Kendrick Frazier - Career

Career

Frazier was the earth sciences editor of Science News in 1969–70. He was named managing editor in 1970–71, then editor from 1971 to 1977, and remained a contributing editor until 1981. In December 1973 he traveled to Antarctica and the South Pole and wrote a series of articles reporting on the historic U.S. research into the continent's geologic and climatic history and the environmental impact of such research.

In 1976 Frazier reported on the organizing conference at which the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal was founded. The committee published a journal called The Zetetic featuring articles examining the claims of occultism and pseudoscientific theories.

In August 1977 Frazier became the editor of the journal, and with the first issue of 1978 its name was changed to the Skeptical Inquirer. He has written articles in every issue for thirty-five years and participated in every national and international conference of the organization since 1977. Examples of his recent editor's columns and reports that feature popular science topics include "The Winter of Our Discontent" (about attacks on climate science), "Why the Bem Experiments Are Not Parapschology's Next Big Thing", "Getting People Emotionally Invested", and "The Roswell Syndrome....and Pseudoskepticism". His comprehensive history of CSICOP was published in The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal.

From 1983-2006, he concurrently worked as a full-time staff member at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he wrote about its research projects and for the last 11 years edited its award-winning newspaper, the Sandia Lab News. He retired as a Principal Member of Laboratory Staff.

Frazier's most recent book Science Under Siege: Defending Science, Exposing Pseudoscience was featured by Science News for its “engaging, insightful, and often surprising essays by researchers and journalists” about “what science is and is not, and what happens when the facts get twisted.” Three prominent scientists gave testimonials about the book. Astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson wrote “Science Under Siege is a welcome antidote to the profound science illiteracy that, today, permeates American pop culture and the press.” Harvard University cognitive scientist and author Steven Pinker called the book “An entertaining and eye-opening collection of essays that advance the battle against ignorance and superstition.” Williams College astronomer Jay M. Pasachoff said “Ken Frazier's collection brings a well-chosen selection of logical and well-reasoned pieces before a general audience that would enjoy and benefit from their analyses and exposés.”

Frazier has also hosted panels and made presentations at many other conferences. They include

• The Second World Skeptic’s Congress at the University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany, July 1998 where he spoke on a panel alongside Sergei Kapitza and Vern Bullough
• The World Congress on Scientific Inquiry and Human Well-Being organized by Center for Inquiry and China Research Institute for Science Popularization, Beijing, China, October 2007
• The Northeast Conference of Skeptical Societies (NECSS), New York City, April 2011 which was the basis for this Skeptical inquirer article "Who Really Wants Reliable Scientific Information?".
• The Amazing Meeting 8, Las Vegas, July 2010, where he participated in a panel titled "The Origins of the Modern Skeptic Movement" alongside James Randi, Ray Hyman, and Paul Kurtz
• The World Conference of Science Journalists, Doha, Qatar, June 2011 which became the focus of two articles "The Age of Denialism: When Beliefs Trump Scientific Facts" and "Pseudoscience, Mythbusting, Evolution Gain Attention of World's Top Science Journalists".
• CSICON New Orleans, October 2011 where he gave opening remarks and also moderated a panel on Science and Public Policy at which Ron Lindsay spoke on the subject of Food Fears -- The Need for Appropriate Risk Assessment.