January 8, 2010

Calendar 2009

19 January
Skeptics Cafe Speaker: Margaret Kittson Brain Gym?
Around 12 February
VARIOUS DARWIN DAY CELEBRATIONS Darwin Day Suggestions
16 February
Skeptics Cafe Speaker: Darren Freeman Curing the Incurable: We can’t do It so Neither can You
16 March
Skeptics Cafe Speaker: Chris Krishna-Pillay The Use of Performance in Science Education and Communication
20 April
Skeptics Cafe Speaker: Ian Robinson : Topic TBA
19 May
Skeptics Cafe ”Fifth Annual Skeptics Trivia Extravaganza”
15 June

Dick Gunstone

Skeptics Cafe Speaker: Professor Dick Gunstone: Why Creationism Has no Place in Science Education
20 July
Skeptics Cafe Speaker: Dr Andrew Prentice. (Melbourne Mathematician and Astronomer).
14 August
A National Science Week 2009 Event: Vic Skeptics and Young Australian Skeptics at Hypothesis from 5pm – 10pm MA15+ BMW Edge Federation Square
17 August
Skeptics Cafe Speaker: Peter Bowditch: The Antivaccination Lobby
22&23 August
National Science Week 2009 Event: Vic Skeptics at Scienceworks Spotswood
21 September
A Skeptics Cafe Speaker: Trevor Hand: Presentation of meteorite and fossil evidence for Deep time and biological evolution.
19 October
Skeptics Cafe Video Night
16 November
Skeptics Cafe Speaker: Steve Roberts: Astronomical Hoaxes
21 December
Skeptics Cafe Social Evening

January 8, 2010

Roger Francey

R J Francey, 2009

Roger Francey

  • Resigned in 2004 after 31 years in CSIRO, during which he was promoted to Chief Research Scientist level.
  • Has had advisory roles in Europe , including 5 years on the Advisory Board of the new Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena (East Germany), 8 years with the European Commission CarboEurope Program, and currently as the Senior Advising Scientist on IMECC (Infrastructure for the Measurement of the European Carbon Cycle).
  • BSc Hons and PhD at University of Tasmania, with PhD Thesis title “Cosmic X-Ray Surveys“. Continued X-ray astronomy for 4 Years at Simon Fraser University Canada as a PostDoc / Research Associate.
  • Joined CSIRO to carry out Micrometeorology research (heat and moisture fluxes from land and sea surfaces). View More Roger Francey
December 3, 2009

Scientists behaving badly

Preview of talk by Dr David Vaux, January 18th 2010
Science is the least imperfect way of obtaining new knowledge, but it is inevitable that errors will enter the scientific literature, due to the statistical nature of data, incompetence/sloppiness, or deliberate falsification or fabrication of results. In this talk, I’ll provide some evidence that indicates the size of the problem, give some examples of each type of error, and provide some tips on how they might be spotted by the skeptical reader.
Dr David Vaux

August 28, 2009

Museum Victoria Farewells John Long

After five years as Museum Victoria’s Head of Sciences, Dr John Long is leaving this week to take up the position of Vice President of Research and Collections at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
John’s interest in palaeontology dates back to when he collected his first fossils at the age of seven. Following postgraduate and postdoctoral studies, John worked at several Australian institutions before joining the Western Australian Museum in 1989 as Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology.
John’s most prominent research at MV has examined the evolution of prehistoric placoderm fishes, which were among the first verebrates to evolve jaws. The fossils that he studies are more than 380 million years old and were discovered in the Gogo Formation of the Western Australian Kimberley region. View More Museum Victoria Farewells John Long

August 6, 2009

Simon Singh vs British Chiropractic Association Defamation Case

Simon Singh

British Science writer and Skeptic Simon Singh has been sued by the British Chiropractic Association for comments he made in his book Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial A recent pre-trial decision suggests that Singh may be subject to lengthy and expensive litigation, precisely because his comments are based on Scientific evidence rather than mere opinion! A thorough history of events so far can be found here: http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/project/340 Also on this page is a link to the campaign “Keep Libel Laws Out of Science“. There is also a link to enable individuals to donate to this campaign. Here is a link to a podcast of an interview Simon Singh recorded View More Simon Singh vs British Chiropractic Association Defamation Case

June 26, 2009

Abstract for Dr Prentice's Talk

On July 20th 1969, at 20 h 17 m GMT, the lunar module ‘Eagle” of the NASA Apollo 11 space mission touched down at the edge of the Sea of Tranquillity on the Moon. And about 6 and a half hour later, Neil Armstrong descended the ladder from the module and became the first person ever to set foot on the grey-powdery lunar surface.
We all remember Neil’s famous first words as he took that first step: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind“. It is extraordinary that after a lapse of 40 years, since the last manned lunar landing, by Apollo 17 in December 1972, that no one else has been back to the Moon. Was it all just a hoax? Definitely not! The speaker has made 20 visits to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena CA, and got to meet several of the scientists and View More Abstract for Dr Prentice's Talk

June 23, 2009

Committee

Australian Skeptics (Victorian Branch)

(As of September 2008)

  • President
    • Terry Kelly
  • Vice President
    • Peter Hogan
  • Secretary
    • Ken Greatorex
  • Treasurer and Public Officer
    • Roy Arnott
  • Challenge co-ordinator
    • Charles Tivendale
  • Other Committee members:
    • Dahli Briedis
    • Chris Guest
    • Don Hyatt
    • Malcolm Vickers
    • Alastair Tait