2019 Holiday Gift Guide for Scientists

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 2019 Holiday Gift Guide for Scientists

Are you a last-minute shopper (I won’t judge), or need just one more thing for that special scientist/researcher in your life? If so, you’re reading the right article. Here are 10 gift suggestions sure to please any science-lover. Get a move on—express shipping costs are expensive! (P.S. I saved the best for last)

CSI fingerprint home decor pillow gift

1. Fingerprint Throw Pillow

This pillow, available in various sizes up to 26” x 26”, is made from a real crime scene photo. While forensic lab technicians don’t usually like to take their work home with them, this could be The company has since stopped selling its entire line of crime scene photo-inspired products, but there are a few left, so snatch them up before it’s too late!

Price: $26.00

Glass Galileo Thermometer

2. Glass Galileo Thermometer with Globe Storm

This gift features an 11-inch Galileo thermometer, a glass Goethe barometer with frosted world map decoration and a wooden base. The colored glass spheres inside the Galileo thermometer have been precisely weighted so that they respond to temperature changes, and the hand-blown Storm Glass accurately forecasts weather changes hours in advance. You can’t beat style and function based on research by the Father of Modern Astronomy.

Price: $34.99

 

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3. Chemistry Earrings

Does your scientist wear their love on their…ears? If not, perhaps they would like to! Let her/him do just that with these beautiful chemistry-themed earrings. Multiple designs are available, including: DNA helix, microscope, atoms, atom diagram, molecule diagram and lab beaker. You can also specify which kind of earring style is preferred. There’s even a clip-on version for anyone allergic to earrings or simply without a hole in their earlobe. Bonus: gift packaging is available.

Price: $12.99 to $18.99 depending on design

petri dish coaster biology gift

4. Petri Dish Coaster

These petri dish-inspired coasters are just outstanding. What a talking point and statement piece for pretty much any scientist, although if you have a special microbiologist in your life, I suggest you follow the link right now. These handmade resin coasters feature red, yellow, green or blue “cells.” Due to the creation method, every coaster is unique—just like a real petri dish.

Price: $10.99 per coaster

periodic table gift blocks

5. Periodic Table Connectagons®

Do you have a budding young scientist? If so, these periodic table “connectagons” may be perfect. The color-coded connectagons allow kids to build and rebuild their own 3-D periodic table of elements. Great for tactile and visual learners, this set makes it easy to learn the chemical elements' symbols, groups and atomic numbers. Kids can also make compounds using the numbered circular pieces. The periodic kit includes 150 multi-slotted wooden pieces and an informational sheet.

Price: $44.98

astronaut NASA light fan gift

6. Astronaut Ceiling Light

This is another one for the kids, but honestly, it would fit just as well in a leisure/bonus room, or a home office for that matter. The ceiling mount has planet and star illustrations, there are two astronauts in full gear hanging down, and the rest of the decoration is intended to look like a rocket, complete with panels. The two bulbs on the outside serve as the “rocket engines.”

Price: $139.99

gift science scientists physicist


7. Brainstrings

This is a fun piece for any physicist, especially one studying string theory (where’s Sheldon Cooper when you need him?). In this puzzle, elastic bands connect colored buttons on opposite sides of a clear, plastic case. Your challenge is to group the buttons by color, sliding them along the slots cut in the clear plastic, without getting yourself (and the cords inside) tied up in knots. While it’s not the most intellectually challenging puzzle, it’s still fun and cool-looking.

Price: $17.00

women in science glass gift

8. Great Women of Science and Great Beards of Science Pint Glasses

Giving glasses as a gift may be tired, however, these glasses are anything but. The Great Woman of Science glasses feature portraits of some of the most influential female scientists to ever walk the earth. Have fun toasting to the abolishment of the Matilda Effect with these! On the other hand, drink out of the Great Beards of Science glasses and perhaps the beer foam will give you a mustache to rival Einstein’s. It’s worth a try!

Price: 18.00 for a set of two; $36 for two of each

star wars mandalorian gift baby yoda


9. Baby Yoda Paraphernalia

While it’s never been scientifically proven that all scientists love Star Wars, I’m confident in my hypothesis of around 95 percent. That said, the cutest thing ever happened to the Star Wars franchise recently—of course I'm talking about Baby Yoda from The Mandalorian. Next to Gizmo from Gremlins, Baby Yoda is the cutest non-human hero to grace our screens. If you don’t believe me, just ask Amazon: “The Child” plush toy is currently the No. 1 Best Seller in Plush Figure Toys on the site BUT it won’t actually be released until MAY 25, 2020. That’s right—a toy that is set to be released exactly 5 months after Christmas is already the best-selling plush on Amazon. Ah, the power of the Jedi. Anyway, here are some Baby Yoda gifts you can buy now: 1) a decal sticker for car, laptop, or other; 2) a PopSocket for phone or tablet; and 3) a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Price: from $2.49 to $16.99

scientist notebook cell biology

10. Literally Anything from Cognitive Surplus, but Especially the Notebooks

Before we even get into the products let’s talk about the manufacturer. Cognitive Surplus, based in Portland, appreciates scientists and the research process. This is how their About Us page reads: “We appreciate that it isn't always glamorous and that breakthroughs are a lot harder than in the movies. We know how it feels to basically never feel like a superhero, especially when it seems like the answers are anywhere but in your data. We also know that for every failed experiment, late-night, and cold cup of coffee, you're helping light the way toward progress, and it's because of you that each day is a little brighter than the day before.” While that alone may be enough to sway you, add in the absolutely beautiful products and you’ll be a goner. Their notebooks are my favorite, though. They come in soft and hard cover, and a variety of sizes to fit your specific application. There is an endless amount of designs—sort by collections (engineer, hypothesis, experiment, research, theory, case study), or by discipline. Additional product categories include kitchen and bar, paper, bags and clothing.

Price: $11.99 and up for the notebooks

Happy shopping! And happy holidays from Laboratory Equipment!