SAVE THE DATE! SAVE THE EARTH! IT’S EARTH DAY!
Get ready to appreciate our beloved planet! 🌍

This Earth Day, Nerd Nite HK Edition 24 turns up the volume for Mother Nature with a rockstar lineup of scientists who will teach us on sustainability, conservation, and the clever ways humans are trying to keep Earth livable. Expect big ideas, surprising facts, sharp visuals, and plenty of BEER.

Bring your curiosity, and your questions—because saving the world is way more fun with friends (and ALCOHOL). See you there for science, laughs, and a whole lot of green vibes! 🌱🔬

Date: April 23, 2026 (Thursday)
Time: 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Location: The Pontiac (13 Old Bailey Street, Central)
Entry Fee: 100 at presale, 120 at the door (Tickets include a drink)

Link here for tickets: https://www.thepontiac.com//_paylink/AZYUn47c

Speaker 1: Dane Ancheta

Topic: Sip Happens – Climate crisis on tap

Bio: Dane has over seven years of experience in the climate change and sustainability sector.Dane supports organisations across Asia in understanding and managing climate and sustainability-related risks and opportunities, integrating these considerations into environmental and social (E&S) frameworks, investment processes, and business strategies. She has worked with development finance institutions, banks, private equity firms, and corporate clients to align projects and investments with international E&S risk frameworks and standards, including the IFC Performance Standards and the Equator Principles.

Her expertise spans environmental and social due diligence, climate risk and vulnerability assessments, and decarbonisation projects, with a focus on waste, supporting clients in embedding sustainability and resilience within their operations and decision-making.

Speaker 2: Shaik Abdulllah

Topic: Pearl Powder from Hong Kong Waters: Nature’s Detox and Sustainable Health Innovation

Bio: Dr. Shaik Abdullah Nawabjan (ABD) is a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at PhrmaSec Limited (an HKU spin-off company) and Honorary Senior Research Associate at The University of Hong Kong. He earned his PhD in Drug Discovery and Toxicology from HKU, following Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Biotechnology from India. His research focuses on turning local Hong Kong oyster shells into natural health products that bridge ancient Chinese medicine with modern science.

Speaker 3: Astrid Andersson

Topic: Human-wildlife coexistence in urban Asia: a cockatoo case study

Instagram: @astrid_alex_andersson and @hk_cockatoo_watch

Bio: Dr Astrid Andersson’s research focuses on wildlife trade, urban biodiversity and the critically endangered yellow-crested cockatoo. In her postdoctoral research, she is applying genomic techniques to understand where exactly Hong Kong’s introduced city cockatoos came from and assess their conservation value. She is part of the Conservation Forensics Laboratory at the University of Hong Kong, and has recently authored scientific papers on the trade of hippo teeth, shark fins and elephant ivory. She has worked on projects to counteract wildlife trade with a number of non-governmental organisations, including World Wildlife Fund HK, Freeland, WildAid HK, TRAFFIC and Humane Society International.