Sept 25 - The Science of Divination: What they DON'T Teach at Hogwarts

presented by Michael Blanford, Director of Educational Programs, JREF

How do you tell the best place to dig a well?
Or locate utility pipes under the pavement?
Or even detect hidden explosives?

For hundreds of years, rural water witches and their urban counterparts have used pendulums and dowsing rods to seek knowledge, resources, and treasure. What are they doing and why does it sometimes seem to work?

This 3-hour workshop is a comprehensive hands-on program covering the history, current application, and construction of divination devices, presented from a skeptical perspective, and featuring the research of James Randi on the topic. The workshop will emphasize how paranormal beliefs like dowsing are not trivial and have real-world implications. Participants will make both pendulums and dowsing rods and will devise randomized, double-blinded trials to test their effectiveness. All tools, materials, and handouts are included in the registration fee.

Event Date: Sunday, September 25, 2011
Time: 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Location:
University of Maryland, College Park Campus
Stamp Student Union, Jiménez Room
(on the right of the intersection between Campus Dr. and Union Ln.)
Provided: All materials, tools, handouts, light refreshments
Fee: Free for JREF members, NCAS members, SOI members, and students (with i.d.) ▬ $10 for everyone else
Registration: http://tinyurl.com/dowsingworkshop

Early registration strongly encouraged
For more information, call the 24-hour NCAS
Skeptic Line recording at 301-587-3827
ncas@ncas.org

presented by
Society of Inquiry at UMD,
James Randi Educational Foundation,
National Capital Area Skeptics