It’s the beginning of the new science and skeptical conference season, starting with the Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism (NECSS) 2012 April 21-22 in New York City! James Randi will be attending, as well as other skeptical superstars like PZ Myers, Seth Shostak, and Joe Nickel, with Jamy Ian Swiss returning as our MC.

Of course, there will be a live recording of the Skeptics Guide to the Universe (my podcast – with Bob and Jay Novella, Rebecca Watson, and Evan Bernstein), as well as Rationally Speaking with Massimo Pigliucci and Julia Galef. George Hrab will also be returning to give another fabulous performance.

I am very excited to be part of NECSS, and I think it shows how the skeptical movement has grown and matured. We have sold out every NECSS at this venue and expect to do so again this year, so register soon.

NECSS is also about outreach – spreading enthusiasm and appreciation for science and critical thinking – so also consider becoming a NECSS sponsor or sponsoring a student. Or perhaps just bring a friend or family member who would not seek out such a conference on their own.

I try to make myself as available as possible at these conferences to meet as many SGU listeners and NeuroLogica readers as possible – so if you come to the conference please come up to me to say “hi” and chat.

Here is the official announcement:

The fourth Northeast Conference on Science & Skepticism will take place April 21-22 in New York City! Join us as we once again welcome a fantastic lineup of speakers and panelists for the Northeast’s largest conference dedicated to critical thinking and science education. The conference has again expanded and we will now offer two full days of lectures, panels, live podcasts, plus a number of “extras” taking place throughout the weekend.
We’re thrilled to announce a fantastic lineup of speakers, including legendary skeptic James Randi, blogger and biologist PZ Myers, SETI astronomer Seth Shostak, paranormal investigator Joe Nickel, physicist Brian Wecht, science journalist John Bohannon, and more!

We will also welcome back as emcee the inimitable Jamy Ian Swiss, along with Steve Novella, “Skepchick” Rebecca Watson, and the entire Skeptics Guide to the Universe “Rogues,” as well as George Hrab, and Massimo Pigliucci and Julia Galef of the Rationally Speaking podcast.

We’re very excited to announce that this year we’ve teamed up with NECSS speaker Brian Wecht to organize a very special edition of The Story Collider ­ a spoken word show that will feature a number of NECSS speakers. Other events taking place throughout NECSS weekend will include our popular museum visits, the NECSS fundraising cocktail reception, and, as always, Drinking Skeptically.

This year the conference will be returning to Florence Guild Hall ­along with some new features and improvements! In addition to the main conference hall we will have Tinker Auditorium available as a socializing space, refreshment area, and vendor tables. Plus, the entire conference facility now boasts complimentary wireless internet access.

Last, but certainly not least, as a result of last year’s successful pilot program, we’ve established the NECSS Student Sponsorship Program. The program will provide free NECSS registration to qualified high school and college students through tax-deductible donations. We are committed to increasing student attendance at NECSS, and we’ve already set aside five sponsorship slots for this year’s conference.

Our goal is to allow 25 students to NECSS for free in 2012. Please consider sponsoring a student today!
We will be announcing more speakers and events in the coming weeks, so be sure to follow NECSS on Twitter, become a fan on our Facebook page, or subscribe to the NECSS.org news feed for the latest updates. And, of course, we hope you can join us at NECSS 2012!

REGISTER NOW

P.S. NECSS completely sold out the last two times the conference was held at Florence Gould Hall, and we expect another sell-out crowd this year. So don’t wait ­ register today!