HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE Stories about secrets, wine, and good times.

DIY (Do It Yourself) Stories is an open storytelling event for mature audiences. You don’t HAVE TO get up & tell, but it’s way more fun when you do! Nobody knows what will be heard or said at DIY Stories; it’s different every time.

$10 at the door includes a glass or flight of wine.

Blackbird Wine Shop 3519 NE 44th Ave. (44th & Freemont)

Dr. Theodore Johnson AT&T Labs FRIDAY, Nov. 17, 2008, 10am FAB 86-01

Abstract

Data stream systems (DSMSs) have matured to the point that they can be used in a large-scale industrial setting. In this talk, I will discuss how a combination of a DSMS (the GS monitor) and a streaming warehouse (DataDepot) combine to enable very large scale network monitoring in a tier-1 Internet Service Provider. The talk will emphasize the scaling challenges we faced and how they were overcome. Biography

Theodore Johnson received a B.S. in Mathematics from Johns Hopkins University in 1986, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1990. From 1990 through 1996, Theodore was an assistant, then associate procesor in the Computer and Information Science department of the University of Florida. In 1996, Theodore joined the Database Reseach department of AT&T Labs - Research, where today he is a Lead Member of Technical Staff. His interests include building massive data stream systems, building massive data warehouses, and building silly and useless electromechanical gadgets.

Blending cutting-edge scientific findings Levitin’s sweeping study incorporates wisdom gleaned from interviews with icons ranging from Sting and Paul Simon to Joni Mitchell along with classical musicians, poets, anthropologists, and evolutionary biologists.

FRIENDSHIP, JOY, COMFORT, KNOWLEDGE, RELIGION & LOVE

These six musical forms enlighten human nature in a way you will never forget.

Blending cutting-edge scientific findings with his own sometimes hilarious experiences as a musician, Levitin showcases how the brain evolved to play and listen to music in six fundamental forms.

Dr. Daniel
Levitin

McGill University In Montreal

Dr. Levitin runs the laboratory for Musical Perception, Cognition, and Expertise at McGill University. Before becoming a research scientist, he was a record producer and professional musician.

The Early Universe: From the Big Bang to Stars & Galaxies (Dr. Aparna Venkatesan, University of San Francisco, Dept. of Physics/Astronomy & Dr. Todd Duncan, PSU - Aparna had a family emergency so Todd will be delivering her talk at the scheduled time on Saturday ) (October 25, 10 am, Hoffman Hall, PSU)

Factor is a programming language which has been in development for a little over 5 years. Factor is influenced by Forth, Lisp, Smalltalk. Factor takes the best ideas from Forth — simplicity, short, succint, code, emphasis on interactive testing, and meta-programming. Factor also brings modern high-level language features such as garbage collection, object orientation and functional programming familiar to users of languages such as Lisp, Smalltalk and Python. Finally, recognizing that no programming language is an island, Factor is portable, ships with a full-featured standard library, deploys stand-alone binaries, and interoperates with C and Objective-C.

In this talk, I will give the rationale for Factor’s creation, present an overview of the language, and show how Factor can be used to solve real-world problems with a minimum of fuss. At the same time, I will emphasize Factor’s extensible syntax, meta-programming and reflection capabilities, and show that these features, which are unheard of in the world of mainstream programming languages, make programs easier to write, more robust, and fun.

Biography:

Slava was born in the former USSR and emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 7. He moved to Ottawa, Canada when he was 18 to study for a Bachelors and Masters degree in Mathematics.  He now resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota. An early adopter of Java, Slava wrote the popular jEdit text editor, then went on to design and implement the Factor programming language. At his day job he hacks on web apps, optimizing compilers, garbage collectors, and everything in between

. Galois has been holding weekly technical seminars for several years on topics from functional programming, formal methods, compiler and language design, to cryptography, and operating system construction, with talks by many figures from the programming language and formal methods communities.

The talks are open and free. If you're planning to attend, dropping a note to is appreciated, but not required. If you're interested in giving a talk, we're always looking for new speakers.

[Featured in The Oregonian on 2009-01-13 ]

Richard Taylor sees a pattern. The University of Oregon professor of physics is leading the way with internationally recognized research into fractals—curious patterns found in nature that repeat themselves. Taylor's startling discoveries show that these patterns-within-patterns may significantly reduce stress and have interesting implications for psychology, medicine, and even the semiconductor industry. Taylor has applied his studies to art, showing how fractal patterns in the work of abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock can distinguish a real Pollock from a fake. Come hear about this amazing intersection of art and science.

Richard Taylor, PhD, is an associate professor in physics, psychology, and art at the University of Oregon. Transforming lives by erasing academic boundaries might be why Taylor was named Outstanding Teacher in Higher Education for 2005 by the Oregon Academy of Science.

HURRY HURRY STEP RIGHT UP! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      ___            ___    _____
     / _ \  __  __  / _ \  |___ /

DORKBOT | | | | \ \/ / | | | | | \ PDX | || | > < | || | __) |

     \___/  /_/\_\  \___/  |____/

http://dorkbotpdx.org/dorkbotpdx_0x03

Dorkbot PDX [[People doing strange things with electricity...in Portland]]

...welcomes you to the 4th installation of its lecture series.

