UnivCon National Paranormal Conference Sept. 11-14

[Gravy]

It's at Penn State (State College, PA). Looks like a good place to learn a lot, see true craziness, and raise hell. Who's going?

http://www.univcon.org/index.php

ETA: maybe the TimeCube guy will be there! And ETCorngods!

[Gravy]

I should point out that there will be skeptics among the speakers: Michael Shermer on why people believe weird things and Joyce Furfaro (who is awesome) on applying the scientific method in paranormal research. It'll be interesting to see how they're received.

I don't remember this conference being discussed here before. Has anyone been?

[kookbreaker]

I had not heard of this. Seems like quite a mix of neat stuff there, at least on the skeptics' side.

Are they having panel discussions like DragonCon or anything like that?

[kittynh]

this sounds great! I'd like to have a mix. Many people have asked for a meeting where we have both "sides". I have seen Shermer in debates with "believers" and he's really good at holding his own. That's reason enough to go.
Does anyone know anything about any of the other speakers?

We need some skeptics to attend!!!

[Kochanski]

Sounds, interesting. I will check the schedule out. It is pricy but having skeptics show up would be a hoot.

[Gravy]

I had not heard of this. Seems like quite a mix of neat stuff there, at least on the skeptics' side.

Are they having panel discussions like DragonCon or anything like that?They are. Shermer is listed as "the" skeptic in some, and another says a skeptic to be named later will be included. There's a long list of speakers and workshops, but the time slots for each aren't listed yet. Seems like the conference (which is a bit larger than TAM) is in some disarray. The co-hosts quit or were ousted two weeks ago, a film festival was announced August 15 with submissions due by the 20th, and the website is a bit of a mess.

Sounds, interesting. I will check the schedule out. It is pricy but having skeptics show up would be a hoot.$95 wouldn't be bad for the whole event, but it would be hard to take in that much woo. It would be good if they had a lower price for single days. The area is nice place to spend a weekend: good for a drive, hike, or paddle, and Gettysburg is (I'm guessing) a couple of hours away.

When the JREF bigwigs come back from DragonCon, I'll ask if they'd be willing to fund (at least the admission fee for) a few friendly, articulate, knowledgeable skeptics to work in pairs, spreading the gospel of critical thinking at this event and ones like it. You know, like Randi's Witnesses. (Somebody stop me! And yes, I was joking above about raising hell.)

An argument against that might be that these are hardcore believers who aren't likely to be swayed. To which I'd reply that the people who spread the misinformation, particularly media professionals, should be engaged in dialog and challenged to include skeptical analysis and reliable methods of arriving at truth in their broadcasts, and reminded that healthy, spirited debate makes for good ratings. The organizers could be applauded for including some skeptic speakers and encouraged to do more of that. Attendees could learn that skeptics aren't (all) grumpy nabobs of negativity but are funny, smart, sensible people who really listen, who share their capacity for wonder, and who love to learn. And of course linky literature would be casually handed out at every opportunity.

There's also a huge student body to be hit there, most of whom probably can't afford admission to the woofest, which used to be free to students. I wonder if there's a critical thinking organization there or nearby. What we really need is a band of roving street magician/skeptics who can amaze and then inform. I'll check the yellow pages.

Plan B is to pretend I'm a credophile in need of salvation and ask for private tutoring from Ms. Furfaro. Because neuroscientist skeptic babe = Gravy crush-o-rama. Since having a girlfriend with a brain tumor I'm a pushover for brain people. I wonder if she knows Steve Novella.

this sounds great! I'd like to have a mix. Many people have asked for a meeting where we have both "sides". I have seen Shermer in debates with "believers" and he's really good at holding his own. That's reason enough to go.
Does anyone know anything about any of the other speakers?Not really, but I generally don't watch or listen to programming that promotes paranormal beliefs. Seems like most of the paranormalists are second-tier, which (along with the location) makes me think that their budget is small, which makes me impressed that they spent some of it on skeptics. Unless Shermer works for free.

We need some skeptics to attend!!!Agreed!

[LashL]

The conference looks very interesting, indeed! I would have liked to attend - primarily to see and hear Mr. Shermer and Ms. Furfaro - had my work schedule permitted but, alas, I will not be able to go.

I would certainly love to hear reports from anyone here who does attend!