Nerd Nite Winona #45: Long-Distance Hikers, Eagles & Wind Turbines, Insect Pinning

Step into the weirdly wonderful world of backpacking, where everyone smells bad, shares snacks, and makes the wilderness feel like home. It’s not just hiking—it’s a temporary society built on trust, laughter, and really strong calves.

Alexa Shapiro (she/her) is an outdoor enthusiast and forest bathing guide, living in Winona. She works as the Trail Director for the Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail.

TALK #2: “Using Machine Learning to Save Eagles from Wind Turbines” by Silas Bergen

The expansion of wind energy brings with it risk of collision for eagles native to the wind farm landscape. Are there types of land features that wind developers should avoid when planning new developments? In this talk I will describe how I applied machine learning methods to millions of data points collected from GPS telemetry devices worn by bald eagles in Iowa. These methods were used to classify the eagle behavior at any point in time, and to understand how underlying land features predicted those behaviors.

Silas Bergen is professor of statistics and data science at Winona State University. Along with teaching undergraduates, he enjoys backpacking, fishing, camping, hunting, sportsing, canoeing, foraging, and other outdoor adventures. He’s excited to share this research that synthesizes his professional and personal interests.

TALK #3: “The Art and Science of Insect Pinning” by Ellen Titus

Did you find a cool, dead bug on the sidewalk during your daily mental health walk? Keep it! You can pin, frame, and proudly display it! I’ll show you how and also tell you why artists and scientists pin insects.

Ellen works for a major nature non-profit. She really, really likes bugs and has been pinning them as a hobby for several years.