One Step Closer: What the rise, dominance and fall of Nu-Metal can teach us about interdisciplinary science

This light-hearted presentation discusses what, if anything, the field of interdisciplinary science can learn from the 1990s/00s Nu-Metal music movement. I will argue this goes far beyond the obvious of how bringing different genres together can create something new and (at least to some) wonderful. I will give a very potted history of metal music to bring out key moments in the story, before ending with more discussive elements linking it back to interdisciplinary science. Music will be played at several points, and there are no prizes for guessing the type.

This presentation was originally prepared for Undergraduate physics students as part of our informal “community building” sessions we run through the year to encourage discussion and engagement around a variety of science topics. It's all meant to be fun, a little less serious but make people think. That ethos very much applies to this seminar as well.