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Friday, July 17
 

1:00pm EDT

Designer Aliens
Friday July 17, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
A panel discussing the scientific basis for life in all its shapes and sizes and the critical features needed to make realistic alien life in sci-fi.

Moderator: Angela Giddings
Speakers
avatar for Angela Giddings

Angela Giddings

Film Guest
A.M. Giddings is a writer, scientist, cellist, independent filmmaker and aspiring swamp hag from North Carolina.  She has a PhD in Microbiology and has authored multiple scientific articles in virology, cell line design, and gene therapy.  She enjoys writing stories that live within... Read More →
avatar for Dennis M. Myers

Dennis M. Myers

Literary Guest
Born and raised in central Minnesota, Dennis M. Myers developed a serious reading habit early in life due to the influence of his grandmother. In late high school he read one particularly "awful" book and, with all that teenage hubris, decided that he could do better.After spending... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Philip A. Kramer

Dr. Philip A. Kramer

Science Guest
Dr. Philip A. Kramer is a biomedical researcher who studies aging, oxidative stress, and metabolism. In addition to his academic works, he is a hard science fiction author with two published novels (under the name P. A. Kramer), and several award-winning short stories. His blog (... Read More →
avatar for Jim Beall

Jim Beall

Science Guest
Jim Beall (BS-Math, MBA, PE) has been a nuclear engineer for 50 years, beginning as a nuclear engineering officer in the US Navy. Civilian experience includes design, construction, inspection, enforcement, and assessment with a nuclear utility, an architect engineering firm, and the... Read More →
Friday July 17, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Piedmont Salons 1-2 (panels)

4:00pm EDT

Statistics: Truth or Lie
Friday July 17, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
A discussion of well-known "statistics" and their associated fallacies. The panelists may bring up a statistic to other panelists and see if they can spot the problems with it (along with some discussion about why it's misleading).

Moderator: Brandon Whitworth
Speakers
avatar for Gray Rinehart

Gray Rinehart

Literary Guest
Gray Rinehart is an award-winning author, an editor, a singer/songwriter, and a retired Air Force officer. He is the only person to have commanded a USAF satellite tracking station, written speeches for Presidential appointees, devised a poetic form, and had music on The Dr. Demento... Read More →
avatar for Fraser Sherman

Fraser Sherman

Literary Guest
Born in England, Fraser Sherman wound up spending most of his life in Northwest Florida. He’d be there still if he hadn’t fallen in love and moved to Durham NC to marry his dream woman. They’re still together, with two dogs and two cats added to the family.Fraser has published... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Robert Hampson

Dr. Robert Hampson

Literary Guest
Professor, Neuroscientist, and Unofficial Penguin WhispererWhen not advancing the frontiers of neuroscience or constructing elaborate multiversal portals in his office, Dr. Rob can be found lecturing to an elite audience of penguins in lab coats. An advocate of hands-on learning... Read More →
avatar for Brandon Whitworth

Brandon Whitworth

Science Guest
Brandon Whitworth is a professional engineer with over 20 years of experience on a variety of projects with many interests inside and outside engineering. His professional career has spanned many projects, including the Space Shuttle program (where he was awarded a Silver Snoopy... Read More →
Friday July 17, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Piedmont Salons 1-2 (panels)

5:30pm EDT

AI Inflection Point
Friday July 17, 2026 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
AI inflection point: Are we at an "inflection point" in human history where AI will usher in rapid change (or has it already)? Will the AI bubble burst? Is there really a bubble? What might the future look like?

Moderator: Chris Oakley
Speakers
avatar for Joey Starnes

Joey Starnes

Fan Guest
Joey Starnes first claimed her inner geek in 2007 after visiting her first DragonCon.  In 2008, she moved to Charlotte, NC and started the Charlotte Geeks, home of the Guardians of the Geekery podcast, the Geekery Market, Two Woke Bonnets podcast and the Merry Mayhem. Her main geekdoms... Read More →
avatar for William C. Tracy

William C. Tracy

Literary Guest
William C. Tracy (he/him) writes and publishes queer science fiction and fantasy through his indie press Space Wizard Science Fantasy. His largest work is the Dissolutionverse: a space opera with music-based magic including nine books and a TTRPG. He’s also published Fruits of ... Read More →
avatar for Dennis M. Myers

Dennis M. Myers

Literary Guest
Born and raised in central Minnesota, Dennis M. Myers developed a serious reading habit early in life due to the influence of his grandmother. In late high school he read one particularly "awful" book and, with all that teenage hubris, decided that he could do better.After spending... Read More →
avatar for Chris Oakley

Chris Oakley

Fan Guest
Chris Oakley owned and operated Oakley’s Gently Used Books, a bricks & mortar used bookshop with a specialty in Sci Fi/Fantasy, for more than 20 years (1995-2016) in Charlottesville, VA. She has been a bookseller at Madicon, MarsCon, MystiCon, RavenCon, Libertycon DSC50, DSC60 and... Read More →
avatar for Brandon Whitworth

Brandon Whitworth

Science Guest
Brandon Whitworth is a professional engineer with over 20 years of experience on a variety of projects with many interests inside and outside engineering. His professional career has spanned many projects, including the Space Shuttle program (where he was awarded a Silver Snoopy... Read More →
Friday July 17, 2026 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
High Point Room (Panels)

8:00pm EDT

Jim Beall Presents "Fusion"
Friday July 17, 2026 8:00pm - 9:00pm EDT
Where it "began," how we got "here," a run-down of the types of fusion, and then a round-up of most of the current fusion research paths and their relative promises.
Speakers
avatar for Jim Beall

Jim Beall

Science Guest
Jim Beall (BS-Math, MBA, PE) has been a nuclear engineer for 50 years, beginning as a nuclear engineering officer in the US Navy. Civilian experience includes design, construction, inspection, enforcement, and assessment with a nuclear utility, an architect engineering firm, and the... Read More →
Friday July 17, 2026 8:00pm - 9:00pm EDT
Piedmont Salons 1-2 (panels)

9:30pm EDT

What's New in the Future of Science & Engineering
Friday July 17, 2026 9:30pm - 10:30pm EDT
Looking across fields from neuroscience to space exploration, how have science and engineering changed over time, and what exciting advances might we expect as the 21st century unfolds?

Moderator: Jason Graves
Speakers
avatar for Jason Graves

Jason Graves

Literary Guest
Jason is a writer of words, a doodler of drawings, and fixer of other peoples’ words and doodles. Many years ago, he founded Prospective Press. Before that, he slogged through University and earned a Master of Science degree in the Arcana of Genetics. Oh, and he was once punched—lightly—by... Read More →
avatar for Jennifer Whitworth

Jennifer Whitworth

Science Guest
Jennifer Whitworth is an engineer and writer from Huntsville AL. Currently working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, she supports Artemis and Gateway Payload Integration working directly with the science teams to help them through the various processes to design, build, test... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Philip A. Kramer

Dr. Philip A. Kramer

Science Guest
Dr. Philip A. Kramer is a biomedical researcher who studies aging, oxidative stress, and metabolism. In addition to his academic works, he is a hard science fiction author with two published novels (under the name P. A. Kramer), and several award-winning short stories. His blog (... Read More →
Friday July 17, 2026 9:30pm - 10:30pm EDT
Piedmont Salon 3
 
Saturday, July 18
 

10:00am EDT

Intersection of Science & Art
Saturday July 18, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Our panelists discuss how Science and art are two sides of the same coin: human attempts to observe, understand, and interpret the universe. 
Speakers
avatar for Gray Rinehart

Gray Rinehart

Literary Guest
Gray Rinehart is an award-winning author, an editor, a singer/songwriter, and a retired Air Force officer. He is the only person to have commanded a USAF satellite tracking station, written speeches for Presidential appointees, devised a poetic form, and had music on The Dr. Demento... Read More →
avatar for Jim Beall

Jim Beall

Science Guest
Jim Beall (BS-Math, MBA, PE) has been a nuclear engineer for 50 years, beginning as a nuclear engineering officer in the US Navy. Civilian experience includes design, construction, inspection, enforcement, and assessment with a nuclear utility, an architect engineering firm, and the... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Piedmont Salon 3

12:00pm EDT

Communicating Science - Part 1 (The Panel)
Saturday July 18, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Our panelist talk about how and why communicating science is important, and the transition between writing for Academia and from industry.

Followed by Biomedical Graduate Students from Dr. Robert E. Hampson's Communicating Science course who will give seven-minute "Ted Talk" style presentations about their science. Come hear about some exciting new fields of biomedical research. Heckling is discouraged, but the students could certainly use some real-world feedback on their talks!

(alternate: Emily Jane Beuhler)
Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Whitworth

Jennifer Whitworth

Science Guest
Jennifer Whitworth is an engineer and writer from Huntsville AL. Currently working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, she supports Artemis and Gateway Payload Integration working directly with the science teams to help them through the various processes to design, build, test... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Philip A. Kramer

Dr. Philip A. Kramer

Science Guest
Dr. Philip A. Kramer is a biomedical researcher who studies aging, oxidative stress, and metabolism. In addition to his academic works, he is a hard science fiction author with two published novels (under the name P. A. Kramer), and several award-winning short stories. His blog (... Read More →
avatar for Jim Beall

Jim Beall

Science Guest
Jim Beall (BS-Math, MBA, PE) has been a nuclear engineer for 50 years, beginning as a nuclear engineering officer in the US Navy. Civilian experience includes design, construction, inspection, enforcement, and assessment with a nuclear utility, an architect engineering firm, and the... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Robert Hampson

Dr. Robert Hampson

Literary Guest
Professor, Neuroscientist, and Unofficial Penguin WhispererWhen not advancing the frontiers of neuroscience or constructing elaborate multiversal portals in his office, Dr. Rob can be found lecturing to an elite audience of penguins in lab coats. An advocate of hands-on learning... Read More →
avatar for Brandon Whitworth

Brandon Whitworth

Science Guest
Brandon Whitworth is a professional engineer with over 20 years of experience on a variety of projects with many interests inside and outside engineering. His professional career has spanned many projects, including the Space Shuttle program (where he was awarded a Silver Snoopy... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Grand Ballroom Salon D (Main Programming)

1:00pm EDT

Communicating Science - Part 2 (The Presentations)
Saturday July 18, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Biomedical Graduate Students from Dr. Robert E. Hampson's Communicating Science course who will give seven-minute "Ted Talk" style presentations about their science. Come hear about some exciting new fields of biomedical research. Heckling is discouraged, but the students could certainly use some real-world feedback on their talks!
Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Whitworth

Jennifer Whitworth

Science Guest
Jennifer Whitworth is an engineer and writer from Huntsville AL. Currently working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, she supports Artemis and Gateway Payload Integration working directly with the science teams to help them through the various processes to design, build, test... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Philip A. Kramer

Dr. Philip A. Kramer

Science Guest
Dr. Philip A. Kramer is a biomedical researcher who studies aging, oxidative stress, and metabolism. In addition to his academic works, he is a hard science fiction author with two published novels (under the name P. A. Kramer), and several award-winning short stories. His blog (... Read More →
avatar for Jim Beall

Jim Beall

Science Guest
Jim Beall (BS-Math, MBA, PE) has been a nuclear engineer for 50 years, beginning as a nuclear engineering officer in the US Navy. Civilian experience includes design, construction, inspection, enforcement, and assessment with a nuclear utility, an architect engineering firm, and the... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Robert Hampson

Dr. Robert Hampson

Literary Guest
Professor, Neuroscientist, and Unofficial Penguin WhispererWhen not advancing the frontiers of neuroscience or constructing elaborate multiversal portals in his office, Dr. Rob can be found lecturing to an elite audience of penguins in lab coats. An advocate of hands-on learning... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Grand Ballroom Salon D (Main Programming)

2:00pm EDT

To the Moon, Alice, to the Moon!
Saturday July 18, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
With Artemis making it's first successful trip around the moon, and plans continuing to move forward for another moon landing, what does space look like for us know?  Are we on our way to the New Frontier and how will we get there?
Speakers
avatar for Gray Rinehart

Gray Rinehart

Literary Guest
Gray Rinehart is an award-winning author, an editor, a singer/songwriter, and a retired Air Force officer. He is the only person to have commanded a USAF satellite tracking station, written speeches for Presidential appointees, devised a poetic form, and had music on The Dr. Demento... Read More →
avatar for Jennifer Whitworth

Jennifer Whitworth

Science Guest
Jennifer Whitworth is an engineer and writer from Huntsville AL. Currently working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, she supports Artemis and Gateway Payload Integration working directly with the science teams to help them through the various processes to design, build, test... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Piedmont Salon 3

4:00pm EDT

Ask Jenn Whitworth Anything About Artemis
Saturday July 18, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Jenn Whitworth worked on the Artemis program, NASA’s ongoing lunar exploration initiative, designed to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon and pave the way for future crewed missions to Mars. Building on the initial uncrewed Artemis I test, NASA successfully launched Artemis II in April 2026, sending four astronauts on a historic 10-day loop around the Moon.

Ask her all the questions!!!
Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Whitworth

Jennifer Whitworth

Science Guest
Jennifer Whitworth is an engineer and writer from Huntsville AL. Currently working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, she supports Artemis and Gateway Payload Integration working directly with the science teams to help them through the various processes to design, build, test... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
High Point Room (Panels)

5:30pm EDT

Bridging the Gap: Empowering Women for a Diverse STEM Future
Saturday July 18, 2026 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
Supporting and encouraging women to pursue careers in the traditionally male-dominated fields of science, technology, engineering, and math is really important — not just for fairness, but because diverse teams bring fresh ideas and spark innovation. Women still face barriers like bias, stereotyping, and lack of support, so programs that offer mentorship, networking, resources, campaigns, events, and outreach make a real difference by boosting visibility and representation. By empowering women and celebrating their perspectives and talents, we can build more welcoming teams and institutions — and together create better problem-solving and a brighter future for STEM.

Moderator: Joey Starnes
Speakers
avatar for Joey Starnes

Joey Starnes

Fan Guest
Joey Starnes first claimed her inner geek in 2007 after visiting her first DragonCon.  In 2008, she moved to Charlotte, NC and started the Charlotte Geeks, home of the Guardians of the Geekery podcast, the Geekery Market, Two Woke Bonnets podcast and the Merry Mayhem. Her main geekdoms... Read More →
avatar for Angela Giddings

Angela Giddings

Film Guest
A.M. Giddings is a writer, scientist, cellist, independent filmmaker and aspiring swamp hag from North Carolina.  She has a PhD in Microbiology and has authored multiple scientific articles in virology, cell line design, and gene therapy.  She enjoys writing stories that live within... Read More →
avatar for Emily Jane Buehler

Emily Jane Buehler

Literary Guest
I write cozy fantasy romances where everyday people (and fairies) have adventures and fall in love. They are lighthearted stories with action and adventure, love and magic, where protagonists learn to believe in themselves and find their courage. And yes, they are kissing books. They... Read More →
avatar for Chris Oakley

Chris Oakley

Fan Guest
Chris Oakley owned and operated Oakley’s Gently Used Books, a bricks & mortar used bookshop with a specialty in Sci Fi/Fantasy, for more than 20 years (1995-2016) in Charlottesville, VA. She has been a bookseller at Madicon, MarsCon, MystiCon, RavenCon, Libertycon DSC50, DSC60 and... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
High Point Room (Panels)

9:30pm EDT

But I'm Not Crazy! The Best Ideas of Mad Scientists, Supervillains, and Other Evil Geniuses
Saturday July 18, 2026 9:30pm - 10:30pm EDT
Let's discuss the "best" villain ideas — not the over-the-top, evil-for-evil's-sake stuff, but plans that actually make sense: deliberate, driven by clear motives, and logically thought-out. Villains whose schemes feel plausible, spark interesting moral or philosophical questions, or try to expose/fix problems they see in society — whose methods and reasoning make their actions understandable, not just malicious.

Moderator: Jim Beall
Speakers
avatar for Kal Spriggs

Kal Spriggs

Literary Guest
Kal Spriggs is a US Army combat veteran, gamer, and science fiction and fantasy author of over 40 published novels.  He has visited over 35 countries and has worked in a variety of industries including environmental remediation, farming, civil engineering, the military, and transportation... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Philip A. Kramer

Dr. Philip A. Kramer

Science Guest
Dr. Philip A. Kramer is a biomedical researcher who studies aging, oxidative stress, and metabolism. In addition to his academic works, he is a hard science fiction author with two published novels (under the name P. A. Kramer), and several award-winning short stories. His blog (... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Robert Hampson

Dr. Robert Hampson

Literary Guest
Professor, Neuroscientist, and Unofficial Penguin WhispererWhen not advancing the frontiers of neuroscience or constructing elaborate multiversal portals in his office, Dr. Rob can be found lecturing to an elite audience of penguins in lab coats. An advocate of hands-on learning... Read More →
avatar for Jim Beall

Jim Beall

Science Guest
Jim Beall (BS-Math, MBA, PE) has been a nuclear engineer for 50 years, beginning as a nuclear engineering officer in the US Navy. Civilian experience includes design, construction, inspection, enforcement, and assessment with a nuclear utility, an architect engineering firm, and the... Read More →
avatar for Old Dominion Daleks

Old Dominion Daleks

Costuming Guest
Rick and family took their love of theater and science fiction and formed Luna-C Productions in 1997.  Rick is the director, one of the scriptwriters, and plays several roles in the Luna-C Productions comedy troupe in addition to producing, directing and acting in a number of their... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 9:30pm - 10:30pm EDT
Piedmont Salon 3
 
Sunday, July 19
 

11:30am EDT

Spaceship Design
Sunday July 19, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Be it a military frigate or Exploration vessel, all spaceships require life support systems and a means of locomotion. Explore these and other critical infrastructure needed to carry humanity beyond our atmosphere.

Moderator: Gray Rinehart

Speakers
avatar for Gray Rinehart

Gray Rinehart

Literary Guest
Gray Rinehart is an award-winning author, an editor, a singer/songwriter, and a retired Air Force officer. He is the only person to have commanded a USAF satellite tracking station, written speeches for Presidential appointees, devised a poetic form, and had music on The Dr. Demento... Read More →
avatar for Dennis M. Myers

Dennis M. Myers

Literary Guest
Born and raised in central Minnesota, Dennis M. Myers developed a serious reading habit early in life due to the influence of his grandmother. In late high school he read one particularly "awful" book and, with all that teenage hubris, decided that he could do better.After spending... Read More →
avatar for Jennifer Whitworth

Jennifer Whitworth

Science Guest
Jennifer Whitworth is an engineer and writer from Huntsville AL. Currently working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, she supports Artemis and Gateway Payload Integration working directly with the science teams to help them through the various processes to design, build, test... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Philip A. Kramer

Dr. Philip A. Kramer

Science Guest
Dr. Philip A. Kramer is a biomedical researcher who studies aging, oxidative stress, and metabolism. In addition to his academic works, he is a hard science fiction author with two published novels (under the name P. A. Kramer), and several award-winning short stories. His blog (... Read More →
avatar for Jim Beall

Jim Beall

Science Guest
Jim Beall (BS-Math, MBA, PE) has been a nuclear engineer for 50 years, beginning as a nuclear engineering officer in the US Navy. Civilian experience includes design, construction, inspection, enforcement, and assessment with a nuclear utility, an architect engineering firm, and the... Read More →
Sunday July 19, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
High Point Room (Panels)

12:00pm EDT

"Weird" Science: Unexpected Ways to Put Science in Science Fiction
Sunday July 19, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
In science fiction, we like to see FTL spaceships, strange alien species, resurrected extinct species, instantaneous communication, and similar things. But a lot of everyday items are afterthoughts in sci-fi. How will technology affect clothes? Food? Ordinary medical care? And what about the "soft" sciences, like industrial safety, environmental science, anthropology, or political science? How will those change the landscape of the future?

Moderator: Robert Hampson
Speakers
avatar for Angela Giddings

Angela Giddings

Film Guest
A.M. Giddings is a writer, scientist, cellist, independent filmmaker and aspiring swamp hag from North Carolina.  She has a PhD in Microbiology and has authored multiple scientific articles in virology, cell line design, and gene therapy.  She enjoys writing stories that live within... Read More →
avatar for Dave Dobson

Dave Dobson

Literary Guest
A native of Ames, Iowa, Dave loves writing, reading, boardgames, computer games, improv comedy, pizza, barbarian movies, and the cheaper end of the Taco Bell menu. Also, his wife and kids.Dave has written ten novels including fantasy, sci-fi, mysteries, and thrillers. In addition... Read More →
avatar for EJ Isaacs

EJ Isaacs

Literary Guest
EJ Isaacs is at heart, a geek. As a child I grew up with classics in science fiction from Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clark and Robert Heinlein. A late comer to role playing, he enjoyed creating backgrounds to the characters he was playing. For a three-year period, he was involved with... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Robert Hampson

Dr. Robert Hampson

Literary Guest
Professor, Neuroscientist, and Unofficial Penguin WhispererWhen not advancing the frontiers of neuroscience or constructing elaborate multiversal portals in his office, Dr. Rob can be found lecturing to an elite audience of penguins in lab coats. An advocate of hands-on learning... Read More →
Sunday July 19, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Piedmont Salons 1-2 (panels)
 
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