Karen Stollznow
Encyclopedia
Karen Stollznow is an Australia
n writer, linguist, podcaster and skeptic
. She is a columnist for both Skeptic
and Skeptical Inquirer
magazines and is host on two different skeptic podcasts. She is a Research Fellow
for both the James Randi Educational Foundation
and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI).
, California. Born in the Sydney
suburb of Manly
, she grew up in Collaroy, on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.
A student of linguistics and history at the University of New England
in Armidale, New South Wales
, she received First Class Honors in Linguistics
, and went on to a PhD in the area of Lexical Semantics. She graduated with her doctorate in 2007. In 2004 she relocated to California to become a Visiting Student Researcher with the Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley
. In 2005 she became a Researcher for the Script Encoding Initiative, a joint project between the UC Berkeley Department of Linguistics, and Unicode
.
From 1997-2009 Stollznow was a prominent investigator and writer for the Australian Skeptics
and served as Editor of their magazine The Skeptic for which she also wrote many articles. She has also written for publications such as Australasian Science
, Neucleus
, Skeptical Inquirer
and others.
Since 2009 she has written the Naked Skeptic column for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI
). In 2010 she began as the Bad Language columnist for Skeptic (U.S. magazine)
. She has been a host of the Skeptics Society's MonsterTalk
podcast since its beginning in 2009 and in 2010 she became a host of the Center for Inquiry
's Point of Inquiry
podcast as well.
Stollznow is also a Research Fellow for the James Randi Educational Foundation
. She is a Contributing Editor for Skeptical Inquirer
magazine, a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a member of their Executive Council.
Stollznow is "a leading voice of a younger generation of scientific skeptics. She is an experienced paranormal investigator and science writer" according to JREF president D.J. Grothe
. As an expert in pseudoscience
, fringe
and paranormal
topics, she is quoted on topics as diverse as handwriting analysis, holy relics, corporate psychics and Friday the 13th
superstitions.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n writer, linguist, podcaster and skeptic
Scientific skepticism
Scientific skepticism is the practice of questioning the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence or reproducibility, as part of a methodological norm pursuing "the extension of certified knowledge". For example, Robert K...
. She is a columnist for both Skeptic
Skeptic (U.S. magazine)
Skeptic is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published internationally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs...
and Skeptical Inquirer
Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
magazines and is host on two different skeptic podcasts. She is a Research Fellow
Research fellow
The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...
for both the James Randi Educational Foundation
James Randi Educational Foundation
The James Randi Educational Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1996 by magician and skeptic James Randi. The JREF's mission includes educating the public and the media on the dangers of accepting unproven claims, and to support research into paranormal claims in controlled...
and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI).
Biography
Karen Stollznow is an expatriate Australian living in Denver, Colorado, and formerly the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, California. Born in the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb of Manly
Manly, New South Wales
Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:Manly was named...
, she grew up in Collaroy, on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.
A student of linguistics and history at the University of New England
University of New England (Australia)
The University of New England is an Australian public university with approximately 18,000 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern New South Wales....
in Armidale, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, she received First Class Honors in Linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, and went on to a PhD in the area of Lexical Semantics. She graduated with her doctorate in 2007. In 2004 she relocated to California to become a Visiting Student Researcher with the Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. In 2005 she became a Researcher for the Script Encoding Initiative, a joint project between the UC Berkeley Department of Linguistics, and Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
.
From 1997-2009 Stollznow was a prominent investigator and writer for the Australian Skeptics
Australian Skeptics
The Australian Skeptics is a non-profit organisation based in Australia which investigates paranormal and pseudoscientific claims using scientific methodologies.-History:...
and served as Editor of their magazine The Skeptic for which she also wrote many articles. She has also written for publications such as Australasian Science
Australasian Science
Australasian Science is a monthly science magazine published in Australia. It contains a mixture of news items and feature articles.Australasian Science is Australia’s longest-running scientific publication...
, Neucleus
Neucleus
Neucleus was a student newspaper published at the University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. The magazine was produced by the then University of New England Students' Association.- Voluntary student unionism :...
, Skeptical Inquirer
Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
and others.
Since 2009 she has written the Naked Skeptic column for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI
CSI
-Computing:* Common System Interface, former name of the Intel QuickPath Interconnect, a computer bus* Complex specified information, a concept related to intelligent design* Computer Security Institute* Computer Society of India...
). In 2010 she began as the Bad Language columnist for Skeptic (U.S. magazine)
Skeptic (U.S. magazine)
Skeptic is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published internationally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs...
. She has been a host of the Skeptics Society's MonsterTalk
MonsterTalk
MonsterTalk is an audio podcast presented by the Skeptics Society’s Skeptic magazine. The show critically examines the science behind cryptozoological creatures, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and werewolves. It is hosted by Blake Smith, Benjamin Radford, and Dr Karen Stollznow...
podcast since its beginning in 2009 and in 2010 she became a host of the Center for Inquiry
Center for Inquiry
The Center for Inquiry is a non-profit educational organization with headquarters in the United States whose primary mission is to encourage evidence-based inquiry into paranormal and fringe science claims, alternative medicine and mental health practices, religion, secular ethics, and society...
's Point of Inquiry
Point of Inquiry
Point of Inquiry is the radio show and podcast of the Center for Inquiry, a think tank promoting science, reason and secular values. Started in 2005, Point of Inquiry has consistently ranked highly among similar podcasts. It has been celebrated for its guests, and for the quality of its interviews....
podcast as well.
Stollznow is also a Research Fellow for the James Randi Educational Foundation
James Randi Educational Foundation
The James Randi Educational Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1996 by magician and skeptic James Randi. The JREF's mission includes educating the public and the media on the dangers of accepting unproven claims, and to support research into paranormal claims in controlled...
. She is a Contributing Editor for Skeptical Inquirer
Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
magazine, a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a member of their Executive Council.
Stollznow is "a leading voice of a younger generation of scientific skeptics. She is an experienced paranormal investigator and science writer" according to JREF president D.J. Grothe
D.J. Grothe
Douglas James "D. J." Grothe is an American writer and public speaker who talks about issues at the nexus of science, critical thinking, secularism, religion and the paranormal. He is president of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
. As an expert in pseudoscience
Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
, fringe
Fringe science
Fringe science is scientific inquiry in an established field of study that departs significantly from mainstream or orthodox theories, and is classified in the "fringes" of a credible mainstream academic discipline....
and paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
topics, she is quoted on topics as diverse as handwriting analysis, holy relics, corporate psychics and Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...
superstitions.
Selected Publications
- Stollznow, Karen (2010). Skepticism and the Paranormal: A Rose By Any Other Name. In Bonett, W. (Ed.) The Australian Book of Atheism. Scribe Publications ISBN 1921640766
External links
- Point of Inquiry - interview podcast she co-hosts
- MonsterTALK - cryptozoology podcast she co-hosts
- The Naked Skeptic - her column for Skeptical Inquirer