Desiree Schell

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Desiree Schell
Desiree Schell-TAM 9.JPG
Schell at The Amaz!ng Meeting (TAM) 9, held July 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada
NationalityCanadian
CitizenshipCanadian
Occupation(s)Radio Show Host, Lecturer, Labour Organizer, Blogger
Years active2008 - Present
Known forNotable Skeptic Speaker for Center for Inquiry (CFI), host of the Skeptically Speaking, and featured speaker at The Amazing Meeting.

Desiree Schell is the host of the live Canadian call-in radio talk show and podcast, "Science for the People". [1] An advocate for scientific skepticism, Schell is a strong advocate of critical thinking and is strongly interested in the promotion of skepticism publicly. In her work as a labour organizer Schell creates curricula and teaches courses on effective activism, drawing on the experience of other social movements. [2]

Contents

Desiree has also blogged for The Paltry Sapien. [3]

Skeptical Activism

In 2011 Schell was a featured speaker at The Amazing Meeting [4] and has, "emerged as one of skepticism’s most open and innovative public voices". [5] She has made numerous appearances including SkeptiCamp Alberta in July 2010, [6] [7] LOGICON, [8] SkepchickCon, [9] [10] Imagine No Religion 2, [11] the CFI Student Leadship Conference, [12] and the Women In Secularism 2 conference in May 2013. [13] Schell is a member of the Speaker Bureau for the Center for Inquiry. [14]

Schell speaking at the Imagine No Religion 2 conference in Kamloops BC, May 2012 DesireeSchellImagineNoReligion2 2.jpg
Schell speaking at the Imagine No Religion 2 conference in Kamloops BC, May 2012

Along with Maria Walters, Trevor Zimmerman, and K. O. Meyers, Schell created The Skeptical Activism Campaign Manual. [15] She advocates single-issue campaigns with a clear objective and a measurable outcome. [16] In a 2011 interview with the Young Australian Skeptics Schell states, "Activism takes a long time; you don't change things overnight. Like evolution, it's those small incremental changes that are so important." [17] In an interview with Kylie Sturgess Schell states, "We are a young movement but we can learn from other movements. We have access to all these studies done around science communication and around science education. We need to use that kind of research the way we would for homeopathy." [18]

Schell states, "Skepticism 2.0’s rebirth is a demographically broad social movement. We really want to spread critical thinking to the broadest possible audience. In order to do that, we as skeptics need to discuss ways that we can make our message more inclusive." [19] In a 2011 interview Schell states, "Skepticism is getting larger. If you want to represent different viewpoints you have to get different people with different viewpoints to represent them." [16] "If you genuinely want them involved you have to genuinely take them seriously." [20]

Outreach

In a biography for The Skeptics Society [19] Schell cites an essay by Junior Skeptic Magazine Editor Daniel Loxton, "Where do we go from here?", [21] as a source of inspiration for her skeptical outreach. "It brought home just how much work there really is to do, but it also helped me understand that we can move beyond simply being skeptics ourselves. With enough effort and the right planning, we really can help people become better critical thinkers." [19] "There is more to skepticism than just being right." [22] Schell also advises those interested in activism to, "know your audience" and understand your resources, people, money, and supplies. Look for allies that may want to support your cause. [23]

Science for the People

The radio show is based out of CJSR in Edmonton, Canada. [24] Started in March 2009, it currently airs live every Friday night at 6 pm MST. The show is also streamed live [25] at Skepticallyspeaking.com and is rebroadcast by several radio stations in Canada and the United States. The show is also available as an MP3 download on the website and via Apple's iTunes. [26]

Desiree Schell at CJSR Desiree Schell at CJSR.jpg
Desiree Schell at CJSR

Science for the People is known for investigating social and gender issues in skepticism and for attempting to make skepticism a demographically broad social movement. It features interviews with prominent skeptics, researchers, and scientists including Adam Savage, [27] Derek Colanduno, [28] Phil Plait, [29] and Carl Zimmer. [30] Skeptically Speaking explores the connections between science and skepticism and looks at strategies for promoting critical thinking beyond the ranks of current Skeptics. [31]

60 Second Science

Schell is an International Judge for an Australian Project called 60 Second Science, [32] a science promotion campaign encouraging students to submit a 60-second video with a science theme.

Related Research Articles

Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American general-audience magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) with the subtitle: The Magazine for Science and Reason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientific skepticism</span> Position of questioning the veracity of claims that lack empirical evidence

Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism, sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence. In practice, the term most commonly references the examination of claims and theories that appear to be beyond mainstream science, rather than the routine discussions and challenges among scientists. Scientific skepticism differs from philosophical skepticism, which questions humans' ability to claim any knowledge about the nature of the world and how they perceive it, and the similar but distinct methodological skepticism, which is a systematic process of being skeptical about the truth of one's beliefs.

