Events

Get Ready: SkepchickCon 2012 is On!

July 5-8, join tons of Skepchick writers plus many of your favorite skeptical personalities in beautiful Minneapolis for SkepchickCon, the Skepchick Track at CONvergence! To gain entry to the panels, you just need to pick up a CONvergence badge (only $60 until May 15!) and then hang out in our track room, which is even bigger and better than the previous three years!

Special guests include Maggie Koerth-Baker of BoingBoing, Desiree Schell of Skeptically Speaking,  ZOMGItsCriss of YouTube, and SkepchickCon teammates Freethought Bloggers like PZ Myers of Pharyngula, Greg Laden of X-Blog, Stephanie Zvan of Almost Diamonds, Jason Thibeault of Lousy Canuck, Natalie Reed of Sincerely, Natalie Reed. As usual, we’ll also have many Skepchick Network contributors, including Rebecca Watson, Surly Amy Roth, Maria Walters, Heina Dadabhoy, Bug Girl, Felicia Gilljam, Kammy Lyon, “Smashley” Hammer, Emily Finke, Melissa Kaercher, Anne Sauer, Ryan Consell, Mindy Townsend, Melanie Mallon, and more!

Here’s how you can help us out:

Like last year, we need money to put on a great show. We don’t charge admission to the panels or get any cut of ticket sales from CONvergence, so 100% of the cost of flying in guests and putting them up in the hotel is covered by those of you with a few bucks laying around that you’d like to contribute. We also use the funds we raise to print up informational flyers and host the nightly after-hours Skepchick room where all CONvergence attendees can stop by and find out more about science and skepticism.

This year, our goal is to raise $2,500. We are very lucky to have an anonymous donor who has pledged to match all donations up to a total of $1,000, so donate now to have twice the effect! You can paypal your donation to [email protected], or better yet click the link in the widget to the right so we can keep tabs on our progress. Thanks!

Rebecca Watson

Rebecca is a writer, speaker, YouTube personality, and unrepentant science nerd. In addition to founding and continuing to run Skepchick, she hosts Quiz-o-Tron, a monthly science-themed quiz show and podcast that pits comedians against nerds. There is an asteroid named in her honor. Twitter @rebeccawatson Mastodon mstdn.social/@rebeccawatson Instagram @actuallyrebeccawatson TikTok @actuallyrebeccawatson YouTube @rebeccawatson BlueSky @rebeccawatson.bsky.social

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36 Comments

        1. How am I supposed to register when the registration site only accepts American addresses and offline registration requires antiquated methods of payment not used in Norway since the previous millennium?

          1. This won’t help you in Norway, but there may be some Canadians wanting to register that would like to know that it can take Canadian addresses, but it isn’t obvious that it does. There are Canadian provinces listed in the ‘States’ drop down, but they are mixed in with the states,as if they are additional states.

            You might also want to contact their support department to let them know of their oversight. I got a reply from them after a few days. It wasn’t a fast turnaround, but they did respond.

            This is my first time writing in to Skepchick and it will be my first SkepchickCon, though not my first CONvergence. I have been teaching in China the last few years though and cons just haven’t been doable from here. I am very excited that I will be back in North America early enough this summer to get my con fix.

          2. I did send an email asking if I could try to fake my way through the online registration and send them my actual address by other means. Got an approval to do just that today so I’m going to try when I come home from work.

            Hopefully there won’t be a stage in the process that accuses me of attempting credit card fraud. :)

  1. I updated the Lanyrd page for the event to include all the speakers and a link back to this post under coverage.

    http://lanyrd.com/2012/skepchickcon/

    Lanyrd is a cool way to promote & document events especially when many of the speakers & attendees use Twitter. I’ve been recommending skeptics use it more.

  2. ZOMGItsCriss is one of the greatest YouTubers I’ve seen. Glad she’ll be there.

    Won’t be able to attend, but at least I can donate.

