A cross-disciplinary gaggle of Nobel Laureates and Ig Nobel Laureates gathered in Sanders on Thursday for the 2009 Ig Nobels, honors bestowed on "achievements that first make people LAUGH, and then make them THINK [sic]." While Thursday's ceremony was indeed goofy and thought-provoking, the  traditional 60-second acceptance speeches left little room for explanations. If you were left wondering why anyone would invent a brassiere/gas mask or experiment with panda feces, then you were in luck. The (free!) The Ig Informal Lectures were Saturday at 1:00 PM in MIT Building 10, Room 250, 77 Mass. Ave. Winners and "several" laureates explained their award-winning research and took questions.

In the meantime, we've got some Ig ridiculousness to get you through the week: Lab coat-wearing accordionists playing Rossini in Memorial Hall before the event!