Mission Statement
Oregonians for Science and Reason (O4SR) is an independent, not-for-profit corporation committed to the development of rational thought and action through the application of scientific methods and critical thinking to claims of questionable science and paranormal phenomena.
Activities
O4SR is a scientific organization and a part of the scientific skeptics community. We are concerned about public understanding of science and the process of science; rational, critical, and evidence-based thinking; and understanding how thinking can go wrong. An important part of our educational mission is recognizing cognitive bias, identifying logical fallacies, avoiding unwarranted conspiracy thinking, and spotting misinformation and propaganda. Our focus is on how to be better thinkers, not what to think.
O4SR has a number of ongoing educational activities and special projects:
- Free public lectures
- Monthly Skeptics in the Pub meet-ups
- Social and networking events
- Oregon Skeptical Inquirer Library Project
- Science activity booths
- Investigations
- Jerry Andrus Preservation Project
- Scholarships to skeptic meetings
Scholarships: O4SR offers competitive scholarships for Oregon college students, new graduates, and young professional to attend skeptics conferences such as CSICon that they may otherwise be unable to attend. If you are interested in receiving a scholarship, please email us for an application at O4SR.contact@gmail.com.
Board of Directors
O4SR is run by an all-volunteer Board of Directors that consists of between three to seven members, elected by the membership or appointed then confirmed by the membership at the next annual meeting. The membership elects the Board of Directors and the Board elects its officers. If you are interested in serving on the Board, please submit a letter of interest or contact O4SR at O4SR.contact@gmail.com.
Jeanine DeNoma, President
Jeanine is a founding member of O4SR. She has a B.S. in Animal Science/technical journalism and an M.S. in Crop Science, Hop Genetics and Breeding, from Oregon State University. She is retired from the USDA Agricultural Research Service where she managed the Corvallis NCGR Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory.
James Rodriguez, Secretary
James is the Transcript and Degree Evaluator for Linn-Benton Community College in Corvallis. He received his B.S. in Physics from Boise State University where he taught physics and math and served as an advisor to the Secular Student Alliance and volunteered with a number of local nonprofits. He received an M.S. in Public Administration, specializing in Nonprofit Management from Portland State University.
John DeNoma II, Treasurer
John is retired from the Oregon State University Department of Nuclear Engineering as Instrumentation Specialist. He received his B.S. in Agricultural Production from Montana State University (MSU) and spent 20 years as owner/operator of a 6900-acre diversified farm in eastern Montana. He received his M.S. in Wheat Breeding from MSU. He moved to Oregon to pursue a Ph.D. in Agronomy at Oregon State University and was owner/operator of a metal fabrication business.
April Nyberg
April is a researcher for the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Corvallis where she does DNA fingerprinting to characterize the world plant collections held there. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of New Mexico where she studied immune-diversity in marsupials and monotremes. She has done lots of cool science stuff like collecting blood samples from Land Iguanas she caught on the beach in the Galapagos Islands and characterizing microbial life in New Mexico cave systems and desert varnish.
Kris Martin
Kris grew up in Corvallis, Oregon. She graduated from Portland State University with a B.S. in Community Health Education. She is pursuing an M.S. in Public Health and Health Management Policy. She has volunteered with the Portland Police Bureau teaching self-defense to girls aged 11 to 17 and worked as a Type 2 diabetes prevention coach. She is raising two daughters and likes PNW outdoor adventures.
Jane Selkie
Jane is a manager for the Veterans Administration. She has worked for the EPA in Human Studies Research, as a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, and as a Research Consultant for the University of Oregon. She has served on professional committees at the state and national levels, and has received multiple professional awards. Jane has a BS in Outdoor Recreation and an MS in Parks and Recreation Administration.
History
Oregonians for Science and Reason incorporated as an independent nonprofit in 1994, originally under the name Oregonians for Rationality. We were founded under principles similar to those of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), now known as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), and the publishers of Skeptical Inquirer magazine. Initially, we reached out to Skeptical Inquirer and Skeptic magazine subscribers to find Oregonians interested in critical examination of pseudoscientific and paranormal claims to form our membership. Among our founding members were magician Jerry Andrus and Dr. Ray Hyman, one of the founders of the modern scientific skeptic movement. In 2008, we officially changed our name to Oregonians for Science and Reason to more clearly reflect our focus on scientific skepticism. The O4SR moniker was first bestowed on us by member Jerry Manheim.