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A Chronology of Past PhACT Meetings
We have been hosting lectures and other PhACT meetings since 1995. Here is the list.
2023
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, May 20, 2023 | Valley Forge Park | | | Saturday, March 18, 2023 | Science Activism does not stop during a world-wide pandemic: or How I spent my lockdown | Susan Gerbic | | Saturday, February 18, 2023 | Public Perception of Science: Lessons from a Dead Sheep | Adam Ruben | | Saturday, January 21, 2023 | The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project | Rob Palmer |
2022
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 19, 2022 | Changing Climate Extremes and Global Warming | Tom Delworth | | Saturday, October 15, 2022 | Separating facts and opinions about sex and gender | David Langdon, MD | | Saturday, September 17, 2022 | The Uses of Delusion | Stuart Vyse | | Saturday, June 25, 2022 | picnic | | | Saturday, May 7, 2022 | Valley Forge Park Excursion | | | Saturday, April 23, 2022 | Inside the White Rose -an Anti-vaxx, Covid Conspiracy Theory Ecosystem | Michael Marshall | | Saturday, March 19, 2022 | Havana Syndrome- Tilting at Windmills? | Robert Bartholomew and Rob Palmer | | Sunday, February 20, 2022 | Media Coverage of the Pandemic | Faye Flam and Dr Dave Cragin | | Saturday, January 15, 2022 | Flashes of Creation: The Big Bang | Paul Halpern |
2021
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 20, 2021 | The Dark Side of Science: Misconduct in Biomedical Research | Dr Elisabeth Bik | | Saturday, October 16, 2021 | A Chat with Rob Palmer & John de Lancie | Rob Palmer & John de Lancie | | Saturday, September 18, 2021 | Skeptical of Clean Eating | Steven Novella | | Saturday, July 24, 2021 | Picnic and book swap | | | Saturday, May 15, 2021 | John J Audubon Center | | | Saturday, April 17, 2021 | Mark Edward, Professional Mentalist | Mark Edward | | Saturday, March 20, 2021 | Adventures of an Australian Skeptic | Ian Bryce | | Saturday, February 20, 2021 | Circular Reasoning: The Rise of Flat Earth Belief | Michael Marshall | | Saturday, January 16, 2021 | The State of Science | Marc Zimmer |
2020
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 21, 2020 | The Psychology of Superstition | Stuart Vyse | | Saturday, October 17, 2020 | Behind the Scenes on a TV Ghost Show | Benjamin Radford | | Saturday, September 19, 2020 | Why is there something instead of nothing? | Steve Landsburg | | Saturday, August 15, 2020 | Giving the Devil His Due | Dr. Michael Shermer | | Saturday, July 25, 2020 | PhACT Picnic | | | Saturday, June 20, 2020 | Overkill: When Modern Medicine Goes Too Far | Paul A Offit, MD | | Saturday, June 6, 2020 | How the Science of Oligonucleotide Therapeutics can defeat Covid-19 | Arthur Krieg, MD | | Saturday, February 15, 2020 | The Monty Hall Problem & Other Wonders of Statistics and Probability | Mike LeWitt, MD, MPH |
2019
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 16, 2019 | The Ethical Algorithm | Aaron Roth | | Saturday, October 19, 2019 | Beyond The Echo Chamber: Skeptical Outreach Through Pop Culture | Russ Dobler | | Saturday, September 21, 2019 | Ancient Aliens, Astrology, Apollo Conspiracies, and Space Telescopes | Barry Vacker | | Saturday, June 22, 2019 | picnic and book swap | | | Saturday, May 18, 2019 | Hike to Indian Rock @ Tyler Arboretum | Don Nigroni | | Saturday, April 20, 2019 | Investigating Mysteries: Out-of-the-Box Thinking that Solved Strange Cases | Kenny Biddle | | Saturday, March 16, 2019 | The Workshop and the World: what ten thinkers can teach us about Science and authority | Bob Crease | | Saturday, February 16, 2019 | SETI | Earl Bennett | | Saturday, January 19, 2019 | Bad Advice: Why Celebrities Aren't Your Best Source of Health Information | Paul A. Offit |
2018
