Geeks' Night Out
Tempe is known for its technology companies, its entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, and groundbreaking research at Arizona State University and many other colleges. And, of course, if there’s one thing Tempe knows, it’s how to throw a party.
Join us for ASU Venture Catalyst Geek Week and Geeks’ Night Out sponsored by the Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives. We’re blending science, technology and fun to celebrate the Arizona SciTech Festival. Best of all, the events are free.
Geeks are really important to Tempe. About 20 percent of the jobs in our city are tech-related. We are, perhaps, the most tech-heavy town in Arizona, depending on how you slice it. We love geeks. They're smart, fun and want to change the world for the better. They've cured diseases, built robots, and yes, even helped us get to Mars.
What is Geeks' Night Out?
Be part of a very special Third Thursday on Mill Avenue on Feb. 21 from 5 to 10 p.m., themed to bring out the curiosity within. There’s science behind everything you love and we want to show you how it works. From science fiction to the business of science and everything in between, we’re celebrating smarts. Join us. It’s fun, smart and very Tempe. Here is a sitemap and list of participating businesses, schools and booths.
Here's what we have planned for you:
Invade City Hall! (Or at least walk around it in your costume)
Phoenix Comicon hosts its annual Geeks' Night Out costume contest. Strut your stuff before the judging. Meet us at the Comicon stage as Steampunk Gordon McConnell from ASU Venture Catalyst leads the zombies, super heroes, super villians and creatures of all kinds on a walk around Tempe City Hall. Starts at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to participate or gawk.
From the Stars and Beyond
NASA is coming to Geeks' Night Out and so is Geoff Notkin, one of the Meteorite Men from The Science Channel's hit show. Notkin and his team travel the world looking for meteorites. He will appear both at Geeks' Night Out from 5-10 p.m. as well as at the Tempe Public Library at 3 p.m. on Feb. 21.
Notkin will bring his books, meteorites and other cool things that are from beyond our planet. Get a picture with him, get an introduction to meteorite hunting kit and have a blast.
NASA will have representatives on hand to talk about the amazing recent discoveries and what is in the stars for space lovers.
Music
A Life of Science is a multimedia electronic rock band from Tempe, AZ. Their futuristic robot apocalypse-
themed album trilogy also includes a novel, comic books, videos, animation and more. Their progressive blend of electronics-infused pop rock follows the story concept's every bend. Listen
One Kitty Gone 'swingabilly' will bring those TV show themes you remember, along with video game music, and an ecclectic mix inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood, swing music of the 1940's, and rockabilly of the 1950's and today. Listen
ROBOTS!!!!
Tempe School District Robotics Clubs
Tempe robotics clubs will bring the amazing robots they've built in class. What was once science fiction is now able to be designed, built and operated by high school and middle school students.
University of Advancing Technology Robots and Ultra Sketch
UAT will bring a variety of robots made by students, as well as a new game creation, the Ultra Sketch. This 8-foot-tall video game will allow people to compete against each other in a series of fun games or randomly find locations within the city of Tempe for opportunities for in-person fun. You've got to see this!
R2-D2 Builders Club
Check out full-size replicas of R2-D2 and other Astromech Droids with the R2-D2 Builders Club. With more than 10,000 members in 30 countries worldwide, the club’s replicas have appeared on behalf of Lucas Films in Deal or No Deal, The Rose Bowl Parade, The Fiesta Bowl Parade, movie premiers, sports events, Star Wars in Concert, the White House, Halloween events and the Today Show.
Greathouse Labs
Evil robots take over the world! Lance Greathouse has robots that shoot fire and look like they came out of Terminator or the Matrix. Check them out!
Video Games
Level up!
Evil Controllers is bringing their coolest new game controllers to Geeks' Night Out for you to try. They have short cuts for firing 100 times with the push of a button and other devices to get you bonus points. If you have a physical disability, Evil Controllers might not be so bad - they create custom controllers that can be operated by your head.