• Where: AboutUs: 107 SE Washington St, Suite 520.
• When: Sunday, June 14th, 2009 - 7pm

As always, the event is free and open to the public. Feel free to bring snacks and beverages to share. Please spread the word!

Andrew S. Parnell

Pieces to be discussed include Semaphore-bot, Tangólumen, and Cardiolumen: a multifaceted exploration of the data we create both consciously and unconsciously and their inherent value.

Andrew S. Parnell is a Portland based digital artist. His work primarily deals with the physical manifestation of digital information using code, image capture, and electronics.

Michael Bunsen

Dome Control: Altering a space via physical and web-based interfaces

Michael Bunsen spends most of his time on the internet but is more interested in nature and the outside world. He developed Urbanedibles.org and began exploring microcontrollers to cultivate his mission of using the computer to get people off the computer.

Dan Gilsdorf

A presentation featuring works from 2006 to the present, including the recent exhibitions Interiotrope, 2008 and SRO Video, 2009.

Dan Gilsdorf is a sculptor and installation artist based in Portland. Using video, sound, and mechanics, his work addresses the mediating effect of technology on physical and cultural landscapes.

See you there!

Room 238

Dale Jamieson is Director of the Environmental Studies program at New York University, where he is also Professor of Environmental Studies and Philosophy, and Affiliated Professor of Law. He is also the current Wayne Morse Chair of Law and Politics at the University of Oregon. A prolific presence in his field, Professor Jamieson has authored Morality’s Progress: Essays on Humans, Other Animals, and the Rest of Nature (Oxford, 2002) and Ethics and the Environment: An Introduction (Cambridge, 2008); and edited or co-edited seven books, including the forthcoming Climate Ethics (Oxford, 2010). His research has been funded by both the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

SHIFT 6 is an event to inform, inspire and engage peers, clients and students about sustainable design thinking and practices. Ten presenters will briefly share their observations, ideas and even challenges in shaping the future of visual communications. This evening also includes mingling, Q&A, local snacks, and free beer with your own mug!

Nerd Nite is a monthly event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet deeply academic vibe. Featuring short talks by several scientists, artists, experts of all types, and ordinary people with extraordinary skills, we aim to entertain, educate, elucidate, enlighten, and other things that start with "e." Come drink along with us!

When: Tuesday, July 30, 2013, doors at 6:00pm, event at 7:00pm Where: Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, Portland Cost: $8.00 suggested cover at the door Check out the Facebook event page

This Nerd Nite will feature two awesome talks:

• Genital Plugs, Projectile Penises, and Gay Butterflies: A Naturalist Explains the Birds & the Bees with Becky Jaffe, photographer, naturalist, and educator

• Bugs, Bites, and Bodies: Insects and Death with Eric Tonsfeldt, Medicolegal Death Investigator, Clackamas County Medical Examiner’s Office

Genital Plugs, Projectile Penises, and Gay Butterflies: A Naturalist Explains the Birds & the Bees

Birds do it, bees do it–even educated fleas do it. Let’s do it, let’s fall in lust as photographer and insect fetishist Becky Jaffe takes us on a romp through Mother Nature’s freaky side. Biophilia? This talk may well bring on a biorgasm!

A photographer, naturalist, and educator living in Oakland, Becky Jaffe teaches high school biology and leads environmental science tours at UC Berkeley’s Botanical Garden.

Bugs, Bites, and Bodies: Insects and Death

To an insect, a decomposing human body left to rot in the woods can be the feast of a lifetime. To a forensic entomologist, those insects can give clues to how the person died, how long they’ve been dead, and even who that person was in life. Eric Tonsfeldt, Medicolegal Death Investigator at the Clackamas County Medical Examiner’s Office, will explain the ways that bugs can be used to help forensic investigation. Prepare to be creeped out (but in a good way!).

*A note on the suggested cover: Nerd Nite is completely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering education to adults who want to learn, so if $8 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

FREE Event! PechaKucha Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pechakuchapdx Twitter: https://twitter.com/PechaKuchaPDX

1 Night. 100 Cities. 1000 Presentations Pecha Kucha Night returns to Portland for a single night, the global PechaKucha night is coming together to celebrate each city's 'hidden heroes.' All of the events will also connect online through a global Google Hangouts chat that will run as a wave around the world for over 20 hours.

Maris Jameson | Amelia Blakeman | Melissa Delzio | Sarah Margolis-Pineo | Amy Dubin | Gia Goodrich

Spread the word and the love.

Nerd Nite #8 – You Say You Want Some Evolution: Gibbons and Spiders Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Nerd Nite is a monthly event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet deeply academic vibe. We aim to entertain, educate, elucidate, enlighten, and other things that start with “e.” Be there and be square!

When: Tuesday, October 8, 2013, doors at 6:00pm, event at 7:00pm Where: Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, Portland Cost: $8.00* suggested cover at the door

This Nerd Nite will feature the following two talks:

Swinging Between Genomics, Evolution, and Conservation The small apes (or gibbons) are amazing primates living in South East Asia and currently threatened by extinction. They have many distinctive traits separating them from their cousins, the great apes (orang, gorilla and chimp), including the ability to move just using their arms (i.e. brachiation), monogamy, and vocalization to defend their territory. Lucia Carbone, PhD, Assistant Professor at OHSU studying genomics and epigenetics, has been studying the gibbon genome to learn more about these species and primate evolution in general. Her talk will go over her latest findings and highlight a fascinating connection between processes in evolution and human disease.

