Nerd Nite SF #154: The Mathematics of Basketball, The Wild World of Moss, and How to Fight Censorship

What’s better than hot goss? How about hot moss? Have you ever wondered how calculus could help you sink a perfect 3-pointer every time? Neither have we, but there’s no question that Steph Curry is some kind of genius - maybe his secret is math? Of course, none of these questions can be answered if they can’t be asked in the first place, and that’s why we’re talking about censorship, and how to fight it. Nerd Nite SF is back on Wednesdays and we’re asking the tough questions! Won’t you join us at 7pm on August 20th at San Francisco’s very own Rickshaw Stop?

Hot Moss

A tiny but wild ride through the world of moss. The green fuzzy plant has a low profile but a big personality.

Speaker: Kate Furby is a multimedia science journalist

Censorship S*#%KS! Let's Do Sometihng About It!

Censoring research was one of Donald Trump’s first acts after entering the White House for a second term, and, like everything else #47 does, it’s been a disaster. But that’s not the end of the story! Lisa Schiff, an academic librarian working to combat censorship, will bring us up to speed on Trump’s muzzling of researchers and tell us how we can wake folks up from this Orwellian nightmare to put a stop to this nonsense.  

Speaker: Lisa Schiff, UC Berkeley Librarian

Math Meets Hoops: Using Calculus to Model the Perfect Basketball Shot

Many say that you will never use advanced math in real life, but they are lying. We’ll break down how calculus can help model the “perfect” shot - no jump shot required - and test it with real-world inputs (sadly, still no guarantees for making varsity). We’ll also look at how cool data tools can turn your gym session into a math lab. Whether you love basketball, math, or just want to sound smart while watching the NBA, this talk’s got you covered.

Speaker: Frankie Presta, UC Davis