Upcoming events -- October & November 2025

"So Late Into The Night"
Sunday afternoon, October 12 at 3 p.m.

It's the weekend when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. Join her and friends at the seance table for a theatrical rock opera retelling of history.

Our friends at Rorschach Theatre commissioned this world premiere and are offering NCAS members and friends a 40% discount for the show on Sunday afternoon, October 12 at 3 p.m. More information and tickets here: https://rorschachtheatre.com/so-late-into-the-night/

Use code SKEPTIC at checkout for the discount.

"I Ain't Afraid of No Ghost" SkepTour 2025
Wednesday, October 22 (rain date October 23) at 7 p.m.

• What is the origin of the "Demon Cat of DC?"
• Where in Washington did Houdini hang upside-down, while escaping from a straitjacket?
• Where was the skeleton of a prominent Bigfoot researcher–and his dog–on display?

The National Capital Area Skeptics will answer these questions and more on our (approximately) 2-hour stroll to a dozen or so spooky and sciencey spots in the heart of Washington, DC.

Tickets for the general public are $10.00, but NCAS members and friends can use the code DCSKEPTOUR2025 to get tickets for $5.00!

NOTE: THIS TOUR IS LIMITED TO 20 PARTICIPANTS

Tickets may be purchased here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/i-aint-afraid-of-no-ghost-skeptour-2025-tickets-1680687554719

MESMERIZED
An Immersive Experiment in Science & Magic

Saturday, November 15 at 8 p.m.
Capital Hilton, 1001 16th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20036

The field of experimental psychology arose during a time steeped in wonder and mystery. Spiritualism gained widespread influence, proposing that death was not an end but a transition. Mesmerists claimed to heal all ailments through the laying-on of hands. Early psychologists did not merely react to these remarkable phenomena—they incorporated them into their investigations of the human mind.
In this performance, cognitive scientist & magician Anthony Barnhart, alongside occult aficionado Joe Diamond, explore these mid-19th century curiosities through interactive experiments, psychological illusions, and compelling storytelling.

Teaser video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t44v_BFYH4U

Tickets: 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mesmerized-an-immersive-experiment-in-science-magic-tickets-1670758847689 

Use code Skeptic2025 at checkout for the NCAS member (and guest) discount.

Saturday, Oct 4, 2025

[updated title]

A Skeptic's Guide to Mythbusting AI

October 4, 2025 at 1:30 p.m.

James E. Harris, Jr.,  CISSP

Virtually every product and service advertised today claims some use of “AI,” but what is AI, how does it work, and how can it be “de-mythed”? Jim Harris, a Distinguished Engineer and accredited Model Risk Officer, provides a Skeptic’s take on how Large Language Models (LLMs) work, why they fail, and how you can trick them into exposing their weaknesses.
Jim Harris is a board member of NCAS. He graduated in 1994 from North Carolina State University with a BS in Physics. Since that time, he has worked as a hardware engineer for IBM and Silicon Image, a Special Agent for the FBI, a cybersecurity consultant, a tech startup executive, and a Distinguished Engineer and Model Risk Officer for Capital One Financial.

Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/live/cKKfu6RCx4o?si=i8Ja2o8Dj8vAWKFP&t=2484

Connie Morella Library
7400 Arlington Road
Bethesda, MD [map] [directions]
(Bethesda Metro station)

FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

livestreamed: https://youtube.com/live/5CScIB7wiLY?feature=share

"What is SkepTours?" and "A Skeptic's Guide to Mybusting AI"

What is SkepTours?

Thursday, September 18, 8pm US/ET

NCASVideo YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/live/cKKfu6RCx4o?feature=share

Chip Denman, Grace Denman, and Scott Snell will discuss the history of SkepTours, NCAS's long-running project to create a SkepTours Google Map featuring places of interest related to science, pseudoscience, folklore, and just plain weirdness. 

From time to time, NCAS has used the map to conduct leisurely walking tours around Washington, D.C. The next will be Wednesday evening, October 22.

This will be a short discussion, online only. There will be an opportunity for online Q&A.

How Much is Enough? How Sure are You?

 YouTube Live Event for Q and A 

Recent Research on the Foundations of Fingerprint Comparison Decisions

Presented by Heidi Eldridge, PhD
Assistant Professor of Forensic Science and Director of Graduate Studies in Crime Scene Investigations
The George Washington University

Wednesday, February 12, 7pm US/Eastern (UTC-05:00)

NCASVideo YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPGn6Js2kqs

Fingerprints have long been viewed as infallible -- the "gold standard" when it comes to criminal identification. But recent critical reports and scrutiny have illuminated the fact that fingerprint science, though in use for more than 100 years in the courts, never went through the rigorous process of building a scientific foundation that most scientific endeavors must complete as part of their growing pains. This talk will briefly highlight some of the questions the field is currently grappling with and review the body of research that has sprung up in response.

Dr. Heidi Eldridge

received her MS in Biology from Duke University and her PhD in Forensic Science from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland).  She spent approximately 11 years working in state, local, and regional forensic laboratories where she performed casework in controlled substances, latent prints, and crime scene analysis and reconstruction including bloodstain pattern interpretation, shooting reconstruction, event analysis, biological screening, and serial number restoration. From 2015 to 2022, she was a full-time forensic science researcher at RTI International, where she completed internally- and externally-funded research on the suitability decision in latent prints, establishing a baseline discipline error rate estimate for palmar comparisons, recognizing warning factors for close non-matches in latent prints, and human factors in forensic science. Dr. Eldridge is current Chair of the Friction Ridge Consensus Body of the American Standards Board (ASB) and of the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC). She sits on the Boards of Directors of both the International Association for Identification (IAI) and the ASB and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) and is chair of the Friction Ridge Subcommittee of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science. Additionally, Dr. Eldridge sits on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Forensic Identification and is a peer-reviewer for several other forensic science journals. Dr. Eldridge is a Certified Latent Print Examiner with the IAI.