Physicists to bring science with stand-up comedy

Physicists at the CERN nuclear research facility in Switzerland say they want to bring science to new audiences -- and think stand-up comedy is a way to do it. The CERN laboratory will host its first stand-up comedy night on Friday in a show that will be broadcast online. The comedy affair is the brainchild of particle physicist Sam Gregson, a doctoral student at the University of Cambridge who works at CERN. "The use of stand-up comedy allows scientists to engage with audiences that may not attend the usual lectures and exhibitions and helps bring cutting-edge science more into the mainstream spotlight," he told the British newspaper The Guardian. "It also helps to break down the negative stereotypes that may go along with working in cutting-edge science." In the affair dubbed Cern After Dark, Gregson will perform alongside five of his colleagues and a number of comedians. The event is modeled on the Bright Club, evening sessions of academic and comedic stand-up initiated by University College London, where Gregson is a regular. "My advice to all scientists is to attempt a science comedy set based on their work," he said. "Trust me -- if you can make people laugh at the same time as informing them, no other piece of scientific outreach or public-speaking engagement need hold any fear for you," said Gregson, adding that he hopes to become "the next Brian Cox," referring to the British physicist who has become something of a celebrity as the host of a number of televised science documentaries.