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 17, 2018 | Cults: 30 Years Ago & Today | Joe Szimhart | | Saturday, October 20, 2018 | The Evolution of Creationism | Eric Krieg | | Saturday, September 15, 2018 | Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia (GSoW) | Rob Palmer | | Saturday, June 30, 2018 | picnic and book swap | | | Saturday, May 19, 2018 | PhACT Expedition to Laurel Hill Cemetary | Mike Brooks - guide | | Saturday, April 21, 2018 | Hip Hop and the Illuminati | Rob Brotherton | | Saturday, March 17, 2018 | Science Unlimited?: The Challenges of Scientism | Massimo Pigliucci | | Saturday, February 17, 2018 | The Confederate Vaccination Crisis of the Civil War | Robert D. Hicks | | Saturday, January 20, 2018 | The Quantum Labyrinth | Paul Halpern |
2017
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 18, 2017 | Ethics of Artificial Intelligence | Ted Schick | | Saturday, October 21, 2017 | The Anthropology of Food | Alan Mann | | Saturday, September 16, 2017 | The Political Climate for Science (and Skepticism) | Ken Silber | | Saturday, July 22, 2017 | Annual PhACT Picnic | | | Saturday, May 20, 2017 | PhACT Expedition to Valley Forge Park | | | Saturday, April 15, 2017 | Science Gone Wrong | Dr. Paul Offit | | Saturday, March 18, 2017 | Worldwide Adventures in Skepticism Through Story and Song | George Hrab | | Saturday, February 18, 2017 | Disasters: Geology vs. Hollywood | Jon Nyquist | | Saturday, January 21, 2017 | A Numerate Life | John Allen Paulos |
2016
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 19, 2016 | HILLEMAN - A Perilous Quest to Save the World's Children | Paull Offit, MD | | Saturday, October 15, 2016 | Thinking Critically about Money and Investing | Richard Saunders | | Saturday, September 17, 2016 | The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories | Dr. Rob Brotherton | | Sunday, July 31, 2016 | Annual PhACT Picnic | | | Saturday, May 21, 2016 | PhACT Expedition to Haycock Mountain | | | Saturday, April 16, 2016 | Global Warming and Climate Change | Tom Delworth | | Saturday, March 19, 2016 | Stanislaw Burzynski | Bob Blaskiewicz | | Saturday, February 20, 2016 | The Scars of Human Evolution | Alan Mann | | Saturday, January 16, 2016 | A Farewell to Tiktaalik | Ted Daeschler |
2015
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 21, 2015 | The Ecosystem Within You, How is it Affecting You? | Robert Baldassano, MD | | Saturday, October 17, 2015 | Debunk It! | John Grant | | Saturday, September 19, 2015 | Einstein's Dice and Schrödinger's Cat | Paul Halpern | | Saturday, July 18, 2015 | PhACT Picnic | | | Saturday, May 16, 2015 | PhACT Expedition to the Mullica River | | | Saturday, April 18, 2015 | Fears and Fallacies: A Skeptic's Guide to Food, Evolution, and Life | David Cragin and Faye Flam | | Saturday, March 21, 2015 | A Non-Stop Skeptic in a Believer's World | Debbie Berebichez | | Saturday, January 17, 2015 | The High Cost of Free Energy | Eric Krieg |
2014
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 15, 2014 | Neuroethics: the Perils and Potential of Brain Science | Ted Schick | | Saturday, October 18, 2014 | Doomsday Scenarios | Barry Vacker | | Saturday, September 20, 2014 | "Back off, man -- I'm a scientist" | Paul Brewer | | Saturday, June 21, 2014 | PhACT Picnic | | | Saturday, May 17, 2014 | PhACT Ghostbusting Expedition to Ridley Creek State Park | | | Monday, April 28, 2014 | Michael Shermer on The Believing Brain | Michael Shermer | | Saturday, March 15, 2014 | Bigfoot and Cryptozoology | Brian Regal | | Saturday, January 18, 2014 | Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Science in the Media | David Cragin and Faye Flam |
2013
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 16, 2013 | Why Symmetry Matters: a description of the beautiful simplicity of the universe | Dave Goldberg | | Saturday, October 19, 2013 | Paul Offit | Paul Offit | | Saturday, September 21, 2013 | AIDS Denialism | Nicoli Nattrass | | Saturday, June 15, 2013 | PhACT Picnic | | | Saturday, May 18, 2013 | PhACT Expedition to the Heinz National Wildlife Refuge | | | Sunday, April 21, 2013 | Brunch with James Randi | James Randi | | Saturday, April 20, 2013 | The Amazing James Randi | James Randi | | Saturday, March 16, 2013 | The Museum of Scientifically Proven Supernatural and Paranormal Phenomena | Bob Glickman | | Saturday, February 16, 2013 | Behavioral Economics and the Libertarian Paternalism Approach to Policy | John Ruscio | | Saturday, January 19, 2013 | Media Myths | W. Joseph Campbell |
