A Chronology of Past PhACT Meetings

We have been hosting lectures and other PhACT meetings since 1995. Here is the list.

Most of the recent meetings have been held on Zoom. We have recordings of many of those meetings on PhACT's YouTube Channel .

2024

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, April 20, 2024What's the Harm of Psychics?Rob Palmer
Saturday, March 16, 2024Explorations into the Age of Fishes and the Origin of Limbed VertebratesTed Daeschler
Saturday, February 17, 202419th Century Astronomy CANCELEDRobert Hicks
Saturday, January 20, 2024The Allure of the MultiverseDr. Paul Halpern

2023

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 18, 2023How Are We Deceived?Brian 'Happie' Foshee
Saturday, September 16, 2023Hacking Humanity - Advances in Technology Lead to Big Breakthroughs in MedicineDr. Nathan Lents
Sunday, July 9, 2023SUMMER PICNIC
Saturday, May 20, 2023Valley Forge Park
Saturday, March 18, 2023Science Activism does not stop during a world-wide pandemic: or How I spent my lockdownSusan Gerbic
Saturday, February 18, 2023Public Perception of Science: Lessons from a Dead SheepAdam Ruben
Saturday, January 21, 2023The Great Australian Psychic Prediction ProjectRob Palmer

2022

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 19, 2022Changing Climate Extremes and Global WarmingTom Delworth
Saturday, October 15, 2022Separating facts and opinions about sex and genderDavid Langdon, MD
Saturday, September 17, 2022The Uses of DelusionStuart Vyse
Saturday, June 25, 2022picnic
Saturday, May 7, 2022Valley Forge Park Excursion
Saturday, April 23, 2022Inside the White Rose -an Anti-vaxx, Covid Conspiracy Theory EcosystemMichael Marshall
Saturday, March 19, 2022Havana Syndrome- Tilting at Windmills?Robert Bartholomew and Rob Palmer
Sunday, February 20, 2022Media Coverage of the PandemicFaye Flam and Dr Dave Cragin
Saturday, January 15, 2022Flashes of Creation: The Big BangPaul Halpern

2021

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 20, 2021The Dark Side of Science: Misconduct in Biomedical ResearchDr Elisabeth Bik
Saturday, October 16, 2021A Chat with Rob Palmer & John de LancieRob Palmer & John de Lancie
Saturday, September 18, 2021Skeptical of Clean EatingSteven Novella
Saturday, July 24, 2021Picnic and book swap
Saturday, May 15, 2021John J Audubon Center
Saturday, April 17, 2021Mark Edward, Professional MentalistMark Edward
Saturday, March 20, 2021Adventures of an Australian SkepticIan Bryce
Saturday, February 20, 2021Circular Reasoning: The Rise of Flat Earth BeliefMichael Marshall
Saturday, January 16, 2021The State of ScienceMarc Zimmer

2020

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 21, 2020The Psychology of SuperstitionStuart Vyse
Saturday, October 17, 2020Behind the Scenes on a TV Ghost ShowBenjamin Radford
Saturday, September 19, 2020Why is there something instead of nothing?Steve Landsburg
Saturday, August 15, 2020Giving the Devil His DueDr. Michael Shermer
Saturday, July 25, 2020PhACT Picnic
Saturday, June 20, 2020Overkill: When Modern Medicine Goes Too FarPaul A Offit, MD
Saturday, June 6, 2020How the Science of Oligonucleotide Therapeutics can defeat Covid-19 Arthur Krieg, MD
Saturday, February 15, 2020The Monty Hall Problem & Other Wonders of Statistics and ProbabilityMike LeWitt, MD, MPH

2019

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 16, 2019The Ethical AlgorithmAaron Roth
Saturday, October 19, 2019Beyond The Echo Chamber: Skeptical Outreach Through Pop CultureRuss Dobler
Saturday, September 21, 2019Ancient Aliens, Astrology, Apollo Conspiracies, and Space TelescopesBarry Vacker
Saturday, June 22, 2019picnic and book swap
Saturday, May 18, 2019Hike to Indian Rock @ Tyler ArboretumDon Nigroni
Saturday, April 20, 2019Investigating Mysteries: Out-of-the-Box Thinking that Solved Strange CasesKenny Biddle
Saturday, March 16, 2019The Workshop and the World: what ten thinkers can teach us about Science and authorityBob Crease
Saturday, February 16, 2019SETIEarl Bennett
Saturday, January 19, 2019Bad Advice: Why Celebrities Aren't Your Best Source of Health InformationPaul A. Offit

