Dance Your PhD is an annual contest run by Science magazine that challenges PhD holders or candidates to explain their thesis through dance. The contest was started by John Bohannon in 2008 when he was a Science correspondent. Although he has moved on to other work, he still oversees the annual competition. Bohannen noted, "This year, American scientists did not seem to be in the mood to dance. Lucky for the world, Europe's scientists have doubled their creativity and enthusiasm."
The winner of the chemistry category and the overall winner was Sulo Roukka from the University of Helsinki, for "Insights into oral chemesthetic perception: A focus on food-related behavior." Chemesthesis is the sensory perception of chemical compounds that stimulates nerve endings in the mucous membranes, skin, and other tissues. Some examples are the burning sensation from chili peppers or the tingling of carbonated beverages. If the video is any indication, the team is very excited about it.
The winner of the Physics and AI/quantum categories chose a Matrix theme to explain "Laser Cooling & Ultracold Atoms." I am partial to this one because lasers are awesome.
The rest of the winners can be seen here.
Previously:
• Scientists dance their dissertations
• Chemistry Ph.D. thesis explained via dance routine
