The Skeptical Student Perspective

Finally, my first blog for the Skeptoid Blog. I am really writing it! What am I going to write about?

Let me tell you a bit about who I am. I am a father and husband in my mid-thirties. Last year, I started back in school to pursue my MS in physics with 10 years of various other working experiences filling my time since my undergraduate work. I actually came into skepticism through the podcast Geekspeak. Lyle Troxell recommended Skeptoid and The Skeptics Guide to the Universe a couple of years ago and it has been very life changing. And now, I am guest writing on a skeptical blog.

What I intend to do is make this a mix of personal experiences I have as I explore my own skepticism and rediscover science with this new tool in my toolbox. I want to share my experiences as a student, as a teacher (since I do serve as a teaching assistant and intern in classes as well), and as a newer skeptic. Although being surrounded by science and skepticism always has me looking for evidence, logic and reason, sometimes human emotion still can make things unknown and interesting. It makes for a great experience.

Last year during a lab on torque I made mention of the power bracelet demonstrations and how the demonstrators use torque to their advantage to make it look like the bracelet had some immediate effect. I didn't think much of it other than I thought perhaps students would have watched late night infomercials on occasion. I actually had a student come to me the next week and tell me she stopped a family member from ordering the bracelets because of what I had showed her. It made me feel pretty good.

Although it may seem to go against the grain, I want to add a personal touch to the Skeptoid Blog by adding a few personal stories like the one above during the year about how I use science and reason in the class and in my life. They aren't all successes, and I will share those too. I hope you all enjoy!