Sadly, Bill Nye got eliminated week 3. He is a somewhat stiff dancer, not being able to do all the lithe movements the judges look for. That's not what I care about.
In the 2nd week of the competition, he fell at the end of his dance and tore 80% of his quadricep tendon. Thats 80% of the tendon that connects big muscle on the front of your thigh to your knee. That is unbelievably painful. That's the kind of thing that sends football players to the ground. Immediately after doing so, he got up, and stood in front of the judges before limping off and finally admitting he had hurt himself.
After hearing the doctor describe the damage and summarize his condition as "those few strands of tendons hanging on for dear life", Nye asks, "Well, what if I immobilize the knee entirely...and create some crazy choreography, peg leg fashion?" The doctor looks taken aback, and slowly responds with "Do I think you're going to be able to do much, no, do I think its going to hurt, yes, do I think you run the risk of worsening that tear or rupturing it completely, absolutely." and basically suggests a wheelchair.
And Nye went ahead with it anyway. Leg totally immobilized in a brace, lots of physical therapy treatments notwithstanding, he was obviously in a lot of pain just standing up. Although he lost, the judges and the other dancers were in awe of the fact that he got up there at all.
So yes, he was a stiff white guy scientist, but he also shatter the perception of scientists as wimps (his background may be engineering, but he inspired so many kids to be scientists, he deserves the title). It's about as standard as stereotype as the social awkwardness and glasses. It's used frequently on things like The Big Bang Theory when the writers get lazy. And while I will readily confess scientists can have trouble with small talk around non-scientists, and a lot of us have vision correction of some sort, we are not wimps. Squeamish sometimes, but not wimps.
Scientists are tenacious. We have to be. We put in long hours, with weeks and weeks of frustration all for the hope of a few days of good data, or one right answer. Some will work years before seeing the fruit of their labor. And we will work through anything short of a coma. During the shutdown, memos had to be sent out to the scientists that they weren't supposed to work on their own time. Some of my colleagues have worked through medical conditions that most people stay home in bed or in the hospital for. I've worked with migraines, hand braces, and on crutches when I couldn't stand upright (which when you are doing experimental biophysics is challenging.)
We are not wimps.
So thank you, Bill Nye, for not only introducing us to how cool science is, but for showing we can tough it out with the best of the jocks.
~PhysicsGal
After hearing the doctor describe the damage and summarize his condition as "those few strands of tendons hanging on for dear life", Nye asks, "Well, what if I immobilize the knee entirely...and create some crazy choreography, peg leg fashion?" The doctor looks taken aback, and slowly responds with "Do I think you're going to be able to do much, no, do I think its going to hurt, yes, do I think you run the risk of worsening that tear or rupturing it completely, absolutely." and basically suggests a wheelchair.
And Nye went ahead with it anyway. Leg totally immobilized in a brace, lots of physical therapy treatments notwithstanding, he was obviously in a lot of pain just standing up. Although he lost, the judges and the other dancers were in awe of the fact that he got up there at all.
So yes, he was a stiff white guy scientist, but he also shatter the perception of scientists as wimps (his background may be engineering, but he inspired so many kids to be scientists, he deserves the title). It's about as standard as stereotype as the social awkwardness and glasses. It's used frequently on things like The Big Bang Theory when the writers get lazy. And while I will readily confess scientists can have trouble with small talk around non-scientists, and a lot of us have vision correction of some sort, we are not wimps. Squeamish sometimes, but not wimps.
Scientists are tenacious. We have to be. We put in long hours, with weeks and weeks of frustration all for the hope of a few days of good data, or one right answer. Some will work years before seeing the fruit of their labor. And we will work through anything short of a coma. During the shutdown, memos had to be sent out to the scientists that they weren't supposed to work on their own time. Some of my colleagues have worked through medical conditions that most people stay home in bed or in the hospital for. I've worked with migraines, hand braces, and on crutches when I couldn't stand upright (which when you are doing experimental biophysics is challenging.)
We are not wimps.
So thank you, Bill Nye, for not only introducing us to how cool science is, but for showing we can tough it out with the best of the jocks.
~PhysicsGal
1 comment:
Are you kidding - I'm a super lazy and unmotivated wimp...
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