lol informal (also LOL) UK /lɒl/ US /lɑːl/ abbreviation for laughing out loud: used, for example on social media and in text messages, when you think something is funny or you intend it as a joke.
While those three controversial little letters may have earned their place in the corridors of linguistic hell, lol my thesis proves to be a perennial source of humorous respite for academics around the world.
The concept? Simple. Anyone who has written a thesis submits their original title, and then comes up with a pithy, accurate and funny new title that better describes what they did and what they found.
The result? Academic research that is much more accessible to non-specialists and more honest about the work that we do.
Here at the world’s freshwater laboratory, we always like to bring you the latest (and most humorous) forms of science communication, so we set about asking our researchers, scientists, and collaborators to “lol” their theses (many of which were based on research conducted at IISD Experimental Lakes Area)—all to predictably comical effect.
Hang on to your funny bones folks, it’s going to be a wild ride…
The original title: The Effects of Nutrients, Fathead Minnows, and Submersed Macrophytes on the Invertebrate Community and Habitat Quality of Delta Marsh. (MSc. Ecology and Environmental Biology, 2000, University of Manitoba)
The lol my thesis title: Any Project That Involves Fish and Enclosures Is Doomed: Good Thing Underwater Plants Don’t Swim Away!
Ken recently took part in some exciting oceanic sampling out on the coast of British Columbia. Join him on his journey.
The original title: Effects of Model Freshwater Diluted Bitumen Spills on Wild Small-Bodied Fish (MSc. Environmental Science, 2020, University of Manitoba)
The lol my thesis title: Oil Might Have Been Bad for My Fish But They Kept Dying of Stress First (And Quite Frankly, Same)
Lauren just spoke to PBS’s Great Lakes Now show, explaining our research on oil spills. Watch the segment here.
The original title: Bioenergetic Evaluation of a Whole-Lake Nanosilver Addition on Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) (MSc. Biology, 2018, Lakehead University)
The lol my thesis title: Adding Bacteria-Killing Silver Particles to a Lake Makes Fish Lethargic (They Eat Less Because They Move Less Or They Move Less Because They Eat Less?), But The Bacteria Were Fine
The original title: Fate and Effects of an Alkylamine Ethoxylate Surfactant Mixture in Aquatic Systems: Pulsed Exposures, Recovery Capacity and the Importance of Sediment (PhD Environmental Biology and Toxicology, 2015, University of Guelph)
The lol my thesis title: Some Toxic Things Are Not That Toxic When There Is Dirt Involved
The original title: Social Dissidents as the Kristevan Abject in Luis Puenzo’s La Historia Oficial (MA Latin American Studies, 2007, University of Cambridge)
The lol my thesis title: SPOILER ALERT: 1970s Argentine Military Dictators Totally Weren’t Into Socialists
You know that ground-breaking freshwater research you just read about? Well, that’s actually down to you.
It’s only thanks to our generous donors that the world’s freshwater laboratory—an independent not-for-profit—can continue to do what we do. And that means everything from explore what happens when cannabis flushes and oil spills into a lake, to how we can reduce mercury in fish and algal blooms in fresh water—all to keep our water clean around the world for generations to come.
We know that these are difficult times, but the knowledge to act on scientific evidence has never been more important. Neither has your support.