Skepticamp 2026 will take place at the Brentwood Community Center on Saturday October 24, 2026 from 1-5pm.
Followed by a meetup for food & drinks (on your own dime) and conversation at OB Clark’s in Brentwood at ~5:30-ish PM
We have some great presentations lined up:
- The Gold Standard Paradox: Rethinking How We Screen for Colorectal Cancer: Erica Barnell, MD/PhD, Co-Founder, Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Science Officer of Geneoscopy.
Abstract: Colonoscopy is one of medicine’s most powerful preventive tools. It can detect and remove precancerous lesions, preventing colorectal cancer before it starts. But should the best test necessarily be the best first test? Colorectal cancer screening presents an interesting paradox: finding a relatively small number of people with significant disease among millions of healthy adults requires more than accuracy. It requires considering participation, risk, resources, and what happens after a positive test. Using colorectal cancer as a case study, we’ll rethink what “gold standard” really means—and explore whether noninvasive molecular technologies can help us use colonoscopy more effectively, for the patients who need it most.
- What If the World Wasn’t Designed for You?: Pierre Paul, entrepreneur, accessibility advocate, and Founder & CEO of We Hear You
Talk Abstract:
Most of us move through the world without thinking twice about opening a door, reaching a cabinet, entering a building, or navigating the spaces around us, until the environment stops working for us. In this talk, Pierre Paul challenges us to question what we call “accessible,” who gets to make that determination, and why we so often accept exclusion as simply the way things are. Drawing from his journey building accessibility technology and working alongside people with disabilities, Pierre explores what can happen when we stop asking people to adapt to the world around them and start asking a different question: Why can’t the world adapt to us?
Brief Bio:
Pierre Paul is an entrepreneur, accessibility advocate, and Founder & CEO of We Hear You, an accessibility technology company reimagining how people interact with the physical world. He is also a PhD Candidate in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, where his research explores assistive technology, disability, and entrepreneurship.
- The Solar Diet: David Weinberg, MD, retired academic vitreoretinal surgeon, and emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Brief Bio: David Weinberg is a retired academic vitreoretinal surgeon. He is emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the Medical College of Wisconsin. His interest in the less-than-science-based aspects of medicine was sparked by inquiries from his patients. Investigation their questions led to his discovery of numerous grandiose claims for implausible, unproven treatments of potentially blinding eye diseases.
- The Skeptical Historian-Appraiser: Reappraising the Past and its Artifacts: Charles Keller, International Society of Appraisers
Synopsis: The Skeptical Historian-Appraiser: Reappraising the Past and its Artifacts Is history written by the victors? It usually is – at first. But this is rarely its final record and form. Skeptical inquiry into historical narratives and sources, as well as the remaining physical artifacts, is how we build a more accurate picture and deeper understanding of the past for ourselves and our descendants. But what does this look like in practice?
Brief Bio: Charles Keller is an accredited member of the International Society of Appraisers and an independent historical researcher, writer and consultant. His other areas of interest and research include astronomy, astrophotography, radio astronomy, Ham radio (callsign KF0COM), and the life, thought and work of H.G. Wells. His website is www.charleskeller.net. He may be reached by email at charlesrkeller@gmail.com
- Skeptics jumping on the “Misinformation” bandwagon: Taner Edis, PhD, professor of physics at Truman State University
Synopsis: fighting “misinformation” such as conspiracy theories about vaccines gives skeptics a renewed sense of purpose. But the rhetoric of misinformation is also political, used to defend the authority of professional-class institutions. In a climate of decreasing trust in institutions, skeptical talk of misinformation risks backfiring among audiences we are trying to reach.
Bio: Taner Edis is a CSI Fellow and professor of physics at Truman State University. His latest book is Weirdness! What Fake Science and the Paranormal Tell Us About the Nature of Science
- Fact Checking 10 Data Center Headlines in 10 Minutes: Kyle Polich, data scientist and founder of Dataskeptic.com and host of the Data Skeptic podcast
Bio: Kyle Polich is the host of the Data Skeptic podcast, a weekly interview program highlighting research papers in AI, machine learning, and novel areas of data science. Professionally he runs a boutique consulting company. As a skeptical investigator, he looks into cases where statistics and other data driven approaches may provide insight.
- Why Skepticism? From Definition to Celebration: Dr. Stephen Hupp, PhD Licensed Clinical Psychologist and professor of Clinical Child & School Psychology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine.
Bio: Stephen Hupp, PhD, is the Editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine, the executive director of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and a psychology professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. His latest book is Science-Based Therapy: Raising the Bar for Empirically Supported Treatments.
- Space Madness: Why Colonization Of Other Planets Won’t Happen In Our Lifetime: Matthew Harris, SSSL Board Member
What else do you need to know?
This event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Even thought the event is free, please consider donating at least $20 to the Skeptical Society of St. Louis to help defray the costs and allow us to continue to hold events like this in the future.
If you wish to be a sponsor, please look at the options here.