Spider Venoms: The Evolution of an Arsenal Spiders (all 44,000 species) play key roles in our ecosystems as predators of insects. Without spiders there would be many more insects and fewer plants. Evolution over the last 400 million years has created enormous diversity among spiders in predatory tactics, including web and venom use, which has resulted in a phenomenal diversity of silk and venom chemistry. Greta Binford, PhD, Associate Professor of Biology at Lewis & Clark College, studies diversity and evolution of spiders and their venoms, including the toxic brown recluse and its relatives. She will highlight some of the beautiful biological diversity of spiders’ feeding biology, silks, and venoms, and discuss how evolution has generated a "pharmacopeia" of unique toxins that are rich in potential for human applications.

*A note on the suggested cover: Nerd Nite is completely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering education opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $8 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Check out Nerd Nite on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nerdniteportland

On Meetup http://www.meetup.com/Nerd-Nite-Portland/

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Nerd Nite is a monthly event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet deeply academic vibe. We aim to entertain, educate, elucidate, enlighten, and other things that start with “e.” Be there and be square.

When: Tuesday, November 12, 2013, doors at 6:00pm, event at 7:00pm Where: Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, Portland Cost: $8.00 suggested cover at the door, or available online

This Nerd Nite will feature just one speaker, the unforgettable Scott Burns!

One of the greatest sets of geological events to ever have occurred in North America was the Missoula Floods. Occurring as many as 40 times during the last ice age, the floods were caused by waters released from ancient Lake Missoula that scoured the Columbia River basin, carved out the Columbia River Gorge, and swept across at least 16,000 square miles of the Pacific Northwest. At this Nerd Nite, Scott Burns, PhD, http://geology.pdx.edu/node/67, professor of geology and past chair of the Department of Geology at PSU, will focus on the incredible story of discovery and development of the idea of the floods by J Harlen Bretz and will discuss the effect of the floods on the landscape of the Willamette Valley and the area around us.

*A note on the suggested cover: Nerd Nite is completely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering education opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $8 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Check out Nerd Nite on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nerdniteportland and Meetup http://www.meetup.com/Nerd-Nite-Portland/.

It's like CSI meets Mystery Science Theater 3000!

Crime scene TV shows like CSI and Bones have helped spawn a fascination for all things forensic, but the science those shows depict is sometimes shockingly inaccurate. Find out what it's REALLY like to be a forensic scientist, and watch and learn as they pick apart some clips from those shows and debunk some of the "science" they portray.

We'll be joined by: - Dan Alessio, Forensic Scientist, Firearms, Oregon State Police Crime Lab - Gretchen Anderson, Forensic Scientist, Latent Prints, Oregon State Police Crime Lab - Eric Tonsfeldt, Medicolegal Death Investigator, Clackamas County Medical Examiner’s Office - Dr. Nici Vance, State Forensic Anthropologist, State Medical Examiner’s Office

$8.00 suggested cover at the door, online tickets will be available soon.

Nerd Nite is a monthly event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet deeply academic vibe. We aim to entertain, educate, elucidate, enlighten, and other things that start with “e.” Be there and be square.

When: Tuesday, February 4, 2014, doors at 6:00pm, event at 7:00pm Where: Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, Portland Cost: $8.00* suggested cover at the door

This Nerd Nite will feature two excellent talks:

The Willamette River: A History of Sediment and Change

The Willamette River is one of the most important geological features of this area. With no river, no port. And with no port, no Portland. The river has undergone huge changes since the arrival of settlers and cities. Yet throughout the taming the river by building sea walls, the dredging and channeling to facilitate shipping, and the 100+ years of dumping toxins and waste, the Willamette is still a living river with birds and fish and people who dependent on it. Keith Johnson, Manager of the DEQ Northwest Region Cleanup Program, and Kevin Parrett, NWR Cleanup Section Manager at the DEQ, will give us a visual history of the Willamette and how the river and the city have changed each other.

The Subsurface History of Portland

People have been moving the earth around in the Portland Metro area to suit our needs since the earliest days of urban habitation, and this history of cutting and filling impacts many aspects of living and working in the city. Engineer Stuart Albright from Apex Companies will present historic maps and photos of Portland that he uses to evaluate the location and extent of the earthwork and landfilling that has shaped this area. He will also share the history of the locations of some of the largest historic fills, such as Asylum Creek, Guilds Lake, Tanner Creek, and Marquam Gulch, and how those landscapes affect us today.

*A note on the suggested cover: Nerd Nite is completely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering education opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $8 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

We have a new location in Vancouver, WA! Our first event is:

Nerd Nite Vancouver #1 – Lust, Chocolate and Prairie Voles: The Neuroscience of Pleasure and Love

Nerd Nite is a monthly event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet deeply academic vibe. We aim to entertain, educate, elucidate, enlighten, and other things that start with “e.” Be there and be square!

When: Wednesday, February 12, 2014, doors at 6:00pm, event at 7:00pm

Where: Kiggins Theater, 1011 Main Street, Vancouver, WA

Cost: $8.00 suggested cover at the door

Come early if you want to order food and drinks and get a good seat!

