Nerd Nite SF: The Mathematics of Basketball + How to Fight Censorship

Submitted by the Event Organizer

HOT MOSS

By: Kate Furby

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

Kate Furby is a multimedia science journalist and host. She has a PhD from Scripps Oceanography in marine biology (not moss). She’s worked with NPR, Washington Post, National Geographic, among others.

Censorship S*#%KS! Let’s Do Something About It!

By: Lisa Schiff

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.

Lisa Schiff has an M.L.I.S. and a Ph.D. in Library and Information Studies and has been an academic librarian at the University of California, Office of the President serving all 10 UC campuses for almost 20 years. As a private citizen, she co-authored the Declaration to Defend Research Against US Government Censorship. The thoughts and perspectives shared on this topic are her own and are not meant to represent those of her employer. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3572-2981 | @lschiff.bsky.social

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

By: Frankie Presta

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.

Frankie Presta is currently a Junior at UC Davis, studying Managerial Economics and Mathematics. When not watching basketball, he’s playing it, either in real life or in the very controversial game NBA 2K25. Frankie loves diving into sports analytics and dreaming up ways to bridge the gap between academics and real-world action.

Featuring Friends of the Show:

The SF Public Library

Musical Treats by DJ&Jelly

Tarot with Ben Grandis

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.