Of course, thank you to the 400+ conference attendees for your enthusiasm and passion for learning.

Thank you as well to the NECSS 2012 speakers for your commitment and eagerness to share your ideas and knowledge.

Thank you to the almost-30 intrepid and dedicated volunteers who staffed every area, from lobby to backstage, ensuring that speakers and attendees could relax and enjoy the weekend.

On the technical front, NECSS was joined this year by Alex Federici, who supervised every aspect of the filming and technical needs of the conference.

Chris Brown of the Meet the Skeptics Podcast and Craig Sachs added a great dimension to NECSS with behind-the-scenes interviews of speakers and attendees (already available on YouTube)!

Jamy Ian Swiss wore more hats than anyone else at NECSS 2012 as a conference organizer, emcee, and show-runner; Jamy has been key to the professionalism at NECSS.

The Skeptics Guide to the Universe and Rationally Speaking podcasts are integral parts of NECSS, and each live recording has quickly become a conference highlight for NECSS attendees.

This year NECSS welcomed new sponsors, the James Randi Educational Foundation and the Center For Inquiry/Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and booths for both organizations were epicenters of lively conversations throughout the weekend.

We also had a fantastic and entertaining collaboration with The Story Collider this year, and we’d like to give a special thanks to Story Collider co-founder Brian Wecht.

Mark Bellncula, Cary Liberman, and composer Matthew Schickele gave NECSS a professional look and sound online, in print, and on video.   All of these organizations and individuals contributed to making NECSS 2012 not just a fantastic weekend, but a superb conference bustling with energy and the feeling that everyone in attendance was part of something special.

And for that, we thank you!

More videos available here.

The Center for Inquiry’s mission is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. CFI advances its mission through its own advocacy, educational, and outreach programs and through the work of two affiliated organizations:

The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry investigates fringe science, pseudoscience, and paranormal claims using the tools of science and reason. The research and findings of its CSI fellows—experts in a range of scientific fields from medicine to clinical psychology to astrophysics—reach the public via its magazine, SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, CSI’s website and social media, its annual conference, CSIcon.

The Council for Secular Humanism is the largest organization in the United States providing a voice for the secular humanist worldview. At the national and local levels, CSH advances values rooted in science and humanistic ethics through community building, scholarship, and advocacy, as well as through the publication of its magazine, Free Inquiry..

If you haven’t yet registered for NECSS 2012 don’t miss the east coast’s largest skeptics conference: REGISTER TODAY!

NECSS 2012 is the weekend of April 21-22 (just a couple of months away!) and we’ve got some major news to share. First, the NECSS lineup is expanding considerably with a number of new speakers and panelists just added: Deborah Feldman, author of the current #7 New York Times bestseller Unorthodox; JREF President D.J. Grothe; Physicist and science communicator Debbie Berebichez; Science educator Meghan Groome; Columbia University professor Christopher Emdin; Mezzo-soprano Hai-Ting Chinn; New York City Skeptics president Page Van Meter; and educator and blogger Marc Barnhill.

They will join the existing NECSS 2012 line-up skeptic and scientific all stars, including James Randi, PZ Myers, Seth Shostak, the Skeptics Guide to the Universe, Jamy Ian Swiss, Joe Nickel, Brian Wecht, Kevin Slavin and Massimo Pigliucci (full speaker list here). If you haven’t yet registered for NECSS 2012 don’t miss the east coast’s largest skeptics conference: REGISTER TODAY!

JREF TO BECOME A NECSS SPONSOR

For the first time NECSS is welcoming outside groups as conference sponsors, and our first major sponsor will be none other than the James Randi Educational Foundation. The JREF and NECSS have enjoyed a long-standing and close relationship, and we’re thrilled that relationship will continue with the JREF as a NECSS sponsor. NECSS has welcomed several JREFers as conference speakers, including past president Phil Plait, Sadie Crabtree, as well as current president D.J. Grothe and James Randi himself (both of whom will be making their second NECSS appearances this year).

The James Randi Educational Foundation was founded in 1996 to expose charlatans and help people defend themselves from paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. The JREF offers a still-unclaimed million-dollar reward for anyone who can produce evidence of paranormal abilities under controlled conditions. Through scholarships, workshops, and innovative resources for educators, the JREF works to inspire this investigative spirit in a new generation of critical thinkers.

STUDENT SPONSORSHIP DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MARCH 12

In an effort to allow the maximum number of students to apply for a NECSS student sponsorship we have extended the application deadline to March 12. The NECSS Student Sponsorship Program provides free registration to qualified students, so if you are a high school or college student and would like to attend NECSS for free then make sure to apply! If you’d like to help increase student attendance at NECSS through a tax-deductible donation please sponsor a student today!

We have a stellar lineup this year, including legendary skeptic James Randi, blogger and biologist PZ Myers, SETI astronomer Seth Shostak, game developer Kevin Slavin, paranormal investigator Joe Nickel, physicist Brian Wecht, science journalist John Bohannon, and more! We will also welcome back as emcee the inimitable Jamy Ian Swiss, along with Steve Novella, “Skepchick” Rebecca Watson, and the entire Skeptics Guide to the Universe “Rogues,” as well as George Hrab, and Massimo Pigliucci and Julia Galef of the Rationally Speaking podcast.

This year we’ve teamed up with NECSS speaker Brian Wecht to organize a very special edition of The Story Collider – a spoken word show that will feature a number of NECSS speakers. Other events taking place throughout NECSS weekend will include our popular museum visits, the NECSS fundraising reception, and, as always, Drinking Skeptically.

This year the conference will be returning to Florence Gould Hall – along with some new amenities! In addition to the main conference hall we will have Tinker Auditorium available for socializing, refreshments, and as a vendor/exhibitor area. Plus, the entire conference facility now boasts complimentary wireless internet access.

Last, but certainly not least, as a result of last year’s successful pilot program, we’ve established the NECSS Student Sponsorship Program. The program will provide free NECSS registration to qualified high school and college students through tax-deductible donations. We are committed to increasing student attendance at NECSS, and we’ve already set aside five sponsorship slots for this year’s conference. Our goal is to allow 25 students to attend NECSS for free in 2012. Please consider sponsoring a student today!

We will be announcing more speakers and events in the coming weeks, so be sure to follow NECSS on Twitter, become a fan on our Facebook page, or subscribe to the NECSS news feedfor the latest updates. And, of course, we hope you can join us at NECSS 2012!

 REGISTER NOW

P.S.  NECSS completely sold out the last two times the conference was held at Florence Gould Hall, and we expect another sell-out crowd this year. So don’t wait – register today!

Next year will mark our fourth NECSS, and we are positive it’s going to be the best one yet. It will be difficult to top last year’s gathering, which saw over 500 skeptics, critical thinkers, and science-buffs descend upon New York for NECSS 2011, but we are going to try!

The conference will be expanding again in 2012 to two full days of panels, live podcasts, lectures, and other presentations, as well as a variety of optional events before the conference on Friday April 20 and throughout the weekend.

More information, including speakers, venue details, and hotel discounts, will be announced shortly. Also, stay tuned for a brand new NECSS website, which will be located at www.necss.org.

We look forward to seeing you in 2012…!

Death From the Skies from NECSS.