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Prix Ig-Nobel Prix Ig-Nobel 1 Le prix Ig Nobel (qui peut être prononcé Ignobel, car nommé ainsi par jeu de mots entre « prix Nobel » et l'adjectif « ignoble » en anglais ) est un prix parodique du prix Nobel décerné chaque année à dix recherches scientifiques qui paraissent insolites mais qui amènent secondairement à réfléchir. Prix Ig-Nobel L'objectif déclaré de ces prix est de « récompenser les réalisations qui font d'abord rire les gens, puis les font réfléchir ». Les prix sont également utilisés pour souligner que même les Organisateur The Annals of recherches paraissant absurdes peuvent apporter des connaissances utiles. Les lauréats sont tous volontaires pour recevoir le prix et aucun ne l'a refusé excepté Volkswagen (en Improbable Research 2016). Pays États-Unis Date de L'Ig Nobel est organisé par un magazine scientifique humoristique, le Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) ; les recherches sont présentées par un groupe qui comprend des 1991 création lauréats du prix Nobel lors d'une cérémonie au Sanders Theater de l'université Harvard, et, après l'attribution des prix, une série de conférences publiques est donnée par les 2 Site officiel (en)improbable.com (ht récipiendaires au Massachusetts Institute of Technology . tp://improbable.com) Sommaire Principe Critères Liste des prix Ig Nobel Prix décernés en 1991 Prix décernés en 1992 Prix décernés en 1993 Prix décernés en 1994 Prix décernés en 1995 Prix décernés en 1996 Prix décernés en 1997 Prix décernés en 1998 Prix décernés en 1999 Prix décernés en 2000 Prix décernés en 2001 Prix décernés en 2002 Prix décernés en 2003 Prix décernés en 2004 Prix décernés en 2005 Prix décernés en 2006 Prix décernés en 2007 Prix décernés en 2008 Prix décernés en 2009 Prix décernés en 2010 Prix décernés en 2011 Prix décernés en 2012 Prix décernés en 2013 Prix décernés en 2014 Prix décernés en 2015 Prix décernés en 2016 Prix décernés en 2017 Prix décernés en 2018 Notes et références Annexes Articles connexes Liens externes Principe 3 L'énoncé officiel dit que ces prix sont avant tout destinés à éveiller la curiosité du public pour la science en général, bien qu’ils puissent parfois prendre une valeur dénonciatrice (voir Critères). « Les prix Ig Nobel couronnent des prouesses qui font rire les gens au premier abord, et les font ensuite réfléchir. Ces prix ont pour but de rendre hommage à l'originalité et d'honorer 4 l'imagination — ainsi que d'attiser l'intérêt des gens pour la science, la médecine et la technologie . » On peut ajouter à cela que la futilité de certains travaux primés peut n'être qu'apparente : ainsi, l'étude de 2006 relative aux spaghettis (évoquée plus loin dans cet article) permet de répondre 5 à une question posée par Pierre-Gilles de Gennes et semble trouver des applications en architecture . L'expression reprend le nom d'une revue irrévérencieuse des années 1960, The Journal of Unreproducible Results, que la revue Planète avait fait connaître alors en France. Dix prix sont attribués chaque année à des recherches particulièrement saugrenues – parfois admirables, parfois risibles. Les prix sont décernés au Sanders Theater de l'université Harvard par la revue d'humour en science Annals of Improbable Research, en présence de lauréats du prix Nobel. Les lauréats du prix Ig Nobel sont ensuite conviés à donner des conférences publiques au MIT. Électroaimant de Bitter : cette Le nom est un jeu de mots en référence au prix Nobel : en anglais, « Ig Nobel » se prononce approximativement comme le mot « ignoble ». grenouille en lévitation grâce à un dispositif magnétique a fait Les premiers prix Ig Nobel ont été remis en 1991. l'objet du prix Ig Nobel de physique 2000. 6 En 2010, un ancien lauréat du prix Ig Nobel a reçu le prix Nobel de physique (Andre Geim, prix Ig Nobel pour la lévitation d'une grenouille ; prix Nobel pour son travail sur les graphènes) . Critères Le prix est décerné une fois par an, mais les domaines sont variables. Les domaines possibles sont toutes les branches de la science, ou tous les domaines proches de ceux pour lesquels il existe un prix Nobel. Cela inclut la psychologie, les mathématiques ou l'informatique. Le prix est décerné chaque année, dans des domaines choisis par les jurés suivant ce que l'actualité a fourni. On peut distinguer plusieurs types de travaux susceptibles de recevoir un prix Ig Nobel. Tout d'abord les recherches concluantes, mais répondant à une question qui semble n'avoir que peu d'intérêt, voire être risible, par rapport à l'effort fourni. C'est la situation la plus courante pour les authentiques chercheurs recevant un prix. Dans ce cas-là, les lauréats viennent parfois recevoir leur prix, comme Basile Audoly et Sébastien Neukirch en 2006. Le prix peut également récompenser l'humour volontaire. Dans d'autres cas, le prix est plutôt une critique vis-à-vis du lauréat. Dans un registre humoristique, un prix peut être décerné pour un événement remarquable, de manière