Are you infected by The NERD?

I was surfing about (doing research, I swear!) and stumbled on some disturbing information. I may be infected by The NERD! The symptoms?

• Heightened interest in intellectual and academic pursuits, including but not limited to biology, chemistry, physics, geology, anthropology and even psychology
• Obsessive behaviors including but not limited to collecting, memorizing, reciting and hoarding of intellectual materials
• Inability to understand how others are not fascinated by their particular nerdy fetish
• A lack of fashion sense, or at least a bizarre one. (e.g. this )
• Pronounced interest in emotionally mature and complex materials like advanced physics or computing
• Pronounced interest in emotionally immature materials like comic books and animated television
• Finds puns particularly funny, for no obvious reason
• Abnormal levels of attraction to other infected people, who they consider “smart” and “interesting”
• Prone to creative outlets of their obsessions like shanties or themed haikus
• Embraces the title of “geek,” “nerd,” or “dork” willingly - possibly a little too excitedly
  

Yup, looks like I've caught it.

But I am not alone. It is currently estimated that "25-50% of the world’s population is infected, with numbers continually rising." And NERD Infection site founder Christie Wilcox (who blogs at Observations of a Nerd) has reason to follow the epidemiology of the disease very closely: as this week's Science Channel Geek of the Week she is almost certainly infected herself.

And here is a personal case study from University of Illinois bioengineering instructor Joanne Manaster of Joanne Loves Science:


There is currently no treatment or cure, so all I can do is spread my NERDiness about in hope of finding solidarity with others who share my condition. Nerds rule!

Tags: NERD infection, women in science