'The Puck of science' to discuss Ig Nobel Prize criteria

Contact: Kay Roybal, (505) 665-0582 (00-017)

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Feb. 4, 2000 -- The editor and co-founder of The Annals of Improbable Research will deliver a Director's Colloquium at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory on Tuesday, Feb. 8, in the Physics Auditorium.

Mark Abrahams, whose publication of record for inflated research and personalities has been called "the Mad Magazine of science," will speak at 1:10 pm. The talk is open to the public.

Abrahams, who has been called "the Puck of science" by the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the father and master of ceremonies of the IG Nobel Prize Ceremony, which honors individuals whose achievements "cannot or should not be reproduced." The prizes are handed out by genuine Nobel Laureates at an October ceremony at Harvard University, where Abrahams received his degree in applied mathematics.

After college, he spent several years developing optical character recognition computer systems, including a reading machine for the blind. He later founded Wisdom Simulators Inc., a creator of educational software, and edited The Journal of Irreproducible Results.

Abrahams also writes for other publications on science, technology and medicine.

In his talk, Abrahams will describe and dissect recent winners of IG Nobel Prizes, and advise and comfort some potential winners. He will also review some "outstandingly improbably research, a surprising amount of it genuine," from his magazine. Topics include The Taxonomy of Barney, a Spectrographic Comparison of Apples and Oranges, Xerox Micrography, Tabletop Fusion and Feline Reactions to Bearded Men.

Abrahams said heckling is encouraged, as are lab coats and other appropriate and inappropriate regalia.