SkeptiCal 2020

SKEPTICAL IS THE ANNUAL NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE FOCUSING ON SCIENCE AND SKEPTICISM.We are part of a national skeptical movement begun in the 1970s and 1980s by Carl Sagan and other scientists who were concerned about the public embrace of various pseudosciences. We seek to improve the general public understanding of science and critical thinking. Scientific skepticism is independent of other movements which sometimes claim the term skeptic. Scientific skepticism can be embraced by all, whether religious or non-religious, trained in science or new to the scientific method, or anyone interested in better understanding critical thinking and reality. SkeptiCal is a great opportunity to hear accomplished and entertaining scientists and critical thinkers speak about fascinating topics in an informal setting. To keep costs down, we use local speakers. Fortunately, living in northern California offers us wonderful choices for articulate scientists and other speakers. In the past, we have hosted scientists from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, several California State Universities, Stanford, NASA, Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, and many other notable institutions. We have covered a range of topics including GMOs, science denialism, climate change, science literacy, evolution, medical pseudoscience, extraterrestrials and astronomy. There is something for everyone at SkeptiCal!