2018

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 17, 2018Cults: 30 Years Ago & TodayJoe Szimhart
Saturday, October 20, 2018The Evolution of CreationismEric Krieg
Saturday, September 15, 2018Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia (GSoW) Rob Palmer
Saturday, June 30, 2018picnic and book swap
Saturday, May 19, 2018PhACT Expedition to Laurel Hill CemetaryMike Brooks - guide
Saturday, April 21, 2018Hip Hop and the IlluminatiRob Brotherton
Saturday, March 17, 2018 Science Unlimited?: The Challenges of Scientism Massimo Pigliucci
Saturday, February 17, 2018The Confederate Vaccination Crisis of the Civil WarRobert D. Hicks
Saturday, January 20, 2018The Quantum LabyrinthPaul Halpern

2017

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 18, 2017Ethics of Artificial IntelligenceTed Schick
Saturday, October 21, 2017The Anthropology of FoodAlan Mann
Saturday, September 16, 2017The Political Climate for Science (and Skepticism)Ken Silber
Saturday, July 22, 2017Annual PhACT Picnic
Saturday, May 20, 2017PhACT Expedition to Valley Forge Park
Saturday, April 15, 2017Science Gone WrongDr. Paul Offit
Saturday, March 18, 2017Worldwide Adventures in Skepticism Through Story and SongGeorge Hrab
Saturday, February 18, 2017Disasters: Geology vs. HollywoodJon Nyquist
Saturday, January 21, 2017A Numerate LifeJohn Allen Paulos

2016

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 19, 2016HILLEMAN - A Perilous Quest to Save the World's ChildrenPaull Offit, MD
Saturday, October 15, 2016Thinking Critically about Money and InvestingRichard Saunders
Saturday, September 17, 2016The Psychology of Conspiracy TheoriesDr. Rob Brotherton
Sunday, July 31, 2016Annual PhACT Picnic
Saturday, May 21, 2016PhACT Expedition to Haycock Mountain
Saturday, April 16, 2016Global Warming and Climate ChangeTom Delworth
Saturday, March 19, 2016Stanislaw BurzynskiBob Blaskiewicz
Saturday, February 20, 2016The Scars of Human EvolutionAlan Mann
Saturday, January 16, 2016A Farewell to TiktaalikTed Daeschler

2015

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 21, 2015The Ecosystem Within You, How is it Affecting You?Robert Baldassano, MD
Saturday, October 17, 2015Debunk It!John Grant
Saturday, September 19, 2015Einstein's Dice and Schrödinger's CatPaul Halpern
Saturday, July 18, 2015PhACT Picnic
Saturday, May 16, 2015PhACT Expedition to the Mullica River
Saturday, April 18, 2015Fears and Fallacies: A Skeptic's Guide to Food, Evolution, and LifeDavid Cragin and Faye Flam
Saturday, March 21, 2015A Non-Stop Skeptic in a Believer's WorldDebbie Berebichez
Saturday, January 17, 2015The High Cost of Free EnergyEric Krieg

2014

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 15, 2014Neuroethics: the Perils and Potential of Brain ScienceTed Schick
Saturday, October 18, 2014Doomsday ScenariosBarry Vacker
Saturday, September 20, 2014"Back off, man -- I'm a scientist"Paul Brewer
Saturday, June 21, 2014PhACT Picnic
Saturday, May 17, 2014PhACT Ghostbusting Expedition to Ridley Creek State Park
Monday, April 28, 2014Michael Shermer on The Believing BrainMichael Shermer
Saturday, March 15, 2014Bigfoot and CryptozoologyBrian Regal
Saturday, January 18, 2014Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Science in the MediaDavid Cragin and Faye Flam

