Welcome back to another round of Nerd Nite Ann Arbor!! This month, Karen Alexander dissects the dangers of the phragmites invasion of the Great Lakes basin, Ryan Brase demystifies BitCoin, and Kat Johnson breaks down sitcom structure in this very special episode of NNA2! Be there and be square, friends!

When: Thursday, February 15 – doors 6:30 pm/talks 7:00 pm

Where: LIVE (102 S 1st St)

Cover charge? No way! AADL’s got this!

Ry4an Brase – Bitcoin: A Bad Idea Annoying People Won’t Shut-Up About

Bitcoin is a clever idea buried under its own baggage. It’s got

over-zealous advocates, a history of drug use, serious privacy problems, tax trouble, smarter competitors, criminal involvement, environmental fallout, consumer dissatisfaction, retailer desertion, and a fundamental lack of academic credentials. Still, it refuses to go away. We’ll spend a little time talking about what Bitcoin is, more time talking about what it isn’t, and then cover some of the absurd events of the last nine years.

About Ry4an:

Ry4an is a midwest-native, Michigan-import software geek, who bought some Bitcoin back in 2011 because it seemed nifty. He’s a college-dropout married to a Ph.D./Professor and has a globally unique first name — which seemed like a good idea before the web existed.

Karen Alexander – Fighting Back Against a Monster Grass in the Great Lakes Basin

The Great Lakes basin is infested with an invasive grass species called Phragmites australis (the Common Reed). To help land managers fight back against this aggressive monster grass, the Great Lakes Commission and the USGS Great Lakes Science Center are developing a new program called thePhragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF). This presentation will introduce Phragmites and describe how the PAMF program will help address this basin-wide threat.

About Karen:

Karen Alexander is a Senior Program Specialist at the Great Lakes Commission. Her main role is to work collaboratively with the United States Geological Survey to develop and implement the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF), a program initiated by the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative. Karen is the current co-chair of the OntarioPhragmites Working Group, and holds an Honors Biology degree and a Graduate Certificate in Ecosystem Restoration. Follow her on Twitter at @GLPhrag.