2012
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 17, 2012 | Science vs. Politics: A Post-Election Look at the Political Climate for Science | Kenneth Silber | | Saturday, October 20, 2012 | The Pseudoscience Wars: Immanuel Velikovsky and the Birth of the Modern Fringe | Michael D. Gordin | | Saturday, September 15, 2012 | Edge of the Universe: A Voyage to the Cosmic Horizon and Beyond | Paul Halpern | | Saturday, July 7, 2012 | PhACT Picnic | | | Saturday, May 19, 2012 | PhACT Scientific Expedition to the Blue Hole | | | Saturday, April 28, 2012 | The Good Old Days: They were Terrible: Toxicology and the Modern World | David Cragin | | Saturday, March 17, 2012 | The New Alchemy | Tom Napier | | Saturday, February 18, 2012 | Bioethics and the Evolution of Consciousness | Stacy Ake |
2011
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 19, 2011 | The Fracking Controversy | Roland Wall | | Saturday, October 15, 2011 | The Reality of Civil War Medicine and its Interpretation | Robert D, Hicks | | Saturday, September 17, 2011 | The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) | Earl Bennett | | Saturday, June 25, 2011 | PhACT Picnic | | | Saturday, May 21, 2011 | Annual Banquet | Tom Beebee | | Saturday, April 23, 2011 | The Dover Intelligent Design Trial | Judge John Jones | | Saturday, March 19, 2011 | Disasters: Geology vs. Hollywood | Jonathan Nyquist | | Saturday, February 19, 2011 | Destructive Cults | David Clark | | Saturday, January 15, 2011 | Nonsense on Stilts | Prof. Massimo Pigliucci |
2010
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 20, 2010 | Cosmology and Crackpots | Dave Goldberg | | Saturday, October 16, 2010 | Myths of Psychology and Child Rearing | Cathy Fiorello | | Saturday, September 18, 2010 | Denying Science | John Grant | | Saturday, July 10, 2010 | PhACT Picnic | | | Saturday, June 19, 2010 | Colliding with Creationists and Cults on the Internet | Jim Lippard | | Sunday, May 16, 2010 | New Jersey Devil Expedition | | | Saturday, May 15, 2010 | PhACT Banquet | Joe Nickell | | Saturday, April 17, 2010 | Risk and Numbers | David Cragin | | Saturday, March 20, 2010 | The Decline of Males | Lionel Tiger | | Saturday, February 20, 2010 | Conspiracy Theories in Science | Ted Goertzel | | Saturday, January 16, 2010 | Orbs or Dust? A Practical Guide to False-Positives | Ken Biddle |
2009
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 21, 2009 | Robert Park | Robert Park | | Saturday, October 17, 2009 | The Large Hadron Collider | Paul Halpern | | Saturday, September 19, 2009 | Science, Pseudoscience, and the Law | Lewis Misfud | | Sunday, July 19, 2009 | Annual Picnic | | | Saturday, May 30, 2009 | Fund-Raising Banquet | Faye Flam | | Saturday, April 18, 2009 | Thinking Socratically | Sharon Schwarze and Harvey Lape | | Saturday, March 21, 2009 | The Dover Evolution/Intelligent Design Trial | Lauri Lebo | | Saturday, February 21, 2009 | Integrative Oncology: Complementary Therapies and Botanicals in Cancer Care | Barrie R. Cassileth | | Saturday, January 17, 2009 | In Search of Time | Dan Falk |
2008
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Sunday, December 14, 2008 | PhACT Solstice Party | | | Saturday, November 15, 2008 | False Memory Syndrome | Pam Freyd | | Saturday, October 18, 2008 | We the Person: Evolutionary Psychology and the Many Branches of your Brain | Robert Kurzban | | Saturday, September 20, 2008 | Innumeracy -- Math in Society | John Allen Paulos | | Sunday, July 13, 2008 | PhACT Picnic | | | Saturday, May 17, 2008 | Banquet in Horsham | | | Saturday, April 19, 2008 | Science Education in Crisis | Andrew J. Petto | | Saturday, March 15, 2008 | Real Free Energy | Nick Pine | | Saturday, January 19, 2008 | Vaccine Safety: Science, Politics, and the Media | Paul Offit |
2007