ironique : prix Ig Nobel de la paix en 1996 au président Jacques Chirac pour la reprise des essais nucléaires français, qui plus est l'année de la cinquantième commémoration des bombardements d'Hiroshima et Nagasaki ; prix Ig Nobel d'économie aux dirigeants d'Enron pour leurs mensonges sur leur comptabilité. Enfin, le prix peut être décerné à des recherches sans résultat probant alors qu'elles annonçaient initialement des résultats spectaculaires (comme le prix décerné pour la « découverte » de la mémoire de l'eau). Liste des prix Ig Nobel Prix décernés en 1991 Chimie : Jacques Benveniste, chercheur français à l'INSERM et correspondant permanent de Nature, pour sa conviction tenace que l'eau est un liquide intelligent — la mémoire de l'eau — et pour avoir démontré de manière selon lui satisfaisante que l'eau est capable de retenir des événements bien après la disparition de toute trace de ces événements. Éducation : J. Danforth Quayle, homme politique américain, pour avoir démontré mieux que quiconque le besoin d'une éducation nationale. Biologie : Robert Klark Graham, sélectionneur de graines et prophète de la théorie de la propagation, pour le développement d'une banque du choix de semence, une banque du sperme qui n'accepte que des Prix Nobel et des champions olympiques. Économie : Michael Milken, personnalité importante de Wall Street et père des obligations pourries, auprès de qui le monde est endetté. Littérature : Erich von Däniken, raconteur visionnaire et auteur des Chars des Dieux, pour avoir expliqué comment la civilisation humaine a été influencée par d'anciens astronautes extra-terrestres. Paix : Edward Teller, père de la bombe à hydrogène et amateur du système d'armes « guerre des étoiles », pour avoir consacré sa vie à changer la signification du mot « paix ». Physique : Thomas M. Kyle, pour sa découverte de l'élément le plus lourd de l'univers (l'administratium). Prix décernés en 1992 Archéologie : les Éclaireuses Éclaireurs de France, pour avoir effacé les peintures rupestres de la grotte de Mayrière supérieure, près du village de Bruniquel. Économie : les investisseurs de la Lloyd's of London, héritiers de 300 ans de gestion prudente, pour leur tentative d'assurer le désastre en refusant de payer les pertes de leur compagnie. Médecine : F. Kanda, E. Yagi, M. Fukuda, K. Nakajima, T. Ohta et O. Nakata du Shisedo Research Center de Yokohama, pour leurs travaux précurseurs sur "L'élucidation des Composants chimiques Responsables des Mauvaises Odeurs des Pieds", et particulièrement pour avoir conclu que les personnes pensant puer des pieds, en puent, et ceux que ne le pensent pas, n'en puent pas. Biologie : Cecil Jacobson, généreux donateur de sperme inépuisable, et patriarche prolifique de la banque de sperme, pour avoir mis au point une méthode simple et solitaire de contrôle de qualité. e Chimie : Ivette Bassa, fabricatrice de colloïdes colorés, pour son rôle dans la plus grande réussite de la chimie du XX siècle, la synthèse de Jell-O bleu clair. Physique : David Chorley et Doug Bower, géants de la physique des particules, pour leur contribution circulaire à la théorie des champs basée sur la destruction géométrique de terres cultivées anglaises. Paix : Daryl Gates, ex-chef de la police de San-Francisco, pour sa méthode unique et fascinante pour rassembler les gens. Nutrition : les consommateurs de corned-beef, pour en avoir digéré pendant 54 ans. Littérature : Yuri Struchkov, auteur infatigable de l'Institut de Composants Organométallique de Moscou (en), pour les 948 publications scientifiques dans lesquelles il est crédité, publiées entre 1981 et 1990, soit en moyenne plus d'une tous les 3.9 jours. Art : décerné conjointement à Jim Knowlton, homme de la renaissance moderne, pour son affiche d'anatomie classique "Pénis du Règne Animal", et au U.S. National Endowment for the Arts pour avoir encouragé M. Knowlton à étendre son travail sous la forme d'un livre animé. Prix décernés en 1993 Économie : Ravi Batra de l'université méthodiste du Sud, économiste et auteur des best-sellers La grande dépression de 1990 et Survivre à la grande dépression de 1990, pour avoir vendu suffisamment de livres pour, à lui seul, empêcher l'effondrement de l'économie mondiale. Paix : à la compagnie Pepsi-Cola des Philippines, pour avoir sponsorisé un concours pour faire un millionnaire, puis annoncé un faux numéro gagnant, incitant et unissant ainsi 800 000 candidats vainqueurs dans la protestation, et rassemblant plusieurs factions armées pour la première fois de l'histoire du pays. Littérature : E. Topol, R. Califf, F. Van de Werf, P. W. Armstrong, et leurs 972 coauteurs provenant d'Allemagne, Australie, Belgique, Canada, Espagne, États-Unis, France, Irlande, Israël, Luxembourg, 7 Nouvelle-Zélande, Pays-Bas, Pologne, Royaume-Uni, Suisse, pour avoir publié un article de recherche médicale qui a cent fois plus d'auteurs que de pages dans The New England Journal of Medicine .
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