Featuring:

Humanist of the Year, Gloria Steinem;  Ira Flatow, Isaac Asimov Science Awardee;  Debra Sweet, Humanist Heroine;

Speakers:

Anthony Pinn, Sikivu Hutchinson, Janet Heimlich, Margaret Downey, Rob Boston, Barbara Forrest, Sean Faircloth, Todd Stiefel, Marshall Brain, Arthur Jackson, Jason Frye, David Niose, Roy Speckhardt , Maggie Ardiente and more!

The Sheraton
New Orleans Hotel

500 Canal Street | New Orleans, LA 70130 | 504-525-2500

Located on the historic Canal Street streetcar line adjacent to the French Quarter, the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel is a short walk to Bourbon Street, Harrah’s Casino, Riverwalk Marketplace, and the city’s most renowned restaurants and legendary nightlife.

SPECIAL CONFERENCE RATE: $129 PER NIGHT (single/double occupancy), $159 PER NIGHT CLUB LEVEL

You must book your room before May 14, 2012 to receive the special conference rate. All rates are subject to state and local taxes.

To Reserve by Phone

• Call the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel toll-free at 888-627-7033
• Mention the American Humanist Association to get the special conference rate

To Reserve Online

• Visit the AHA’s Customized Reservation Page at the Sheraton New Orleans
• No special code is needed

Transportation

The Sheraton New Orleans Hotel does NOT provide a free shuttle to and from the airport. There are several transportation options:

• Reserve a shared ride service between the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel and New Orleans International Airport through New Orleans Airport Shuttle. Rates are $20 per person one way or $38 per person round trip. Call 504-522-3500 or visit Sheraton New Orleans Hotel Airport Shuttle to reserve. Estimated time: 30-45 minutes.

• Take a taxi, located outside baggage claim. The average fare to the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel is $30. Estimated time: 25-30 minutes.
• By Public Transit:The E2-Airport Route bus is located on the second level of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport, near the Delta counter (look for the sign and bench in the median). The E-2 bus will take you to Tulane and Elk Place, which is eight blocks, or 12-15 minute walk, from the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. You can also walk one block to Canal Street and take the Canal Street Streetcar. The cost is $2.00 (exact change preferred) for the E2-Airport bus, and $1.25 for the Streetcar.Please note that the E-2 Airport Downtown Express only runs on weekdays before 6:52pm. There is a 2-bag limit per person with no luggage compartment. Visit the RTA website for more information.

Parking

Parking is offered at a discounted rate of $10 per day or $25 overnight for conference attendees. Valet parking service is offered; there is no self-parking.

Hotel Amenities

• Roux Bistro full-service restaurant (breakfast and lunch only)
• Pelican Bar
• Starbucks Coffee
• 24-hour in-room dining
• Complimentary fitness center open 24/7
• Rooftop pool and sun deck
• Concierge services and tour desk
• Laundry/Valet Services
• Dog friendly (up to 40 lbs)
• High-Speed Internet Access in all Guestrooms ($6.95-12.95+tax daily)

Location to Notable Attractions

(in walking distance)

• Bourbon Street – 3 min.
• Acme Oyster House – 5 min.
• Harrah’s Casino – 7 min.
• Lafayette Square – 7 min.
• Jackson Square – 10 min.
• Riverwalk Marketplace – 10 min.
• Café du Monde – 11 min.

Maggie Ardiente is director of development and communications for the American Humanist Association. She also serves as editor of the AHA’s weekly e-zine, Humanist Network News. She has been quoted in the Washington Post, Voices of America, Alternet, and other print and radio media. Maggie graduated from James Madison University and served as vice president of the JMU Freethinkers, a student group for atheists, agnostics, and humanists. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Secular Student Alliance and graduate of Class 15 of the Humanist Institute. (mardiente@americanhumanist.org)

John M. Barry is a New York Times best-selling author whose books have won more than twenty awards. His most recent book is Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty. In 1998 the Society of American Historians named Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America the year’s best book of American history. In 2005 the National Academy of Sciences named The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History the year’s best book on science or medicine.