GameTruck has been operating mobile video game theaters in the Valley for over 5 years with over 50 franchises nationwide. Come play with us as we show off the latest multiplayer video games in our state of the art environment. GameTruck will also be demonstrating Evil Controllers so you can experience gaming with the industry leader in modded controllers. The truck is wheelchair accessible.
Apps, Microscopes and Tesla!
Be a Pilot - minus the oxygen
ASU’s College of Technology and Innovation (CTI) believes the best way for students to learn real skills is to dive right in and make something! Stop by the CTI booth, and learn about what happens to pilots who experience oxygen deprivation when flying at high altitudes and play with the actual puzzles they use in their training. Play a student-created computer game, experience a 3D Z monitor and create a button to tell the world what you’re going to make happen today to take home! Plus, share with us what ‘making means to you’ by contributing to our event display board while checking out a demo of a student-built, giant Tesla coil!
Under a Microscope
Rio Salado College and ASU’s NanoFab and Nanotechnology Applications Career Knowledge Center will focus on the tiniest of the sciences - and arguably, among the most important, nanotechnology. By remote control, participants will be able to focus a Scanning Electron Microscope. They will use preloaded nanowires, biological samples and a CD ROM to create and reproduce images at the event.
We've Got an App for That - Boys and Girls Clubs
Guadalupe Boys and Girls Club and Intel will showcase their mobile app technology. Tempe Boys and Girls Club will be supporting efforts by the ASU School of Sustainability.
Pop Culture and Sci Fi
Ghostly Fun
The Southwest Anaomalous Research Center will be at Tempe City Hall showing the equipment they use in researching potential ghostly hauntings. They’ll lead a tour of Monti’s Restaurant, reported to be haunted, at 8 p.m., if you sign up with them at their booth.
The Arizona Ghostbusters are ready to believe you! Check out this group of do-gooders in ghostbusting swag. See the proton packs and check out the rest of their gear. You might even win a ride in Ecto, their car.
Dr. Who?
Step into a full-size replica of Dr. Who's Tardis, which will be located at the corner of Sixth and Mill in present time, brought to you by Az Tardis.
Phoenix Comicon Costume Contest + Photo Booth
Dress like your favorite inventor, invention, science project gone wrong, whatever. Show off your Star Trek and Star Wars gear. We want to see your favorite SciFi costume on Mill Avenue! Strut your scientific stuff in front of Tempe City Hall. Prizes!
Comic Book and Graphic Novel Signings
Pop Culture Paradise is bringing several graphic novelists to sign their goods. Their display will be located in the ground floor retail space of the City Hall Parking Garage located on Fifth Street adjacent to Tempe City Hall. Look for Ecto, the Arizona Ghostbusters mobile, near there!
Look who is coming: 
• Actress and Model Victoria Paege
• Author Craig Chenery
• Animator Len Simon
• Jeff Pina
• Bianca Thompson
• Wayne Gardiner
• “Big Chris” Chris Wood
• 183 Degree Studio’s Alfred Trujillo and AZ Powergirl
• Jessi Dreampainter
• Studio Fugazi's Al Sparrow
• American Dischord's Shelby Robertson and Rosanna Rocha
• Pop-Fury’s Toni Darling
• Derrick "Dadicus" West, Ernie Najera and Jacques La Grange presented by SpazDog Press.
• Todd VanHooser and the Under the Laughing Moon girls
• Artist Mark Greeenwalt
• Zombie BC’s Ryan Comstock McMurry
Desert Dolls Roller Derby
Desert Dolls Roller Derby will show how they can thwart gravity. Find them as they roll through our downtown.
Which will you like better? Their skating, their attitudes or their costumes?
For Entrepreneurs
Start-Up Spot by ASU Venture Catalyst
Stop by the west side of Tempe City Hall to visit a row of booths by emerging businesses. From new apps for your phone to products for your home, you'll want to see the next generation of leaders.
