Named in honor of Paul Kurtz (b. 1925) of the State University of New York at Buffalo. Kurtz is professor emeritus of philosophy, chairman and founder of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), chairman of the Council for Secular Humanism, and founder and chairman of Prometheus Books. A noted author and philosopher, he has written more than 30 books and 650 articles on philosophy, humanism and skepticism. He has been influential in bringing philosophy back from a pure analytical study to a more activist stance. Kurtz actively promotes science and the refutation of pseudoscience. Name suggested and citation provided by J. McGaha.