2013

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 16, 2013Why Symmetry Matters: a description of the beautiful simplicity of the universeDave Goldberg
Saturday, October 19, 2013Paul OffitPaul Offit
Saturday, September 21, 2013AIDS DenialismNicoli Nattrass
Saturday, June 15, 2013PhACT Picnic
Saturday, May 18, 2013PhACT Expedition to the Heinz National Wildlife Refuge
Sunday, April 21, 2013Brunch with James RandiJames Randi
Saturday, April 20, 2013The Amazing James RandiJames Randi
Saturday, March 16, 2013The Museum of Scientifically Proven Supernatural and Paranormal PhenomenaBob Glickman
Saturday, February 16, 2013Behavioral Economics and the Libertarian Paternalism Approach to PolicyJohn Ruscio
Saturday, January 19, 2013Media MythsW. Joseph Campbell

2012

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 17, 2012Science vs. Politics: A Post-Election Look at the Political Climate for ScienceKenneth Silber
Saturday, October 20, 2012The Pseudoscience Wars: Immanuel Velikovsky and the Birth of the Modern FringeMichael D. Gordin
Saturday, September 15, 2012Edge of the Universe: A Voyage to the Cosmic Horizon and BeyondPaul Halpern
Saturday, July 7, 2012PhACT Picnic
Saturday, May 19, 2012PhACT Scientific Expedition to the Blue Hole
Saturday, April 28, 2012The Good Old Days: They were Terrible: Toxicology and the Modern WorldDavid Cragin
Saturday, March 17, 2012The New AlchemyTom Napier
Saturday, February 18, 2012Bioethics and the Evolution of ConsciousnessStacy Ake

2011

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 19, 2011The Fracking ControversyRoland Wall
Saturday, October 15, 2011The Reality of Civil War Medicine and its InterpretationRobert D, Hicks
Saturday, September 17, 2011The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI)Earl Bennett
Saturday, June 25, 2011PhACT Picnic
Saturday, May 21, 2011Annual BanquetTom Beebee
Saturday, April 23, 2011The Dover Intelligent Design TrialJudge John Jones
Saturday, March 19, 2011Disasters: Geology vs. HollywoodJonathan Nyquist
Saturday, February 19, 2011Destructive CultsDavid Clark
Saturday, January 15, 2011Nonsense on StiltsProf. Massimo Pigliucci

2010

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 20, 2010Cosmology and CrackpotsDave Goldberg
Saturday, October 16, 2010Myths of Psychology and Child RearingCathy Fiorello
Saturday, September 18, 2010Denying ScienceJohn Grant
Saturday, July 10, 2010PhACT Picnic
Saturday, June 19, 2010Colliding with Creationists and Cults on the InternetJim Lippard
Sunday, May 16, 2010New Jersey Devil Expedition
Saturday, May 15, 2010PhACT BanquetJoe Nickell
Saturday, April 17, 2010Risk and NumbersDavid Cragin
Saturday, March 20, 2010The Decline of MalesLionel Tiger
Saturday, February 20, 2010Conspiracy Theories in ScienceTed Goertzel
Saturday, January 16, 2010Orbs or Dust? A Practical Guide to False-PositivesKen Biddle

2009

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 21, 2009Robert ParkRobert Park
Saturday, October 17, 2009The Large Hadron ColliderPaul Halpern
Saturday, September 19, 2009Science, Pseudoscience, and the LawLewis Misfud
Sunday, July 19, 2009Annual Picnic
Saturday, May 30, 2009Fund-Raising BanquetFaye Flam
Saturday, April 18, 2009Thinking SocraticallySharon Schwarze and Harvey Lape
Saturday, March 21, 2009The Dover Evolution/Intelligent Design TrialLauri Lebo
Saturday, February 21, 2009Integrative Oncology: Complementary Therapies and Botanicals in Cancer CareBarrie R. Cassileth
Saturday, January 17, 2009In Search of TimeDan Falk

2008

DateTopicSpeaker
Sunday, December 14, 2008PhACT Solstice Party
Saturday, November 15, 2008False Memory SyndromePam Freyd
Saturday, October 18, 2008We the Person: Evolutionary Psychology and the Many Branches of your BrainRobert Kurzban
Saturday, September 20, 2008Innumeracy -- Math in SocietyJohn Allen Paulos
Sunday, July 13, 2008PhACT Picnic
Saturday, May 17, 2008Banquet in Horsham
Saturday, April 19, 2008Science Education in CrisisAndrew J. Petto
Saturday, March 15, 2008Real Free EnergyNick Pine
Saturday, January 19, 2008Vaccine Safety: Science, Politics, and the MediaPaul Offit