Is the brain chemistry behind our love for chocolate equivalent to that which drives infatuation with a new lover, the love of a particular song, or addiction? How does the brain sort out pleasure and discomfort? What drives our decisions to stay with one person for life or go from one lover to another, never settling down? This Nerd Nite will focus on these and other questions that reveal much about how neurochemical changes can have major effects on our behaviors—how we love, what we love, and who we love.

Dr. Larry Sherman is a Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and Neuroscience at OHSU. He was identified as someone who is "Changing our World" by Portland Monthly Magazine and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and he was awarded OHSU Teacher of the Year in 2012.

*A note on the suggested cover: Nerd Nite is completely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering education opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $8 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Nerd Nite Portland #13 – The Mystique of Terroir: Geology, Soils, Climate and Wines in the Northern Willamette Valley

Nerd Nite is a monthly event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet deeply academic vibe. We aim to entertain, educate, elucidate, enlighten, and other things that start with “e.” Be there and be square.

ter·roir/tɛrˈwɑr noun Definition: the environmental conditions, especially soil and climate, in which grapes are grown and that give a wine its unique flavor and aroma.

The Willamette Valley has a certain je ne sais quoi, no? What special quality of the region’s terroir yields such exceptional wines? How do the soil, climate, and conditions lend themselves to lovely Pinot Noirs, but not Cabernets or Merlots? How does the region’s geologic past affect where and how to grow grapes? How does Oregon compare to other wine-growing regions in the United States and other countries around the world? Join us as Dr. Scott Burns, professor of geology and past chair of the Department of Geology at PSU, and wine enthusiast, tells us about all this and more about what makes a vineyard successful.

*A note on the suggested cover: Nerd Nite is completely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering education opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $8 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Nerd Nite is a monthly event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet soundly academic vibe. We aim to entertain, educate, elucidate, enlighten, and other things that start with “e.” Be there and be square.

When: Wednesday, March 12, 2014, doors at 6:00pm, event at 7:00pm

Cost: $8.00* suggested cover at the door

This Nerd Nite will feature two talks:

Owls and Other Night Birds Owls are the first type of birds that come to mind when we think of feathered night fliers, but many other species of birds are also active after dark. Jonathan Plissner, PhD, is a senior scientist with ABR, Inc. Environmental Research and Services and has been studying bird populations and behaviors for 30 years. His presentation will focus on nocturnal activities and adaptations of various groups of birds, as well as the risks these birds face in navigating landscapes altered by human beings.

The Biology, Behavior & Benefits of Bats Bats are essential to the health of our natural world. They help control pests and are vital pollinators and seed-dispersers for countless plants. Yet these wonderfully diverse and beneficial creatures are among the least studied and most misunderstood of animals. Cris Hein, PhD, is a biologist with Bat Conservation International and has been studying bat behavior and ecology for 14 years. Cris will discuss the amazing adaptations of these nocturnal animals and their importance to humans and the environment.

*A note on the suggested cover: Nerd Nite is completely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering education opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $8 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

When we think of games - video games, board games, any kind of games - they are often trivialized as mere childish pastimes to entertain us. Yet games are and have always been so much more than that. From the Olympics to epic man-vs-machine chess matches to daily “games” in which an underdog rises above and beats the system, games are powerful artifacts of our everyday lives with a potential for creative expressivity and change beyond that for which we give them credit. In this talk, game designer and artist Brenda Romero talks about the expressive power of games and her current work in the award-winning Mechanic is the Message series.

Following the talk, Portland Indie Game Squad will introduce the exciting work happening in Portland and lead a discussion for generating ideas and making connections in the local game development community.

Brenda Romero is an award-winning game designer, artist, writer and creative director who entered the video game industry in 1981 at the age of 15. She is the longest continuously serving woman in the video game industry. Brenda worked with a variety of digital game companies as a game designer or creative director, including Atari, Sir-tech Software, Electronic Arts and numerous companies in the social and mobile space. She is presently the game designer in residence at the University of California at Santa Cruz and the co-founder and chief operating officer of Loot Drop, a social and mobile game company. In recent years, Brenda has become known for an award-winning series of non-digital games titled The Mechanic is the Message. So far, Train, Siochan Leat, the New World and Pre-Conception have been released. In 2009, her game Train won the coveted Vanguard Award at IndieCade for "pushing the boundaries of game design and showing us what games can do."

A collaboration among: Portland State University Pixel Arts Game Education Portland Indie Game Squad

This event is free and open to all.

Starting this month, Portland Code School will host a monthly public event called "Inside the Developer's Studio." Taking a note from the popular, similarly-named TV show (Inside the Actor's Studio), Cris Kelly, Director of PCS, interviews a dev, or someone in Portland's tech scene, to get to know the guest both personally and professionally. Through the interview, we hear their stories and experiences; we learn from their mistakes and successes; and we learn more about ourselves and our community, as we discover how they arrived in Portland's rousing tech arena, and how they're contributing to it.

This month's guest is Tony Falco, CEO and co-founder of Orchestrate. A database veteran and serial entrepreneur, Tony built Orchestrate after noticing hundreds of companies unnecessarily duplicate database infrastructure time and again. Previously, he co-founded Basho Technologies, creators of the NoSQL database Riak, where he served as COO. Prior, he was VP of Product Management and Technical Services at Akamai Technologies, which he helped grow to an annual revenue of over $200 million.

