The Canberra Shows

on the 2004 Ig™ Nobel Tour of Australia

Faces in the crowd.

WHEN/WHERE: Two events (plus an extra), on August 12 and 16 (and 17), 2004: The official Australian Science Festival launch (held at Questacon); and an Ig Nobel event (held at the Shine Dome). [Marc also took part in a panel discussion on "Wealth Creation, A numbers game?"]

WHO: Marc Abrahams (organizer of the Ig Nobel Prizes, and editor of the Annals of Improbable Research).

OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Robyn Williams, The Excited Particles, Craig Williams, singers Colin Slater and Sheena Smith, pianist Alison Cosadinos, et al.

Marc explains the Blonsky device, which was the subject of the 1999 Ig Nobel Prize in the field of Managed Health Care.

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: Both the Australian Science Festival launch at Questacon and the Ig Nobel event at the Shine Dome included a performance of songs from the the Ig Nobel nano-opera "Atom and Eve," starring Colin Slater, Sheena Smith, and Alison Cosadinos..

Dr. Craig Williams of James Cook University enlists an audience volunteer to assist him in sniffing frogs.   (Click here to see a Reuters / Canberra Times photo).

Robyn Williams emcees the Australian Science Festival launch. One highlight was this experiment in which he tried wearing somebody else's eyeglasses.

Faces in the crowd at the Shine Dome.

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Liz Roche, John Ghirardello, Emo Parsonson, and everyone else at ASF, and to the staff at Questacon and the staff at the Shine Dome.

Colin Slater sings the role of Atom, the little oxygen atom who falls in love with a beautiful woman scientist in the nano-opera "Atom and Eve."

PHOTOS: Most of these photos were taken by Robin Abrahams.

Sheena Smith sings the role of Eve, the lovely scientist who falls in love with wee little Atom.

SPONSORED BY: Curtin University, WA; University of Tasmania; and National Science Week. Special thanks to ASF, Ltd.

The Excited Particles open the show at the Australian Science Festival launch, at Questicon.

Canberra.

An improbable fifth wheel (easily identified by his inappropriate attire) joined the National Science Week panel discussion on "Wealth Creation" in the Royal Theatre of the National Convention Centre.

 

The new British Ig book:

The first Ig book, now in paperback:

U.K. edition: