of Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Vassar College. She received her BA from Rutgers College and her PhD from Cornell University. Her published works include Creating East and West: Renaissance Humanists and the Ottoman Turks (UPenn Press, 2004); a translation of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini’s De Europa in collaboration with Robert Brown (CUAP, 2013); and From Christians to Europeans: Pope Pius II and the Concept of the Modern Western Identity (Routledge Press, 2023). In addition to teaching survey courses on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Bisaha teaches such courses as “The Dark Ages c. 400-900,”  “The Crusades,” “Medieval Science and Technology,” and “Machiavelli.” Among her current projects is a historical novel centered around the conquest of Constantinople. This is her second Nerd Nite talk, her previous talk being “How to Build a Castle.”

Friday, March 20th, 7:30 PM doors at 7pm.

Ticket link in bio. Be there and be square.

👓⚔️👱‍♀️🧠👓⚔️👱‍♀️🧠👓⚔️👱‍♀️🧠👓

02/26/2026

Nerd Nite Hudson Valley #12: Badass Women Warriors, Building & Breaking Dictators and Surveillance Capitalism

Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations to help you March through the Madness with music, prizes, refreshments and guaranteed good company.

Kicking off Women’s History Month, Professor of History and Director of Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Vassar College Nancy Bisaha presents “Badass Women Warriors of the Middle Ages.” When you think about the Middle Ages (as one often does!), you probably envision warfare and a lot of knights running around. But you may be surprised by how many historical and literary sources from the period feature dozens of incredible women warriors outside of Joan of Arc.

Next, investigative journalist and author Cillian Dunne brings us “How a Dictator Is Built and Broken: My Time Living With Noriega’s Right-Hand Man.” This talk uses Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega as a case study to show how dictators are not born but carefully engineered through intelligence agencies, money, and foreign policy and proves that the same system that builds strong men eventually turns on them.

Finally, we hear from Comedian and Writer Luke Strathmann who runs the communications team at Yale’s Department of Economics with “Surveillance Capitalism & Digital Secrets You Wish Your Family Didn’t Know About You.” Tech companies track, profile, and monetize us. Sometimes the real risk and embarrassment comes not from Big Tech, but from the people who can see our digital behavior up close: our families who we share passwords with.

This show will sell out! Get your early bird tickets before Wednesday, March 4th, for $15. After that, $20 until sold out. ($20 at the door if available)

Be there and be square!
For tickets and to read more about our presenters: hudsonvalley.nerdnite.com