A friend of mine just sent me a link which…wow…I’m having a hard time finding the right words.

It’s called the AAAS/Science Dance Contest, and is open to “anyone who has (or is pursuing) a Ph.D. in any scientific field, such as physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, anthropology, or in science-related fields such as mathematics, engineering, linguistics, bioethics, the history of science, etc. regardless of whether you’ve remained in academia.”

It’s a showcase of interpretive dance based on peer-reviewed scientific research.

Wow.

You know, I’m a relatively huge geek, but seeing stuff like this makes me feel really good. It makes me realize that I’m actually one of the really high-functioning geeks who can pass (most of the time) as a mundane in normal society. The kind of geek who can actually get a date 😉

And can I just add: my degree is in history of science (one of the eligible participant categories) and as much as I liked the people in my program I think we’re the last folks you’d want to watch do interpretive dances based on Newton’s Optics or the medieval refinement of gunpowder or somesuch.

Do yourself a favor and check it out here. Be sure to click on the dance stills for a link to YouTube videos of the dances. My personal favorite is ‘A Molecular Dance in the Blood, Observed’, featuring four PhD dancers in red shirts, swim goggles, and rubber gloves.

Believe me, I couldn’t make up stuff like this.

– S.