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 17, 2007 | Everything's Relative and Other Fables in Science and Technology | Tony Rothman | | Saturday, October 20, 2007 | Science and Sexuality | Faye Flam | | Saturday, September 15, 2007 | Mysterious Delusions: Witchcraft in Salem Village | Walter F. Rowe | | Saturday, April 21, 2007 | Award Banquet with Ted Daeschler | Ted Daschler | | Saturday, February 17, 2007 | Global Warming and Projections of Future Climate Change | Thomas Delworth | | Saturday, January 20, 2007 | Issues of Free Speech | Bill Ewing |
2006
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 18, 2006 | Science Askew | Dom Simanek | | Friday, October 13, 2006 | Michael Shermer | Michael Shermer | | Saturday, September 16, 2006 | Black Light Power Corporation and the Hydrino atomic theory. | William Wong | | Saturday, June 10, 2006 | Picnic at Galena Lake | | | Saturday, May 20, 2006 | PhACT Day at The Academy of Natural Sciences | | | Saturday, April 15, 2006 | Terrorism and Emergency Response | Mr. Ralph Gumbert | | Saturday, March 18, 2006 | Dennis Lee and Free Energy -- can motors run on snake oil? | Eric Krieg | | Saturday, February 18, 2006 | The Two Mysteries of the Great Pyramids | Tom Napier | | Saturday, January 21, 2006 | Toxicology and the Environment: Separating fact from fiction | David Cragin |
2005
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 19, 2005 | A Skeptical look at Skepticism | Charles Eisenstein | | Saturday, October 15, 2005 | Medical Bioethics | Stacy Ake | | Saturday, September 17, 2005 | The Di Vinci Code | Joe Szimhart | | Saturday, June 18, 2005 | PhACT Picnic and investigation of "Ringing Rocks" | | | Saturday, May 7, 2005 | Icons of End of the World Thinking | Thomas Beebee | | Saturday, April 16, 2005 | How to Think About Weird Things | Ted Schick | | Saturday, March 19, 2005 | The Social Epistemology of Medical Consensus Conference | Miriam Solomon | | Saturday, February 19, 2005 | Confronting Creationists in the Schools | Colin Purrington | | Saturday, January 15, 2005 | A Startling Geological Announcement | Harry Rothwell |
2004
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, December 18, 2004 | Winter Solstice Party | | | Saturday, November 20, 2004 | Ghosts in Philadelphia? | Eric Krieg, Bob Glickman, and Rodney Anonymous | | Saturday, October 16, 2004 | Bunkum in Psychology | Becky Strickland | | Saturday, September 18, 2004 | A PhACT Get-together with Benjamin Radford | Benjamin Radford | | Saturday, June 19, 2004 | PhACT Family Picnic | | | Saturday, May 15, 2004 | Tour of the purportedly haunted Eastern Penitentiary | | | Saturday, April 17, 2004 | Freedom, Determinism, and Moral Responsibility | Bill Wisdom | | Saturday, March 20, 2004 | The Henry George Economic Theory | Dan Sullivan | | Saturday, February 21, 2004 | Risky Business: Assessing Risks to Human Health | Mike Jayjock | | Saturday, January 17, 2004 | Toxicology in the Media: Separating Fact from Fiction | David Cragin |
2003
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, December 20, 2003 | Winter Solstice Party | | | Saturday, November 15, 2003 | Open Mike Night at PhACT | | | Saturday, October 18, 2003 | Examining the Fringe Culture of Free Energy Claimants | Eric Krieg | | Saturday, September 20, 2003 | Controversies in Science and Society: An Exploration of Critical Thinking About Scientific Theories | Andrew J. Petto | | Saturday, June 14, 2003 | Picnic | | | Saturday, May 17, 2003 | Science in Journalism | Faye Flam | | Saturday, April 19, 2003 | Science in the Courtroom | Walter Rowe | | Saturday, March 15, 2003 | Harmful Cults | Joe Szimhart | | Saturday, January 18, 2003 | Complimentary and Alternative Medicine | Dr. Barrie R. Cassileth |
2002
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 16, 2002 | The Pitfalls of Polygraph Testing | John Ruscio | | Saturday, October 19, 2002 | Con Men | Louis Sgro | | Saturday, September 21, 2002 | Bob Glickman vs. The Flying Saucers | Bob Glickman | | Saturday, August 17, 2002 | PhACT Phamily Picnic | | | Saturday, June 15, 2002 | The Borderlands of Science - Where Sense Meets Nonsense | Michael Shermer | | Saturday, May 18, 2002 | The Seven Warning Signs of Voodoo Science | Robert Park |
2001
