Check your assumptions about where UM students live (and vote), consider the role games and related storytelling play in our lives, and wrestle with the question of why the hell we haven’t cured cancer yet. Sure, this sounds like a LOT to consider, but we’ll have some adept, smart, and irreverent guides to the topics, all in February’s super-packed edition of Nerd Nite! Grab a friend, grab a drink, and join us for another great edition of Nerd Nite! When: February 19, 2015, doors at 6:30pm, talks at 7pm! Where: LIVE, 102 S First St, Ann Arbor Moola: NO COVER! Thanks, NO COVER! Thanks, Ann Arbor District Library

Beyond South U: Where Students Live and Vote in Ann Arbor

Austen Hufford, Pat Sier

While we all think we know where U of M students live, it’s harder to find out than you’d think. Austen and Pat will go through their method of coming up with a solid picture, and discuss what this means for students and residents alike every election cycle in Ann Arbor.

About Austen and Pat:

Austen and Pat are U of M seniors studying economics and public policy respectively. Austen will be working in journalism this summer at the Wall Street Journal and Pat will be working in Chicago at a marketing technology company. Find Austen on twitter: @austenhufford

Why We Watch: How Everything From Football to Mario entrances us

Ryan “Gorgon” Jurado

Games are a form of storytelling as old, if not older, than language itself, but we rarely stop to think why some games succeed and some fail. What do college athletics–which, despite being non-professional games earn nearly $1 billion per year–have in common with a fifteen-year-old Pakistani boy playing video games in China for the first time… to the tune of 770 thousand live viewers and $3 million in prizes?

About Ryan “Gorgon” Jurado:

With professional experience in publishing, music performance, gaming, podcasting, and three majors split across two undergraduate degrees, Ryan “Gorgon” Jurado is what you might call a renaissance nerd. These days, he spends his time studying the burgeoning realm of online spectator games, often called eSports, in which he is a data analyst and live commentator for audiences of tens of thousands. You can find him on twitter: @gotcowdota

Why the hell haven’t we cured cancer yet?

Yijung Yang

As one of the leading causes of death in the US, cancer has long been the focal point of intense study and public interest. However, after millions of dollars and countless hours spent on cancer research, the silver bullet cure remains elusive. Have you ever wondered why? Join us as we delve into the intricate nature of the disease and the difficulties physicians and scientists face when treating a patient with cancer. Along the way, we will discuss the biological origins of cancer as well as its pathology, epidemiology, and potential therapeutic options currently under scrutiny.

About Yijung Yang:

Yang graduated from University of Maryland with a degree in Physiology and Neurobiology. Then, after a two-year research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, moved to Ann Arbor to join the MD/PhD program at the University of Michigan, and is currently in the research phase of graduate training under the guidance of Dr. Diane Simeone, director of the Translational Oncology Program at UM.