Introducing the Particle-Accelerating Bohunk Next Door
By Todd Balf and Paul Kvinta

Uh, meet Brian Scottoline. Stanford biochemist. HIV researcher. Sweaty pinup boy in the 1996 Studmuffins of Science calendar, on sale now in most university bookstores. Really. "I'm definitely a nerd, but not in the classical sense," says the 30-year-old former collegiate swimmer, who's shown ascending from a pool, soggy and Speedo-clad, in the January spread. The calendar, an uneasy union of science and beefcake dreamily pieced together by New York City science journalist Karen Hopkin, attempts to salvage the propeller-headed image of scientists by featuring them in hunky, sporty poses. ("I really did this so I could operate the spritz bottle at the photo shoots," Hopkin admits.) The results? Aside from Scottoline's rippling V-frame and a couple of toothy grins, the calendar pretty much deteriorates into a montage of...well, nerdy test-tube slingers. But there are redeeming aspects. Each scientist does reveal his "favorite subatomic particle," "favorite equation," or "favorite bacterium."