binnall

@


X-Conference 2

3.18.5

The Road to X-Conference

In leiu of more weightier matters, this week I'll take a look at one of the more interesting speakers at X-Conference, whom I'd overlooked in my prior glance over the speaker list. I'm predicting him to be a darkhorse for strongest material presented at the conference and certainly someone to watch in the months and years to come in Ufology.

Over the last few months, the world of Ufology has been buzzing about a paper published in the [i]Journal of the British Interplanetary Society[/i] that said that ET visitors was more likely considering what advances in physics tell us. The paper received a considerable amount of attention, including a top spot on The Drudge Report and an article at Space.com. Many in the field saw it as a very postitive sign that such an article could even appear in a peer-reviewed journal.

At X-Conference, Dr.James Deardorff, the principal author of the article will be on hand to discuss his findings. Deardorff is a former "mainstream" physicist who entered the world of Ufology after a lengthy career in atmospheric research and teaching at Oregon State University. Deardorff's time in the mainstream adds a strong air of credibility to his work which cannot be denied by the "noisy negativists" and skeptics. This past winter's article was Deardorff's fourth peer-reviewed article relating to UFOs in a mainstream science journal.

Deardorff will, obviously, be discussing his article and the ramifications it has for future mainstream acceptance of the UFO phenomenon. His role in authoring the article is significant and, as such, the road to getting it published, and the reaction to it, are also of interest to many in the field. What areas of research he goes into next are also of tantamount concern. I'd compare Deardorff to a modern day Dr. James McDonald, for those of you familiar with the early pioneer of Ufology.

While not known on a "name basis" to many laypersons in the field of Ufology, Deardorff is one of the leading new voices emerging in the past decade to add his weighty thoughts on the issue.

Next week, a look at some other "darkhorse" X-Conference presenters as well as some of the more "mainstream" Ufologists who will be attending. Also, a humorous anecdote from last year's X-Conference on how I ran Stanton Friedman's slide projector. Plus, a pleasant surprise for anyone planning on attending X-Conference and is familiar with binnallofamerica.com.