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| Susan Gerbic | |
|---|---|
| Name | Susan Gerbic |
| Occupation | Science activist; skeptic; investigator |
| Known for | Community organizing; undercover investigations; Project Barnum; Guerrilla Skepticism |
Susan Gerbic is an American science advocate, skeptical activist, and community organizer known for undercover investigations into paranormal, pseudoscientific, and alternative medicine claims. She leads coordinated efforts to promote critical thinking, public skepticism, and verifiable information across online platforms and in-person events. Her work connects with prominent figures, organizations, conferences, and media outlets involved in public understanding of science, consumer protection, and secular advocacy.
Gerbic was born and raised in the United States and attended local schools before receiving further education that led her into community work and communications. Her formative years preceded involvement with regional civic organizations, volunteer groups, and activist networks that intersect with figures such as James Randi, Ray Hyman, Michael Shermer, Richard Dawkins, and institutions including Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and Center for Inquiry. Early influences included skeptical publications and personalities like Skeptical Inquirer, Skeptic Magazine, Penn & Teller, and Joe Nickell, which shaped her interest in evidence-based inquiry and public outreach.
Gerbic's career spans grassroots organizing, nonprofit coordination, and digital advocacy, aligning with organizations such as Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Center for Inquiry, Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and community events like Skepticon, SXSW, and The Amaz!ng Meeting. She has collaborated with activists and authors including Derren Brown, Tim Minchin, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Caitlin Keefer, and volunteers from groups like Meetup chapters, Secular Student Alliance, and Freethought communities. Her activism involves cross-network partnerships with researchers, journalists, legal advocates, and educators tied to institutions such as Stanford University, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and National Science Foundation.
Gerbic founded and coordinated grassroots initiatives under the banner of Guerrilla Skepticism, building teams of volunteers to edit online content, fact-check public claims, and run coordinated campaigns. A central effort, Project Barnum, organized undercover tests and documentation of purported mediums, psychics, and paranormal practitioners, intersecting with investigative traditions from James Randi Foundation, The Skeptics Society, and investigative journalists at outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and BBC. Project Barnum's methods echo earlier sting operations and skeptical inquiries by figures like Harry Houdini, Martin Gardner, Ben Radford, and Joe Nickell while engaging with legal, ethical, and platform-specific frameworks from entities such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.
Gerbic led and participated in documented investigations targeting cold readers, faith healers, and online promoters of pseudoscience, often coordinating volunteers to attend demonstrations, record interactions, and publish analyses. These operations engaged with controversies and subjects connected to names and groups like Sathya Sai Baba, John Edward, James Van Praagh, Sylvia Browne, Uri Geller, Edgar Cayce, and organizations such as Theosophical Society, Baháʼí Faith (as social context), and media programs including Larry King Live, Oprah Winfrey Show, and 60 Minutes. Her teams used evidence standards referenced in literature by Carl Sagan, Paul Offit, Atul Gawande, and methodological approaches aligned with investigators from Investigative Reporters and Editors and watchdogs like Consumer Reports and Quackwatch.
Gerbic has appeared on podcasts, radio, television, and online video platforms to discuss skepticism, critical thinking, and Internet activism, collaborating with hosts and producers associated with The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, Richard Saunders, NewsNation, BBC Radio 4, NPR, Michael Shermer's Skeptic Magazine podcast, and independent producers working with YouTube creators and educational channels such as Veritasium, SciShow, Vsauce, TEDx, and Vox. She has presented at conferences alongside speakers from American Humanist Association, Atheist Alliance International, Secular Coalition for America, International Skeptics, and academic forums at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and London School of Economics.
Gerbic's work has been acknowledged within skeptical and secular communities, receiving commendations and informal awards from organizations and events like Committee for Skeptical Inquiry panels, Center for Inquiry recognitions, The Amaz!ng Meeting acknowledgments, and community honors from groups such as Skepticon, James Randi Educational Foundation, Skeptics in the Pub, and local science outreach programs tied to museums and institutions like Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, and Exploratorium.
Category:Science activists Category:Skeptics