Science Cheerleader

Our friends at NOVA ScienceNow spent the last year highlighting the human side of scientists and engineers through their successful Internet video series, The Secret Life of Scientists. It looks like the Internet was paying attention!

The Secret Life of Scientists has been nominated for Best Documentary Series in the 2010 Webby Awards, the ultimate showdown of the best websites on the Internet. This is a big deal — think the Emmy’s but for the web!

To win this battle for web supremacy, NOVA needs your support!  Visit the Webby Awards and cast your vote for Secret Life today.

If you need a refresher on the show, mouse on over to the Secret Life of Scientists and revisit some of these amazing men and women. Remember Nate Ball, the mechanical engineer, inventor, and award-winning TV host?  Or Erika Ebbel, Miss Massachusetts turned biochemist?

These are the dynamic living scientists and science stories that have made Secret Life of Scientists a success. Please cast your vote of support to help the show win the ultimate reward: a 2010 Webby Award!

In January 2009, two Red-tailed Hawks built a nest on a window ledge at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The nest sits just outside a window where a camera has been positioned to create this video stream. The camera looks through the glass window pane. No artificial lighting has been added, so the nest is only visible during daylight hours.

The nest was productive in 2009 and it is again now! Two hatchlings hatched already and one is about to! You can watch it live, here:

Free Webcam Chat at Ustream

I recently had a chance to see my favorite citizen science-loving indie rock band, DeVille, perform live in Washington DC. I had so much fun that I even put together this video, which includes an inspirational interview with lead guitarist, Ian Graham. Check it out if you can spare three minutes for non-stop fun and rockin’ power-pop music.

For more info, make sure to check out Deville’s website. Gooooooooooo DeVille!

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: