February 2023
NCAS Public Lecture Series
30%
of the Time, It Rains Every Time
Inside the Science of Weather and
Climate Forecasting
YouTube Live Event with Q and A
Tom
Di Liberto
Meteorologist - Communication,
Education, and Engagement Division
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Program Office
Monday, February 27, 7pm US/Eastern (UTC-05:00)
NCASVideo YouTube Channel:
Ever
been stuck in a thunderstorm, annoyed because your weather app says it was
supposed to be sunny? Or saddled with three new unused shovels after reading a
prediction for a snowier than normal winter? We've all been there, cursing the
meteorologist. But what if I told you that 5-day weather forecasts can
accurately predict the weather about 90% of the time? And that you're probably
thinking about seasonal forecasts entirely the wrong way. What's going on? Come
learn how meteorologists actually make their weather and climate forecasts, and
what it really means when we say there's a 30% chance of rain.
Tom Di Liberto is a climate scientist and award-winning science communicator working as a federal contractor with Groundswell at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office as the senior climate scientist for NOAA’s Climate.gov and social media editor for the NOAAClimate accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He has also served as emcee of the Department of State’s U.S. Center at the United Nations climate change conferences COP21, COP22, COP26 and COP27 where he helped lead the U.S. government’s public outreach space during the negotiations.
https://www.ncas.org/2023/02/february-27-30-of-time-it-rains-every.html
How to Watch and Participate in this Online Discussion Event:
1) Use a supported browser... https://www.youtube.com/supported_browsers
2) Use the link https://youtu.be/emulmOS4tOI
3) The live stream begins shortly before 7pm US/Eastern (UTC-05:00) on Monday, February 27, 2023.
4) To post questions, you must be signed in to a Google account.
5) Post your questions in the chat window to the right of the video player when the live stream is active.
6) Click into where it says "Say something..." and begin typing (up to 200 characters). Then click the send icon
Along with your question, please post what city or town you're in.
March NCAS Lecture
For our March event, NCAS invites you to read the book How to Talk to a
Science Denier BEFORE March 11, 2023. Then join us on Saturday,
March 11 at 1:30 PM ET for an online Q & A with author Lee McIntyre, PhD
of the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University.
Think of it as the ultimate book club meeting...your friends and acquaintances show up to discuss a book, and the author shows up too!
From the book's website:
"Can we change the minds of science deniers? Encounters with flat
earthers, anti-vaxxers, coronavirus truthers, and others.
'Climate change is a hoax—and so is coronavirus.' 'Vaccines are bad for you.'
These days, many of our fellow citizens reject scientific expertise and prefer
ideology to facts. They are not merely uninformed—they are misinformed. They
cite cherry-picked evidence, rely on fake experts, and believe conspiracy
theories. How can we convince such people otherwise? How can we get them to
change their minds and accept the facts when they don't believe in facts? In
this book, Lee McIntyre shows that anyone can fight back against science
deniers, and argues that it's important to do so. Science denial can kill.
Drawing on his own experience—including a visit to a Flat Earth convention—as
well as academic research, McIntyre outlines the common themes of science
denialism, present in misinformation campaigns ranging from tobacco companies'
denial in the 1950s that smoking causes lung cancer to today's anti-vaxxers. He
describes attempts to use his persuasive powers as a philosopher to convert
Flat Earthers; surprising discussions with coal miners; and conversations with
a scientist friend about genetically modified organisms in food. McIntyre
offers tools and techniques for communicating the truth and values of science,
emphasizing that the most important way to reach science deniers is to talk to
them calmly and respectfully—to put ourselves out there, and meet them face to
face."
https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262545051/how-to-talk-to-a-science-denier/
Saturday, March 11 at 1:30 PM ET, live on the NCASVideo YouTube channel.
March PhACT Lecture
Our skeptical neighbors to the north, the Philadelphia Association for Critical
Thinking (PhACT), will host their next online event on Saturday, March 18 at 2
PM ET. CSI Fellow (and NCAS Philip J. Klass Award laureate) Susan
Gerbic will present "Science Activism does not stop during a
world-wide pandemic: or How I spent my lockdown." Event details at http://www.phact.org/meetings.php.
AAAS Annual Meeting
On March 2-5, the American Association for the Advancement
of Science is holding its 2023 annual meeting online and at the Washington
Convention Center and the Renaissance Washington, D.C. Downtown Hotel.
Register at https://meetings.aaas.org/registration/.
NCAS Board Elections: Call for Candidates
Are you an NCAS member who wants to take a leadership role in the skeptics movement? The NCAS annual board of directors election is fast approaching. As a board member, you can channel (non-psychically) your talent and energy (the non-woo kind) into educating the public, and pick up some fun skills along the way. Send an email to ncas@ncas.org by March 15 for more information.
The End of AmazonSmile: Thanks to our members who supported
NCAS!
As you may already know from news reports, Amazon ended its charity donation
program, AmazonSmile, on February 20: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-closing-amazonsmile-to-focus-its-philanthropic-giving-to-programs-with-greater-impact
NCAS, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, enrolled in the program in early 2014. By the end, AmazonSmile disbursements to NCAS will have exceeded $800, meaning that over $160,000 of purchases were designated in support of NCAS. That was enough to pay for an entire season of Montgomery County lecture room rentals, with enough left over for half of another season.
If you chose NCAS as your AmazonSmile charity, we thank you for your support!
Thanks also to everyone who responded to the NCAS 2022 fundraising letter. Only by membership dues, member generosity, and volunteerism is NCAS able to continue our free programs to educate the public, especially regarding scientific perspectives that are marginalized or distorted by some publishers, broadcasters, and news media organizations.
Shadow Light
Some members and contacts of NCAS receive a postal
notification of this and every new monthly Shadow of a Doubt. The Shadow
Light postcard announces the monthly lecture and highlights of the
electronic Shadow of a Doubt, which is available online at ncas.org/p/shadow.html. NCAS thereby
reduces Shadow production and postage costs. To further reduce
costs, members and contacts can opt out of postal notification altogether,
while continuing to receive Shadow of a Doubt via e-mail. To opt
out, send us an e-mail at ncas@ncas.org.
Time to Renew?
Be sure to check your renewal date above your postal address on the Shadow
Light postcard. Send any queries to ncas@ncas.org. Use
the online
membership form to renew.
https://www.ncas.org/p/shadow.html
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