2006 The third recipient of the Robert R. Coly Prize was Hannah Jenkins of the University of Tasmania. Hannah Jenkins earned a B.A. (Honours) in Philosophy (1992) at the University of Sydney and an M.A. (Honours) in Philosophy (2004) at the University of New South Wales, Australia. At the time of the prize, she was conducting doctoral research towards a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Tasmania. Psi Possibilities, her masters thesis, explored some of the philosophical issues that were raised by the evidence for psi and her PhD thesis, Beyond Beliefs, was intended to be an analysis of psi theories in relation to current explanation theory in philosophy of science. A full member of the Australian Institute of Parapsychological Research and its President in 2006, Jenkins has published in the Australian Journal of Parapsychology as well as in an edited collection of conference proceedings Consequentiality. For more details see her website. To read Ms. Jenkin’s essay, “The Challenge of Parapsychology: One Down, But More to Go,” click here. 2005 The 2005 recipient of the Robert R. Coly Prize was Peter Ramakers of the University of Edinburgh. At the time of the award Peter Ramakers was a doctoral student at the Koestler Parapsychology Unit, University of Edinburgh. His research was aimed at identifying a robust measure of telepathy on the basis of the assumption that ESP of emotional events has, at some stage in the psi process, an effect on brain systems associated with normal emotion perception. Case studies indicating that there might be some validity to this assumption are many, and his research attempted to capture the (indirect) effects of emotional ESP on the human nervous system in the lab. By using the receiver’s electrical conductance of the skin as the psi measure, Ramakers hoped, any effects on the emotional (limbic) system in the brain should become measurable, even if the receiver remains unaware of any effect. In general he is interested in the concept of the unconscious and its relationship to psi. While a physical explanation of psi may remain elusive, Ramakers believed that mapping the structure and dynamics of the unconscious can, in the long run, provide a working model of psi functioning. To read Mr. Ramaker’s prize-winning essay, “The Paradox of Parapsychology: Examining Current Challenges in the Field of Inquiry into the Paranormal” click here. 2004 The 2004 recipient of the Robert R. Coly Prize was Sergio Andres Schilling Perez of the International University SEK in Santiago, Chile. Schilling became interested in psi research in high school after studying hypnosis, that special state of consciousness under which a number of seemingly anomalous behaviors can occur. He began to study the impact of belief as well as the psychology of hypnotic and other anomalous experiences, and was led through his reading to books on parapsychology. Now a psychology student, Schilling founded a center to study parapsychological phenomena. He has no formal course work or training in parapsychology because none is available in his country. He has, however, participated in the Encuentro Psi (“Encounter Psi”) conferences held in Argentina by PF Affiliate, Alejandro Parra, contributing presentations on genetics and psi experiences in Chilean families, and an examination of the numerical properties of the output of a pseudo-random number generator. To read his prize-winning essay, “‘We Must Go On’: Some Thoughts About the Science of Hope”, go to the Lyceum Library by clicking here.

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