About Me
Podblack Cat has been described by Dr Ben Goldacre in the Guardian as one of four blogs that, compared to mainstream media coverage of Dore, “win on timeliness, accuracy, relevance, effort, ethics, and stupid names”.
Featured in The Open Laboratory: The Best Writing on Science Blogs 2008 and What Do I Do Next?: Leading Skeptics Discuss 105 Practical Ways to Promote Science and Advance Skepticism. I’m presenting in 2010 at The Rise of Atheism Conference, Atheist Convention Australia.
Reporter for the Skeptic Zone podcast and host of Token Skeptic podcast
My name is Kylie Sturgess.
I was once an English teacher and have gone on to complete to an M.Ed in Special Learning needs. I then became a writer for a Philosophy and Ethics course and a research-assistant on a project looking at retention and engagement in schools. Best of all, I get to help out as a teacher-trainer for the current and next generation of primary and secondary educators in my state.
At the moment, I’m working on a dissertation on paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs and working with other professionals in the field. There’s a lot of writing on the side – most of which can be found on this site.
You can find articles on sites like The Young Australian Skeptics and The Australian Skeptic, UK Skeptic, Skeptical Briefs, Skeptical Inquirer, Creative and Critical Thinking and Science Teaching journals. I’ve been interviewed by Skepticality, my favorite skeptical podcast. Catch some of the interviews I’ve done by listening to the Skeptic Zone podcast and reports on Token Skeptic.
Next year I’ll be a Religious Education teacher. Still trying to figure out how that happened…
You have no idea how terribly self-indulgent this feels. However, the bit at the start by Dr Ben Goldacre is just wonderful.
Publications
- Sturgess, K. ‘Skepticism In The Classroom‘ in Knight, S. & Collins, C. (Eds.). (2005). Critical and Creative Thinking: The Australasian Journal of Philosophy in Education, 13(1).
- Sturgess, K. (2006). Critical Thinking in the Classroom. The Australian Skeptic, 26(4), 12-13.
- Sturgess, K. (2007). Forums for Skepticism. The Australian Skeptic, 27(3), 18-22.
- Sturgess, K. (2007). MythBusting with the Skeptics. Journal of the Science Teachers Association of Western Australia, 43(1), 2.
- Sturgess, K. (2007). Kicking ass and doing science: Skepticism in the English classroom. Lab Talk – Science Teachers Association of Victoria, (51)4.
- Sturgess, K. ‘Smart Bitches, Not Meerly Sex‘. in Jennifer Rohn (Ed.). (2008). The Open Laboratory: The Best Writing on Science Blogs 2008.
- Sturgess, K. (2009). An Introduction to Parapsychology – A Skeptic Gets Schooled. The Australian Skeptic, 29(1), 40-41.
- Sturgess, K. (2009). An Interview With Dr Caroline Watt. The Australian Skeptic, 29(1), 42-43.
- Sturgess, K. (2009). Scaremongering and the Streisand Effect – Dr Ben Goldacre and Skeptical Bloggers Respond to Jeni Barnett. The Australian Skeptic, 29(1), 52-53.
- Sturgess, K. (2010). Stephen Fry – Last Chance to Think. Skeptical Inquirer, 34(1), 46-48.
- Sturgess, K. (2010). Interview with Bruce M. Hood, UK Skeptic (in print).
- What Do I Do Next?: Leading Skeptics Discuss 105 Practical Ways to Promote Science and Advance Skepticism. One of thirteen contributors – featured on Skeptic.com.
Awards and Memberships
More details about my qualifications can be found on this page, which features the Australian Skeptics Critical Thinking Award (runner-up in 2006 and winning in 2007). If you’re interested in the secondary school Philosophy and Ethics course run in Western Australia, you can find out more about it here – it is greatly influenced by the Philosophy for Children program from Montclair State University, USA. P4C is also a big part of ‘Philosothon’ – http://www.philosothon.org. This is hosted nationally since 2009, and state-wide since 2007, as a competition for high-school students from Years 8-11.
Speaking Engagements
Presenting in 2010, at the Atheist Convention Australia – ‘The Rise of Atheism’.
2009 – Dragon*Con – Atlanta. Presenter on six panels: Luck, Amazing Coincidences and Other Charm(ing) Delusions (Science Track); Skeptic Zone Podcast – LIVE! (Skeptic Track); Darwin’s Bulldogs – Teachers on the Front Line (Science Track); Skeptic Psychology and in the Classroom (Skeptic Track); The Gender-Gap in Science – Myths and Realities (Science Track); Australian Skeptics Study Of Paranormal And Pseudoscience Beliefs (Science Track).
2009 - Belief and Unbelief Conference - Murdoch University – Perth. Tuesday, July 14th. Brian Hill Lecture Theatre. Presentation on gender differences and the paranormal belief scales research.
2008 – Australian Skeptics National Conference - Adelaide: ‘On Sex, Smarts and Where The SkepGrrls At: An Investigation into Gender Differences and Belief In Weird Things’.
2008 - Dragon*Con – Atlanta: Issues in Education, Skeptic Zone podcast and Global Skepticism.
2007 – The Amazing Meeting 5 – Sunday Paper: The West Australian Skeptics Awards for Young Critical Writers: Investigations and Questions about Future Directions when Studying High School Students’ Beliefs in the Pseudoscientific and the Paranormal.
2007 – TANK vodcast – now, after Dragon*Con 2008, the TANK has become The Skeptic Zone.
So, What’s All This Then?
“Podblack Cat” is a repository of blog entries, links and reflections on scientific and education-related news and issues. Superstitions, pseudoscience, the paranormal and Science education are of great interest to me and a vital part of my ongoing research.
The blog looks at a range of ideas and issues from Psychology, Philosophy and Ethics, Science, critical thinking, literacy and education. There will be LOL-cats and YouTube videos of Skeptic Zone podcast reporters eating too much food, so it’s up to you how seriously you regard the overall content.
All rights reserved and contact me regarding use of my original work, or if you have any questions.
My Logo So Rocks!
My logo of the ‘furry’ Podblack Cat perusing some Zener cards is thanks to Michael “Athon” McRae of www.chthonicdreams.com.
Contact Podblack via: podblack@gmail.com
