嘿嘿视频

Speed Racing Biologist

Ian Korf
Photo: Gregory Urquiaga/嘿嘿视频

Like a true scientist, Ian Korf enjoys figuring out how things work.

This is what he does as a professor of molecular and cellular biology and director of bioinformatics at the Genome Center at 嘿嘿视频. He also does it as an amateur race car driver.

Korf started racing about five years ago at the suggestion of his identical twin brother. Over the years, Korf has participated in almost 20 races 鈥 with six completed this year. And he just self-published a book on the subject: You Suck at Racing: A Crash Course for the Novice Driver. The book, the result of an ongoing blog he writes, covers the hows and whys of racing, from a scientist鈥檚 perspective.

鈥淚鈥檓 self-taught,鈥 Korf said, 鈥渟o one of the ways I learn best is by trying to explain a concept or idea.鈥

Because racing is an expensive pastime, Korf does most of his practicing with a video game simulator. Its sophistication and authenticity 鈥 he can practice on actual tracks that he knows 鈥 means that many of the skills translate to the real world. Still, he鈥檚 aware of the perils of his risky hobby. (He noted he鈥檚 never had an accident on the track.)

鈥淚鈥檇 be the first one to admit that this is a juvenile, stupid activity,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut danger plus skill is exciting, definitely exhilarating. It taps into some kind of primal stupidity.鈥

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