2007

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 17, 2007Everything's Relative and Other Fables in Science and TechnologyTony Rothman
Saturday, October 20, 2007Science and SexualityFaye Flam
Saturday, September 15, 2007Mysterious Delusions: Witchcraft in Salem VillageWalter F. Rowe
Saturday, April 21, 2007Award Banquet with Ted DaeschlerTed Daschler
Saturday, February 17, 2007Global Warming and Projections of Future Climate ChangeThomas Delworth
Saturday, January 20, 2007Issues of Free SpeechBill Ewing

2006

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 18, 2006Science AskewDom Simanek
Friday, October 13, 2006Michael ShermerMichael Shermer
Saturday, September 16, 2006Black Light Power Corporation and the Hydrino atomic theory.William Wong
Saturday, June 10, 2006Picnic at Galena Lake
Saturday, May 20, 2006PhACT Day at The Academy of Natural Sciences
Saturday, April 15, 2006Terrorism and Emergency ResponseMr. Ralph Gumbert
Saturday, March 18, 2006Dennis Lee and Free Energy -- can motors run on snake oil?Eric Krieg
Saturday, February 18, 2006The Two Mysteries of the Great PyramidsTom Napier
Saturday, January 21, 2006Toxicology and the Environment: Separating fact from fictionDavid Cragin

2005

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 19, 2005A Skeptical look at SkepticismCharles Eisenstein
Saturday, October 15, 2005Medical BioethicsStacy Ake
Saturday, September 17, 2005The Di Vinci CodeJoe Szimhart
Saturday, June 18, 2005PhACT Picnic and investigation of "Ringing Rocks"
Saturday, May 7, 2005Icons of End of the World ThinkingThomas Beebee
Saturday, April 16, 2005How to Think About Weird ThingsTed Schick
Saturday, March 19, 2005The Social Epistemology of Medical Consensus ConferenceMiriam Solomon
Saturday, February 19, 2005Confronting Creationists in the SchoolsColin Purrington
Saturday, January 15, 2005A Startling Geological AnnouncementHarry Rothwell

2004

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, December 18, 2004Winter Solstice Party
Saturday, November 20, 2004Ghosts in Philadelphia?Eric Krieg, Bob Glickman, and Rodney Anonymous
Saturday, October 16, 2004Bunkum in PsychologyBecky Strickland
Saturday, September 18, 2004A PhACT Get-together with Benjamin RadfordBenjamin Radford
Saturday, June 19, 2004PhACT Family Picnic
Saturday, May 15, 2004Tour of the purportedly haunted Eastern Penitentiary
Saturday, April 17, 2004Freedom, Determinism, and Moral ResponsibilityBill Wisdom
Saturday, March 20, 2004The Henry George Economic TheoryDan Sullivan
Saturday, February 21, 2004Risky Business: Assessing Risks to Human HealthMike Jayjock
Saturday, January 17, 2004Toxicology in the Media: Separating Fact from FictionDavid Cragin

2003

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, December 20, 2003Winter Solstice Party
Saturday, November 15, 2003Open Mike Night at PhACT
Saturday, October 18, 2003Examining the Fringe Culture of Free Energy ClaimantsEric Krieg
Saturday, September 20, 2003Controversies in Science and Society: An Exploration of Critical Thinking About Scientific TheoriesAndrew J. Petto
Saturday, June 14, 2003Picnic
Saturday, May 17, 2003Science in JournalismFaye Flam
Saturday, April 19, 2003Science in the CourtroomWalter Rowe
Saturday, March 15, 2003Harmful CultsJoe Szimhart
Saturday, January 18, 2003Complimentary and Alternative MedicineDr. Barrie R. Cassileth

2002

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 16, 2002The Pitfalls of Polygraph TestingJohn Ruscio
Saturday, October 19, 2002Con MenLouis Sgro
Saturday, September 21, 2002Bob Glickman vs. The Flying SaucersBob Glickman
Saturday, August 17, 2002PhACT Phamily Picnic
Saturday, June 15, 2002The Borderlands of Science - Where Sense Meets NonsenseMichael Shermer
Saturday, May 18, 2002The Seven Warning Signs of Voodoo ScienceRobert Park

