24/7 Lecture

Write a 24/7 lecture for the midwoodscience.org website and press release mailing list. The idea for this assignment came from the annual Ig Nobel Prize Awards organized by the scientific humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research. Each 24/7 Lecturer explains their topic twice…

First, a complete, technical description in 24 seconds. Then, a clear summary that anyone can understand in 7 words.

This is a written assignment for this class, not a performance piece as it is at the actual event (2 samples, 3 samples, 3 samples).

A fast talker could probably squeeze out 2½ words per second or 60 words in 24 seconds. Write a summary of your research project in 60±10 words that is not afraid to use technical language. Then write a 7 word summary that is poetic, clever, or witty. Include at least one original graphic element, which means no artwork "made by the internet". A graphic element could be a photograph (natural or staged), a drawing (freehand or technical), or a graph (if it is interesting or has special visual appeal). Also, come up with a very short title for your "lecture".

If you would like to do this assignment, submit it to your supervising teacher via email. They will give you feedback. When it is good enough to go on the class website it will be posted for you. After several entires have been posted they will be combined into one message and sent out to the Midwood Science press release mailing list.