|
NEWS
| November 4, 2003
Weak
Moment
Faculty and students battle during
the 4th annual Weakest Link science competition.
 |
| The Shorthorn: Mark Roberts |
| Cathy Boyles, Science Education and
Career Center director, from left; Pat Madison and Mary
Jean Nelson, Science administrative secretaries and Mary
Jane Goad, the science dean’s assistant, dress as
cheerleaders Friday in the University Center Rio Grande
Ballroom. The women cheered for participants in the College
of Science’s Weakest Link competition. |
|
By Kateryna
Ivanova
The Shorthorn staff
Science Dean Neal Smatresk walked slowly about the room in a menacing
manner, casting intimidating stares at his opponents.
“Anatomically Correct.”
He roared his team’s name with a victorious grin, raising
his left hand into the air and firmly clutching a gray T-shirt.
“Oh yeah!”
Then he turned around and talked some trash to a student on another
team.
“St. Francis once said, ‘Humility is good for the soul,’
” he quipped, as the vicious sneer melted off his face. “These
events allow us to embarrass ourselves in public and have a lot
of fun doing it.”
The final round of this year’s fourth annual Science Weakest
Link Competition — based on the television show — rounded
off Science Week in the University Center Rio Grande Ballroom. The
room was packed with nearly 200 people. The remaining eight teams,
each consisting of three students and one faculty member, gathered
Friday afternoon to answer a series of questions encompassing facts
from baseball trivia to the average lifespan of human taste buds.
The taste buds, the audience learned, live for seven to 10 days.
The teams, with names like Medical Maniacs, Frontal Lobes, Belligerent
Botanists and Full Mental Panic, had 20 seconds per question to
come up with an answer. Carl Lovely, organic chemistry associate
professor, played host for the tournament.
The Scorpions, headed by chemistry professor Rasika Dias, won the
game. There was no prize, organizers said, except bragging rights.
The dean’s staff, meanwhile, ran onto the stage dressed like
cheerleaders. They did flips and performed chants for every team.
“Frontal, frontal, frontal lobes; their heads are bigger than
their toes!” they cheered, thrusting their arms and legs into
the air. Several members of the audience giggled as they chanted,
while others heckled the staff.
Greg Hale, an organic chemistry professor and leader of the Medical
Maniacs, said the event is a tradition for the College of Science
and that he is glad to have participated.
It’s a way to show everyone that scientists know how to have
fun, Dr. Smatresk said. It is a great opportunity to trash other
teams and bond as a college, he added.
Microbiology senior Jocelyn Zee agrees.
Events like Weakest Link help students see professors are not as
scary as they seem, Zee said. It also allows for an hour of fun
outside of the classroom, she added.
“Smatresk always has a blast,” Zee said, adding she
participated in the game a few semesters ago. “He cracks jokes
and everything — he’s a lot of fun.”
There is no way to prepare for the game, Zee said, and that brings
an interesting angle to the event.
|
|
