"Going to the Board" in the 21st Century: Interpretive Dances of Dissertations

It’s always surprising to me how many people--and I mean people “on the street,” those that you may meet at the gym or at parties—say “Oh I’d love to read your dissertation” upon learning that you’ve spent far too many years in grad school. Oh REALLY? You honestly want to read my dissertation? Most of my committee didn’t even want to read my dissertation, but they had to. If you have a sleep disorder, I’m sure your GP can prescribe something… Well now the American Association for the Advancement of Science has found a way to ease this potentially awkward situation by bringing you the 2010 “Dance your Ph.D. Competition.” Yes, not only can you now exercise your body as well as your right and left brain, instead of having to give folks a copy of your dissertation, you can simply point to the video of your interpretive dance. You can even become a fan of the competition on Facebook. While I’m not inclined to do it myself, I’d love to see somebody attempt an interpretive dance of “The Stability of Planetesimal Niches in the Outer Solar System: A Numerical Investigation.”