Nerd of the Year
Vote for your favorite professor from Nerds of Mizzou
Dear readers,
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Take a look back at 2009, the year of the nerd.
In 2009 we opened the door to what Vice Chancellor Rob Duncan might call “Nerdvana.” We gave you a peek inside the classrooms, the laboratories – even the closets – of a dozen of Mizzou’s best, brightest and geekiest faculty. We introduced you to overindulged pets, oddball vehicles, obscure instruments and a smattering of embarrassed offspring. We waded through a minefield of obsessive-compulsive behaviors (while clad in sandals and socks, natch) to present to you great minds doing groundbreaking, internationally recognized work in scientific research and development as well as the arts and humanities.
Now we need your help. Vote for your favorite professor from the 2009 Nerds of Mizzou series to be named the 2009 Mizzou Nerd of the Year. Voting ends Feb. 12. The winner will be announced in late February 2010.
Thanks for your help, and have a nerdy new year.
The Mizzou Wire Staff
Nerds in review
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Peter Casazza and his wife conduct mathematical research 14 hours a day and spend their free time caring for the rapidly multiplying rabbits that occupy three rooms in their home.
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Len Johnson is an internationally known expert in neuro-ophthalmology. Favorite form of exercise: race-walking. Favorite fashions: Cosby sweaters and pocket protectors.
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Jo Stealey has revived fiber arts in the American Midwest. She makes her own paper, lives in a straw house, and takes every opportunity to turn conversations toward textiles and textures.
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Tim Evans identifies with 16th-century physician Paracelsus. He wears Hawaiian shirts on Fridays and dresses in superhero costumes for presentations on horse colic and toxicology.
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Greg Alexander holds six degrees and uses his informatics expertise to improve patient care in the nursing-home industry. On family vacations, he makes his kids wear matching outfits.
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Nancy Flournoy is one of the world’s leading experts in adaptive design. A trailblazer for women statisticians, early in her career she smoked cigars to garner respect.
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Robert Duncan is MU's vice chancellor for research and an expert in low-temperature physics. He runs marathons and tools around on a reproduction 1800s hiwheeler bicycle.
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Anand Prahlad has compiled a three-volume encyclopedia of folklore of the African Diaspora. He is obsessed with esoteric undertakings, such as mastering the Zimbabwean mbira.
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A. Mark Smith spent more than two decades editing and translating, from Latin to English, a text written by an 11th-century scholar. He gave the 2009 Corps of Discovery lecture.
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Heather Carver has written and performed two one-woman shows about breast cancer, titled Booby Prize and Booby Trap. She often dresses as a clown.
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Bobby Torres has a national reputation in the field of research methodology. His teaching techniques include interpretive dance, juggling and wearing a monk costume.
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Glen Heggie chairs the Department of Cardiopulmonary and Diagnostic Sciences. He wears socks with sandals, drives a Smart Car and raises poodles who work as therapy dogs.
Voting has ended
Stay tuned for the winner!
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