Spread the word! Invite your friends and colleagues! Bring your questions and your lunch into our spacious classroom over Friday's lunch hour, Noon to 1pm. Q&A opportunities at the end of the interview.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

Date: Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Time: Doors at 6 p.m. event at 7 p.m.

Location: Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton Street, Portland, Ore.

Cost: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

Food & Drink: Beer, wine, popcorn, and snacks available. You’re welcome to bring food into the theater with you.

Event Description

The entire Pacific Northwest is sitting on a geologic time bomb known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone. When this fault line slips we could experience earthquakes and devastation as bad as Japan suffered in 2011, and coastal communities could have as few as 20 minutes before a tsunami rushes ashore. Yes, that’s WHEN it goes, not IF.

Yet it’s not all doom and gloom. Scientists and engineers are working to prepare our communities and infrastructure to withstand such devastation. Yumei Wang, geotechnical engineer, Geohazards Team Leader from the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), will talk about what is in store for the Pacific Northwest and how cities are preparing. We’ll also be joined by a disaster preparedness expert from the Red Cross who will give practical ideas for how to prepare yourself and your family.

Event website

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is mostly supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge! Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Time: Doors at 6 p.m. event at 7 p.m.

Location: Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main Street, Vancouver, Wash.

Cost: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

Food & Drink: Beer, wine, pizza slices, popcorn and snacks available.

Event Description

Just in time for Halloween! This Science on Tap will feature two speakers:

Arachnophilia: Fun Facts About Spiders and Their Kin Myths abound about spiders and their relatives (known as arachnids), and fears persist about their perceived danger to people. But these animals should inspire fascination, not fear! Dr. Susan Masta, an Associate Professor in the Biology Department at Portland State University, is studying the diversification of arachnids. She will discuss and answer questions on the biology of several common arachnids in the Pacific Northwest, and will help dispel some of the myths that exist surrounding spiders and their kin. Join us and get hooked on these amazing creatures!

Debunking Bats’ Bad Rap What animal is blind, gets tangled in your hair, and hangs out in belfries? Whatever it is, it’s not bat! Many people still believe these myths about bats even though there has been an increased effort by conservationists, researchers and animal lovers to educate the public about these fascinating and ecologically important creatures. Dr. Christine Portfors, a Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University Vancouver, is studying the brains of bats. She will discuss and answer questions on the biology and neuroscience of bats, and will help dispel some of the myths about bats. Join us and learn about these fascinating animals.

Event Website

Science on Tap at the Kiggins is produced in partnership withWashington State University Vancouver.

*A note on the suggested cover: Science on Tap is supported, in part, by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

DATE: Tuesday, November 4, 2014

TIME: Doors at 6 p.m. event at 7 p.m.

LOCATION: Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton Street, Portland, Ore.

COST: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

FOOD & DRINK: Beer, wine, popcorn, and snacks available. You’re welcome to bring food into the theater with you. DESCRIPTION: We’re told that digital is better than analog, but have you ever wondered why your cell phone sometimes drops calls? Mathematician Greg Landweber studies applications of error correcting codes, that is, ways of encoding digital information so that garbled signals can still be decoded. He will introduce several examples of error detection and correction, as well as discuss the limits of these codes.

Not a math person? Never fear! Using logic, hands-on activities, and a geometrical decoding machine of his own design, Landweber will explain how and why digital communication works.

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is mostly supported by money collected at the door. It is committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

We’re told that digital is better than analog, but have you ever wondered why your cell phone sometimes drops calls? Mathematician Greg Landweber studies applications of error correcting codes, that is, ways of encoding digital information so that garbled signals can still be decoded. He will introduce several examples of error detection and correction, as well as discuss the limits of these codes. Not a math person? Never fear! Using logic, hands-on activities, and a geometrical decoding machine of his own design, Landweber will explain how and why digital communication works.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Time: Doors at 6 p.m. event at 7 p.m.

Location: Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main Street, Vancouver, Wash.

Cost: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

Food & Drink: Beer, wine, pizza slices, popcorn and snacks available.

Event Description

Hearing is one of our basic senses – it helps us communicate and to perceive the world around us — but we shouldn’t take it for granted. Approximately 15 percent of Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 (about 26 million Americans) have some kind of noise-induced hearing loss, and much of that loss could have been prevented with a few simple precautions. At this Science on Tap, Dr. Allison Coffin, assistant professor in the neuroscience department at Washington State University Vancouver, will be joined on stage with live musicians and will talk about the mechanical and neurological process of how we hear and how we can protect our ears. Come ready to listen and learn…and maybe dance!

Event Website

Science on Tap at the Kiggins is produced in partnership with Washington State University Vancouver.

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is supported, in part, by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

COST: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

FOOD & DRINK: Beer, wine, popcorn, and snacks available. You’re welcome to bring food into the theater with you.

DESCRIPTION:

From flying machines to computers to lasers to lidar, technology has revolutionized the study of earth science. That’s good news for Oregon, where scientists at the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries are using lidar to learn more than ever before about the widespread geologic hazard of landslides.

Engineering Geologist Bill Burns will talk about the destructive power of landslides, risks for Oregon’s people, places, property – even our beer – and how lidar is making a difference.

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is mostly supported by money collected at the door. It is committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

COST: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

FOOD & DRINK: Beer, wine, pizza slices, popcorn and snacks available.