ASU Venture Catalyst Rapid Pitch at Terralever
Tempe is filled with great ideas that just need a little help to get to market. LaunchSpot technology incubator and ASU Venture Catalyst are providing a platform for inventors and researchers to present their ideas to some of the top entrepreneurs in the world. This event will be hosted by Terralever, 425 South Mill Ave, suite 201, across the street from the festival on the corner of Mill Avenue and Fifth Street. Attend this free event: http://rapidpitch.eventbrite.com/ Submit a pitch: http://bit.ly/ASURapidPitch
To inspire those at Rapid Pitch, Tom Wiskerchen, founder of the Arizona Cheese Company, will discuss how Tempe has become a leading producer of blue cheese in the world.
Sustainability
ERIC Knows Recycling
What goes in the blue barrel and what goes in the trash? What happens to an aluminum soda can after you drop it in the recycling bin? Meet ERIC, Tempe’s mobile Educational Recycling Information Center – a 38-foot trailer filled with innovative and interactive opportunities to learn about the recycling cycle.
Chemistry in Your Storage Closet
Tempe’s Household Products Collection Center will demonstrate why you shouldn’t store your pool chemicals along with brake fluid in a cardboard box. Or why it’s not a good idea to have, say, cleaning supplies, paint thinner and paper towels on the same shelf. Many common household products can be dangerous – to your family, your pets and the environment – if not used, stored and disposed of properly. Learn more about how you can help protect the earth and your family by making smart choices about household products.
Schools!
Tempe Elementary and Tempe Unified High School District have outdone themselves with amazing science displays. See how the future of our society is learning STEM and using it to change the world.
Studio C / Technology:
This exhibit is a fully-functioning television studio where guests get to experience the technology behind a sports broadcast. Participants will use teleprompters, video cameras, studio lights, audio recording equipment, and green screen technology to create their own broadcast – which can then be uploaded to our YouTube channel.
Energyville / Engineering:
Four laptop computers are connected to the internet site www.energyville.com. Energyville is a game developed by The Economist Group that allows players to control the energy mix of a virtual city and to discover the economic, environmental, and security impacts of their decisions.
Putting Green / Slope and Acceleration (Golf):
This station introduces students to some of the mathematics behind putting using a Stimpmeter. Participants are given the challenge of determining the angle and force necessary to sink a putt from calculations derived from the given green. After releasing a ball from 30” up a ramp tilted at 20 degrees, participants can measure the distance it goes with the Stimpmeter and determine the speed of the green. Then, using vectors and trig, students can determine the force necessary to sink the putt…and do it themselves.
Shaft Flex / Energy Transference (Golf):
At this station, students will discover clubs must be fitted to the individual so that the power (energy) of the swing is transferred to the ball at the correct time and in a controlled manner. Participants will be able to see the weight of different shafts and see that flexibility of the shaft can be measured and predicted. After seeing a finite element analysis of the shaft flexing, and then applying the same weight to a real shaft, students will use strain gages to measure deflection of the shaft.
Air Cannon /Aerodynamics:
This demonstration uses compressed air to launch a ping pong ball towards a target. A small patch of sand paper near the end of the cannon barrel causes the ball to spin as it leaves the barrel. Students can observe how the spin of the ball will affect the flight of the ball.
Gravity Ball Drop/ Acceleration due to gravity:
This demonstration shows that the acceleration due to gravity affects all objects equally. The exhibit uses an apparatus to drop 5 different sports balls ranging in size from a golf ball to a bowling ball, at the same time. The exhibit shows that all balls will drop at the same rate. The exhibit also shows that drag will affect the rate of fall.
Desert Vista Engineering:
Students will showcase engineering projects, including the h2 fuel cell car, robots, mobile apps, water purification, and solar light projects.
McClintock High School's Eco Club
Students will showcase No Impact Week activities that include making Greenhouse Gas Molecules and a Transportation Photo Booth.
Sustainabilty Game
Students in the Tempe Elementary School District will be building a life-size, interactive game board to showcase their knowledge of sustainability. Participants will play the sustainability game with student guidance and support. Students of Connolly Middle School and the ASPIRE Academy will also present their models showcasing technology as a solution for a more sustainable society.
Kid Zone
The youngsters of Tempe Kid Zone will have a display of their artistic talents around the railing of Tempe City Hall while Kid Zone staff will provide an interactive science activity for everyone to enjoy.