<i>Skeptic</i> (American magazine) American science education magazine

Skeptic, colloquially known as Skeptic magazine, is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published internationally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs. First published in 1992, the magazine had a circulation of over 40,000 subscribers in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Todd Carroll</span> American philosopher, writer and academic (1945–2016)

Robert Todd Carroll was an American author, philosopher and academic, best known for The Skeptic's Dictionary. He described himself as a naturalist, an atheist, a materialist, a metaphysical libertarian, and a positivist. In 2010 he was elected a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He was a professor of philosophy at Sacramento City College from 1977 until his retirement in 2007.

<i>Skepticality</i> Skeptical podcast

Skepticality is the official podcast of The Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine. Beginning in May 2005, the podcast explores rational thought, skeptical ideas, and famous myths from around the world and throughout history. Each episode is an audio magazine featuring regular segments by contributors who are specialized in specific areas of critical thought followed by featured content which is usually in the form of an interview with a researcher, author, or individual who is helping promote skeptical thought and/or science in an effective way. It has featured interviews with James Randi, and scientists, such as authors and astronomers Phil Plait and Neil deGrasse Tyson, Greg Graffin from Bad Religion, Adam Savage from the MythBusters, songwriter Jill Sobule, author Ann Druyan and science communicator Bill Nye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Amazing Meeting</span> Annual conference for skeptics, 2003–2015

The Amazing Meeting (TAM), stylized as The Amaz!ng Meeting, was an annual conference that focused on science, skepticism, and critical thinking; it was held for twelve years. The conference started in 2003 and was sponsored by the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). Perennial speakers included Penn & Teller, Phil Plait, Michael Shermer and James "The Amazing" Randi. Speakers at the four-day conference were selected from a variety of disciplines including scientific educators, magicians, and community activists. Outside the plenary sessions the conference included workshops, additional panel discussions, music and magic performances and live taping of podcasts including The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. The final Amazing Meeting was held in July 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Novella</span> American neurologist, skeptic (b. 1964)

Steven Paul Novella is an American clinical neurologist and associate professor at Yale University School of Medicine. Novella is best known for his involvement in the skeptical movement as a host of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast and as the president of the New England Skeptical Society. He is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI).

<i>The Skeptics Guide to the Universe</i> American science and skepticism podcast

The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe (SGU) is an American weekly skeptical podcast hosted by Steven Novella, MD, along with a panel of contributors. The official podcast of the New England Skeptical Society, it was named to evoke The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The show features discussions of recent scientific developments in layman's terms, and interviews authors, people in the area of science, and other famous skeptics. The SGU podcast includes discussions of myths, conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, the paranormal, and other forms of superstition, from the point of view of scientific skepticism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Loxton</span> Canadian writer (born 1975)

Daniel Loxton is a Canadian writer, illustrator, and skeptic. He that wrote or co-wrote several books including Tales of Prehistoric Life, a children's science trilogy, and Abominable Science!. As editor of Junior Skeptic, Loxton writes and illustrates most issues of Junior Skeptic, a children's science section in the Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Watson</span> American blogger (born 1980)

Rebecca Watson is an American atheist blogger and YouTuber. She is the founder of the blog Skepchick and former co-host of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast. She also previously co-hosted the Little Atoms podcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kylie Sturgess</span> Educator, skeptic, podcaster

Kylie Sturgess is a past President of the Atheist Foundation of Australia, an award-winning blogger, author and independent podcast host of The Token Skeptic Podcast. A Philosophy and Religious Education teacher with over ten years experience in education, Sturgess has lectured on teaching critical thinking, feminism, new media and anomalistic beliefs worldwide. She is a Member of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) Education Advisory Panel and regularly writes editorial for numerous publications, and has spoken at The Amazing Meeting Las Vegas, Dragon*Con (US), QED Con (UK). She was a presenter and Master of Ceremonies for the 2010 Global Atheist Convention and returned to the role in 2012. Her most recent book The Scope of Skepticism was released in 2012. She is a presenter at Perth's community radio station RTRFM, and a winner at the 2018 CBAA Community Radio Awards in the category of Talks, with the show Talk the Talk In 2020 she was in the final eight in the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Asia-Pacific virtual showcase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Stollznow</span> Australian-American skeptic (born 1976)

Karen Stollznow is an Australian-American author, linguist, public speaker, and podcaster. Her books include Missed Conceptions: How We Make Sense of Infertility, On the Offensive: Prejudice in Language Past and Present, The Language of Discrimination, God Bless America: Strange and Unusual Religious Beliefs and Practices in the United States, Haunting America, Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic, Hits and Mrs, and Would You Believe It?: Mysterious Tales From People You'd Least Expect. Stollznow also writes short fiction, including the title Fisher's Ghost and Other Stories, and she is a host on the podcast Monster Talk with Blake Smith. She has written for many popular publications, including The Conversation and Psychology Today. Stollznow has also appeared as an expert on many TV shows, including A Current Affair and the History Channel's History's Greatest Mysteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SkeptiCamp</span> British organization (founded 2007)

SkeptiCamp was founded by Reed Esau in 2007 and is small grassroots conference where scientific skeptics come together and participate and present. Skepticamps are held in varying formats worldwide and are operated in the style of an unconference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Farley</span> Software engineer & skeptic (born 1962)

