Ordinary people can perform astonishing acts of altruism, but what drives this behavior?

Unfortunately, this event has been canceled. We apologize for any inconvenience. 

This program is part of an annual series of events in partnership with the University of Michigan Eisenberg Family Depression Center. 

“We Can Do It’ became the rallying cry for millions of women who had, until this time period, never envisioned working on an industrial assembly line building the weapons of war. Join presenter Claire Kitchin Dahl of the Yankee Air Museum to learn the incredible history of the Willow Run B-24 Bomber Plant and the teamwork of the powerful Detroit automotive industry. Claire will share the dramatic and vital roles played by women as they showed the nation that they were willing and able to fill the work force gaps caused by men going into military service.

From 1929 to 1932 Albert Kahn, Inc. oversaw the design and construction of over 500 factories in Soviet Russia; many converted to munitions production during World War II. Without Kahn’s unintended contributions to the Russian war effort there is arguably no decisive Allied victory, making these adaptive renovations among the most influential to ever be applied to his designs. What unique reuses of Kahn designs might we find in metro Detroit if we went looking? Which exhibit the greatest degrees of versatility and unintended consequences?

Due to circumstances beyond our control this program has been canceled.

Gather ‘round for an evening of informed and informal talks from a friendly neighborhood expert! We’ll have three speakers, each presenting on a different topic and sharing interesting facts that you never knew you never knew!

Past Nerd Nite speakers have led deep dives into topics from the legacy of Louis Pasteur, to the origin of elements, to how a trumpet works, to a dissection of romance novel tropes.

So bring a friend, grab a drink, and enjoy an evening outdoors among fellow nerds. Be there and be square!

Speakers include:

Ann Arbor may not be the biggest city in Michigan, but it is rife with history and ghost stories. Join Kim Gray and Crysta Coburn from the podcast Haunted Mitten to hear about Ann Arbor's haunted history and true crime events from the city's past.

Professors, instructors, or researchers from the University of Michigan Department of Psychology share their exciting research with the community as part of this regular series.

This program is in partnership with The University of Michigan Department of Psychology.

Safeguard your mental health and promote civil discourse in these turbulent times.

Join poet and presenter Leslie McGraw for a 1.5 hour workshop and learn about various journaling techniques, how to mine journals for patterns, poems, and stories, how to review poems for connection (as opposed to scholarly review), and engage in a couple of guided reflections.

Participants may bring a notebook or journal and something to write with. Materials are also provided.