  3. SO EXCITED!

    I’ll be there with bells on, cookies and (hopefully) a proper smile. Second times’s a charm and I can almost remember how to mix a vat of Buzzed Aldrins by memory.

    Almost.

    Think I’ll volunteer again…just to be sure. :)

  4. Sadly, I waited to long to book lodging. Does anyone know how late/often transportation will travel from Crowne Plaza? Trying to get a feel for how annoyed I will be if I don’t stay across the street.

    1. I and a few other Skepchicks stayed at the Days Inn last year and it was super easy. It’s very, very close and a few times I just walked (in the morning, never at night because of a lack of sidewalks). I think the shuttle ran all night but I’m not positive. It was free, though, which was convenient, and I believe you could call it to come pick you up at the main hotel.

  5. OK, I want EVERY PERSON who comments here to kick in money, right?

    Many of the people listed as attenders, including many of the Skepchicks especailly Kammy, as well as PZ, Mary Myers, Stephanie, Me, and Mel Springer are additionally putting a lot of time and cash in beyond that mentioned for guests … planning meetings, bribing officials, all that stuff. We are giving our ALL to this project, and we are only asking you to give a few dollars and, if you possibly can, to join us at the CON.

    And the mission is incredible. I don’t have the EVIDENCE for what I’m about to say, but it COULD be true …. Years ago in the early days of CONvergence, there were many panels on things like Ghosts and Bigfoot and ESP and stuff. Not, like, how to prove that there are no ghosts or that ESP is not real, but rather, how to find ghosts and fine tune your ESP. Right? Such panels existed the first year I did the CON with Skepchick, and I heard there were more in earlier years.

    But over time, BECAUSE OF THE SKEPTIC TRACK at CONvergence, which is 95% Skepchick run, organized, and maintained, that stuff is no longer part of the CON at all. This is not because of direct action or competition, it is because of EDUCATION and because the Skepchicks are just plan BETTER and COOLER than the ESP and Ghost people, so they just faded away.

    But this excellent work being done by the Skepchicks, and now FTB.com along with them, CAN’T HAPPEN without YOUR generosity. Click on the link above TODAY and donate what you can … $10 … $20 …. $147.20 … whatever you think you can afford PLUS 10 more dollars, becuase you always underestimate what you can afford by $10.

    OK, go do it. Thank you very much, see you there.

  6. Oh no! I have my CRNE on June 6, then my convocation and graduation banquet on June 7. Why do they have to overlap?? I have to do these things or my career will not start till November :'(

  7. I’m beyond sad that I cannot go and talk at all of your beautiful faces. Just remember, if you look closely, you’ll see my smiling face in the bottom of every beer you drink. Every ice cube in every glass of whiskey will look like my head. Or Elyse’s head. What I’m trying to say is that you should probably get drunk for me. And Elyse.

  8. Last year’s SkepchickCON was so much fun! This year’s promises to be even better. I cannot wait. I look forward to seeing you all there. I especially look forward to Anne’s take on the Buzzed Aldrens. Oof.

  9. Last year the Skepchick panels were my favorites. Same with my friends. Do you have a list of which panels are Skepchick panels this year?

  10. I would LOVE to attend this event, as I’m just a quick bus ride from Maplewood, MN… but I’m out of money, and work, at the moment, so that’s out of the question. Could you use a volunteer? If so, what duties would be available for me to assist with? Let me know – I’m very serious about this offer. (I have a decent Samsung HD camcorder, if anyone wanted to have their talks recorded, for example.)
    Let me know – I’d love to help out!

  11. Regarding my post on 06/08/2012… tap, tap… is this thing on?

    Anyone know how (and if) I could volunteer for this event? I’m right in Maplewood, and can make it to Minneapolis easily. Thanks! I’d love to help out!

  12. Hark I hear a voice…

    Hey Bob, I’m sorry I missed your previous post! I’m always looking for volunteers. Email me at [email protected]. I’ll be sending out a volunteer email soon to start nailing down who can be there and when.

    Thank you for following up!

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