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Ig Nobel Laureates Historical Archive
Government & Civic Records
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Free
About
The Ig Nobel Prize Winners 1991-2022 dataset provides a collection of information on the satiric Ig Nobel Prizes, awarded annually since 1991. These awards celebrate unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research, with the aim to first make people laugh, and then encourage them to think. Organised by the scientific humour magazine, Annals of Improbable Research, the prizes are presented by Nobel laureates at Harvard University, followed by public lectures at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The dataset focuses on real achievements, with only a few exceptions in 1991 and 1994 due to an erroneous press release. The overall purpose of these awards, and by extension this dataset, is to honour the imaginative and to foster interest in science, medicine, and technology.
Columns
- Year: The year in which the Ig Nobel Prize winner was announced.
- Subject: The specific category or field that received an award.
- Description: A detailed account describing the winners and the content of the study or achievement that was recognised in that year.
- References: Links or pointers to the original studies or works that are referenced in the description.
- Id: A unique identifier for each reference.
- Reference: Provides details such as the researcher's name, the title of the study, and its publication year.
Distribution
This dataset is typically delivered in a CSV file format. It is listed as a free dataset, available globally, and is rated with a quality score of 5 out of 5, indicating high reliability. The current version is 1.0. While specific row or record counts are not provided, the data spans from 1991 to 2022. The 'Subject' column features 317 unique categories, with a distribution showing Medicine accounting for 10%, Peace for 9%, and the remaining 81% categorised as 'Other'.
Usage
This dataset is well-suited for a variety of analytical and educational purposes:
- As a learning resource for text processing, for example, to extract details like researchers, their roles, or specific content directly from the description text.
- For identifying trends in scientific research that has been deemed unusual or amusing.
- To discover the most frequently occurring subjects or categories among Ig Nobel Prize winners.
- For cross-referencing with external datasets to analyse contributions from specific countries or organisations.
Coverage
The dataset covers the period from 1991 to 2022, encompassing all Ig Nobel Prize winners within this timeframe. Its geographic scope is global, reflecting the international nature of the awarded achievements. The subjects included are diverse, with Medicine and Peace being distinct categories, while the majority (81%) fall under a wide range of other scientific and research fields.
License
CC0
Who Can Use It
This dataset is appropriate for a broad audience, including:
- Academics and researchers interested in the sociology of science, unusual research methodologies, or as a unique text corpus for natural language processing.
- Students undertaking data analysis projects, particularly those involving text mining or qualitative research.
- Educators seeking engaging and thought-provoking examples to illustrate the breadth and sometimes eccentricity of scientific inquiry.
- Data enthusiasts and curious individuals interested in exploring the lighter side of scientific achievements.
Dataset Name Suggestions
- Ig Nobel Prize Winners 1991-2022
- Satirical Science Awards 1991-2022
- Unusual Scientific Research Laureates
- Humorous Science Achievements Data
- Ig Nobel Laureates Historical Archive
Attributes
Original Data Source: Ig Nobel Prize Winners 1991-2022
QUALITY