Fifth Annual National Science Appreciation Day Sets New Record
Cause & Effect No. 290: April 1, 2026
Cause & Effect is the biweekly newsletter of the Center for Inquiry community, covering a wide range of work that you help make possible. Become a member today!
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Congress and a Record Number of States Mark National Science Appreciation Day
On March 26, CFI’s ScienceSaves program celebrated its fifth annual National Science Appreciation Day. This year’s record-breaking celebration was marked with mayors and governors representing more than thirty states issuing official proclamations recognizing the day and ScienceSaves supporters sharing their stories about how science improved their lives.
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For the first time ever, Representatives Deborah Ross of North Carolina, Rich McCormick of Georgia, and Gabe Amo of Rhode Island introduced a bipartisan congressional resolution in the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee to recognize March 26 as National Science Appreciation Day nationwide.
- This year’s roster of participating states and cities included a number of first-timers (including Hawaii, Montana, and Nebraska), as well as seven states (Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin) that have celebrated National Science Appreciation Day for five years in a row.
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See who celebrated National Science Appreciation Day with our 2026 map and proclamations gallery!
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CFI’s Office of Public Policy Opposes Anti-Vaccine Bill in New Hampshire
CFI Director of Government Affairs and Policy Azhar Majeed submitted written testimony to the New Hampshire Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee opposing HB 1719, which “would remove Hepatitis B from the list of diseases for which immunization is required under state law.” Noting that dozens of leading medical organizations and advocacy groups have likewise opposed the measure, Majeed stated it would make New Hampshire one of only four states that don't require children to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine before attending school and day care.
- HB 1719 is based on an updated recommendation from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—one that a federal judge in Massachusetts recently blocked due to the lack of scientific evidence to support it.
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CFI’s testimony refuted several claims made by HB 1719’s sponsors, citing the testimony of multiple medical experts, including New Hampshire’s own state epidemiologist, Dr. Benjamin Chan
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A Trio of Topics in Free Inquiry’s New Issue The April/May 2026 issue of Free Inquiry features deep dive examinations of three separate but vitally important topics: -
Determinism, Free Will, and Moral Responsibility: These questions are addressed through subscriber-exclusive pieces: Peter Lugten’s “The Modular-with-Feedback Theory of Free Will” (READ) and “On Free Will: An Argument for Compatibilism Properly Understood” (READ) by Free Inquiry Editor Ronald Lindsay.
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How Religion Tries to Deflect Criticism: In “The Prophet and the Pathologist” (READ), Jonathan Simmons explores the story of “Stephen Kent, Massimo Introvigne, and the Battle for an Honest Study of Religion,” with a second, very timely essay by Yamin “In Defense of Rational Criticism of Islam” (READ).
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AI and Its Effects on Ethics and Religion: David L. Hildebrand writes about the “Autonomy, Empathy, and Moral Inquiry amid Algorithmic AI” (READ), while David W. Falls explains “How Technology Is Quietly Replacing Religion” (READ).
The new issue also includes a description by President and CEO Robyn Blumner of the new History of Freethought and Skepticism Gallery (READ/LISTEN) coming to CFI’s headquarters later this year. |
Celebrate Fifty Years of Skepticism at CSICon 2026
CFI is celebrating the landmark fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, culminating with CSICon 2026 this June 11–14 in Buffalo, New York! Don’t miss your chance to see an all-star group of scientists, skeptics, and critical thinkers, including Bill Nye, Mary Roach, Michael Mann and Peter Hotez, Banachek, the host of the Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe podcast, and many more!
CSICon 2026 will also welcome a number of familiar names from CSI’s illustrious fifty-year history, including CFI President and CEO Robyn Blumner, James Alcock, Alejandro Borgo, Susan Gerbic, Leo Igwe, Barry Karr, Benjamin Radford, James Underdown, and Skeptical Inquirer columnists, including Stuart Vyse, Andrea Love, Nick Tiller, and more!
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Generation Skeptics Hosts Free Educator Workshops |
CFI’s Generation Skeptics will host a pair of free teacher workshops later this month: on April 14, CFI Education Director Bertha Vazquez and Dr. Christine Danger will present the critical thinking program at USF-Tampa, and on April 23, Vazquez will host a workshop for educators at Washington University in St. Louis. |
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| Secular Celebrant Spring Training Happens on April 11 |
You still have time to register for CFI’s Spring Secular Celebrant training session on Saturday, April 11. Learn how you can help others in your community who want to have nonreligious weddings, commitment ceremonies, funerals, memorials, and other “milestones of life.” The virtual session will be led by Secular Celebrant Program Director Eric McCutchan. |
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| Register to Watch the 2026 Richard Dawkins Award Presentation to Sam Harris |
Join us on Saturday, April 18, as Richard Dawkins presents the 2026 Richard Dawkins Award to best-selling author, philosopher, and neuroscientist Sam Harris. The virtual award presentation will be followed by a lively one-on-one conversation between Dawkins and Harris, and viewers will be able to submit questions throughout for a special Q&A session at the end of the program. All proceeds will benefit the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science.
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In the latest installment of his “Anticipating CSICon 2026” video series, Rob Palmer interviews Nigerian human rights advocate and scholar Leo Igwe, whom Palmer calls “one of Africa’s most prominent voices for humanism and critical thinking.” WATCH |
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CFI Argentina’s Alejandro Borgo—who will also be featured at CSICon 2026—examines “The Rise and Fall of Parapsychology.” READ/LISTEN
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Tune in TOMORROW NIGHT as Skeptical Inquirer Presents explores “What Science Says about Astrology” with Brazilian science journalist Carlos Orsi. WATCH FREE ON YOUTUBE
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Free Inquiry Editor Ronald Lindsay calls House Speaker Mike Johnson an “ideologue and hypocrite” in response to Johnson’s recent touting of his inverted interpretation of church-state separation. READ |
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Want to connect with fellow skeptics, freethinkers, and nonbelievers? Check out our Find a Group Map to find CFI-affiliated groups in your area! CFI Transnational
CFI West (Los Angeles) -
April 15: Skeptics Book Club: Humanish: What Talking to Your Cat or Naming Your Car Reveals about the Uniquely Human Need to Humanize by Justin Gregg. Virtual attendees, join us on Google Meet. Use this link: https://meet.google.com/sqd-ujpn-nhf
- April 19: The Next Pandemic: Senior science correspondent Jon Cohen In conversation with science journalist Molly Bentley, host of Big Picture Science..
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Thank you!
Everything we do at CFI is made possible by you and your support. Let’s keep working together for science, reason, and secular values! |
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