Tara C. Smith, Ph.D.
WHAT: Vaccine hesitancy in the era of COVID
The anti-vaccine movement has broadened in scope over the past year, using arguments of “medical freedom” to bring in COVID-19 deniers and anti-maskers into the fold. Concerningly, the movement has also grown more politically polarized, as those who believe COVID is a hoax and masks don’t work tend to lean right politically. With COVID-19 vaccines now becoming increasingly available, this talk will describe what has happened in the past year in anti-vaccine spaces, and what can be done to minimize hesitancy and work toward ending the pandemic.
WHO: Tara C. Smith holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Toledo and a Certificate in Agricultural Safety and Health from the University of Iowa College of Public Health. She is currently a professor in the College of Public Health at Kent State University. Previously she was the co-director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Iowa. Her research has involved studies of Ebola and emerging zoönotic diseases, of MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in pigs and humans, and vaccine hesitancy She blogs on Science Blogs at Aetiology, where you can read her thoughts on these and other subjects, as well as the microbiology of zombies. Really. Check it out.
WHEN: Thursday 13 May 7:30pm PDT (02:30 UTC)
WHERE: Online. (Link coming soon)
HOW: This event is presented FREE by the Bay Area Skeptics.
WHY: Because we’re curious creatures.
Previous SkepTalks:
| 8 Apr |
2021 |
Why storytelling is vital to science communication – Sara ElShafie |
| 11 Mar |
2021 |
Haunted Humanity: The Fringe Is Not Fringe, and That’s a Big Deal – Daniel Loxton |
| 11 Feb |
2021 |
From Junk to Genes: The birth of new miRNA genes in the human genome – Nathan Lents, Ph.D. |
| 14 Jan |
2021 |
The Continuing Relevance of America’s Eugenic Legacy – Paul Lombardo, Ph.D., J.D. |
| 10 Dec |
2020 |
Deepfakes, GANs and Visual Misinformation – Nick Dufour |
| 12 Nov |
2020 |
The Debate about Dark Matter: Is the Matter Settled? – Don Lincoln, Ph.D. |
| 8 Oct |
2020 |
Facilitated Communication: Holding on to (False) Hope – Janyce Boynton |
| 10 Sep |
2020 |
Mad Myths: The Case for Using Persuasion to Promote Critical Thinking – Jay Diamond |
| 13 Feb |
2020 |
Big Data: What it is, how it’s used, where it’s headed – Mike Olson |
| 12 Dec |
2019 |
Are you sure that sippy-cup is safe? – Layla Katiraee |
| 7 Nov |
2019 |
Why Do People Reject Good Science? – Eugenie Scott |
| 10 Oct |
2019 |
Shit Students Say: Chem trails, hollow earths, and other strange ideas – Steven Newton |
| 12 Sep |
2019 |
Successful Skepticism: Creating Lasting Community – Tucker Phelps |
| 9 May |
2019 |
The Bitter M&Ms of Climate Change: Misconceptions and Misinformation – Brad Hoge |
| 11 Apr |
2019 |
The Year in Anti-Science-Education Legislation – Glenn Branch |
| 14 Mar |
2019 |
Australia’s Psychic Detectives and Psychic “Predictions” – Richard Saunders |
| 14 Feb |
2019 |
What Would Darwin Say to Today’s Creationists? – Eugenie Scott |
| 10 Jan |
2019 |
Common Misconceptions About CRISPR Genome Editing – Kevin Doxzen |
| 13 Dec |
2018 |
BAS BAH Fest |
| 8 Nov |
2018 |
A Skeptic’s Guide to Planet Hunting – Josh Lofy |
| 11 Oct |
2018 |
Beyond a Candle in the Dark – Mick West |
| 13 Sep |
2018 |
When a Biology Meets a Biology – David Almandsmith |
| 10 May |
2018 |
Common Misconceptions in Anthropology – Julie Hui |
| 12 Apr |
2018 |
Skepardy! — Bill Patterson |
| 8 Mar |
2018 |
A Quirky Colloquium Quashing Quantum Quackery — Miriam Diamond |
| 8 Feb |
2018 |
The Human Drive to Explain — Tania Lombrozo |
| 14 Jan |
2018 |
Neuroscience and the Great Questions — Ransom Stephens |
| 14 Dec |
2017 |
Top Ten Myths of Homelessness — Carrie Sager |
| 9 Nov |
2017 |
Myths of Mass Extinctions — Kevin Padian |
| 12 Oct |
2017 |
Hurricanes and Heat Waves: Is This Climate Change? — Brad Hoge |
| 11 May |
2017 |
Beyond the Choir – Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia — Susan Gerbic |
| 13 Apr |
2017 |
An Invisible Plague: the Growing Threat of Tuberculosis — Lauren Popov |
| 9 Feb |
2017 |
Are Saturated Fats Bad for You? Separating Fat from Fiction — Kent McDonald |
| 12 Jan |
2017 |
Harry Houdini vs. Psychics & Mediums — Mark Tarses |
| 29 Dec |
2016 |
Too Good to be True? – Richard Saunders |
| 10 Nov |
2016 |
Myths of Astronomy — Thomas Targett |
| 9 Apr |
2015 |
Herding Cats and Teaching Science — Dan Pemberton |
| 12 Feb |
2015 |
Quantum Pseudoscience and the Nature of Mind — Russel Willcox |
| 8 Jan |
2015 |
The Manson Family, Cults, and the Psychology of Commitment – Dr. Patrick O’Reilly |
| 10 Oct |
2012 |
Writing About Vaccines When Evidence Doesn’t Matter — Liza Gross |
| 12 Sep |
2012 |
Gay Conversion Therapy: You Make Me Sick — Sheldon Helms |
| 8 Aug |
2012 |
Documentary & Skype — “In God We Teach” |
| 11 Apr |
2012 |
A Skeptical View of Climate Change Skeptics — Mark McCaffrey |
| 14 Nov |
2011 |
Climate Change: From the Biotic to the Exotic — Minda Berbeco |
| 12 Oct |
2011 |
A Unicorn in Your Tank: Magic Tablets That Won’t Improve Gas Mileage — Yau-Man Chan |
| 14 Sep |
2011 |
Catastrophes! — Don Prothero |
