D

W: Welcome to our program. This week, we would like to talk about what science and comedy have in common. Welcome, Adam.
    M: Thank you.
    W: Imagine that a physicist and a biologist walk into a bar. There’s a reason science and comedy don’t usually mingle. But to biologist and comedian Adam Ruben, the two are related in more ways than one. Ruben uses insights from his Ph.D. training and years of working in a lab to write Experimental Error, a humor column for Science Careers. He will share interesting things with us. So Adam, what do science and comedy have in common?
    M: Well, I think something that they have in common that people forget is that they’re both serious pursuits. I think a common misperception of comedy is that it’s not something serious; it’s not a real field. And I really wanted to teach a class on stand-up comedy— the history of stand-up comedy and its impact on society. And I pitched this class, and I was eventually told by the committee that they would never accept this class because it just wasn’t about a serious topic. And I think it’s a shame to dismiss comedy. It’s as serious as any other forms of self-expression or social commentary. But science sort of already gets that, that little benefit of everyone hearing science and they assume it’s serious.
    W: We know that you’re a funny guy. But are you funny in the lab or do you keep your scientist side separated from your comedian side?
    M: I actually do keep the two separated, and that’s mainly because I’m paranoid. If you try to be funny in the lab too much, people will use it as the ready excuse for anything that goes wrong in the lab: Oh, well, it’s because he’s focusing too much on trying to be funny." I had an experience in the graduate school where my advisor found out that I did stand-up on the side, and all of a sudden it became the reason why my experiments weren’t working. He said, Oh, it’s because your mind is not on science, it’s on stand-up comedy."
    1. What can we know about Adam Ruben from the interview?
    2. According to Adam, what do science and comedy have in common?
    3. What kind of class did Adam want to teach?
    4. How does Adam behave in the lab?
    5. According to Adam, what is likely to be the consequence of being funny in the lab?