Rob Boston is senior policy analyst and assistant director of communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State. He also serves as assistant editor of AU’s monthly magazine Church & State. He is the author of three books on church-state relations and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Humanist Association. Rob writes a regular column on church-state relations for The Humanist. (rboston@americanhumanist.org)

Marshall Brain is best known as the founder of HowStuffWorks.com, purchased for $250 million by Discovery Communications in 2007. As a well-known public speaker, Marshall frequently appears on radio and TV programs nationwide. He has appeared on everything from The Oprah Winfrey Show to CNN. He is the host of National Geographic’s Factory Floor With Marshall Brain. Marshall has written more than a dozen books and a number of widely known web publications including How to Make a Million Dollars, Robotic Nation, and Manna. Marshall resides in Cary, North Carolina, with his wife and family.

Jes Constantine is the web content manager for the American Humanist Association and co-host of The Humanist Hour podcast. Constantine is responsible for keeping all of AHA’s web-based programs running. She also co-hosts the AHA’s monthly podcast, the Humanist Hour, with Todd Stiefel. The THH podcast is a one-hour Internet radio talk show that features interviews, essays, listener comments and music. Before starting at the AHA, Jes worked for the several YWCA associations worldwide. Her activist orientated work involved helping the victims of domestic violence, racism and homelessness. Jes graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2003 with a B.S. in Information Technology/Science and Technology Studies.

Brian Dixon is vice president for media and government relations at Population Connection. He is a leader of a large coalition or organizations that support American involvement in international family planning programs. He has worked closely with members of congress to draft bills and amendments, and to develop legislative strategy and messages around key international issues like the Global Gag Rule and support for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). He has appeared on numerous radio and television programs to discuss the population growth and its impact on the quality of life in the United States and around the world.

Margaret Downey is a freelance journalist and public speaker who pursues stories of discrimination, choice in dying, humanitarian lifestyles, living as a secularist, atheism and family planning. Her articles concentrate on activist issues, political and religious satire, separation of church and state, and the advancement of freethought. She founded the Freethought Society and the Anti-Discrimination Support Network in 1993. Margaret is a past board member of the American Humanist Association and a current board member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Scouting For All, the Godless Americans Political Action Committee, and Atheist Alliance International.

Fred Edwords is the national director of the United Coalition of Reason, founded in 2009, working to foster cooperation among local groups in the community of reason, launching billboard and bus ad campaigns to raise their public profile. He is on the faculty of the Humanist Institute, national director of the International Darwin Day Foundation, and past president of Camp Quest. He was American Humanist Association executive director for 15 years and Humanist magazine editor for 12 years. He has served on the International Humanist and Ethical Union board and on the founding board of the National Center for Science Education. (fredwords@unitedcor.org)

Sean Faircloth writes about his “Ten Point Vision of a Secular America” in his new book Attack of the Theocrats: How the Religious Right Harms Us All and What to Do About It. He is director of strategy and policy for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Science and Reason, and conceived the Secular Decade plan, a specific strategic vision for re-secularizing American government. Faircloth graduated from the University of Notre Dame and from University of California Hastings College of the Law and served five terms in the Maine legislature, spearheading over thirty laws. (sean.faircloth@richarddawkins.net)

Barbara Forrest is professor of philosophy at Southeastern Louisiana University. She is co-author with Paul R. Gross of Creationism’s Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design (Oxford University Press). She serves on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Science Education and the Board of Trustees of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. She served as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School District (2005). She is co-founder of the Louisiana Coalition for Science.

Jason Frye has been an LGBT activist since 1996, a humanist activist since 2003, a humanist celebrant since 2006, and has held various positions in freethought organizations at both the local and national level. Jason helped establish the LGBT Humanist Council and his speeches tend to be thought-provoking, inspiring, chocked full of good information, and they never fail to entertain.

Author-artist Zelda Gatuskin is editor-in-chief of Amador Publishers, LLC, an independent humanist press (founded 1986), and proprietor of Studio Z, multi-media arts. She holds a bachelor’s degree in visual communications from Emerson College. Zelda resides in Albuquerque, NM and is currently serving as president of the Humanist Society of NM. Her poetry collection, But Who’s Counting?, is a 2010 New Mexico Book Awards winner. Her published works also include two mixed-genre collections, Ancestral Notes and Time and Temperature, and two fantasy novels. Her latest book is a young adult novel, Where the Sky Used to Be.

