SkeptiCamp was founded by Reed Esau in 2007 and is small grassroots conference where

scientific skeptics Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism (also spelled scepticism), sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence. In practice, the term most commonly refe ...

come together and participate and present. Skepticamps are held in varying formats worldwide and are operated in the style of an

unconference An unconference is a participant-driven meeting. The term "unconference" has been applied, or self-applied, to a wide range of gatherings that try to avoid hierarchical aspects of a conventional conference, such as sponsored presentations and top ...

History

Background

The SkeptiCamp concept was founded in 2007 by Reed Esau. It was partially inspired by

Daniel Loxton Daniel Loxton (born 1975) is a Canadian writer, illustrator, and skeptic. He wrote or co-wrote several books including ''Tales of Prehistoric Life,'' a children's science trilogy, and '' Abominable Science!'', a scientific look at cryptozoology. A ...

's 2007 essay on the state of the Skeptical movement, "Where Do We Go From Here?", and from attending

The Amaz!ng Meeting The Amazing Meeting (TAM), stylized as The Amaz!ng Meeting, was an annual conference that focused on science, skepticism, and critical thinking; it was held for twelve years. The conference started in 2003 and was sponsored by the James Randi Educ ...

in 2007, an annual conference that focuses on science, skepticism, and critical thinking. SkeptiCamps can be "loosely organized", the format also allows ''ad hoc'' group formation, and avoids the overhead associated with more formal content channels.

Events

The first SkeptiCamp was held in August 2007 in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and was organized by Reed Esau along with Rich Ludwig and Crystal Yates-White. Since that first event, over one hundred other events have been held in cities such as

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, Canada;

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

;

Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. Along with Manc ...

;

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

; and

Seaside, California Seaside, formerly East Monterey, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, with a population of 32,366 as of the 2020 census. It is located east-northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of , and is the home of California State Uni ...

. In January 2018 Monterey County Skeptics ran their 4th Skepticamp at Seaside; and in February 2018 Fort Collins held their 8th consecutive annual skepticamp.

SpeedyCamps

Just as SkeptiCamps are slimmed down versions of larger skeptic's conferences such as

CSICon CSICon or CSIConference is an annual list of skeptical conferences, skeptical conference typically held in the United States. CSICon is hosted by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), which is a program of the Center for Inquiry (CFI). CSI p ...

, a SpeedyCamp is a slimmed down version of a SkeptiCamp. SpeedyCamps are a platform for more inexperienced speakers to make a presentation in 15 minute time slots which includes time for attendees to ask the speaker questions or to make comments. Topics are similar to the larger SkeptiCamps, and include presentations centered around Scientific Skepticism.

Outside the United States

The first SkeptiCamp in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

was run by the

Australian Skeptics Australian Skeptics is a loose confederation of like-minded organisations across Australia that began in 1980. Australian Skeptics investigate paranormal and pseudoscientific claims using scientific methodologies. This page covers all Australia ...

on April 30, 2011 at the

University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Although its origins are said to trace back to the 1830s, the university was founded in its current form in 1988. As of 2021 ...

. 100 people attended the 7 hour event and discussed a broad range of topics from the conflict in the Middle East to

genetically modified food Genetically modified foods (GM foods), also known as genetically engineered foods (GE foods), or bioengineered foods are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering. Gene ...

and clinical trials in the United States. Melbourne SkeptiCamp followed on October 22, 2011, at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, then shortly afterwards the Surf Coast Summer SkeptiCamp was launched on January 21, 2012, at the Aireys Inlet Community Hall. In 2015, the Australian National Skeptics Convention kicked off with the 100th worldwide SkeptiCamp in Brisbane. Eight local skeptics participated as speakers and the event concluded with a panel discussion. The science on top podcast was recorded live at the 2018 Surf Coast Summer Skepticamp. Skepticamps are held annually in Australia at the Surf Coast, Canberra, and Brisbane. The first Skepticamps in Canada took place in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

in 2008 and 2009 and one was organized in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

in July 2010. Then on October 23, 2010, simultaneous SkeptiCamps were held in four Canadian cities: Vancouver, Winnipeg,

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. Ottawa and Vancouver continued to host Skepticamps most years since 2010, while the most recent one in Edmonton took place in 2011, in Winnipeg in 2014. In the United Kingdom,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

had a Skepticamp every year between 2009 and 2012.

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

had one in 2013 and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

every year since 2014. In Spain,

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

and

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

both had a Skepticamp in 2012. Under the name SciCamp, a Skepticamp took place in

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...

(Sweden) in 2012.

NZ Skeptics NZ Skeptics is a New Zealand incorporated society created in 1986, with the aim of promoting critical thinking. The main areas of interest to the NZ Skeptics are claims of psychic abilities, alternative medicine, creationism and other pseu ...

help a Skepticamp in Wellington in 2014. Surf Coast Skepticamp 2018.jpg, James Rolton Introduces Ian Bryce who spoke about the Australian Skeptics $100 000 Challenge. Surf Coast Skepticamp on February 17, 2018 File:Claire Klingenberg-3.jpg, Claire Klingenberg talks at Skepticamp at QEDCon 2016 in Manchester File:NZ Skeptics SkeptiCamp 2013 - 1.jpg, SkeptiCamp in Wellington 2013 File:SkeptiCamp Madrid 2012.jpg, Luis Garcia Castro and Daniela Meli during the SkeptiCamp Madrid 2012 Opening File:Alison Gaylard 1.JPG, Alison Gaylard of NRVS speaking at the 2014 Brisbane SkeptiCamp File:Skepticamp Banner Colorado.jpg, Fort Collins, Colorado, 2011 File:Kyle Polich lectures at SkeptiCamp.jpg, Kyle Polich lectures at SkeptiCamp 2015

References