Category Archives: Cny Skeptics

CNY Skeptics – Carbon Fee And Nuclear Power: The Batman And Robin Of Fighting Climate Change – 16 January 2018

Greetings all – this in recently from our friends in (and fellow members of) CNY Skeptics. For more information, see or visit the event Meetup page.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019 – 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Manlius Library – 1 Arkie Albanese Ave, Manlius, NY 13104


We are in danger of missing a crucial window of action to limit the negative effects of climate change. Popular calls for 100% renewable energy can mislead and distract from two necessary and underrepresented solutions: a carbon fee and nuclear power. We’ll dive into the facts and numbers on these solutions, why they are needed, and how we can advocate for the bipartisan (!) Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (HR 7173) which was introduced in the House of Representatives in November 2018.


Biography: Ethan Bodnaruk is a wastewater engineer with Master’s degrees in nuclear engineering and ecological engineering. He is an active member of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a non-partisan organization whose aim is to build the political will for Congress to pass a revenue neutral carbon fee to mitigate climate change. He is an advocate for open and transparent public discussion of science, policy, and current events. He considers himself a Christian Atheist and is working on a book about the synthesis of science and spirituality for the 21st century. He blogs at www.ethanbodnaruk.com

CNY Skeptics September Meeting – “The Evolution from Pseudo to Science: The Disenchantment of a Ghost Hunter”

Wednesday, September 19, 2018, 7:00 PM | meetup | website

Manlius Library, One Arkie Albanese Ave, Manlius, NY

About The Talk

This month’s discussion will be about the state (or better said, lack) of science awareness in society and how the para-entertainment culture misinforms people about the paranormal and what scientific research into the paranormal should look like. There is a movement within the paranormal hobby toward more of a scientific approach and away from the entertainment aspect. George will talk about some of the things that are being done to make the shift towards science.

About The Presenter

George Stadalski dislikes the term ghost hunter and feels it cheapens the hobby. Growing up, he was drawn to reading books like “Carnacki: The Ghost-Finder,” “Chariots of The Gods,” and “Phone Calls from the Dead,” watching shows like “In Search Of . . .” with Leonard Nimoy and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker.” The one thing that left a lasting impression on him was a scene from the movie Poltergeist where a team from UC Irvine studies the alleged phenomena.

George does not claim to be a scientist, but he has always loved learning about science. His goal is to look at the theories that paranormal investigators work with and try to determine where they came from and if they are based on fact or based in belief. Many groups claim to perform scientific investigations, using hi-tech, expensive equipment, but it is not enough to own the equipment; you must also know how to use it. The science is in the process, not the technology.

About CNY Skeptics

Central New York Skeptics (CNY Skeptics) is a community organization dedicated to the promotion of science and reason, the investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims, and the improvement of standards for science education and critical-thinking skills.

CNY Skeptics & TACNY Joint Lecture – Fixing Our Medicine: Why All Clinical Trials Need To Be Published

Wednesday, 16 March 2016, 6:00 p.m.
Event is Free and Open to the Public

Onondaga Community College, 101 Whitney Applied Technology Center



View Larger Map

*** PARKING AVAILABLE IN LOT 13 NEXT TO SRC ARENA, A SHORT WALK FROM THE WHITNEY APPLIED TECHNOLOGY CENTER, CLICK HERE FOR A MAP OF SUNY-OCC’S CAMPUS ***

* Please contact 1-315-636-6533 or email info@cnyskeptics.org for more information.

Presentation by Lauren Quattrochi, Ph.D

Director of AllTrials USA at Sense About Science
www.senseaboutscienceusa.org, www.alltrials.net, Twitter hashtag #AllTrials

Presentation Summary

SASUSALogonew_102615-1024x439Only half of all clinical trials globally have reported results. Dr. Quattrochi will describe the current landscape for publication bias and how this lack of clinical trial transparency has shaped our medicine. She will dive into why withheld clinical trial data may hold valuable insight into progressing our medical system by touching on cases where unpublished or poorly published clinical trial data has negatively impacted patients, the medical community and/or fellow pharmaceutical researchers. Thereafter, she will detail how the AllTrials campaign aims to address and rejuvenate scientific data sharing on a global level.

Presenter Bio

LaurenMRCT1000-1080x675Dr. Lauren Quattrochi is a neuroscientist who guides the campaign for AllTrials USA at Sense About Science USA, a non-profit focused on equipping the public with tools and knowhow to navigate evidence-based research. She specializes in educating the public on breakthrough science, correcting popularized pseudoscience and bringing about awareness on clinical trial transparency in the USA. She earned her doctorate from Brown University in Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, where she discovered a novel third subtype of photoreceptor.

