The James Randi Educational Foundation is pleased to announce that it will be offering events in Louisville and Chicago in the upcoming months. The workshop Divination with Pendulums and Dowsing Rods is a comprehensive 3-hour, hands-on program covering the history, current application, and construction of divination devices, presented from a skeptical perspective, and featuring the research of James Randi on the topic. The workshop will emphasize how paranormal beliefs like dowsing are not trivial, and have real-world implications. Participants will make both pendulums and dowsing rods, and devise randomized, double-blinded trials to test their effectiveness. All tools, materials, and handouts are included in registration fee.


The workshops will be led by Dr. Christina L. Stephens, a science writer and biomechanics researcher who writes for the JREF and at  www.ziztur.com. She is chair of the Fringe Science Investigations Committee of the Skeptical Society of Saint Louis. Joining her will be Zi Teng Wang, a scientist and amateur magician, and long-time skeptic with special interest in evolutionary biology and the American educational system. 

Our event in Louisville is on June 12th, 2010 and is being hosted by the Louisville Area Skeptics. Our Chicago workshop is July 31st, 2010 and is being hosted by the Chicago Skeptics. Workshop registration is free for JREF members and $45 for non-members. You will find links to online registration below.

For more information about regional workshops or to find out how to bring a JREF event to your city, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Watch for new workshops coming soon, including Skepticism 101, Psychics and Skeptics, and Junior Skepticism, a 1/2-day skepticism camp for children and families, featuring resources from Junior Skeptic magazine, the illustrated kids’ critical thinking periodical bound into every issue of Skeptic magazine.

Register for Divination with Pendulums and Dowsing Rods, Chicago, IL, July 31