Harvard University psychology professor Marc Hauser recently assigned his students the task of making science sexy.
“In many people’s eyes, science is not hip,” Hauser told the Harvard Crimson. “The idea I had was to put together a class of undergrads and try to see in what ways we can change the face of science.”
The students formed an organization dubbed The Zing. As part of their efforts, they’re sponsoring a contest to find the best T-shirt design that features the phrase, “Science is Sexy.”
The group will also host a Valentine’s Day “LoveFest” that explains the science of attraction. The students hope that by linking the day of love with science, people will think of the subject as less geeky.
A cheating mess
Shauna Moffitt, wife of University of South Florida linebacker Ben Moffitt, said she wrote several papers and took online classes for her husband – a violation of university and NCAA regulations, The Tampa Tribune reported. Her claims were made public alongside the announcement that she and her husband have been separated since Nov. 11.
Ben Moffitt calls the allegations “hearsay,” while the athletic department declined to comment, calling it an academic issue. If Moffitt is found to have cheated, the university could be subject to an NCAA investigation. On Friday, Shauna Moffitt was served with divorce papers that also asks a judge to restrain her from all contact with anyone in her husband’s acquaintance, saying she is “slandering him and greatly damaging his relationships.”
Reforming college sports
E. Gordon Gee, the president of Ohio State University, said colleges should work to contain spending on college athletics. Ohio State has the largest athletic budget in the country with 36 varsity teams. Gee is the former president of Vanderbilt University, where he merged the athletic program with the division of student affairs.
Gee claims athletics has turned into an arms race, and athletics should be more integrated into the program. But will this upset Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel?
“If Coach Tressel steps down, I’m stepping down with him,” Gee said.
Reptile Heist
Seven rare albino alligators were stolen last week from the Federal University of Mato Grosso in Cuiaba, Brazil, VOA News reported. The animals were stolen from the university’s zoo. Animal smugglers are believed to have taken the reptiles to sell them abroad.
Authorities estimate the two-year-old creatures to be worth $10,000 each and unable to survive in the wild because their white coloring makes it difficult to hide from predators.