Presentations Tom Bernard manages to mix two of his interests -- leadership and pop culture -- into a presentation (from PKN Pittsfield Vol. 3) that he freely admits veers on the "nerdy" side. In overcoming OCD and a variety of other anxiety disorders, Mark Freeman was shocked to discover that all people have brains. This presentation (from PKN Toronto Vol. 16) is the story of that discovery. Posters Our final additions for the week to the Tumblr blog include the poster for Toronto's upcoming Vol. 18 -- designed by Trevor Embury, and part of the DesignThinkers conference -- and two older posters from PKN Moncton (Vol. 5 and 6).  Photos Today's photo gallery [Flickr] is for PKN Hong Kong Vol. 12, which was held this past Tuesday. From what we hear, it was a packed -- and intimate -- gathering, and the atmosphere was fantastic. HK's next PKN ("lucky" Vol. 13) is already set for December 5, and it will be held at the same venue (XXX Gallery).  Calendar Here are your weekend PKNs, starting with tonight (October 19): PKN Nishinomiya Vol. 14, PKN Adelaide Vol. 4, and PKN Hakata Vol. 4. On Saturday, you'll find PKN Maastricht Vol. 16 and PKN Nara Vol. 4. 

  "We want to 'whale-cast', we want to predict where they're at...so we can manage human use of the ocean to minimize impact on endangered species." Ben Best is an analyst for the Ocean Health Index, a research project housed at UCSB's downtown ecology center. For him, the ocean has long been a source of spiritual sustenance, vigorous play, wondrous discovery, and intellectual curiosity. In "Oceans of Data" from PKN Santa Barbara Vol. 10, he discusses using data to map out plans for marine conservation.   

“I loved the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and I wanted to take a river trip like theirs.” Ad and film professional Alex Oliver set out on a 1,000 mile journey down the Mississippi River on a mission. In “Voyage: East Tennessee to the Gulf of Mexico” from PKN Knoxville Vol. 14, we see how the goal of this trip was not only to conquer the Mississippi, but also one of self-discovery, and of the talented people around him.

"I do exploration and documentation of shipwrecks and sunken aircrafts"In Documenting Sunken Ship Sites from Jackson, MS, Vol. 7 Kelly Gleason, PHD, an underwater archaeologist for NOAA in Honolulu, HI, describes how artefacts become historical record which in turn can create connection with our stories and civilisation as a whole. One shipwreck discovery, the Two Brothers, is significant because it tells more of the story that inspired the novel, Moby Dick. She indeed shows us how all of these discoveries coming from a remote reef in the northwest Hawaiian islands do have significance to us all.Enjoy

"Basically everything in our expedition was blessed (by Tibetan Monks), our ropes, our ice axes ... and it would turn out later that we would need this blessing."In Everest Without Sight from PechaKucha Night Leiden Vol. 12, Kevin Augello, founder of New Earth Films, a British rooted documentary production company, whose clients include the BBC, National Geographic and Discovery Channel, aims to share the diversity and natural history of Planet Earth. In this moving presentation he shares about his emotional journey while filming the extraordinary attempt of Dr Thomas Weber, a visually impaired climber with a mission to reach the summit of the North Face of Mount Everest in Tibet. 

"How many gems of scientific discovery are out there, published in articles, that we don’t know about?" One of the goals of scientific research should be the improvement of the human reality. But have we created a world in which the journey from discovery to society is so exhausting that it deters academics from embarking on it? And if so, can we do something about it? In "From Science to Society: A Field full of Landmines" from PechaKucha Night Maastricht Vol. 31, Bart Knols discusses how scientists need to better communicate with those who are outside their field in order to contribute to society's development.

When we are bogged down in our daily work of taking or teaching classes, in the weeds of doing research, writing, marking, sitting in meetings, reading emails….it is easy to lose sight about what excites us about learning and discovery. Do you have budding ideas for research, projects you would love to do, new, perhaps even wild, ideas you would like to ignite—suspending concerns of time and resources? As students and faculty together here at Acadia University, how often do we get a chance, or take the time, to tell other people about the things we are passionate about? We are carving out some time to do just that on campus February 15 at the Axe Lounge (6-7:30). Be a Pecha Kucha storyteller, and share your Wild Ideas About Research with your Acadia community, or just come out and listen, celebrate passion for learning, have some pizza brought to you by Research and Graduate Studies, and if you want, toast a beer. Interested in presenting or need more information about Pecha Kuckas as a storytelling format? Tips for presenting? The PK team is here to help.   Contact Lesley at Lesley.frank@acadiau.ca or Kent at kwilliams67@me.com  

"The city landscape is constantly changing... it's impossible for one person to do it alone." In Watch this Space: Christchurch Street Art at PechaKucha Night Vol. 29, Lindsay Chan shares her discovery of numerous murals popping up around the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. In response to the recent natural disaster, many local artists have taken to the streets to create a lively atmosphere through adversity and art. Lindsay hopes that the creation of an app will bring her community together one mural at a time.  For more details, visit: http://christchurchstreetart.co.nz/  

In this presentation Lizzy Karp and Ken Tsui explain how their creative studio, Here There, is inspired by challenging the expectations of an activation and an experience.   With a process that often feels like an exploratory mission in the deepest reaches of space, they describe how their goal is to share the feeling of discovery and inspire a more interesting culture within the city.   

This PechaKucha Night Islamabad is all about the beauty, elegance, and intricacies that make up the world of architecture! Our speakers represent the diversity one finds in the ever-evolving architectural landscape of Islamabad. Hasan Lashari talks about the transformative nature of thresholds and the juxtaposing Saidpur village within Islamabad city inhabits all the traits of a threshold. Murtaza Bilal will be talking about his experiences in trying to strike that fine balance between the client brief and an architect’s creative expression. Sannah Ejaz outlines ideas of space/time in architecture as opposed to architecture in space/time. Masshal Saif from Khaam Studios, enumerates the qualities and the variances one can experience in the rigid material that is concrete. Mustafa Naeem talks about his continuing journey of discovery in the field of architecture since he first started out in 2004. Ali Rahman Khan’s presentation is all about how he learnt the importance of drifting in finding purpose in architecture and entrepreneurship through systems thinking. Faisal Arshad’s presentation will be about the challenges of incorporating the natural elements as well as innovative materials and technologies. Ghousia Ahmed will be speaking about discovering, in her travels, how culture has impacted architecture. Awais Aqdus will be talking about mass transport projects in the various cities of Pakistan and their impact on city development and the heritage sites. Fawad Suhail will be speaking about the importance of pubic and community spaces in the city. It will be an enlightening, educational and enriching experience of what architecture means in these times For details visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/618456498486180/?ti=cl