Wacky Inventions Win Ig Nobels

Amidst a constant barrage of paper airplanes and beach balls, the editor of a science-humor magazine presented this year's Ig Nobel awards last night for "achievements that cannot or should not be reproduced."

The ninth in a series of "First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremonies," last night's ceremony featured prizes awarded in categories ranging from Chemistry to Managed Health Care.

One audience favorite was the Environmental Protection prize, awarded to the inventor of a self-perfuming business suit. The tailored suits emit a pleasant fragrance when rubbed.

Inventor Hyuk-ho Kwon traveled from Seoul, Korea to accept his award, bringing custom-made suits for the four genuine Nobel laureates at the ceremony.

As the distinguished scientists on the stage rubbed their sleeves and inhaled, one audience member noted the rarely seen phenomenon of "scratch-and-sniff Nobel laureates."

Ig Nobel recipients came from all corners of the globe to take part in the ceremony.

Others, said editor of the Annals of Improbable Research and Master of Ceremonies Marc Abrahams, "could not or would not attend."

The winners of the Peace prize--natives of Johannesburg, South Africa--declined to attend the ceremony.

However, organizers showed a short film demonstration of their invention: a car alarm that shoots flames at would-be thieves.

Interspersed with the awards were a number of 30-second "Heisenberg Certainty Lectures" given by speakers asked to choose topics relating to their fields of study.

Lecturer Mimi Koehl, a biologist who studies biofluid dynamics at the University of California at Berkeley, delivered her lecture on the aerodynamics of Congress.

In her lecture, she reached the conclusion that, due to Congress' slow speed and enormous drag, it would have almost no lift and make no progress. However, she added, Americans should take heart at the fact that Congress is almost powerless--scientifically speaking--as well.

Last night was Koehl's first time at the Ig Nobel awards, although she said that she had heard broadcasts of previous awards ceremonies on National Public Radio

"I was flattered to be asked," said Koehl. "It might have been different if I had been one of the prize-winners, but the lectures are given by real scientists."

The Ig Nobel awards were founded in 1991 by Abrahams. The awards are intended to make light of "things that a lot of people expect to be intimidated by and not to like," Abrahams said. This category includes everything from science to opera. Besides a number of science demonstrations, last night's ceremony included a four-act opera that mixed tunes from Carmina Burana and other operas into a story that examined the issues of cloning humans and sheep.

Koehl said she feels science needs more events like the Ig Nobels to make it more accessible to the general public.

"I think the general public often thinks that scientists are kind of stuffy and don't have any fun, so any occasion where scientists are just silly is delightful--cause in fact we do have fun," Koehl said.