It used to be, "Grilled Cheese.... $2.99". Now you see things things like "Grilled Panini with New York Artisan Cheddar....$3.99". I can't blame the restaurateurs - there's plenty of research to back up this new labeling trend.
But I find it entertaining to see this branding happening more frequently at engineering schools. It used to be "State University School of Engineering", now it's, "The Piggy M. and Kermit T. Frog School of Engineering and Applied Sciences", followed in tiny letters, almost as an after thought - "At State University".
I'm most amused by the insane amount of words on the business cards of people with endowed professorships and prestigious society memberships who work in a named schools of engineering in differently named buildings. Their cards look like this:
Dr. Abby CadabbyI suppose I should only be amused in a sad sort of way, because what I suspect all of these named things mean is that public support for universities and research is so dismal that people have to take money from any source they can.
The Monster Cookie Company Professor of Computing
Muppet Academy of Engineering Fellow
The Kermit T. and Piggy M. Frog School of Engineering and Applied Science
The Bert and Ernie Building
101 Sesame Street
(etc.)
Nonetheless, when I see things like this I usually think something silly like, "... and french fries and a side salad, please."
I want to be a Muppet Academy of Engineering Fellow!
ReplyDeleteDid Dr. B. Honeydew get tenure? =)
ReplyDelete@Miss MSE - You can always go work at The Sesame Workshop. They actually do some decent engineering there from what I've heard. :-)
ReplyDelete@Tanya - Yes, but the case was contentious because Beaker inadvertently falsified a lot of his data. :)
Ah, yes. The Honeydew scandal. What a mess that was. Thankfully, he was soon recruited away from our department by the Del Monte Fruit Salad School of Food Science at the University of NPR.
ReplyDelete-Grover
Grover D. Monster, PhD
Tickle Me Elmo Professor of Tactile Engineering
Fellow, Royal Crowne Cola Academy of Science
The Kermit T. and Piggy M. Frog School of Engineering and Applied Science
PBS University
The Bert and Ernie Building
(Box 8675309)
101 Sesame Street
Reading, PA 19601
GDM@PBS.edu
That's nothing. At Israeli universities you can find names attached to rather small items including a normal looking cafeteria chair, a 3'x3' planter or a few meters of a campus sidewalk.
ReplyDeletehmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm , post scientist that starts in letter z for my reseach
ReplyDelete