Timothy Patrick Farley is a computer software engineer, writer and instructor who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He is an expert in computer security and reverse engineering as well as a skeptic. He was a research fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation. Tim Farley is the creator of the website What's The Harm?, a resource where stories are documented and categorized about the damage done when people fail to use critical thinking skills. Farley was also instrumental in the apprehension of spammer "David Mabus."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Australian Skeptics</span> Organization

The Young Australian Skeptics (YAS) is an Australian skeptical organisation whose primary focus is its collaborative blog, which attempts to address topics central to science, critical thinking and scientific skepticism. The group has published a Skeptical Blog Anthology Book reviewed in Scientific American, and has been represented in national broadcast media in Australia and North America, skeptically addressing conspiracy theories, as well as discussing topics specific to young members of the skeptical movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon A. Hill</span> American geologist and science blogger

Sharon A. Hill is an American science writer and speaker known for her research into the interaction between science and the public, focusing on education and media topics. Hill's research has dealt mainly with paranormal, pseudoscience, and strange natural phenomena and began at the University at Buffalo, where she performed her graduate work in this area. Hill attended Pennsylvania State University, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in geosciences and working as a Pennsylvania geologist.

<i>Science for the People</i> (podcast) Science interview podcast

Science for the People is an Edmonton-based, weekly podcast and radio show that aims to explore issues pertaining to science, skepticism and rational thinking through interviews. The show has featured interviews with prominent skeptics, researchers, and scientists including Adam Savage, Derek Colanduno, Phil Plait, and Carl Zimmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Galef</span> American rationality writer and speaker (born 1983)

Julia Galef is an American writer, speaker and co-founder of the Center for Applied Rationality. She hosts Rationally Speaking, the official podcast of New York City Skeptics, which she has done since its inception in 2010, sharing the show with co-host and philosopher Massimo Pigliucci and produced by Benny Pollak until 2015.

QED: Question, Explore, Discover is an annual skeptical conference held in Manchester, England. QED is organised by North West Skeptical Events Ltd (NWSE), a volunteer-owned non-profit organisation originating from a collaboration between the Merseyside Skeptics Society and the Greater Manchester Skeptics Society.

References

  1. ↑ "User Profile: Desiree Schell". Blogger. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  2. ↑ "4 Brilliant Atheists for You to Follow". Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  3. ↑ Schell, Desiree. "The Paltry Sapien" . Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "Amazing Meeting!". randi.org. James Randi Educational Foundation. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  5. ↑ "Announcing Desiree Schell as Curator for "Skeptics Mix Tape 2011″" . Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  6. ↑ "SkeptiCamp". SkeptiCamp Alberta 2010. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  7. ↑ "Set your phasers to Festival". the edmontonian. July 23, 2010. Retrieved 2013-06-23.
  8. ↑ "LOGICON 2011 Edmonton". Speakers. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  9. ↑ skepchickcon-2012 (2 May 2012). "skepchickcon-2012" . Retrieved 26 August 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "Skepchickcon 2013". Skepchick.org. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  11. ↑ "Imagine No Religion 2 Conference". Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  12. ↑ "Speakers". Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  13. ↑ "A powerful roster of speakers and panelists" . Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  14. ↑ "CFI Speakers". Desiree Schell. 27 April 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  15. ↑ "The Skeptical Activism Campaign Manual" (PDF). Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  16. 1 2 ""Skeptically Speaking;" Desiree Schell and Greg Laden on Atheists Talk #118, June 5, 2011"". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  17. ↑ "The Pseudo Scientists Podcast - Episode 39". The Young Australian Skeptics. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  18. ↑ "Token Skeptic #18 - On The Placebo Protest (Science Communication Part Three)" . Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  19. 1 2 3 "I Am A Skeptic" . Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  20. ↑ "Desiree Schell at INR2". YouTube . Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  21. ↑ Daniel, Loxton. "Skeptic" (PDF). Where Do We Go From Here?. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  22. ↑ "The Pseudo Scientists Podcast - Episode 39". The Young Australian Skeptics. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  23. ↑ Sturgess, Kylie (2012). The Scope of Skepticism: Interviews, Essays and Observations from the Token Skeptic Podcast. PodBlack Books. p. 55. ASIN   B008PFGG9G. Unknown ID 5800084353864.
  24. ↑ "Family & Community". Edmonton Journal . Retrieved 21 July 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  25. ↑ "uStream". Skeptically Speaking Live Stream. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  26. ↑ "iTunes". Skeptically Speaking Podcast. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  27. ↑ "Surprise Guest! Adam Savage!". Skeptically Speaking. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  28. ↑ "Science Fiction and Skepticism with Derek Colanduno". Skeptically Speaking. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  29. ↑ Plait, Phil. "Skeptically Speaking Online". Bad Astronomy blog. Discover Magazine . Retrieved 21 July 2012.,
  30. ↑ Zimmer, Carl. "Radiolab and Skeptically Speaking: For Your Listening Pleasure". The Loom blog. Discover Magazine . Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  31. ↑ "Speaking of Skeptical Activism". 24 January 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  32. ↑ "60 second Science". The Judges. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
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