Meme Adventures: Science and Mathematics Edition

For some, this is an uncomfortable aspect of life; for others, it is nothing more than the truth.

Introduction

The professor from — Russell Johnson, Leonard Nimoy and Greg Morris were just actors; but they brought to life the 1960s-era TV characters that inspired countless people to become interested in science and math.

Considering some of the television programs I watched as a child combined with current events (like the space race), it should come as no surprise that some of the characters on my favorite shows inspired me and countless others to pursue an interest in science and math .

Richard Dawkins and Memes

The person credited with coining the word “meme” is Richard Dawkins. I was lucky enough to meet several scientists and one of them was Dawkins.

Shortly after Dawkins coined the term, the meaning of “meme” began to evolve. Dawkins, being an evolutionary biologist, took it on and adapted.

While some people have different views on what is a true “meme” and what isn’t, I prefer not to get into that debate. I see a meme as preferably a meaningful application of words to a picture to produce a message. I like to use humor in my memes, but I also add elements of irony or point out hypocrisy, like a political cartoonist.

Left image: Cheezburger; right image photo by DoctorH — Photos of Cheezburger (left) and the author (right).

As a scientist, Dawkins is fair game for a science-based meme.

Science and math in memes

Many memes (not just mine) that relate to science and math focus on the practical difficulties associated with the subjects.

As happens from time to time, some people go further than simply complaining about the drudgery involved in such studies, and will sometimes say that the subjects themselves are so worthless that it was a waste of time to study them in the first place .

Those who dare to make such an insult may deserve a bit of a pushback:

Meme generator: utility of algebra — yes oh

Here’s a modest collection of my memes related to science, math, and engineering, for all the people out there who have invested themselves in the topics.