Science Cheerleader

The South by Southwest (SxSW) Interactive conference in Austin, TX, showcases the brightest minds in the world of emerging and web technology (Darlene was a speaker there last year and, this year, helped Discover Magazine and the National Science Foundation present The Future of Gaming…she’ll tell you all about that), but I am always pleasantly surprised to find a few hidden science gems. This year, I attended sessions exploring open science, the intersection between science and cooking, and the future of gaming research, and I had the opportunity to meet some of the amazing organizations that make up Women Techies Unite.

However, nothing surprised me more than running into Tia and Jordan, the two science-loving Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in video above. They were kind enough to give this Science Cheerleader shout-out, which more than makes up for the inevitable backlash I will recieve from fellow Arizona Cardinals fans.

Several items worth noting:

1. I did not know the Cowboys Cheerleaders would be at SxSW.
2. Those are my lab goggles, and I did bring them to the conference.
3. That is not my cowboy hat.
4. I too am impressed by how natural and comfortable I look wearing a cowboy hat.
5. This video does not indicate in any way that I am less opposed to any modicum of success potentially achieved by the Dallas Cowboys football team.
6. The Arizona Cardinals will still win the Super Bowl in 2011. I guarantee it.
7. I am also guaranteeing that guarantee.

Gooooooooooooo SCIENCE!

Thanks to Ant Atkinson and the entire Globetrotters organization.

As if we needed another reason to despise mosquitoes… Thanks, Leila, for sharing this fascinating video with us. It shows the dangers of malaria and how easily it spreads.

Thanks to The Rugbyologist for sending this.

Are you a 30 year-old male with the physical building skills to design inventions and create amazing gadgets?

If so, you are not me. In addition, you may be perfect for the cast of a new engineering TV show that aims to solve occupational and domestic problems for everyday people. The creators are look for candidates with big ideas and even bigger personalities — someone with a wry sense of humor and the passion to overcome engineering challenges.

Visit GotCast.com by February 15!

In our continuing effort to playfully challenge stereotypes and, well, turn people onto science, we present:
The Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders-turned-scientists! Enjoy! (And GOOOOOOO EAGLES!) See how the Philadelphia 76ers Cheerleaders helped the cause and check out the Tennessee Titans cheerleaders, too. Thanks, ladies! And, of course, a big shout out to NFL’s man of science, Hugh Douglas!

Check out this amazing holiday greeting by Dr. John:

SciCheer book reviewer Joanne Manaster tells us what she thinks about the soft-on-science-but-heavy-on-social-etiquette book, I See Rude People. If I get this book as a gift, I’ll know why (hint: texting while talking to others. I know! I know!). One cool reminder Joanne pulls from the book deals with the brain’s limited capacity to communicate with large numbers of people. How many people do you interact with on a given day (factor in the folks at the supermarket, school, online friends, etc)? More than 150? If so, your brain’s probably being compromised. Back when we ran with traditional tribes, our brains nimbly handled communications among 150 *or fewer* other tribesmen (the average size of a tribe was 150). Fast-forward to today, and it turns out our brains haven’t evolved all that much in this regard: the ability to communicate well begins to break down after our circle extends past 150 people.

From John-the-Tourist:

At the risk of revealing how ancient I really am, I just missed the “Sesame Street” era when I was younger.  By the time the lovable Muppets were a staple on public TV, I was “too old” to watch such juvenile fare (although I have to admit that I secretly watched an occasional show because they were just too darn fun not to watch).

Now that I’m a lot older and don’t have to worry about “looking cool” any more, I can relish two excellent videos, starring puppets, that explain “science stuff” in an extremely fun and entertaining way.  The videos were produced by The Sounds of Science, “…a small group of graduate students and recent alumni of UC Berkeley that share a common love of science and music.”

Their first video, “The Nano Song” won an award from the American Chemical Society for clearly explaining what the heck nanotechnology is…

The second video, “The Safety Song”, shows why safety in the lab is very important (especially if you shed purple hair)…

The songs are informative, the puppets are funny, and Ms. Glory Liu is an impressive singer.  Now that I’m no longer in the 5th grade, I don’t give a hoot if anybody sees me watching a puppet video.

(Note to educators: Don’t show this one. Other readers: see previous video 1st!)

Dr. John shared this stunning video. I’ll sum it up: “Aw, ew, gasp, whew.” Check this out: