MUFON
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| Founded | May 31, 1969 |
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| Type | Nonprofit organization |
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Members
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3,000+ |
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Key people
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Jan Harzan, International Director |
| Mission | "The Scientific Study of UFOs for the Benefit of Humanity" |
| Website | MUFON |
The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) is an American-based non-profit organization that investigates cases of alleged UFO sightings. It is one of the oldest and largest civilian UFO-investigative organizations in the United States. MUFON claims 3,000 members worldwide with chapters in every US state. The group maintains a number of investigators, who undergo training administered by MUFON. The organization has been criticized for its focus on pseudoscience, and critics say its investigators fail to practice scientific method. In 2015, MUFON founded an unaccredited online institution called MUFON University.
MUFON was originally established as the Midwest UFO Network in Quincy, Illinois on May 31, 1969 by Walter H. Andrus, Allen Utke, John Schuessler, and others. Most of MUFON's early members had earlier been associated with the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO).
MUFON is currently headquartered in Newport Beach, California under the direction of Jan Harzan, with a chapters in every American state. The organization claims to have more than 3,000 members worldwide, with a majority of its membership base situated in the continental United States. MUFON operates a worldwide network of regional directors, holds an annual international symposium, and publishes the monthly MUFON UFO Journal. The group now has more than 75 field investigators, as well as specialized teams to investigate possible physical evidence of any extraterrestrial craft. The network trains volunteers to be investigators, and teaches them how to interview witnesses, perform research, and how to draw conclusions from the evidence. Although investigators are not paid, they must pass both an exam based on a 265-page manual, and a background check.
The stated mission of MUFON is the study of UFOs for the benefit of humanity through investigations, research and education. Along with the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) and the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR), MUFON is part of the UFO Research Coalition, a collaborative effort by the three main UFO investigative organizations in the US whose goal is to share personnel and other research resources, and to fund and promote the scientific study of the UFO phenomenon.
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