The Regional Workshop Program, one of several new educational initiatives in development at the JREF, saw its debut in Saint Louis this past month. The workshop, which was sold out, focused on the use of dowsing rods and pendulums for divination. Participants were treated to a comprehensive review of the topic beginning with its fascinating history. The real fun began, though, when participants were guided through the process of making their own dowsing rods & pendulums and examining their effectiveness under careful experimental conditions. Making and using these “devices” gave participants firsthand experience in the ideomotor effect and confirmation bias. This “hands-on” approach will be a focal point of all JREF workshops. It’s gives people an important perspective on the topic. A great example of this is the participant who said: "After I made my pendulum, they told me to ask the pendulum to give me a yes response. I was like "this is stupid... woah, it's moving!" The workshop also stressed the need for robust testing protocols and gave practical experience in setting up double-blind trials.
Some may have come to the workshop thinking of dowsing as a quaint and old-timey niche of fringe science. The presenters made sure they didn’t leave with that impression. Anyone familiar with the ADE 651 knows why. A useless device based on the same concept, the ADE 651 has been sold to governments for bomb detection in some of the world’s most dangerous places, including Iraq. The cost has been in the millions of dollars and many human lives. Of course, it was our own James Randi that first raised concerns about the use of the ADE 651 for the detection of explosives. Watch a video of Randi talking about the ADE 651 here.
The workshop was presented by Dr. Christina L. Stephens, a science writer & biomechanics researcher and Zi Teng Wang, a scientist & amateur magician. The Skeptical Society of Saint Louis was the host for the program. We plan to announce topics, dates, and locations for upcoming workshops in the coming days. For more information including how to bring a JREF workshop to your city, please contact Michael Blanford, Director of Educational Programs at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..