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Taxonomy of Researchers

By drorzel on August 23, 2006.

Via Arcane Gazebo (who adds a category), an entertainingly snarky taxonomy of lab scientists:

Weird and Whacky

Consider the "mad scientist" of popular fiction, someone so obsessed with their subject that they forget to dress and show up to the lab in their pyjamas. Without wishing to indulge in stereotypes there are scientists who are highly creative and imaginative, it's just that you do wonder when the Mother Ship is going to come and collect them. On a good day they are self sufficient, enjoy thinking laterally and are great at finding ingenious ways of tackling a difficult piece of research. On a bad day they are withdrawn, uncommunicative and wearing their corduroy bellbottoms for the 400th consecutive day. They hate small talk and that includes a cheery "Good Morning" so they normally end up working the grave yard shift simply to avoid people. It is quite common for their group leaders to think these scientists have left and gone to work elsewhere.

It's more aimed at the bio-types (frequent references to messy chemicals), but you can fit most physics students and post-docs into the major categories as well.

Tags
Academia
Science
silliness

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08 24 06

Hello there. I found your blog via Capitalist Imperialist Pig's blog. This was a funny post. Yeah, I agree that most physics students fit into the Weird and Wacky category. I don't know why that is?!! My Aunt who is a toxic waste disposal salesperson deals with many chemists and physicists and her take is that physicists "are in their heads a lot."

I recall going to see Star Wars The Phantom Menace a few years back. I met my husband and my cousin there because I had spent the night in the Physics club room for a couple of days. Well when my husband saw me he exclaimed: "You have been in the lab too long!!! You might wanna take a bath!" I certainly battle the weird and wacky tendancies, but it is only because one can get so excited about learning something new! Oops it is 252AM in my timezone. I probably should get some rest! heheheheheh Have a good rest of week!

Physicists are in their heads a lot and it does make them -- unusual. For really weird though, you want mathematicians. Those guys speak human languages only as a second and not very good language.

MKK