Mick West - The Woo in UFOlogy

Many Ufologists argue that the subject should be taken seriously because they are simply trying to figure out what these odd lights in the sky are. Who said anything about aliens? Maybe it's adversarial technology? Recent events seemed to support this, with the establishment of a Pentagon office to study UFOs (now called UAPs). But now as that office continues to report no evidence of extraterrestrials, many of those nuts-and-bolts UFOlogists have been revealed not just to believe in visiting aliens, but in a whole raft of pseudoscience and parapsychology. As one of them unironically said, "the woo is just around the corner."

Mick West is a writer and a skeptical UFO analyst who has developed software used to solve scores of UFO cases. He runs the investigation forum Metabunk, and is the author of Escaping the Rabbit Hole, where he explains how to talk with people who hold various strange beliefs, from Flat Earth to UFOs. He can be found everywhere @mickwest

Ross Blocher

Ross was born into a family of evangelical Christians and spent a good amount of time in churches of various denominations, singing in choirs, serving as an acolyte, and memorizing lots of scripture. Meanwhile, he busied himself reading books about ghosts, vampires, aliens and chupacabras. In college, while serving as president of a Bible study group, he started attending skeptical lectures and reading science books, coming to the conclusion that he'd been wrong about reality his whole life. While the beliefs went away, his interest in them didn't, and Ross has spent the time since trying to find out why people believe what they do and participating in the Independent Investigations Group, which investigates claims of the paranormal from a scientific viewpoint.

Ross Blocher is an accomplished animation professional and has worked on award-winning films including The Princess and the Frog and The Simpsons Movie. You can learn more about Ross at http://rossblocher.com.

Celeste Kidd

Dr. Celeste Kidd is a cognitive psychologist and AI ethicist at UC Berkeley studying ethical AI, and human belief formation, learning, and curiosity. Her research challenging the well-known “marshmallow test” of young children’s ability to defer gratification suggests that the earlier conclusions focusing on self-control were incomplete, and that rational decision-making is involved – even at the toddler stage. She has also published on how beliefs about the exaggerated capabilities of generative AI can lead to the risk of the transmission of false information and negative stereotypes.

Molly and Seth - Podcasting Skepticism

A workshop with Big Picture Science co-hosts, Molly Bentley and Seth Shostak. Join the hosts of this well-known science podcast and enjoy their tour of its Skeptic Check episodes, taking a critical look at extraordinary science claims and pseudoscience. What’s it like hosting a science podcast? Bring your questions and comments and meet the co-hosts!

Molly Bentley oversees the production of Big Picture Science. She worked as a science journalist for the BBC and as a producer of NPR’s national radio magazine, To the Best of Our Knowledge. She has taught radio writing and podcast production for a decade at the prestigious UC Santa Cruz Science Writing Program.

Seth Shostak is a Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, with degrees in physics and astronomy from Princeton University and Caltech. He has a long history of research in radio astronomy and in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, SETI. Seth has written more than 500 popular articles on science and technology, and co-hosts the weekly science radio show “Big Picture Science.” He has authored four books. He is a frequent guest and commentator on radio and television. His TV appearances include Larry King Live, Colbert Report, Nightline, and countless Discovery, History Channel, and National Geographic Channel programs.

Kyle Polich - Enhance!

From classic crime dramas to futuristic thrillers, we've all seen the trope: a blurry image, a tech wizard, and the mythical "enhance" button that reveals a perfect clear image. But in the real world, where do the boundaries lie between technical feasibility and science fiction? This talk explores the theoretical foundations of AI and algorithmic methods for image enhancement, their potential, and their limits. At the center of the talk will be a historical document related to the Roswell incident known as the "Ramey Memo".

Kyle Polich is the host of the Data Skeptic podcast, a weekly interview program exploring topics related to data science and AI. He runs a boutique consulting group focused on delivery of cloud scale machine learning solutions. He's lived here and there and is rarely beaten in Dr. Mario.

Erica Byrne - Everyday Acts of Science and Skepticism

Come share your ideas on everyday actions you (and we) can take to rebut misinformation and advance scientific thinking. Do you write letters to the editor? Do you talk to your legislators? Do you debunk pseudo-science on Facebook? Do you volunteer with a science group? Do you share Skeptical Science with global-warming deniers on Twitter? Can you explain to creationists why the Second Law of Thermodynamics does not make evolution impossible? Do you advocate for more science in elementary schools in your school district? Do you leave skeptical books in Little Libraries? Do you explain logical fallacies when you encounter one? We can take small actions every day to advance the cause of scientific skepticism.

Erica Byrne served for many years on the Board of Rocky Mountain Skeptics in Colorado, participating in task forces to expose and rebut pseudo-science and scammers. A chemical engineer by training, she spent many hours rebutting the false creationist claim that the Second Law of Thermodynamics somehow makes evolution impossible. (It doesn’t.) She is currently consulting in the use of heat-recovery ventilators to reduce heating costs while improving indoor air quality.

Jim Underdown - Four Miracles

For the past 25 years, the Center for Inquiry Investigations Group has tested more people claiming to possess paranormal powers than anyone in the world, and their $500,000 Paranormal Challenge is the largest active prize of its kind anywhere. In this talk/workshop, CFIIG founder Jim Underdown will outline four tests that his group often conducts, and that any science-based skeptic can administer to any claimant. You will walk out of this presentation with the basic tools to end any bar argument about telekinesis, dowsing, telepathy, and predicting the future.

James Underdown has been the executive director for the Center for Inquiry West in Los Angeles since 1999, and is the chair and founder of the CFI Investigations Group. He's written for Skeptical Inquirer and Free Inquiry magazines, and has appeared on Penn & Teller's Bullshit, The Dr. Phil Show, and in many other media. Jim hosts the web series SkeptiLab: The Bunk Stops Here!, and CFI's Point of Inquiry podcast. In 1980, he wrestled a bear and lost.

Bill Patterson - Skepardy!

Skepardy! is our skeptically-themed version of the popular game show “Jeopardy!”.

We are proud to have Bill Patterson back for yet more skeptically themed game show segment of our event. Bill has been quizzing clever people for years, and for this event we'll have some special guests as contestants, and questions from your favorite skeptics, as well.

Bill Patterson was a high school physics teacher for ten years, a Peace Corps volunteer, and a youth agency executive. He currently is a radiation therapist living in Sonoma County, California. He loves all things rational, and is a board member of Bay Area Skeptics.