Ig Nobel Prizes are already distributed

The Ig Nobel Prize is given to scientists and engineers who come up with serious research without a serious purpose could be given the Ig Nobel Prize. The name is a fantastic pun. The pun works using the letters and mispronouncing of the name Nobel, as in Alfred Nobel, and “ignoble” means “not noble”. If a discovery from any of nine categories is without use or totally ridiculous, it could be given the Ig Nobel Prize.

Ig Nobel award winners for 2010

There were all great Ig Nobel Prize champions. This year everybody deserved their prizes. Anybody who found something ridiculous got an award from the Guardian. Here is a list of winners:

* In Medicine: The University of Amsterdam had Simon Rietveld and Ilja van Beest who made a discovery. Evidently asthma symptoms are often helped with roller coasters.

* With physics: The University of Otago, Brand new Zealand had Lianne Parkin who discovered something. Wearing socks over shoes keeps one from slipping on ice.

* Next is biology: Gareth Jones, from Bristol University, found that fruit bats enjoy sex for purposes other than procreation.

* Peace category: Richard Stevens, of Keele University, found that pain is alleviated when people curse.

* Engineering: The Institute of Zoology in London had Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse discover something. Remote control helicopters can be used to clean up whale mucus.

* Transportation: Train systems can be modeled with slime mold and oatmeal with scientists like Mark Fricker and Dan Bebber.

* Next is management: Alessandro Pluchino, from the University of Catania, found corporations can work in a more efficient manner if staff is promoted randomly.

* Public Health: The Maryland Industrial Health and Safety Office had Manuel Barbeito discover something. Evidently microbes are collected in beards often.

* Chemistry category: Eric Adams, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, along with help from British Petroleum, found that oil and water, in fact, mix.

* Next is economics: Bear Stearns executives, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Magnetar and AIG got a joint award. They had some inventive investing that happened.

What is next?

The site has a list of the Ig Nobel prize winners. Anybody that showed up to get their prize was on the list. Some of the winners for Ig Nobel 2010 didn’t show up. The Economics winners did not show up.

Info from

Guardian

guardian.co.uk/science/2010/oct/01/ig-nobel-awards-mould-bats

Improbable

improbable.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html#ig2010