Hey dark sky lovers! Are you ready to get your nerd on? We’ve got you covered with a stellar line up of three dynamic speakers that will tip you upside down, rocket you out to space, and take you on a dark night adventure — all from the comfort of your bar stool. Grab your friends fora beer with a side of science at the Jasper Dark Sky festival’s geekiest event. Be there and be square!

Presentations & Speakers

From Astronauts to Pillownauts - The Adventures of Spaceman Nick 
Dr. Nick Strzalkowski is a neurophysiologist, passionate science educator, and avid space enthusiast. As an associate professor at Mount Royal University, he explores how the human body senses and controls movement - with a particular interest in extreme environments like high altitude and space! Nick’s research journey includes working with Space Shuttle astronauts, studying how spaceflight affects skin sensitivity. Now, he’s continuing this work on Earth, investigating how spending 60 days in bed simulates the effects of long-term space travel. Nick is eager to share research stories to make space science feel closer to home. 

Science in the Dark: Tales from an Adventure Scientist
‍Dr. Sarah Hewitt a biology professor at Mount Royal University where she teaches human physiology and neuroscience. One day though, in an effort to fuse her love of science, writing, and the outdoors, she decided to become an Adventure Scientist. Now, in her free time, she travels the world, takes photos, explores strange places, tries to learn everything about everything, and then tells people about it. 

How to Die in Space
‍Dr. Raj Bhardwaj is a Family Physician and Urgent Care doctor working in downtown Calgary. He is also a Clinical Assistant Professor with the Department of Family Medicine at the Cumming School of Medicine at his alma mater, the University of Calgary. He started in the Science Communication realm early, working at the Edmonton Space & Science Centre in the 1990s. That fit in well with his interest in space, which started much earlier, mostly from watching Star Trek and exploring science, and science fiction from books and magazines from his local library. He has refined his common-sense approach to explaining complex science and medical topics ever since. Raj has been a “House Doctor” for CBC Radio Syndication since 2013. You can hear him each week on morning shows across the country, in 8 provinces and territories. Apart from appearing on CBC Radio, he also has a weekly TV Health segment on CBC Calgary News, and he is the Host and Story Editor of the award-winning podcast “DDx” – about How Doctors Think.

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‍Schedule

- Doors open at 7:00pm
- Nerd Nite begins at 8:00pm
- DJ starts at 10:00pm
- Event ends at 11:00pm

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