Announcement

The Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the Society for Scientific Exploration was held at the Best Western Gateway Grand Hotel in Gainesville, Florida, on May 19-21, 2005 (Thursday through Saturday). Local arrangements are coordinated by Thomas Dykstra. Garret Moddel chairs the Program Committee.

The 2005 SSE meeting marks the first time that our conference will be held in the southeastern U.S.

A field trip to Silver Springs Nature Theme Park is planned for a half day on Friday. Silver Springs features the world-famous glass-bottom boats where we can view plant and animal life through the boat’s glass bottom while traveling along a natural water spring. There are also regular animal shows throughout the day as well as a heavy dose of exotic vegetation for those who wish to stop and smell the flowers.

The scientific program will run through Saturday followed by the Closing Banquet Saturday evening.

A special effort is being made to encourage the attendance of students and young investigators. There is a special, reduced registration fee for students at this meeting. Please encourage students from your area to come.

Program, Themes & Invited Speakers

24th Annual SSE Meeting: Complete Program

SKEPTICISM

The View from Space, and Its Effects, EDGAR MITCHELL, Institute of Noetic Sciences
Why Reporters Don't Do Stories on Your Research, MICHAEL LEMONICK, TIME Magazine
A Bridge between Skepticism and Belief, ERIC KRIEG, Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking
The Two-Edged Sword of Skepticism: Occam’s Razor and Occam’s Lobotomy, HENRY H. BAUER, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Reflections on the Skeptic Proponent Debate in Parapsychology, MARILYN SCHLITZ, Institute of Noetic Sciences, and California Pacific Medical Center

SCIENTIFIC METHOD

The PEAR Proposition: “Change the Rules!”, ROBERT G. JAHN AND BRENDA J. DUNNE, Princeton University
Why the Study of the Anomalous is Critical for Scientific Endeavor, VERNON M. NEPPE, Pacific Neuropsychiatric Institute, Seattle
Formation of a Scientific Theory: Lessons Learned from Insectolfaction, THOMAS M. DYKSTRA, Dykstra Laboratories, Inc.

Panel Discussions

There will be two evening panel discussions that include the invited speakers. The discussions will address some of the controversial aspects of the themes.

Contributed Papers

SSE members are invited to contribute papers for presentation at the meeting both on topics related to the themes and also on other topics. Titles and abstracts (no longer than 300 words) should be sent by April 10, 2005, to Garret Moddel (moddel@colorado.edu)

Papers related to the themes of the meeting will be included in the same session as the relevant invited talk when possible. Because the number of papers may be larger than can be accommodated in orals sessions, some papers may be selected by the Program Committee to be presented as posters. The selection criteria can include date of receipt of abstract, relevance to the themes of this conference and to the topics covered generally at SSE meetings.

Location

Gainesville is located in north central Florida. The state of Florida chose to establish the University of Florida in Gainesville, thus, it began as a college town. Gainesville has grown substantially over the past two to three decades and there is now a large resident population of 117,000. Approximately 48,000 students attend the University of Florida.

Gainesville is consistently ranked as one of the top places to live in the U.S. and headed Money Magazine’s list in 1995. Additionally, it is the top-ranked city in regards to its tree canopy. Clean, fresh air is a hallmark of this inland city.