Shermer to discuss his books, including Why People Believe Weird Things

The University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan invites the community to a special evening with nationally known author and skeptic, Michael Shermer, on Thursday, April 14 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Wombat Room (2114) in the UW-Sheboygan Main Building (lower level).

Shermer’s presentation will focus on his book, Why People Believe Weird Things, which is UW-Sheboygan’s 2010-11 Common Read and was used in multiple classrooms by campus faculty throughout the past academic year. Shermer will conduct a book signing of Why People Believe Weird Things from 8-8:30 p.m. after his presentation. Copies of the book are available in advance in the UW-Sheboygan Bookstore or at the event.

In addition to Why People Believe Weird Things, which focuses on pseudoscience, superstitions and other confusions of our time, Shermer is the author of at least 12 other books, including the Soul of Science, The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience, Why Darwin Matters, and Science Friction: Where the Known Meets the Unknown, among others.

Shermer is the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, the Executive Director of the Skeptics Society, a monthly column for Scientific American, the host of the Skeptics Distinguished Science Lecture Series at Caltech and an adjunct professor of Economics at Claremont Graduate University.

He holds his B.A. in Psychology from Pepperdine University, a M.A. in Experimental Psychology from California State University and his Ph.D. in the History of Science from Claremont Graduation University. He served as a college professor for 20 years teaching psychology, evolution and the history of science. Since his creation of the Skeptics Society and Skeptic magazine, Shermer has been called upon as an expert on TV shows focusing on weird or extraordinary claims. He also was co-host and co-producer of the 13-hour Family Channel television series, Exploring the Unknown.

A limited number of tickets are available to the public for this special presentation. Tickets can be reserved by stopping in the UW-Sheboygan Business Services Office until the day of the show. All tickets are free and all seating is general seating in the Wombat Room (2114). The Business Services Office is open Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays. This event is made possible through the UW-Sheboygan Special Programs Committee.

For more information about this event, please contact UW-Sheboygan Director of University Relations Carrie Hoppe at (920) 459-6612 or e-mail carrie.hoppe@uwc.edu.

All guests attending this event are encouraged to park in the West Parking Lot and enter through the main entrance by the flagpoles through the ACUITY Technology Center. For driving directions to the campus, please visit www.sheboygan.uwc.edu.