Tuesday, January 17, 2012

“Controversy in Science” Presentation by Damian Gregory Allis, Ph.D ~ Wednesday, January 18 @ 7:00pm

Where: Dewitt Community Library in the Shoppingtown Mall, Dewitt, NY
Event is Free and Open to the Public
Please contact David Harding at 315-416-0036 for more information

“Science advances one funeral at a time.” – Max Planck
The infinite unknown that is our universe is being studied by a finite number of people with finite budgets and a finite number of hours in the day, many of them with real jobs to boot.  Opinion and intuition have served as double-edged swords throughout the practical application of the scientific method, often weighing down now-famous great leaps forward for reasons having nothing to do with science itself.
“We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are.” – Anais Nin
Damian will spend his time being both antagonistic and defensive as he discusses some of the history of now-obvious-but-previously-insane truths and facts gleaned from the scientific method, then will briefly describe his own work in the field of molecular manufacturing, an area of research previously seen as profoundly forward, then game-changing, then heretical, then highly suspect, and now increasingly academic, all without strong experimental evidence for or against for most of its history.

Presenter Bio:
Dr. Allis is a research professor in the Department of Chemistry at Syracuse University.  When not applying quantum chemical methods to the study of molecules and molecular solids, he can be found drumming in several local bands and moonlighting as the President of the Syracuse Astronomical Society.  More information can be found at his website, www.somewhereville.com.
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.

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