Janet Heimlich is the author of Breaking Their Will: Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment, the first book to fully examine child abuse and neglect enabled by religious belief in the United States. As a freelance reporter for National Public Radio, Ms. Heimlich won nine journalism awards, including the regional Katie, the Houston Press Club’s Radio Journalist of the Year, and the Texas Bar Association’s Gavel Award. In addition, she has written non-fiction articles for such publications as Texas Monthly, the Texas Observer, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and the Austin American-Statesman.

Sikivu Hutchinson is a senior intergroup specialist for the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission. She received a Ph.D. from New York University and has taught women’s studies, cultural studies, urban studies, and education at UCLA, the California Institute of the Arts, and Western Washington University. She is the author of Imagining Transit: Race, Gender, and Transportation Politics in Los Angeles, Moral Combat: Black Atheists, Gender Politics, and the Values Wars and the forthcoming Godless Americana: Race and Religious Rebels. She is also the founder of Black Skeptics Los Angeles and a senior fellow for the Institute for Humanist Studies.

Arthur M. Jackson was born in Oregon and currently resides in San Jose, California. He holds a B.S. degree from Oregon State University and a Master of Education from the University of Oregon. He has been active in the American Humanist Association for over 40 years and has been serving in various administrative capacities ever since.

Howard Katz is a board member of the American Humanist Association, president of The Humanist Society, and advisory board member of Humanist Charities. He has been a Humanist Celebrant for over seven years. He was awarded the ACLU of Illinois’ Volunteer of the Year Award and is a former officer of Illinois National Organization for Women. He’s held multiple public offices and is currently parliamentarian of his County Democrat organization. He’s been a member of the AHA for over 30 years. (hkatz@americanhumanist.org)

Charlotte Klasson is the state coordinator for the Louisiana National Organization for Women and is the board secretary for the New Orleans Secular Humanist Association. She’s a volunteer scuba diver at the Audubon Aquarium and enjoys photography and tennis. She is a a graduate of the University of Arkansas and has worked professionally in scholarly book publishing and as a newspaper and magazine editor and writer. In March, Klasson was voted onto the national NOW board as a representative for the Mid-South region which is comprised of Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. She will begin her two-year term this summer.

Marty Klein is a licensed psychotherapist, certified sex therapist, and international lecturer in sexuality and public policy. He has been an expert witness or invited plaintiff in many important state and federal obscenity and anti-censorship cases. His landmark book America’s War On Sex, with a foreword by the ACLU’s Nadine Strossen, was honored as Book of the Year by AASECT, and has just been released in an updated second edition. (www.martyklein.com)

Richard MacDonald, M.D., a 1952 graduate of University of Alberta, was in general practice for fifty years in Canada and California. Two decades of involvement with the Dying With Dignity movement includes over ten years as medical director of The Hemlock Society, president of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies and, currently, senior medical advisor of Final Exit Network. MacDonald states that those patients who choose to avoid prolongation of dying should not be abandoned by medical caregivers. At times, he believes it is the duty of a doctor to support a rational request made by a patient seeking as peaceful a dying process as possible. He has provided an experienced, compassionate presence for close to two hundred who made that choice.

Raúl Martínez is a proud Mexican humanist and part-time comedian from Las Vegas who pays the bills by working in IT project management. He is also the author of literally hundreds and hundreds of e-mails that he writes, sometimes twice a day! Raúl is known by some as the Joe the Plumber of the Humanist movement although he would prefer to be known as Bob the Builder. He says, “I may not have a Ph.D. but I do have some letters at the end of my name: NEZ.” (rmartinez@americanhumanist.org)

Sharon Moss graduated from Ohio State University in 2005 with a BA in Comparative Religion. She is a former president of Students for Freethought at The Ohio State University and current president of the Humanist Community of Central Ohio. Sharon serves as the Alumni Advisor to Students for Freethought and is the atheist representative to the University Interfaith Association at Ohio State. Sharon is also a certified Humanist Celebrant with the Humanist Society and is authorized by the state of Ohio to solemnize marriages. She considers this the closest thing to a super power she’ll ever have.