DESCRIPTION:

This event will feature two speakers:

Doug McCarty, Professor of Astronomy with the Science Integration Institute and past Planetarium Director and Astronomy Instructor, at Mount Hood Community College,

Pat Hanrahan, current Planetarium Director and Astronomy Instructor at Mount Hood Community College.

Science on Tap at the Kiggins is produced in partnership with Washington State University Vancouver.

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is supported, in part, by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

COST: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

FOOD & DRINK: Beer, wine, popcorn, and snacks available. You’re welcome to bring food into the theater with you.

DESCRIPTION:

Parasites constitute a global health problem of unimaginable magnitude. Two out of three people worldwide are afflicted with a parasitic disease, and most people who harbor parasites actually are afflicted with a multiplicity of diseases. The organisms that are considered traditional parasites are either protozoa, worms, or insects, although viruses, bacteria, and fungi also meet the classic definition of a parasite.

At this Science on Tap, Dr. Buddy Ullman, parasitologist at OHSU, will take a somewhat irreverent tour of the major time-honored parasites and describe where they live, how they reproduce, and what effect they have on humans. Warning: this talk will be both gross and fascinating!

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is mostly supported by money collected at the door. It is committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2015 Time: Doors at 6 p.m. event at 7 p.m. Location: Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main Street, Vancouver, Wash.

Cost: $8 online advance tickets , $10* suggested cover at the door. This is an all-ages event.

Food & Drink: Beer, wine, pizza slices, popcorn and snacks available.

Event Description:

Those pesky fruit flies that seem to come out of nowhere have actually evolved a pretty sophisticated way to stay healthy. Fruit flies are often host to parasitic wasps who lay their eggs inside the flies and which, after they hatch, consume the flies from the inside out. (Yes, like the movie Alien.) Since fruit flies are often around rotting, fermenting fruits, the flies that are infected with the parasitic wasps will actively seek out otherwise harmful levels of alcohol that has the effect of killing off the wasps in their system. They can also identify the wasps by sight, and when they see them, they will lay their eggs on more alcoholic food sources in (presumably) an effort to protect their offspring from being infected in the future. Todd Schlenke, PhD, professor of biology at Reed College, will talk about his studies that seem to show fruit flies self medicating and discuss how alcohol might be used as medication in humans as well.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

Science on Tap at the Kiggins is produced in partnership with Washington State University Vancouver.

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is supported, in part, by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Shaken, Not Stirred: The Coming Great Cascadia Earthquake

DATE: Tuesday, February 3, 2015

TIME: Doors at 6 p.m. event at 7 p.m.

LOCATION: Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton Street, Portland, Ore.

COST: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

FOOD & DRINK: Beer, wine, popcorn, and snacks available. You’re welcome to bring food into the theater with you.

DESCRIPTION: While we can’t predict exactly when the next Great Cascadia Earthquake will happen, we CAN forecast the probabilities from a long history of past earthquakes. The study of the geological history of the last 10,000 years of the Cascadia Subduction Zone has shown that there have been 43 great earthquakes (magnitude 8.0 or higher) along the coast of Oregon, Washington, California, and British Columbia. Some of these earthquakes were probably magnitude 9.0 or higher, and like the 2011 Japanese and 2004 Sumatran earthquakes, they probably also caused large tsunami waves that were devastating all over the Pacific. At this Science on Tap, Chris Goldfinger, PhD, professor of geology and geophysics at Oregon State University, will talk about the geology of Cascadia and his research on the recurrence interval of major earthquakes. While this research may not allow us to pinpoint a date for the next great quake, a better understanding of the geological forces at work can help us prepare.

Event Website

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is mostly supported by money collected at the door. It is committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

The Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Reed College invites you to a public lecture by Prof. Harry L. Swinney, Sid Richardson Foundation Regents Chair of Physics and Director of the Center for Nonlinear Dynamics at the University of Texas at Austin. Prof. Swinney is one of the pioneering figures in the study of chaos theory and his lab has played a leading role in the study of nonlinear dynamics over the past 40 years. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and his work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Moser Prize, the Richardson Medal, and the Boltzmann Medal.

From spatial patterns like the stripes on a zebra to temporal patterns like the rhythmic beating of the heart, patterns are ubiquitous in nature. Understanding how these patterns emerge is one of science’s most enduring mysteries. In this lecture, aimed at a general audience, Prof. Swinney will discuss how ordered patterns emerge as systems are driven away from thermodynamic equilibrium. While no general theory of pattern formation currently exists, new analysis techniques, experiments, and computational methods can provide general insights into pattern formation in a diversity of physical, chemical, and biological systems.

Spontaneous pattern formation in bacterial colonies

Sponsored by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty at Reed College.

DATE: Tuesday, March 3, 2015

TIME: Doors at 6 p.m. event at 7 p.m.

LOCATION: Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton Street, Portland, Ore.

COST: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

FOOD & DRINK: Beer, wine, popcorn, and snacks available. You’re welcome to bring food into the theater with you.

DESCRIPTION:

Vaccines are one of the greatest achievements of public health in the last century, and more is yet to be done. This success has saved countless lives -- and created a backlash of vaccine hesitancy and denial that we are still seeking to understand. At this Science on Tap, hear from a panel of experts from the Multnomah County Health department, including epidemiologists, doctors, and other scientists, about how vaccines work, how they protect our communities, what the risks really are, and how you can make a difference.

