Valentine’s Day Gifts for the Geek You Love

Valentine's Day is for lovers. If you or yours is a science geek, expressing how much you care doesn't necessarily require actual words.

Flowers, cards and candy are always a safe bet. But this Valentine's Day, take traditional to the next level. Show her how deep your love is with an 8-bit flower bouquet, guaranteed never to wilt, kind of like her intelligence. Still unsure of what to say? Instead of a traditional card, send a science valentine and let someone smart do it for you. After all, science is the gift that keeps on giving. Candy hearts are for amateurs. And bleeding hearts? That's so last year. Show your geek what you love the most about them with a gummy brain (vial of cherry-flavored candy blood optional). No Valentine's Day would be complete without chocolate. But forgo the boxed variety this year. Instead, make some chocolate with the one you love the old fashioned way and see how its food chemistry compares to yours.

What do you get the woman with beauty and brains? How about some jewelry to accentuate her mind. Choose from molecular earrings, a caffeine molecule necklace, or a circuit board pendant. And for guy who knows it all? Molecular cufflinks, an 8-bit tie or an LED binary watch are sure to make your brainiac look good.

Instead of being a sap and wearing your heart on your sleeve, get smart and encode your feelings on a geeky T-shirt—say it in a poem, on matching shirts with proximity-based technology, or through a math formula that plots your true intentions.

Kissing is always a fun Valentine's Day pastime. But you wouldn't be a real geek if you didn't read about it first. So check out Sheril Kirshenbaum's new book "The Science of Kissing," then test what you've learned.

You'd do just about anything for your geek—risk a chemical burn, solve for x—you'd even sacrifice an organ or donate blood. So this Valentine's Day, why not make sure you share the same blood type? You and your love can DIY and be prepared, just in case.

This Valentine's Day, show the one you love how much you care by appealing to their intelligence. They'll <3 you for it.

Arcynta Ali Childs | | READ MORE

Arcynta Ali Childs was awarded journalism fellowships from the New York Times Student Journalism Institute, the National Press Foundation, the Poynter Institute and the Village Voice. She also has worked at Ms. Magazine, O and Smithsonian.