Eric Nguyen is the grassroots coordinator for the American Humanist Association. He is also the program coordinator for the Humanist Society and the program manager for the LGBT Humanist Council. (enguyen@americanhumanist.org)

David Niose has been president of the American Humanist Association since 2009. He first joined the board in 2005. His forthcoming book is Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans. Niose also developed and implemented a legal strategy that utilizes the concept of equal rights rather than the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause to protect religious minorities from governmental endorsement of majoritarian religious views. Niose has also worked closely with the Secular Coalition for America, sitting on the group’s advisory panel for several years before selected as vice president in 2011. Niose also writes a blog, “Our Humanity, Naturally,” for Psychology Today and has appeared on Fox News, BBC, The Thom Hartmann Show, and The Alan Colmes Show. (dniose@americanhumanist.org)

Anthony Pinn completed his graduate work at Harvard University. He is currently the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University. In addition, Pinn is the director of research for the Institute for Humanist Studies.  Pinn is the author/editor of twenty-six books, including African American Humanist Principles (2004) and The End of God-Talk (2012).

Terry Plank is a search marketing professional and Humanist Celebrant, having performed more than 2,000 wedding ceremonies. As a search marketer, he has assisted over 100 clients and businesses. As dean of SEMPO Institute he managed 40+ search marketing professionals to develop five online courses for the Institute and was founder of an online training company, Academy of Web Specialists. Terry earned a Master of Science in Counseling from San Francisco State University and a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary. (terry@semconsultation.com)

Herb Silverman received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Syracuse University and is Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Mathematics at the College of Charleston. He founded the Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry and is founder of the College of Charleston student Atheist/Humanist Alliance. He is founder and president of the Secular Coalition for America and an advisory board member of the Secular Student Alliance. He is an “On Faith” panelist for the Washington Post online and writes for the Huffington Post. Herb’s book, Candidate Without a Prayer: An Autobiography of a Jewish Atheist in the Bible Belt, is available.

Lyle Simpson authored Why Was I Born? (Humanist Press 2011) to answer questions of life from a humanist perspective. He served for five years as president and chairman of the board for the American Humanist Association, been its general counsel since 1974 and has been president of the Humanist Foundation since its inception in 1980. His educational background is in psychology and philosophy. He is an attorney in the Midwest with a humanistic practice helping people make the greatest statement that they can for their lives.

Roy Speckhardt is executive director of the American Humanist Association. He’s appeared on Good Morning America, CNN Headline News, Fox News, numerous national radio shows, and has spoken to dozens of local humanist groups across the country. Roy is also a columnist for The Huffington Post and Patheos. He also serves as a board member of the Humanist Institute and the United Coalition of Reason and as an advisory board member of the Secular Student Alliance. He holds an M.B.A. from George Mason University and a B.A. in sociology from Mary Washington College. (rspeckhardt@americanhumanist.org)

Katherine Stewart’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Reuters, The Daily Beast, and Religion Dispatches. Her book The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children was published in January 2012. Her website is www.thegoodnewsclub.com and she tweets @kathsstewart.

Todd Stiefel is the founder and president of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation, and serves as an advisor to many of the national organizations in the freethought movement, including the American Humanist Association. He is the co-host of the Humanist Hour podcast and the rhythm guitarist for the rationalist rock band Words Such As Burn. Todd graduated cum laude from Duke University and worked 12 years for Stiefel Laboratories, finishing as the Chief Strategy Officer. Todd’s mission is to gain respect for freethinkers and ensure the complete separation of church and state.

Debra Sweet is the director of World Can’t Wait, leading its continuing efforts to stop the crimes of our government, including unjust military occupations, covert drone wars, and torture and detention codes, as well as reversing the fascist direction of U.S. society. She has worked with abortion providers for twenty-five years, organizing community support and helping them withstand anti-abortion violence. Since the age of 19, when she confronted Richard Nixon during a face-to-face meeting and told him to stop the war in Vietnam, she has been a leader in the opposition to U.S. wars and invasions.

Kristin Wintermute is executive director of The Humanist Institute and board member of the American Humanist Association. She is a lifelong humanist who attended the First Unitarian Society, led by Khoren Arisian, through her childhood and teen years. She spent many years pursuing a career as a family therapist before she was hired by the North American Committee for Humanism (NACH) to be their executive director in 1998. A year later, NACH  and its subsidiary, The Humanist Institute, became one organization.

500 Canal Street | New Orleans, LA 70130 | 504-525-2500

Located on the historic Canal Street streetcar line adjacent to the French Quarter, the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel is a short walk to Bourbon Street, Harrah’s Casino, Riverwalk Marketplace, and the city’s most renowned restaurants and legendary nightlife.

