Chris Paparo, assistant director for Southampton programs and Marine Sciences Center Manager at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), marked the 10th anniversary of his popular lecture series, now known as Geek Talks, earlier this year.
Paparo, who is also a writer, wildlife photographer, lecturer, and owner of Fish Guy Photos, began the series in 2015. The idea started when he noticed slow business at Moustache Brewing Company in Riverhead and proposed a science-themed lecture called “Drinking with the Fish Guy.” The event drew more than 100 attendees. “I did one of my underwater fish talks, just talking about underwater life like the fish and crabs and scallops and other things you see here on Long Island,” said Paparo. “At the end everyone was saying, ‘This was great! Can you do it again?’”
The success led to more events, though initially limited to warm months due to outdoor space. After three summers, an expanded tasting room allowed for indoor lectures until the COVID-19 pandemic forced a shift online. Despite moving to Zoom meetings during quarantine, attendance remained steady with 40-50 participants each week. Paparo noted: “They showed up no matter who the speaker was or what that topic was. At that point I realized that we had built a reliable community of people.”
To keep content fresh, Paparo invited colleagues from Stony Brook University as well as graduate students and friends from other organizations to present topics beyond his own expertise.
Following a change in brewery ownership—Moustache Brewing became übergeek Brewing Company—the series continued under its new name: Geek Talks. According to Paparo: “Calling it Geek Talks meant I could bring in anybody to give a talk because there’s always a topic that people geek out on.”
Lecture topics have since expanded beyond science to include subjects such as colonial cooking, early baseball, and jazz. The series has grown so much that there is now a waiting list for speakers through 2026.
SoMAS senior lecturer Tara Rider shared her experience: “I had the pleasure of giving several of the Geek Talks on topics including female pirates and the witch trial of Long Island. The crowd is always buzzing with excitement and full of great questions. It’s the kind of audience that makes you feel energized. It allows me to view my topic through a non-academic lens and consider how history and nature shape all of us.”
Geek Talks are held every other Thursday with about twelve lectures per semester. Looking ahead, Paparo aims to involve more graduate students and members of Stony Brook University’s community.
“I think we as scientists can be better educated, and better educators,” he said. He explained that complex scientific research can be inaccessible without clear communication: “When we have real-world challenges like climate change, people often don’t understand it because they haven’t heard it in a way that regular people can understand.”
Paparo sets one rule for presenters: avoid charts, graphs, statistics or Latin names—focusing instead on storytelling about their research journey.
“I don’t want them to be a scientist; I want them to be a storyteller and tell the story of their research,” he said.
He encourages presenters to relax during their talks: “Most people have never given a lecture while having a beer,” said Paparo. “It puts you in a different state of mind... This is a venue where maybe you had something happen in the field that you can’t talk about at a scientific conference but it’s still important.”
Reflecting on ten years of Geek Talks’ growth into an active community gathering spot—where even one couple met and later married—Paparo said: “I’m amazed at the community that I’ve built doing this... creating a sense of community and giving people more knowledge... To me, that’s been the biggest highlight of this.”
Those interested in presenting at Geek Talks can contact Chris Paparo at christopher.paparo@stonybrook.edu