Fresh off the success of Nerd Nite Wilde 1: Welcome to Delaware comes Nerd Nite Wilde 2: Eclectic Rendezvous! This sequel promises to be as engaging and fun as the original with talks on Pokémon, beer history, and supply chain issues during the Civil War. The common thread here is pretty obvious. As always, the action goes down on the 4th Wednesday of the month (2/28) in the Alamo Room at Wilmington Brew Works. You can get your tickets here (ticket proceeds support the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science). It is recommended that you get those tickets early as we sold out last month! Read on to learn more about this month’s speakers and talks:

Pokémon: Fake Monsters; Real Issues with Malcolm Nolasco

Learn how video game developer Game Freak has interwoven real world issues, such as pollution and climate change, into their hit video game series Pokémon, and the benefits of introducing these issues to young minds. Delve into the history of Pokémon, its nature-based roots, and learn about the people within the Pokémon community.

Malcolm Nolasco is a nerd with way too many hobbies. Hailing from New Jersey, he is the Guest Experience Coordinator at The Delaware Museum of Nature & Science. Growing up on an equine farm, he naturally progressed into a career in Museums & Technology, because working on a farm is so much work. He spends most of his free time juggling between his hobbies, mainly playing video games, building models, catching up on TV/Movies, or playing DnD with friends. He enjoys traveling around the country playing Pokémon competitively (even though it’s mostly for good vibes, he’s so bad at the game), and supporting his friends while they do the same. His love of science is fueled by his love of building, which he uses to build computers as well as robots when he gets the chance.

Saving Delaware’s King of Beer with John Medkeff

John will be discussing Restore the King, the privately-funded campaign to renovate Delaware’s iconic King Gambrinus statue and return it to public display. The sculpture is the most significant remaining artifact from Delaware’s golden age of brewing in the 19th and 20th centuries, and its restoration symbolizes the return of brewing as an important cultural, economic, and social driver.

A native and resident of the city of Wilmington, John Medkeff has been researching, writing, and speaking on the topic of Delaware beer and brewing history since 1996. As Delaware’s foremost expert on state brewing history, his articles have been featured in several local and national publications, and on radio and television. John has conducted numerous lectures throughout Delaware on a variety of topics related to the state’s beer and brewing history and led tours of historic brewing sites. In addition to authoring “Brewing in Delaware”, a pictorial history of brewing in the First State, he also maintains a website and a Facebook group page dedicated to Delaware’s brewing history. John has led projects to promote and preserve the state’s brewing heritage, including the completion of the Christian Krauch memorial and serves as president of Restore the King, the campaign to return Delaware’s historic King Gambrinus statue to public display.

Supply Chains Made Interesting: DuPont’s Problems With Transportation During the American Civil War with Lucas R. Clawson

DuPont was the largest explosives manufacturer in the U.S. during the American Civil War, manufacturing a majority of all black powder the Union Army and Navy used in the conflict. But getting raw materials and shipping out the finished product wasn’t easy. My talk will show you how piracy on the high seas, international incidents, secret plots, insurance rates, telegraph lines, and religious holidays in India made it hard for DuPont to do business. Plus show you how something that seems deadly dull is actually quite riveting…

Lucas R. Clawson is an historian at Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington, Delaware. He works with historical records of the DuPont Company and du Pont family, using them to create public programming, lead discussions with Hagley’s staff, and for his own scholarly research. Lucas is a graduate of Appalachian State University and the University of Delaware. He has been with Hagley since 2007.