The Sheraton New Orleans conference room rate has ended.

You may still reserve a room at the hotel’s standard rate (by phone: 888-627-7033 or online), with the exception of Saturday, June 9, which is completely sold out.

We recommend the following hotels nearby:

Best Western Plus St. Christopher Hotel (around the corner from the Sheraton)

New Orleans Marriott (directly across the street from the Sheraton)

Transportation

The Sheraton New Orleans Hotel does NOT provide a free shuttle to and from the airport. There are several transportation options:

• Reserve a shared ride service between the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel and New Orleans International Airport through New Orleans Airport Shuttle. Rates are $20 per person one way or $38 per person round trip. Call 504-522-3500 or visit Sheraton New Orleans Hotel Airport Shuttle to reserve. Estimated time: 30-45 minutes.

• Take a taxi, located outside baggage claim. The average fare to the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel is $30. Estimated time: 25-30 minutes.
• By Public Transit:The E2-Airport Route bus is located on the second level of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport, near the Delta counter (look for the sign and bench in the median). The E-2 bus will take you to Tulane and Elk Place, which is eight blocks, or 12-15 minute walk, from the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. You can also walk one block to Canal Street and take the Canal Street Streetcar. The cost is $2.00 (exact change preferred) for the E2-Airport bus, and $1.25 for the Streetcar.Please note that the E-2 Airport Downtown Express only runs on weekdays before 6:52pm. There is a 2-bag limit per person with no luggage compartment. Visit the RTA website for more information.

Parking

Parking is offered at a discounted rate of $10 per day or $25 overnight for conference attendees. Valet parking service is offered; there is no self-parking.

Hotel Amenities

• Roux Bistro full-service restaurant (breakfast and lunch only)
• Pelican Bar
• Starbucks Coffee
• 24-hour in-room dining
• Complimentary fitness center open 24/7
• Rooftop pool and sun deck
• Concierge services and tour desk
• Laundry/Valet Services
• Dog friendly (up to 40 lbs)
• High-Speed Internet Access in all Guestrooms ($6.95-12.95+tax daily)

Location to Notable Attractions

(in walking distance)

• Bourbon Street – 3 min.
• Acme Oyster House – 5 min.
• Harrah’s Casino – 7 min.
• Lafayette Square – 7 min.
• Jackson Square – 10 min.
• Riverwalk Marketplace – 10 min.
• Café du Monde – 11 min.

(as of January 6, 2012)*

*Schedule is subject to change. Check back for the latest updates.

Thursday, June 7

8:00 am – 8:00 pm                             Registration

9:00 am-8:00 pm                                Exhibit Area and Bookstore

9:00am-5:00pm                                  Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism Symposium

9:00am-11:45am                                 Chapter Workshops

12:00pm-1:30pm                                 Lunch Break

1:30pm-2:45pm                                    Chapter Leaders Roundtable Discussion

3:00pm-5:55pm                                   Celebrant Workshops

7:00pm-8:30pm                                  Movie Showing (TBA)

Friday, June 8

8:00 am – 9:00 am                             Networking Coffee Hour

8:00 am – 8:00 pm                             Registration

9:00 am-8:00 pm                                Exhibit Area and Bookstore

9:00 am – 11:45 am                            Breakouts

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm                            Lunch (on your own)

1:30 pm – 4:15 pm                               Breakouts

4:30 pm – 6:00 pm                              The State of Humanism Plenary

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm                             Welcome Reception

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm                           Humanist Awards Banquet

Saturday, June 9

8:00 am – 9:00 am                             Networking Coffee Hour

9:00 am – 8:00 pm                             Registration

9:00 am – 8:00 pm                              Exhibit Area and Bookstore

9:00 am – 10:15 am                            Plenary

10:30 am – 11:45 am                          Breakouts

12:00 pm – 2:45 pm                            Humanist Awards Luncheon

3:00 pm – 5:45 pm                              Breakouts

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm                             Humanist Contributors’ Reception (RSVP Required)

7:00 pm – 9:30 pm                             Humanist Awards Banquet

Sunday, June 10

9:00 am – 12:00 pm                           Registration

9:00 am-12:00 pm                              Exhibit Area and Bookstore

9:00 am – 10:15 am                            The Humanist Hour Live Podcast

10:30 am – 12:00 pm                         Keynote Speaker (TBA)

