Embrace Your Skepticality by Speaking Beyond… Or Something Like That
The Amazing Meeting 8 is now less than three weeks away and the details are beginning to take shape. If you are not attending TAM8, stay tuned to Facebook and Twitter as those in attendance will give you details for live streaming should JREF repeat last year’s efforts over Ustream.
Here are some of my personal highlights:
Thursday, July 8th
The pre-conference workshops will include one addressing the teaching of critical thinking and skepticism, presented by yours truly along with Jr. Skeptic editor Daniel Loxton and Skeptical Teacher Matt Lowry. The three of us are part of a team of advisers who have agreed to consult, as needed, with JREF on education matters. As such, we were asked by Education Director Michael Blanford to put together our best tips, advice, and take-outs and deliver them to you.
Following the JREF/CSI/Skeptic Society reception (starting around 9pm) is Drinking Skeptically in the Silverado Bar at the conference hotel. To spice it up a bit, I will be co-hosting The (Unofficial) AMAZING (Live) Podcast Edition of Virtual Drinking Skeptically. This will be broadcast live through Ustream from a suite at the South Point and will be connected via Tokbox to the party downstairs and, if all goes well and you join us, you.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, my co-hosts – the actual podcasters – will be Swoopy of Skepticality, Desiree Schell of Skeptically Speaking, and Heidi Anderson of Podcast Beyond Belief. We promise the celebrity guests, so tune in!
And while you are looking into that, catch Podblack Cat & Token Skeptic Kylie Sturgess on Virtual Drinking Skeptically tomorrow night at 9pm EDT!
Friday & Saturday, July 9th & 10th
The line-up includes many TAM favorites, popular returning speakers, and some brand new faces. The keynote speaker this year is Richard Dawkins. You can find the schedule here.
Some of the people I am looking forward to hearing from via talks and panels include a couple of excellent psychologists (Carol Tavris & Bruce Hood), a paleobiologist (Donald Prothero), a geneticist/biologist/philosopher (Massimo Pigliucci), a comedian (Paul Provenza), a special effects creator turned TV personality (Adam Savage), and my favorite skeptical activists (Michael Shermer, Daniel Loxton, etc.).
Sunday, July 11th
I will be discussing something I call “Science Fair Skepticism” and will argue that skeptical inquiry solves stubborn problems faced when teaching the scientific method from elementary education through college-level research methods courses.
Heidi Anderson is one of three workshop presenters and I really wish it was scheduled at a different time, because I cannot be in two places at once! I will have to split my time between this and the next workshop…
K.O. Myers of Grassroots Skeptics has put together a 2-part workshop and recruited some experts as grassroots organizing including Skeptrack co-founder Swoopy and Skepticamp creator Reed Esau.
Desiree Schell will moderate one of the sessions – a discussion of organizing and executing events.
Another live challenge!
Woo Fighters is still collecting donations to send four worthy students to TAM8. As of this writing, I have secured the registration for one student. Three more are waiting patiently, hoping that enough people donate small amounts, they will add up. Please help if you can.
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