John Bohannon is a scientist and writer who runs the annual Dance Your Ph.D. contest.
Why you should listen
John Bohannon is a biologist and journalist. After embedding in southern Afghanistan in 2010, he engineered the first voluntary release of civilian casualty data by the US-led military coalition. He studies the evolution of fame using data provided by Google, and writes for Science and WIRED. His research on the blurring line between the cuisine of man and pet caused Stephen Colbert to eat cat food on television.
Using an alter ego known as the Gonzo Scientist, he runs the "Dance Your Ph.D." contest. It's an international competition for scientists to explain their research with interpretive dance.
What others say
John Bohannon just wanted to convince a group of drunken scientists to dance.
John Bohannon’s TED Talk
John Bohannon, Black Label Movement
Dance vs. powerpoint, a modest proposal
11 minutesInstead of a boring slide deck at your next presentation, how about bringing in a troupe of dancers? That's science writer John Bohannon's "modest proposal" in this spellbinding choreographed talk. He makes his case by example, in collaboration with dancers from Black Label Movement.Posted Nov 2011
More news and ideas from John Bohannon
Culture
Let’s talk about sex: Highlights from our chat with John Bohannon and Carl Flink
December 19, 2012
“The birds and the bees” and “the facts of life.” These are the terms adults have come up with when it comes to talking to kids about sex. At TED2012, writer John Bohannon showed dismay at the fact that adults don’t feel comfortable talking to kids about sex, or drugs for that matter, without resorting […]
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We still aren’t quite sure what sex is for: John Bohannon, Black Label Movement and Jelloslave at TED2012
March 2, 2012
Photos: James Duncan Davidson John Bohannon and Black Label Movement are not ones for the ordinary. “Remember that conversation you had as a kid, with your parents, about sex or drugs. It’s a myth. We don’t talk to kids about that stuff. It’s embarrassing.” They emerge on stage, dancing to string music. But this is not […]
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