12:00pm – 5:00pm                            Post-Conference Tour (TBA)

2012 Humanist Awardees

Gloria Steinem Humanist of the Year
Ira Flatow Isaac Asimov Science Award	Debra Sweet Humanist Heroine	Cenk Uygur Humanist Media Award
James Randi Lifetime Achievement Award	Jessica Ahlquist Humanist Pioneer Award	Damon Fowler Humanist Pioneer Award
Herb Silverman Keynote Speaker

Speakers and Performers

Gloria Steinem is a writer, lecturer, editor, and feminist activist. She travels in this and other countries as an organizer and lecturer and is a frequent media spokeswoman on issues of equality. She is particularly interested in the shared origins of sex and race caste systems, gender roles and child abuse as roots of violence, non-violent conflict resolution, the cultures of indigenous peoples, and organizing across boundaries for peace and justice. She now lives in New York City, and is currently at work on Road to the Heart: America As if Everyone Mattered, a book about her more than thirty years on the road as a feminist organizer.

Here’s a bit more about Gloria’s career:

In 1972, she co-founded Ms. magazine, and remained one of its editors for fifteen years. She continues to serve as a consulting editor for Ms., and was instrumental in the magazine’s move to join and be published by the Feminist Majority Foundation. In 1968, she had helped to found New York magazine, where she was a political columnist and wrote feature articles. As a freelance writer, she was published in Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, and women’s magazines as well as for publications in other countries. She has produced a documentary on child abuse for HBO, a feature film about the death penalty for Lifetime, and been the subject of profiles on Lifetime and Showtime.

Her books include the bestsellers Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Moving Beyond Words, and Marilyn: Norma Jean, on the life of Marilyn Monroe. Her writing also appears in many anthologies and textbooks, and she was an editor of Houghton Mifflin’s The Reader’s Companion to U.S. Women’s History.

Ms. Steinem helped to found the Women’s Action Alliance, a pioneering national information center that specialized in nonsexist, multiracial children’s education, and the National Women’s Political Caucus, a group that continues to work to advance the numbers of pro-equality women in elected and appointed office at a national and state level. She also co-founded the Women’s Media Center in 2004. She was president and co-founder of Voters for Choice, a pro-choice political action committee for twenty-five years, then with the Planned Parenthood Action Fund when it merged with VFC for the 2004 elections. She was also co-founder and serves on the board of Choice USA, a national organization that supports young pro-choice leadership and works to preserve comprehensive sex education in schools. She was the founding president of the Ms. Foundation for Women, a national multi-racial, multi-issue fund that supports grassroots projects to empower women and girls, and also a founder of its Take Our Daughters to Work Day, a first national day devoted to girls that has now become an institution here and in other countries.She was a member of the Beyond Racism Initiative, a three-year effort on the part of activists and experts from South Africa, Brazil and the United States to compare the racial patterns of those three countries and to learn cross-nationally. Now, she is working with the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College on a project to document the grassroots origins of the U.S. women’s movement.

As a writer, Ms. Steinem has received the Penney-Missouri Journalism Award, the Front Page and Clarion awards, National Magazine awards, an Emmy Citation for excellence in television writing, the Women’s Sports Journalism Award, the Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Society of Writers Award from the United Nations, and most recently, the University of Missouri School of Journalism Award for Distinguished Service in Journalism.

Ms. Steinem graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College in 1956, and then spent two years in India on a Chester Bowles Fellowship. She wrote for Indian publications, and was influenced by Gandhian activism. She also received the first Doctorate of Human Justice awarded by Simmons College, the Bill of Rights Award from the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, the National Gay Rights Advocates Award, the Liberty award of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Ceres Medal from the United Nations, and a number of honorary degrees. Parenting magazine selected her for its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995 for her work in promoting girls’ self-esteem, and Biography magazine listed her as one of the 25 most influential women in America. In 1993, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. She has been the subject of two biographical television documentaries, and The Education of a Woman, a biography written by Carolyn Heilbrun.

In 1993, her concern with child abuse led her to co-produce and narrate an Emmy Award winning TV documentary for HBO, “Multiple Personalities: The Search for Deadly Memories.” With Rosilyn Heller, she also co-produced an original 1993 TV movie for Lifetime, “Better Off Dead,” which examined the parallel forces that both oppose abortion and support the death penalty.

