Life sciences sometimes seem “frankensteinish” to the general public. In my opinion, researchers do not spend enough time on communicating what they actually do. For example, grandma wants to know what your PhD is about (beeing disappointed, that you are not becoming a physician), the grant commitee asks you about your ingenious idea before paying money, and your future employer wants you to resume your previous work in two understandable phrases. Creating a fluorescent mouse with three heads is nothing compared to the stress caused by these questions!
If you don’t find the right words, why not making a comic or even dance your project, like I did?
Scientists know a lot, work a lot, and their projects are complex. Explaining their work of years in minutes, without using the actual terms, is a bit like playing the parlor game Taboo. The philosophy of The Gorgeous Nerd is therefore to minimize complex scientific content, connect it to things from “real life”, and make it digestable with a dash of humor.
XOXO, your Nerd