The 2009 Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded by the Annals of Improbable Research last week. The prizes claim to feature “Research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK.” They are good at the first part, counterproductive on the last. Headlines about “ Goofy Science ,” “Pointless Research” and “ Silly Science ” stop short of exploring the merit of the funny-sounding projects without stimulating real curiosity about science and engineering. This merely fuels the bonfires of anti-intellect