Science Ink: I want your skin! [Science Tattoo]

Melinda writes,

I have attached a photo of my Dirac Equation tattoo, which I obtained a few months ago. I am really happy with it. In fact, it caused quite a stir at the Yuri’s Night celebration at NASA Ames. I’m a physics student and research at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I currently conduct research analyzing gamma ray radiation from astronomical sources (blazars and pulsars mainly) with Cerenkov detectors located in Amado, Arizona…Side Note: The equation was written up on a LaTeX document and stenciled from there. Doesn’t get much nerdier than that!

In case you missed my announcement over the summer, the Science Tattoo Emporium is going to become a book. Tentatively entitled Science Ink, it will be published next fall by Sterling. The images will be accompanied by some of my own reflections on the tattoos, in which I will unpack the inside jokes and strange histories of the science behind the pictures.

The ultimate purpose of the book, like the Emporium, will be to illustrate the passion that science can inspire. To that end, I also plan to donate a portion of the proceeds from the book to DonorsChoose, a great organization that funds science projects in the classroom.

To those who have already appeared in the emporium, and to those who have kept their sleeves tightly buttoned till now, I’d like to extend an invitation to submit your photograph. If you’re interested, please contact me for the instructions from my publisher. We will need the image and the paperwork back by

October 1, 2010.

It doesn’t get much nerdier than that.

Update: You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here or in my book, Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.