Do you have a science nerd in your life? Someone who loves to geek out over chemistry, or likes to pick apart movies based on how inaccurate the science is? Or maybe they’re a biology nerd who just wants to talk about their favorite animal facts.
One thing that all science nerds have in common is that they’re not afraid to show their love for science– and that actually makes them a ton of fun to shop for! There are so many cool gifts for science nerds out there, and we’re happy to share our favorites.
Radioactive Materials
A little radiation can be hugely cool. Delight your favorite science nerd with their own pocket-sized Geiger counter and an acrylic cube with a real uranium specimen. Throw in a blacklight so they can make their uranium sample fluoresce, and you’ll have one happy nerd on your hands.
It’s the perfect set of prompts for an impromptu lecture about how no, radiation won’t turn their iguana into Godzilla– or to show off just how much radiation is in the world around us. (Did you know that bananas are slightly radioactive? We guarantee the physics geek in your life does know that and would love to show that off with their new Geiger counter!)
There’s also a kit available with a bigger uranium sample for a larger display piece.
Their Own Personal Museum
One of the best ways to spend a day with a science nerd is to go to a museum with them and ask them questions about the artifacts on display. If you want a great gift for a science nerd, why not give them their own museum? A Heritage Personal Museum has 33 different artifacts ranging from ancient prehistory to some of the most important modern historical events.
From insects embedded in amber to a piece of the Space shuttle’s insulation, this collection of miniature artifacts is sure to delight any science nerd.
A Periodic Table They Can Hold
Does your favorite science nerd have a poster of the periodic table? Upgrade their chemistry game with a periodic table that includes 85 elemental samples! They will be delighted by being able to see the elements and their characteristics in person.
This also makes an incredible gift for a science teacher, since they’ll be able to show it to their students and help them make connections between the chart and the elements in the real world.
An Elegant Watchmaking Display
Clockwork is one of the most interesting applications of physics and mechanical engineering, and the gears and intricate parts are simply gorgeous to look at. A spiralling art piece made of carefully arranged clockwork suspended in acrylic parts is a beautiful, thoughtful gift.
And while some acrylic yellows over time, the Lucite used in this piece will not– making it a timeless treasure that can turn into a family heirloom.
Metal That Melts In Their Hand
Mercury looks cool, but as any science nerd or medical professional can tell you, you should not play with it. However, you can safely handle gallium! Gallium metal is a metal that melts at 86º F, about ten degrees below human body temperature. That means you can pick it up, let it melt in your hand, and then pour it back into a cooler container so it can resolidify.
It’s a fun little demonstration that stores easily and remains stable– and is perfectly safe to touch. It’s one of our favorite science nerd gifts because it’s so out of the ordinary and is such a memorable element to experience.
Science Nerd T-Shirts
Even professional scientists need to wear something under their lab coats, and a fun science t-shirt will let your science nerd look great while professing their interests. From designs featuring everybody’s favorite molecule, caffeine, to the elegant twisted strands of the DNA double helix, T-shirts make great gifts for science nerds.
Ferrofluid: Fun With Magnets
Ferrofluid is a liquid that reacts to magnetic fields, making fascinating spiky shapes that are endlessly entertaining to kids and adults alike. A few grams of ferrofluid and a nice strong magnet will let your science nerd create fun displays and neat patterns over and over again. When kept in a jar, ferrofluid makes a fun desk toy– all you need is a magnet or two to manipulate the field interaction!
Glowing Gas Samples and Tesla Coil
First things first: Any mad scientist needs their own Tesla coil. A miniature Tesla coil is an extremely cool gift for science nerds. The coil comes with three light bulbs that light up when exposed to its electric field, and it even has an aux port to play music from the coil! But if that isn’t cool enough, you can get a kit that combines the mini Tesla coil with noble gas samples. Noble gasses glow when exposed to electric fields– it’s why neon lamps glow the way they do.
But neon isn’t the only noble gas, and your favorite chemistry or physics nerd will love seeing the ways these samples light up when the coil goes on. The only thing brighter will be their smiles!
An Element Subscription Service
Mystery box subscriptions are always fun– you never know what you’re going to get! With this subscription service, your science nerd gets a 2 inch Lucite cube containing an element sample. You can send them as many as you like, and they’ll arrive at the frequency you choose. This is a great way to encourage enthusiasm for science and give an unparalleled gifting experience.
A Massive Experiment Kit
You know those flimsy little chemistry kits you had as a kid, with a couple of little experiments? This isn’t like that. The Quantum STEM set is the ultimate science experiment kit, containing materials for 51 different experiments and reactions that are interesting enough for adults, but streamlined enough that anyone can do them. There’s no age limit for discovery!
And you don’t need to be a chemistry wizard to make glowing liquids, magnet-driven motors, metal crystals, and more.
Buying Gifts for Science Nerds
Shopping for gifts for science nerds doesn’t have to be hard. When you shop at a dedicated science supply store like Engineered Labs, you can trust that everything you buy is the genuine article and will delight your science enthusiast for years to come.
To see these great science nerd gifts and more, shop our extensive catalog for tools and experimental supplies, artifacts and museum pieces, and so much more.
