(There are more science Christmas plays by Vince LiCata here, here and here). Cast: Generic Faculty Member Pinch Narrator The Dean The Chair Cindy Lou Who Darth Vader Santa – – – NARRATOR: Every Who Down in U-ville Liked their research a lot… FACULTY: (pipeting): I sure like research a lot. I love running gels, I get bored when I’m not. NARRATOR: But the Pinch Who lived just North of U-ville Most certainly, did not. FACULTY: Now, who wouldn’t love labwork? I’m sure I don’t know. They’d have to be a real jerk, Or perhaps a bit slow. He sings:…
The Science Creative Quarterly
From creative
HELIUM PILLS FOR REINDEER AND OTHER TRICKS OF THE CHRISTMAS TRADE
Other kids may be convinced that Santa Claus uses some kind of Christmas magic to get the job done. Not my offspring. They have told me that obviously, Santa is putting his trust in science. (And also technology. But the holidays are no time for ugly spats about disciplinary boundaries.) From the younger offspring: Santa needed to do research, of course, to work out the details of flying reindeer. Apparently, much of this was online research. (Also, it looks like Santa uses a MacBook.) From the elder offspring, two items science relies on: The elastic in that bag must be…
EVOLUTIONARY DEAD ENDS: PLANT SPECIES
In an earlier essay, some of the now extinct species of animals were presented. Their characteristics were described as best as the evolutionary biologists can presently determine, and various theories were put forth as to the reasons they became extinct. It is now time to examine some of the plants on which those biologists have done research. Once again, we are not talking about old maid Sunday School teachers, even though many of them probably have the petrified flowers of a futile romance pressed between the pages of their hymnals. – – – PREHISTORIC CANNIBUS There is much debate about…
THE DEATH OF A HUMAN HEART AND OTHER ANATOMICAL POEMS
Part of our Science Creative Literary Symposia. – – – THE DEATH OF A HUMAN HEART By Emma Sloan A human heart shall surely break, by the time it’s worldly and frail. From an attack, or An enemy’s deathly siege. Or from yearning for the embrace of a loved one long past. But which is worse? A sudden clogging of the darkened, winding hallways, that snake through one’s host. Or the deep, electric desire of a soul that you know is forever beyond your reach? Myself. I would choose to perish of heartache no matter my age and health. You…
PHYLOGENETIC HAIKU BREAK
oft called man’s best friend canis familiaris asleep on my lap grand white polar bears so sad their numbers dwindle seals would not agree
UNTITLED
all the walls are shaking softly & the sharp shining cuts the roof’s relief across cracked brickwork to show what went unseen before the light of evening pulls her black shawl over the city night as streetlights flicker & buzz to life, falling west across the breadth of habitation, right to left. the sunlight shakes the seasons & from fall winter springs So summer might shed raw, bright, Light on the heart of truth its Whole & its seed & its root & its leaves. The trouble is, truth neither sees nor believes, So how does it get off Being?
IMAGINED TALKS WE’D BE CURIOUS TO SEE (A VIDEO)
For more information about TEDxTerrytalks 2009, please click here.
A WHITE BLOOD CELL NAMED BOBBY DUVAL…
This collective story beginning was written during a weeklong science and creative writing camp at the University of British Columbia. For more of the students’ work, please click here. To read their endings do click here and scroll down a bit. – – – Once there was a white blood cell, a special white blood cell, who was special because he was a giant white blood cell. And because he was so big, he could eat pickles, he played midfield for Manchester United, and he loved to help people. His name was Baldie Duval. He lived in a forest in…
CARTESIAN DIVERS
This poem was written during a weeklong science and creative writing camp at the University of British Columbia. For more of the students’ work, please click here. – – – I am in a science lab. It is filled with machines. My diver is just standing still in the water. She doesn’t want to wreck her dress! She looks different from angles through the bottle and I make her move like my brother when he is happy! If I was a deep sea diver, I would like to meet an octopus. I wonder how old a turtle can be!