Flatow’s interest in things scientific began in boyhood — he almost burned down his mother’s bathroom trying to recreate a biology class experiment. “I was the proverbial kid who spent hours in the basement experimenting with electronic gizmos, and then entering them in high school science fairs,” Flatow says.

Mixing his passion for science with a tendency toward being “a bit of a ham,” Flatow describes his work as the challenge “to make science and technology a topic for discussion around the dinner table.”

He has shared that enthusiasm with public radio listeners for more than 35 years. As a reporter and then News Director at WBFO-FM/Buffalo, New York, Flatow began reporting at the station while studying for his engineering degree at State University of New York in Buffalo.  As NPR’s science correspondent from 1971 to 1986, Flatow found himself reporting from the Kennedy Space Center, Three Mile Island, Antarctica and the South Pole. In one memorable NPR report, Flatow took former All Things Considered host Susan Stamberg into a closet to crunch Wint-O-Green Lifesavers, proving they spark in the dark.

His most recent book is entitled Present At The Future :  From Evolution to Nanotechnology, Candid and Controversial Conversations on Science And Nature.  It follows on the heels of They All Laughed … From Light Bulbs to Lasers: The Fascinating Stories Behind the Great Inventions That Have Changed Our Lives.

On television, Flatow has discussed the latest cutting edge science stories on a variety of programs, including the new digital Cablevision program Maximum Science .  He is also host of the four-part PBS series Big Ideas produced by WNET in New York. His numerous TV credits include six years as host and writer for the Emmy-award-winning Newton’s Apple on PBS, science reporter for CBS This Morning, Westinghouse, and cable’s CNBC.   He wrote, produced and hosted Transistorized!, an hour-long documentary about the history of the transistor, which aired on PBS.  He has talked science on many TV talk shows including Merv Griffin, Today, Charlie Rose, and Oprah.  He is currently exploring new and better ways of bringing science news to radio, TV and the Internet.

On the Internet, Flatow has hosted numerous science related Web Casts for Discovery Online and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. His Science Friday Kids’ Connection web pages won the award for one of the top 500 web sites in the country given out by Home PC Magazine. His Podcasts are among the most listened to on the Internet, frequently in the top-ten of all downloads on the iTunes web site.

In print, Ira has authored articles for various magazines ranging from Woman’s Day to ESPN Magazine to American Lawyer.   His commentary has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, and Current newspapers.

Public speaking and moderating discussions are a regular part of his schedule.  As a host, he has “emceed” many public events, including the 100^th Anniversary Celebration of the Science Museum of Minnesota (2007).  He has spoken at Rockefeller University, the World Economic Forum, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett Packard, Calvin Academy, Cal Tech, MIT, Harvard, University of Wisconsin, OSHU, National Inventor’s Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Author Forum.  In 2004, Ira was resident scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

His recent honors include: National Science Teachers Association Faraday Science Communicator Award (2007), National Science Board Public Service Award (2005), World Economic Forum Media Fellowshipo (2005), Elizabeth Wood Writing (2002), AAAS Journalism award (2000), Brady Washburn Award (2000), the Carl Sagan Award
(1999).

Ira is member of the National Association of Science Writers and AFTRA.

His hobbies include scuba diving, gardening  (especially orchids), tropical fish and electronic gadgets. He loves the theater.

A native of New York, Flatow now lives in Connecticut.

Read Debra’s past writings on worldcantwait.net here.

For more info about World Can’t Wait, see worldcantwait.net

Randi has pursued “psychic” spoonbenders, exposed the dirty tricks of faith healers, investigated homeopathic water “with a memory,” and generally been a thorn in the sides of those who try to pull the wool over the public’s eyes in the name of the supernatural.

He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including a Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1986.

On October 19, 1993, the PBS-TV “NOVA” program broadcast a one-hour special dealing with Randi’s life work, particularly with his investigations of Uri Geller and various occult and healing claims being made by scientists in Russia.

He is the author of numerous books, including The Truth About Uri Geller, The Faith Healers, Flim-Flam!, and An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural. His lectures and television appearances have delighted — and vexed — audiences around the world.

In 1996, The James Randi Education Foundation was established to further Randi’s work. Randi’s long-standing challenge to psychics now stands as a $1,000,000 prize administered by the Foundation. It remains unclaimed.