The annual Ig Nobel Prizes, which celebrate unusual scientific achievements, are relocating their ceremony from the United States to Europe for the first time in 35 years, organisers announced on Monday. The move is prompted by growing concerns over attendees' ability to secure US visas.
The 36th annual ceremony will now take place in Zurich, Switzerland. Marc Abrahams, master of ceremonies and editor of the Annals of Improbable Research, stated: 'During the past year, it has become unsafe for our guests to visit the country.' He added that organisers could not in good conscience ask winners or international journalists to travel to the USA this year.
Last year, four of the ten winners opted not to travel to Boston for the ceremony, which has historically been hosted at institutions like Harvard University and MIT. The decision comes amid heightened US immigration scrutiny, with a focus on deporting undocumented migrants and those holding student and visitor exchange visas.
This year's event is a collaboration with institutions of the ETH Domain and the University of Zurich. Abrahams noted that Switzerland has nurtured many unexpected good things, including Albert Einstein's physics, and is again helping the world appreciate improbable people and ideas.
Milo Puhan, an epidemiologist at the University of Zurich and a 2017 Swiss Ig Nobel laureate, welcomed the relocation. His research demonstrated that playing the didgeridoo can reduce snoring and sleep apnea. Puhan said the Ig Nobel Prize makes research visible 'with a wink.'
Abrahams confirmed that Zurich will host the ceremony every other year, with other European cities taking turns in between. There are currently no immediate plans for the ceremony to return to the United States.
