It’s Valentine’s Day, in case you hadn’t noticed, and red roses are the order of the day. To celebrate, we thought we’d run a competition to help you declare your love for science.
The prizes are suitably science-y (not to mention romantic). We’ve got a pendant to give away, with an anatomically-correct heart – four chambers, mammalian, complete with major blood vessels. And for those more into genetics, there’s a pair of his-and-hers chromosome towels monogrammed XY and XX respectively. Plus a DNA pendant – simple but elegant.
What do you have to do to get your hands on these prizes? Just declare your love of science through a poem. You might choose to woo us through a sonnet, ballad, haiku or even a limerick – whatever warms your heart. Here are some examples to get you inspired:
Roses are red, violets are blue,
We study petal gene expression in situ
The features we can barely see,
Are vital in taxonomy,
And horse fly species, though we swat ‘em,
Are featured with a popstar’s bottom.
Roses are red, Violets are blue,
And you have 10 times more bacteria in your gut
than cells in your body – true.
You have until the end of tomorrow, Friday 15 Feb, to post your poem in the comments field below. Winners will be announced on Monday, once the red roses have wilted.
If you need more inspiration, read about some of the research we’re doing that has real heart.
Update Friday 15 February 5pm AEDT: Alas, our poetry competition is now closed. Thanks for all the fantastic entries, it’s clear you truly do love science. Keep an eye out for our post on Monday, where we’ll be announcing our winners.
Everyone wants to get their hands on these prizes. Be quick and get your poems in!
14th February 2013 at 9:37 am
My girlfriend she’s the best,
She sifts through faeces and all the rest,
But when she comes home she washes her hands,
Because a microbiologists work can grow in your glands.
14th February 2013 at 9:34 am
As soonest as I think I have
Won your heart with gifts I gave,
You turn your cheek and walk away,
Leaving me where my pride lay.
By nightly vigils have I studied you
As shrinking moons grew again anew.
Still I wonder who you are –
Mysterious whether near or far.
With care I measure your corporeal treasures
(While carefully hiding my gleeful pleasures):
Your height, your weight, the reach of your members,
all the things that come with numbers.
For long now have I chased you,
And forever will I want you.
Science, my heart belongs to you,
And will until my time is through.
14th February 2013 at 9:23 am
Neon is red, cobalt is blue, through electrified tubes we bring these colours to you!
14th February 2013 at 9:21 am
Reblogged this on Helix @ CSIRO.
14th February 2013 at 8:18 am
Long wavelengths are red,
Short ones are blue,
I’d love it if xrays
Were visible spectrum too 🙂