Event Website

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is mostly supported by money collected at the door. It is committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Full Event Title: This Is Your Brain on (Legal) Drugs: The Neuroscience and Art of Cannabis and Alcohol

Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Time: Doors at 6 p.m. event at 7 p.m.

Location: Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main Street, Vancouver, Wash.

Cost: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door. This is an all-ages event.

Food & Drink: Beer, wine, pizza slices, popcorn and snacks available.

Event Description:

Humans have used intoxicants like alcohol and marijuana for thousands of years, and we modern humans are no different. The Northwest is home to thriving beer, wine, and spirits industries, and now that both Washington and Oregon permit the recreational sale and use of marijuana, there are more legal opportunities to get high.

At this Science on Tap, have a beer and stimulate both sides of your brain as neuroscientist Bill Griesar, PhD, and artist Jeff Leake from NW Noggin discuss both the science and art of alcohol and marijuana. Find out how these drugs affect the chemistry our brains and how they change our behavior. Also find out how some well-known artists have approached (and sometimes used) these drugs in the creation of works of art.

Event Website

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

Science on Tap at the Kiggins is produced in partnership with Washington State University Vancouver.

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is supported, in part, by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

In Hot Water: What is the Future of our Freshwater Ecosystems?

DATE: Tuesday, April 7, 2015

TIME: Doors at 6 p.m. event at 7 p.m.

LOCATION: Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton Street, Portland, Ore.

COST: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

FOOD & DRINK: Beer, wine, popcorn, and snacks available. You’re welcome to bring food into the theater with you.

DESCRIPTION:

Freshwaters are some of the most imperiled ecosystems on the planet. Human activities, such as those linked to climate change, invasive species, and pollution, have greatly accelerated the degradation of these critical ecosystems.

Angela Strecker, PhD, assistant professor of Environmental Science and Management at Portland State University, will share some recent research and prospects for the future of healthy freshwaters in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is mostly supported by money collected at the door. It is committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Please note new date. Location and time remain the same.

Junk In the Trunk: Recent Controversies in Genomics

Date: Thursday, April 16, 2015

Time: Doors at 6 p.m. event at 7 p.m.

Location: Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main Street, Vancouver, Wash.

Cost: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door. This is an all-ages event.

Food & Drink: Beer, wine, pizza slices, popcorn and snacks available.

Event Description:

You may have heard that less than 2% of the human genome is comprised of protein-coding DNA. So what is the 98% composed of, where does it come from, and what does it do? Sarah Schaack, PhD, assistant professor of biology at Reed College will take you on a guided tour through the genomic landscape of some fully sequenced plants and animals, including humans. Her talk will explore the recent heated debate among biologists surrounding "junk DNA", its utility (or lack thereof), and why bigger isn't necessarily better, at least when it comes to genome size.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

Science on Tap at the Kiggins is produced in partnership with Washington State University Vancouver.

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is supported, in part, by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

DATE: Tuesday, May 5, 2015

TIME: Doors at 6 p.m. event at 7 p.m.

LOCATION: Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton Street, Portland, Ore.

COST: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

FOOD & DRINK: Beer, wine, popcorn, and snacks available. You’re welcome to bring food into the theater with you.

DESCRIPTION:

Food scraps comprise almost one-fifth of the amount of material our region sends to landfills every year – enough to fill 5000 long-haul trucks. These food scraps can provide compost, energy and other benefits to communities, but what are the most desirable environmental and economic approaches to dealing with this resource? What impact do food scraps have on the climate, water supplies, energy, and food security?

David Allaway, senior policy analyst with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, will share insights for different ways of dealing with food scraps while reducing what we throw away.

This event is part of Metro’s Let’s Talk Trash series designed to engage you in discussions that help shape how our region manages its waste in the future.

Event Website

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is mostly supported by money collected at the door. It is committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

Cost: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door. This is an all-ages event.

Event Description:

Parasites constitute a global health problem of unimaginable magnitude. Two out of three people worldwide are afflicted with a parasitic disease, and most people who harbor parasites actually are afflicted with a multiplicity of diseases. The organisms that are considered traditional parasites are either protozoa, worms, or insects, although viruses, bacteria, and fungi also meet the classic definition of a parasite.

At this Science on Tap, Dr. Buddy Ullman, parasitologist at OHSU, will take a somewhat irreverent tour of the major time-honored parasites and describe where they live, how they reproduce, and what effect they have on humans. Warning: this talk will be both gross and fascinating!

(Note: This is a repeat of the talk held in Portland on January 6, 2015.)

Event Website

Science on Tap at the Kiggins is produced in partnership with Washington State University Vancouver.

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is supported, in part, by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Contamination & the Portland Harbor Superfund: DEQ’s Cleanup Before the Cleanup

LOCATION: Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton Street, Portland, Ore.

COST: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

DESCRIPTION:

With Keith Johnson, DEQ Northwest Region Cleanup Manager, and Alex Liverman, DEQ Portland Harbor Stormwater Coordinator. More details soon!

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is mostly supported by money collected at the door. It is committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

Event Description:

Hanford Nuclear Reservation, located on the Columbia River in eastern Washington, is the largest contaminated site in the western hemisphere. Used to make plutonium for nuclear bombs during WWII and the Cold War, the Hanford site generated vast quantities of chemical and radioactive pollution. Cleanup at Hanford began in 1989 and we know it will now continue for generations to come.