CNY Skeptics

Central New York Skeptics (CNY Skeptics, meetup.com page) is a community organization dedicated to the promotion of science and reason, the investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims, and the improvement of standards for science education and critical-thinking skills.

Technology Alliance of Central New York

Founded in 1903 as the Technology Club of Syracuse, the nonprofit Technology Alliance of Central New York’s mission is to facilitate community awareness, appreciation, and education of technology; and to collaborate with like-minded organizations across Central New York.

For more information about TACNY, visit www.tacny.org.

CNY Skeptics Lecture: “A Big Year For Dwarf Planets – Highlights Of The NASA Missions To Ceres & Pluto”

Greetings fellow astrophiles,

Our fellow pro-science (and some fellow overlapping members) CNY’ers in CNY Skeptics are hosting a hopefully-informative lecture on dwarf planets (I heard it was OK). Details are provided below.

A Big Year For Dwarf Planets – Highlights Of The NASA Missions To Ceres & Pluto

Presentation By Damian G. Allis Ph.D.

Sponsored by CNY Skeptics, TACNY member group


Fine this event on the CNY Skeptics meetup.com page or the CNYO meetup.com page.

Time: Wednesday, January 20, 2016, 7:00 PM

Where: Dewitt Community Library, DCL Friends Room, Shoppingtown Mall, 3649 Erie Blvd. East, DeWitt, NY 13214

Event is Free and Open to the Public and light refreshments will be served

Please contact 1-315-636-6533 or email info@cnyskeptics.org for more information.

Presentation Summary:

2016jan12_plutoPluto’s demotion to dwarf planet status suddenly made more people aware of its fellow dwarf planet Ceres in the Asteroid Belt. With Ceres a snapshot of a planet that might have been, and Pluto the most famous member of the Kuiper Belt, both are of special interest to scientists studying the history and complexity of our own Solar System as a way to better understand the many extra-Solar Systems now being discovered by professional and amateur astronomers. This lecture will feature some historical background and as-recent-as-the-web-will-allow views and findings from both the New Horizons and Dawn NASA missions.

Presenter Bio:

Damian G. Allis Ph.D. is a Research Professor of Chemistry, Research Fellow with the Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute, bioinformaticist with Aptamatrix, Inc., and High Performance Computing Evangelist, all at Syracuse University. A crazy/overly-optimistic local amateur astronomer, he is a NASA Solar System Ambassador, long-time member of many CNY amateur astronomy clubs, and a founding member and webmaster of CNY Observers (www.cnyo.org). When/because it’s cloudy, he’s also the drummer for a half-dozen local bands. He is always happy to talk shop and can be found and contacted at www.somewhereville.com.

About CNY Skeptics:

Central New York Skeptics (CNY Skeptics) is a community organization dedicated to the promotion of science and reason, the investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims, and the improvement of standards for science education and critical-thinking skills.

CNY Skeptics Lecture: The Puzzling Moai Of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

Greetings fellow astrophiles,

Our fellow pro-science (and some fellow overlapping members) CNY’ers in CNY Skeptics are hosting a lecture on the always-fascinating topic of Easter Island (whether or not the roll of astronomy in navigation to this remote-est location comes up or not remains to be seen). Details are provided below.

The Puzzling Moai Of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

Presentation By Len Sharp, Retired Earth Science Teacher

Sponsored by CNY Skeptics, TACNY member group


Time: Wednesday, November 18, 2015, 7:00 PM

Where: Dewitt Community Library, DCL Friends Room, Shoppingtown Mall, 3649 Erie Blvd. East, DeWitt, NY 13214

Event is Free and Open to the Public and light refreshments will be served

Please contact 1-315-636-6533 or email info@cnyskeptics.org for more information.

2015nov13_len_sharp

Presentation Summary:

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is generally accepted as the most remote permanently populated land area on Earth. It was due to the isolation of Rapa Nui that created the unique culture that developed, especially the 900 giant stone statues called Moai found along its rugged coastlines and Rano Raraku quarries. This lecture will seek to answer the following questions: what were the source and type of rock used to construct the Moai; what kind of tools was used to sculpture the giant statues; how were the statues moved form Rano Raraku to their distant platforms (Ahu); how were the statues placed in their upright positions; and of course; what purpose did they serve?

Presenter Bio:

Len Sharp had almost 40 years of experience as an earth science teacher in NY public high schools. He is the past president of the Science Teachers Association of NY and National Earth Science Teachers Association. He is the co-author of a national textbook used for high school earth science. He is a past National Science Teachers Association Distinguished Teacher and received a teaching award from then President Bill Clinton in 1995. He currently is involved with continuing science education for adults and seniors.

About CNY Skeptics:

Central New York Skeptics (CNY Skeptics) is a community organization dedicated to the promotion of science and reason, the investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims, and the improvement of standards for science education and critical-thinking skills.