The Underpants of Science

The View from The Man

2006-04-03T14:12:00.001-05:00

In the ever-vigilant Campus Watch of 4/3/2006, amidst the Consumptions of Alcohol by a Minor and the Thefts of Cellular Telephone, we find this:

ROBERT LEE MOORE HALL, 2515 Speedway
Criminal Mischief: A UT staff member reported an unidentified subject(s) hung undergarments from the ceiling located inside a 4th floor lobby. Signs placed in the lobby provided a name of an organization responsible for the creation of the proclaimed “museum.” Later that same day, a request for subscription to the Campus Watch came in. The prefix for the e-mail address was the same as the organization listed on the signs -- happy reading. Removal cost: $25.00. Reported on 03-31-06 at 8:21 AM.

(We are looking into a way to either restitute the $25 removal fee or to make an equivalent donation.)

The Daily Texan has Underpants

2006-04-03T01:38:00.000-05:00

Enjoy The Daily Texan (UT's student newspaper) coverage of the Underpants of Science Museum: today (4/3)'s issue has the well-written article "Pranksters' undie display short-lived" as well as our impassioned 'Firing Line' letter, "UT's panties twisted". (Nice headline on the last one BTW.)

Photos and Praise

2006-03-31T14:27:00.000-06:00

from underpants wearers Susan Brown and Library Dave. Thanks! Susan has also started the "Bring Back the Underpants of Science Museum!" group: join up if you're on facebook and so inclined.

[See All Photos]

The Museum won't be down for long!

2006-03-31T10:40:00.000-06:00

Writes another friend: "I am [someone who can make this happen]. You may wish to remain anonymous, but if you would like to discuss a future installation in [a prime nearby location] that would be out of UTPD's reach, please contact me." The Museum will rise again!

The Museum is Down!

2006-03-31T10:24:00.000-06:00

Writes a friend: "Apparently campus security got a complaint, and took yon artwork done c. 8.30 am this morning. The underpants of science are no more. Everyone who came through earlier seemed to enjoy, however. In the CYA department, the campus security/safety officer people asked the administrative people on the fifth floor if they had interest in pressing charges, which they did not. The question occurs of course: who complained? ... You might say that someone got their panties in a twist."

The Museum is Up!

2006-03-31T07:05:00.001-06:00

The Museum is up. Big thanks to Agents Penguin and Habanero, who provided crucial art&crafts skill at just the right time. Everything got installed except the biography plaques, which may appear at some later point. We got the introductory plaques up right as the first staff began to arrive, so we don't have any photos yet, although we took some video during installation. Hopefully we can come back later and snag some photos -- they'll be posted as soon as possible for the enjoyment of out-of-town visitors.

Here's the list of Famous Underpants in Science and Math:


Descartes      Various Graphs on Cartesian Coordinate Underpants
Moebius        One-Sided whitey tighties (half-twist in the leghole)
Klein          Klein Bottle Long Undies (reconnects thru crotch)
Grace Hopper   Computer Bugs are devouring her undies
Alan Turing    Whitey Tighties form a Turing Machine r/w head<
Ada Lovelace   Lacey
Curie          Beta-ray proof (tinfoil with Radiation warnings)
Schrodinger    Schroedinger box: Boxers? Briefs? A superposition of both!
Oppenheimer    A fission event erupts from the back
Townes         Multiple Burnt Holes from stray laser impacts
Bloch          A literal Band Gap
Einstein       Big Balls
Top Quark Team A box of 600 undies, enough for the whole collaboration. 
EPR Paradox    Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen's Entangled Undies
Feynman        None, Baby!
Weinberg       Apparently our own Steven Weinberg rocks the Thong
Cornell        Penguin Boxers, as befits the Low-Temperature pioneer

These few, unfortunately, did not go up:


Wu             Parity-reversed (bra on bottom, panties on top)
Rosie Franklin Were stolen by Watson
Farnsworth     Cartoon Boxers, filled with Good News
Wheeler        Boxers being sucked into a black hole
Newton         Apple undies
Avogadro       Very small undies
Roentgen       X-Ray undies
Euler          Seams of the Whitey Tighties demonstrate F-E+V=2
Brewster       Undies worn at 57° angle

Any other good ones we forgot? Let us know in the comments.

Welcome to the Underpants of Science Museum

2006-03-30T00:42:00.000-06:00

Welcome, everyone, to the Underpants of Science Museum.

The Underpants of Science Museum is a short-term installation situated in the lobby of the Physics-Math-Astronomy building (RL Moore Hall) at the University of Texas, Austin. This display of entirely authentic undergarments from many great figures of Math and Science is intended to honor those who have illuminated our understanding of the universe, and has nothing to do with Saturday's date.

The anonymous curators of this exhibit hope that the university appreciates the harmless nature of this gallery and our intention to amuse and educate. We expect that, if the gallery is left unmolested, the curators will arrange for its removal sometime before Tuesday April 4th.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/underpantsofscience
Website: http://underpantsofscience.blogspot.com