At this Science on Tap, Abigail Cermak, Hanford Coordinator with Columbia Riverkeeper, Dirk Dunning, Chemical Engineer & Nuclear Specialist from the Oregon Department of Energy, and Tom Carpenter, the Executive Director of Hanford Challenge will talk about the history of Hanford, how we built the atomic bomb, and what the government is doing to clean up the nuclear waste.

Science on Tap at the Kiggins is produced in partnership with Washington State University Vancouver.

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is largely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

COST: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door

DESCRIPTION:

Caring for animals in captivity is a complicated task and many factors are involved in providing the best quality of life possible. Are the animals healthy? Are they housed in an appropriate environment? Do they experience positive emotions? We often assume we know the answers to these questions, but the needs of animals vary from species to species and can often be met through unusual and innovative means.

At this Science on Tap, Dr. Daniel Gottlieb, Animal Behaviorist and Manager of Non-Human Primate Resources at OHSU’s Oregon National Primate Research Center, will explain how to take a scientific approach to evaluating and improving the welfare of captive animals in a laboratory, zoo, or production setting. Learn about how research is used to improve animal management through specific cases of animal welfare research and enrichment and management strategies for captive primates.

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is mostly supported by money collected at the door. It is committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Location: Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main Street, Vancouver, Wash.

Cost: $8 online advance tickets, $10* suggested cover at the door. This is an all-ages event.

Full Title: Crime Scene Reconstruction: The Devil Is In The Details

Have you ever wondered how crime scene investigations actually work? At this Science on Tap, join Rod Englert of Englert Forensic Consultants as he takes you behind the scenes and explains how homicide investigations can test the limits of an investigator’s power of observation, intuitive thinking, and creative ability.

Chief Deputy (Retired) Rod Englert, a 50-year veteran of law enforcement, retired as Commander of the Operations Division, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Portland, Oregon, in 1995. He is also is the author of Blood Secrets: Chronicles of a Crime Scene Reconstructionist.

Books will be available for sale and signing.

*A note on the suggested cover at the door: Science on Tap is largely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $10 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Didn't make it to part I? That is ok - come along anyway! At our September meetup, we started our open-source accessibility planning guide, using Gitbooks. We defined the goal of the book as a concise guide for decision-makers in companies making software applications. We roughed out chapters and each took one (see book for details on page one of each chapter).

Our first milestone will be a chapter draft from each of us by the November meetup, when we will work on it more. Gitbooks enables anyone to write and design lovely books with as much public collaboration as they wish.

Join us at Puppet Labs for a presentation by Gian Wild on how to make your mobile sites accessible. You want to make sure your desktop site is fully accessible but now it is perhaps more important to make sure your mobile site or responsive web site is fully accessible to people with with disabilities. Many people with disabilities prefer using a mobile device to the desktop. WCAG2 was written before mobile devices were ubiquitous, and there are some accessibility issues unique to the mobile format, such as lack of keyboard, lack of mouse hover and reduced screen size. Gian will be talking about the most common problems and how you can avoid them.

More about Gian Wild:

Gian Wild is the CEO of AccessibilityOz an Australian company that is expanding into the U.S. Market. Gian has worked in the accessibility industry since 1998 and consulted on the development of the first Level AAA accessible web site in Australia. She ran the accessibility consultancy PurpleTop from 2000 to 2005 and built the accessibility tool, PurpleCop. Gian Wild spent seven years on the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group and contributed to the W3C Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group and the W3C Authoring Tools Accessibility Guidelines Working Group. She spent six years contributing to the development of WCAG2. In addition to her accessibility work, Gian is often asked to judge the accessibility aspect of web awards, having previously judged the Web Directions McFarlane Award, been the Accessibility Judge for FullCodePress (build a web site in a day) twice and has been the Accessibility Judge for the Australian Web Awards three years running.

Soft drinks provided by Puppet Labs.

The Portland Accessibility and User Experience Meetup will address how to incorporate accessibility and universal design principles into project planning, user research, and UX evaluation. The purpose of this meet up is to host an ongoing conversation about how to design and build tools that are inclusive to the greatest number of people possible - meaning those with and without (dis)abilities.

We intend to discuss topics related to accessibility policy and regulations, incorporating people with disabilities into an iterative project lifecycle, how to conduct UX research with diverse populations, automated and manual tools for UX evaluation, building accessibility into company policy and practice, and much more!

A UX Universal and Inclusive Design meet up is timely as we see the Dept. of Justice handing down ruling after ruling requiring digital products and services to be accessible (i.e. Netflix, Redbox, Target, etc...). This meet up will provide a much needed resource for Portland based companies and individuals interested in accessibility, universal design, and inclusive design.

Considering a career in coding, and wondering what job possibilities there are for you once you're trained up?

Come and hear from programmers who work for companies you may not immediately associate with web and software development. Portland developers from Wal-Mart, Jaguar Land Rover and a big retail company in Beaverton will tell you a bit about themselves, how they got into their current roles and what exaclty they do there. They'll then take any and all questions from the audience. Space is limited so RSVP now!

Come join us for an awesome talk with the amazing Andy Hoffman! With the presentation timed at about 10-15 minutes, there will be lots of time to ask any questions you have 1-on-1 about starting your career as a professional and any other questions that might come up. We're looking forward to it- hope you are, too!