Nerd Nite 0xE: The Survival of the following: Worms in Compost, Scurvy-Prone Explorers, and Appalachian Hikers

Beer and worms!

Join us for drinks and celebration of the final week of Chicago’s favorite month with talks from three excellent, enthusnerdtastic presenters:

‘Worms and Compost’ by Amber Gribben of Chicago’s own Urban Worm Girl

One phylum’s trash is another phylum’s essential nutrient mix, and sometimes it goes both ways. Earthworms (which themselves go both ways) and humans have such a happy arrangement. Amber will guide us through the highlights of that subterranean, soil-producing world. She’s not only a local composting expert; she’s also a client!

‘Scourge of the Seas!’ by Laura Lanford

Laura’s a veteran nn presenter and experimental sparger who will regale us with the surprisingly variable history of scurvy (with a close look at specific Antarctic voyages). Scurvy is the answer to the riddle: “What do pirates, Antarctic adventurers, and guinea pigs have in common?”

Invariably fatal if untreated (yet trivially simple to cure), scurvy has plagued mankind since long before it was first described by Hippocrates. It’s the reason the British Navy took over Europe and the subject of the first known scientific clinical trial. The actual cure was found – and lost – multiple times over the last 500 years while the disease continued to ravage sailors on the seven seas as well as adventurers to both poles. The theories of its cause and the recommendations for cures ranged from laughable to downright disgusting.

Scurvy: so much more interesting* than you’d think! For those joining us at Cole’s on Monday night, Laura recommends ordering a Sidecar, a Tom Collins or (her personal favourite) an Aviation.

‘How to Survive the Appalachian Trail’ by Amanda Jepsen

Neophyte nn presenter and part-time (insert positive descriptor here) will detail the differential insanity of long-distance hiking equipment philosophies.

Your 9-5 routine got you feeling a little cooped up? Feel like abandoning society and walking for six months in the mountains? Do you want to smell like a rotting goat? Then, friends, it’s time to load up your pack, lace up your boots and head down to Georgia for 2,172 miles of good, smelly, tiring fun. But, you say, what should I take on this epic adventure? Have no fear NN friends, Amanda will do her best to give you some un-sober advice so that you don’t end up with raging shin splints, a Giardia infection or get eaten by bears.

Amanda recommends sipping from a Nalgene flask filled with cheap whiskey.

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Be there and be square.