Skeptics dispel myths, legends

From Bigfoot to outer space aliens and UFOs, the goal of the Penn State Skeptics Club is to prove what it calls "myths," wrong.

"The purpose of the Skeptics Club is to examine widely held beliefs for which there is no real evidence," said Stephen Cumblidge, a co-founder of the Skeptics Club.

For example, some people strongly believe that aliens are visiting the earth, but he said eyewitness evidence is sketchy at best.

The Penn State Skeptics Club was founded this semester, said Cumblidge (graduate-nuclear engineering), who co-founded the organization with Paula Crock (senior-physics). There were unofficial meetings last semester, but this is the club's first semester as an official organization, he said.

"We are the only university Skeptics Club in existence that I know of," Cumblidge said, "but the response has been fairly good."

Cumblidge said the Skeptics Club plans to host a variety of activities this semester.

Currently, the club is attempting to bring James Randy, a stage magician and skeptic, to the University, Cumblidge said, to demonstrate his abilities.

Cumblidge also said that Randy is doing something that has never been done before.

"James Randy has a $1.1 million reward available for anyone who has a paranormal power they can demonstrate reliably," Cumblidge said, adding that the person must prove his or her ability in a lab setting.

The experimenters must be reliable as well, in order for the results to be unbiased, he said.

Humans are superstitious by nature, Cumblidge said, but they can be trained to overcome their superstition by doing things rationally.

"People are so easily taken in by silliness like (superstition,)" Schindler said.

Cumblidge also asked club members if they would donate money to the club to call the Psychic Friends Network sometime this semester and record it on speakerphone.

"Groups like this just want people to give them money," Schindler said. "So we're going to do it just for our own entertainment and edification."

The psychics' questions have definite answers, Schindler said, and mislead the caller.

"How far off could they be when they say there's and illness in your family or uncertainty in your love life?" he asked.

The Skeptics Club would also like to participate in other "silliness" this semester, Cumblidge said.

"We want to teach ourselves psychic tricks," he said, "and have a contest to see who can come up with the most realistic picture of a UFO -- with no computer tricks allowed.

Right now, there are seven different campus groups trying to make up pictures, Cumblidge said.

The Skeptics Club agrees pictures taken of UFOs are easily faked, and often disappointing.

"They're so easy to make," said Adam Levenstein (junior-anthropology). "You just have to make the pictures as unclear as possible, yet still recognizable."