Presented by Adam Ruben, PhD
Writer, Comedian, and Molecular Biologist

What are the most common mistakes kids make when preparing projects for science fairs? What can we learn from these events about the way science is taught and understood? And can we all please agree, once and for all, that science has learned all it needs to learn from measuring classmates' heart rates before and after playing video games? In this talk, scientist/comedian Adam Ruben will share some of the most bizarre, most inadvisable, least scientifically rigorous science projects he's judged and talk about their implications for the future of science education.

Adam Ruben is a writer, comedian, and molecular biologist. Adam has performed stand-up comedy and told stories on stage for more than 20 years. He has appeared on the Food Network, the Travel Channel, the Weather Channel, Discovery International, Netflix, and NPR, and he currently hosts the shows "Outrageous Acts of Science' and "What On Earth?" on the Science Channel and is a writer for the Emmy-nominated PBS Kids show "Elinor Wonders Why." Adam is the author of two books, "Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School" (Random House, 2010) and "Pinball Wizards: Jackpots, Drains, and the Cult of the Silver Ball" (Chicago Review Press, 2017), and writes the monthly science humor column "Experimental Error" in the otherwise respectable journal Science.

Views expressed in this talk are those of the speaker and do no necessarily reflect the views of the National Capital Area Skeptics.