During the weekend of March 31-April 1, the Washington Academy of
Science (WAS) is sponsoring the 5th Capital Science weekend in
Arlington VA. Most affiliate organizations of the WAS are presenting
talks in their specialty. As an affiliate of the WAS, NCAS is
presenting 3 talks on Sunday, April 1 from 2-5pm:
- 2pm: Vaccines and autism - Prof. Marvin Zelkowitz,
Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland
- 3pm: CSI Skeptic - Prof. Walter Rowe, Department of
Forensic Sciences
- 4pm: Top Scams of the Year - Prof. Marvin Zelkowitz,
Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland
Registration for NCAS members is $50 for the weekend; $100 for
non-WAS affiliates. With 22 affiliate organizations presenting about 75 lectures, it should be a interesting, enjoyable and informative weekend. For further details and the full schedule of
talks go to: http://www.washacadsci.org/capsci12/body.htm
National Capital Area Skeptics
Promoting Critical Thinking and Scientific Understanding
20/20 Since 1987
Wed March 14th, 7pm Drinking Skeptically with NCAS in MD and VA
2d Wednesday Each Month - 7:00 p.m
Jackie’s Restaurant (map)
Join us in the Sidebar
8081 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD
Visit and Join the NCAS MeetUp.com
March 10 - Ann Merchant - The Science and Entertainment Exchange
National Science Foundation
Room 110
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA [map]
Ann Merchant (Deputy Executive Director for Communications for The National Academies) will discuss The Science & Entertainment Exchange (“The Exchange”), a program she oversees for the National Academy of Sciences that connects entertainment industry professionals with top scientists and engineers to create a synergy between accurate science and engaging story lines in both film and TV programming. From a quick fact check to a special briefing, The Exchange provides quick and easy access to experts from all the scientific disciplines. The goal of The Exchange is to use the vehicle of popular entertainment media to deliver sometimes subtle, but nevertheless powerful, messages about science.
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members.
Refreshments and socializing after the talk.
Facebook event
Meetup event
Shadow of a Doubt - March 2012
The Monthly Calendar of the National Capital Area Skeptics
- March 10 - Ann Merchant - The Science & Entertainment Exchange
- Happy 25th Birthday, NCAS!
- NCAS to Participate in The Washington Academy of Sciences' Capital Science 2012
- Walter Rowe at Library of Congress on March 13
- Lawrence Krauss at UMD on March 26
- NCAS Board Elections
- Torn From Today's Headlines by Scott Snell - For the Birds: Is a "Flockalypse" a Sign of the Apocalypse?
- Shadow Light
- Drinking Skeptically - March 14th
Feb 11 - Brian Engler - Measuring Mythology
National Science Foundation
Room 110
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA [map]
(Slides from Talk)
Brian Engler will discuss the research underpinning his paper “Measuring Mythology: Startling Concepts in NCCAM Grants” co-authored by Eugenie V. Mielczarek and recently published in the January/February 2012 issue of Skeptical Inquirer magazine. Over the past decade and more, huge annual expenditures by the U.S. citizenry fed by an increasing interest in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) prompted this research into U.S. taxpayer funding of so-called alternative medicine. Extensive review of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants for CAM studies—that were principally funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) but also significantly augmented by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and many other NIH Centers and Institutes—and of ensuing clinical trials that displayed a paucity of reporting, steered the authors toward their conclusion:
"Ignorance of science, the lack of publications in peer reviewed medical or science journals and the failure to report clinical trials in scientific medical journals have demonstrated the failure, despite the expenditure of $2 billion taxpayer dollars over nearly 20 years, to confirm cures based not on scientific evidence but rather on cultural mythology."
Brian D. Engler is a retired US Navy Commander; his fields of study are operations research and business administration. Eugenie V. Mielczarek is emeritus professor of physics at George Mason University.
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members.
Refreshments and socializing after the talk.
Facebook event
Meetup event
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