The Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists

Dr. Robert Sapolsky is professor of Biological Sciences and Professor of Neurology

and Neurological Sciences and, by courtesy, Neurosurgery, at Stanford University.

He is also a research associate at the National Museums of Kenya.

Dr. Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology

at Harvard University.

Dr. Piero Paravidino, 2002/3 LFHCfS Man of the Year, is a research chemist at

Isagro Ricerca Srl, Novara, Italy, and a guitarist in the heavy metal band Mesmerize.

The Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists is, as the name implies, a club for scientists who have luxuriant flowing hair. LFHCfS, as it is known unpronouncably to its members and their admirers, was founded in early 2001. Anyone can join, provided only that she or he is a scientist and has luxuriant flowing hair, and is proud of it.

The “proud” part is important. The club is not for the morbidly shy, people-averse scientist of stereotype and legend. Every LFHCfS member’s hair is on display on the Improbable Research web site.

LFHCfS was founded by admirers of the famously curly mane of psychologist Steven Pinker. Dr Pinker, then a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and now head of the psychology department at Harvard University, became the first member. He proudly lists the club on his academic web page.

The ranks now include mathematicians, astronomers, linguistics professors, organic chemists, computer researchers, immunologists, geneticists, physicists, neuroscientists, three sisters, a married couple, and other men and women of science, of both sexes, all hair colors, and many hair styles.

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