Ig Nobels Ceremony Moves To Europe Indefinitely, Citing US Safety Concerns

Source: Slashdot

Background

Since 1999, Slashdot has been covering the annual Ig Nobel prize ceremonies, which honor real scientific research into strange or surprising subjects. Established in 1991, the Ig Nobels are a good‑natured parody of the Nobel Prizes; they honor “achievements that first make people laugh and then make them think.” The unapologetically campy awards ceremony features miniature operas, scientific demos, and the 24/7 lectures, in which experts must explain their work twice: once in 24 seconds and again in just seven words.

Traditionally, the awards ceremony and related Ig Nobel events have taken place in Boston at Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Boston University.

Reason for the Move

“During the past year, it has become unsafe for our guests to visit the country,” Marc Abrahams, master of ceremonies and editor of The Annals of Improbable Research magazine, told The Associated Press. “We cannot in good conscience ask the new winners, or the international journalists who cover the event, to travel to the U.S. this year.”

Four of last year’s ten winners opted to skip the ceremony rather than travel to the U.S., and the situation has not improved. The decision follows similar concerns expressed by international game developers who are skipping this year’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

New Hosting Arrangement

“After 35 years in Boston, the annual prize ceremony will take place in Zurich, Switzerland, this year and will continue to be held in a European city for the foreseeable future,” reports Ars Technica.

The Ig Nobel organizers are joining forces with the ETH Domain and the University of Zurich for hosting duties. “Switzerland has nurtured many unexpected good things — Albert Einstein’s physics, the world economy, and the cuckoo clock leap to mind — and is again helping the world appreciate improbable people and ideas,” Abrahams said.

The Ig Nobels will not be returning to the U.S. any time soon. Instead, Zurich will host every second year; every odd‑numbered year, the ceremony will be hosted by a different European city. Abrahams likened the arrangement to the Eurovision Song Contest.