2001

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, October 20, 2001The Psychic, The Paranormal, and the SupernaturalGeorge Hansen
Saturday, September 15, 2001How to Convince a SkepticTom Napier
Saturday, March 17, 2001Looking For a MiracleJoe Nickell
Saturday, February 17, 2001AIDS Deniers: When Pseudo-science KillsAnna Forbes and Walt Cuirle
Saturday, January 20, 2001Skeptical Discussion Day

2000

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, December 16, 2000Winter Solstice Party
Saturday, November 18, 2000The History of SkepticismBill Wisdom
Saturday, October 21, 2000Debunking Thought Field TherapyJames D. Herbert, PhD, and Brandon Gaudiano
Saturday, September 16, 2000Medical OrgonomyRichar Moroch
Saturday, May 20, 2000The Norm Biss StoryNorm Biss
Saturday, April 15, 2000If the Spirit is Willing: a Brief History of SpiritualismChip Denman
Saturday, March 18, 2000Global Warming - Is it Real? Should We Care?Tom Delworth
Saturday, February 19, 2000Field Trip to the Philadelphia Mütter Museum
Saturday, January 15, 2000Psychology of Children's BehaviorCathy Fiorello

1999

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, December 18, 1999Keeping Fiction out of Science -- panel discussion
Wednesday, November 10, 1999Dennis Lee Free Energy Show
Saturday, October 16, 1999Destructive CultsJoe Flanagan
Saturday, September 18, 1999Does Eating Candy Increase Longevity?Jeff Lewis and David Cragin
Saturday, May 15, 1999Fanaticism in CyberspaceEric Krieg
Saturday, April 17, 1999PhACT Annual BanquetPam Freyd
Saturday, March 20, 1999Media Integrity Symposium
Saturday, February 20, 1999How Do You Know That's Impossible?Walter Cuirle
Saturday, January 16, 1999Hot Air, Hope, and Hand WavingTom Napier

1998

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 21, 1998How to Think About Weird ThingsTed Schick
Saturday, October 17, 1998The Skeptic as Expert Witness in the Case Against the Faith HealersBill Wisdom
Saturday, September 19, 1998Creationism's Achilles Heel: The Geologic RecordDonald Wise
Saturday, May 16, 1998Introducing CryonicsDoug Platt
Saturday, April 18, 1998PhACT Annual LuncheonJoe Nickell
Saturday, March 21, 1998What Constitutes Proof When Examining Alternative Healthcare?Saul Green
Saturday, February 21, 1998Memes and Mass DelusionAaron Lynch
Saturday, January 17, 1998The Roswell IncidentTom Carey

1997

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 15, 1997Weird Encounters Day
Saturday, October 18, 1997Making Sense of the MillenniumTed Daniels
Saturday, September 20, 1997The High Cost of Free EnergyEric Krieg
Saturday, July 19, 1997PhACT Family Picnic
Saturday, May 17, 1997Skeptical About SkepticsDavid Leiter
Saturday, April 19, 1997Group Discussion Day
Saturday, February 15, 1997Conspiracy TheoryEvan Harrington
Saturday, January 18, 1997Can Nurses Feel Energy Fields?Bob Glickman

1996

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 16, 1996The James Randi LuncheonJames Randi
Saturday, September 21, 1996False MemoriesPam Freyd
Saturday, August 17, 1996Ringing Rocks
Saturday, July 20, 1996Creationism's SinsCraig Olsen
Saturday, June 15, 1996World Skeptic Conference
Saturday, May 18, 1996Health Frauds and QuackeryDr. Stephen Barrett, MD
Saturday, April 20, 1996Psychics and the LawLouis Sgro
Saturday, March 16, 1996UFOsPhilip Klass
Saturday, February 17, 1996Does Astrology Work?Eric Krieg
Saturday, January 20, 1996The Two Mysteries of the Great PyramidTom Napier

1995

DateTopicSpeaker
Saturday, November 18, 1995How to Tell What is Possible and ImpossibleMilton Rothman
Sunday, September 24, 1995Cults and PseudoscienceJoe Szimhart

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