Columbia Prof Begins Course by Appearing Half Naked, Fighting Ninjas

Half-Naked Ivy League Prof Opens Quantum Physics Course with 9/11 Footage, Hitler (Gawker)

There is no (definitive) manual on How to Teach Quantum Physics, obviously, but one imagines that if such a manual existed it would likely recommend against opening your first lecture half-naked, curled into a fetal position while footage of Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and 9/11 play on the projector. And yet! Columbia professor Emlyn Hughes opened his Frontiers of Science—one of the Ivy League university's core classes—with just such a show.

Here's how Columbia gossip blog Bwog describes it:

According to our reports, the first class of the physics unit was running a bit late when the lights went out. When they came back on, professor Emlyn Hughes was in the spotlight.

Then Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot" started playing in some sort of weird combination with deadmau5, Billy Joel, and Die Antwoord and he started to undress and put on a hoodie and sunglasses. After that, he curled up into a fetal position in his chair as images of 9/11, Nazi Germany, and North Korea started playing on the projector.

Finally, the show was interrupted by ninjas who appeared and smashed puppets onstage.

Tuition at Columbia is $22,000 a semester.