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, October 20, 2001 | The Psychic, The Paranormal, and the Supernatural | George Hansen | | Saturday, September 15, 2001 | How to Convince a Skeptic | Tom Napier | | Saturday, March 17, 2001 | Looking For a Miracle | Joe Nickell | | Saturday, February 17, 2001 | AIDS Deniers: When Pseudo-science Kills | Anna Forbes and Walt Cuirle | | Saturday, January 20, 2001 | Skeptical Discussion Day | |
2000
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, December 16, 2000 | Winter Solstice Party | | | Saturday, November 18, 2000 | The History of Skepticism | Bill Wisdom | | Saturday, October 21, 2000 | Debunking Thought Field Therapy | James D. Herbert, PhD, and Brandon Gaudiano | | Saturday, September 16, 2000 | Medical Orgonomy | Richar Moroch | | Saturday, May 20, 2000 | The Norm Biss Story | Norm Biss | | Saturday, April 15, 2000 | If the Spirit is Willing: a Brief History of Spiritualism | Chip Denman | | Saturday, March 18, 2000 | Global Warming - Is it Real? Should We Care? | Tom Delworth | | Saturday, February 19, 2000 | Field Trip to the Philadelphia Mütter Museum | | | Saturday, January 15, 2000 | Psychology of Children's Behavior | Cathy Fiorello |
1999
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, December 18, 1999 | Keeping Fiction out of Science -- panel discussion | | | Wednesday, November 10, 1999 | Dennis Lee Free Energy Show | | | Saturday, October 16, 1999 | Destructive Cults | Joe Flanagan | | Saturday, September 18, 1999 | Does Eating Candy Increase Longevity? | Jeff Lewis and David Cragin | | Saturday, May 15, 1999 | Fanaticism in Cyberspace | Eric Krieg | | Saturday, April 17, 1999 | PhACT Annual Banquet | Pam Freyd | | Saturday, March 20, 1999 | Media Integrity Symposium | | | Saturday, February 20, 1999 | How Do You Know That's Impossible? | Walter Cuirle | | Saturday, January 16, 1999 | Hot Air, Hope, and Hand Waving | Tom Napier |
1998
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 21, 1998 | How to Think About Weird Things | Ted Schick | | Saturday, October 17, 1998 | The Skeptic as Expert Witness in the Case Against the Faith Healers | Bill Wisdom | | Saturday, September 19, 1998 | Creationism's Achilles Heel: The Geologic Record | Donald Wise | | Saturday, May 16, 1998 | Introducing Cryonics | Doug Platt | | Saturday, April 18, 1998 | PhACT Annual Luncheon | Joe Nickell | | Saturday, March 21, 1998 | What Constitutes Proof When Examining Alternative Healthcare? | Saul Green | | Saturday, February 21, 1998 | Memes and Mass Delusion | Aaron Lynch | | Saturday, January 17, 1998 | The Roswell Incident | Tom Carey |
1997
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 15, 1997 | Weird Encounters Day | | | Saturday, October 18, 1997 | Making Sense of the Millennium | Ted Daniels | | Saturday, September 20, 1997 | The High Cost of Free Energy | Eric Krieg | | Saturday, July 19, 1997 | PhACT Family Picnic | | | Saturday, May 17, 1997 | Skeptical About Skeptics | David Leiter | | Saturday, April 19, 1997 | Group Discussion Day | | | Saturday, February 15, 1997 | Conspiracy Theory | Evan Harrington | | Saturday, January 18, 1997 | Can Nurses Feel Energy Fields? | Bob Glickman |
1996
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 16, 1996 | The James Randi Luncheon | James Randi | | Saturday, September 21, 1996 | False Memories | Pam Freyd | | Saturday, August 17, 1996 | Ringing Rocks | | | Saturday, July 20, 1996 | Creationism's Sins | Craig Olsen | | Saturday, June 15, 1996 | World Skeptic Conference | | | Saturday, May 18, 1996 | Health Frauds and Quackery | Dr. Stephen Barrett, MD | | Saturday, April 20, 1996 | Psychics and the Law | Louis Sgro | | Saturday, March 16, 1996 | UFOs | Philip Klass | | Saturday, February 17, 1996 | Does Astrology Work? | Eric Krieg | | Saturday, January 20, 1996 | The Two Mysteries of the Great Pyramid | Tom Napier |
1995
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Saturday, November 18, 1995 | How to Tell What is Possible and Impossible | Milton Rothman | | Sunday, September 24, 1995 | Cults and Pseudoscience | Joe Szimhart |
0000
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|
| Tuesday, November 30, -1 | | |
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