The below is the final version, last updated 2018-07-03 17:00.
Alien Worlds & Nearby Stars
Friday, 1:00 PM-1:50 PM, Stargazer
Heather Preston
Since their launch in 2009, Kepler & COROT orbiting observatories have found thousand of exoplanets. Now, TESS is taking up the challenge to figure out what it all means. What’s known, what’s next?
Ancient Inventions
Thursday, 10:00 AM-10:50 AM, Stargazer
Dan Dubrick, Mario Acevedo, Richard E. Friesen, Scott Crosson
Archimedes invented the lever and fulcrum about 2400 years ago. What more advanced inventions did they have back then? Steam powered toys? Electroplating? Tell me more!
Apocalyptic Radio Communication
Thursday, 12:00 PM-12:50 PM, Stargazer
Scott Mecca
If a world-ending disaster strikes, communication will be at a premium. If there is no Internet, ham radio operators could help you communicate with people across the world.
Apocalyptic Survival Kit
Thursday, 2:00 PM-2:50 PM, Stargazer
Scott Mecca
Are you ready for the apocalypse? A few critical items set aside could make the difference between comfort and misery, or even life and death. Prepare your survival kit.
Cassini Goes Boom
Sunday, 3:00 PM-3:50 PM, Stargazer
Frank Carry
Some discoveries from the Cassini mission’s final phase and its final entry into Saturn’s atmosphere.
Coolest Astronomy Discoveries!
Saturday, 12:00 PM-12:50 PM, Stargazer
Courtney Willis, Graham Lau, Heather Preston, Lou Mayo, Nicholas Gross
What we have learned from astronomers in the past few years is astounding–and voluminous! What are the top of the top of the top coolest discoveries you need to know about?
Earthrise: 50 Years Since Apollo 8
Saturday, 10:00 AM-10:50 AM, Stargazer
Lou Mayo
NASA has been harnessing the spirit of discovery for 50 years. How does where we’ve been influence where NASA is going next?
Emotional & Spiritual Apocalypse Survival
Friday, 12:00 PM-12:50 PM, Stargazer
Dr. Tim Slater, Jason Henry Evans, Laura K. Sida, Lou Mayo
Surviving the apocalypse isn’t just about breathing and eating; surviving means flourishing. What are the mental, spiritual, and emotional states of survivors? What would your state of mind be like?
Exoplanets
Saturday, 7:00 PM-7:50 PM, Stargazer
Dan Dubrick
Kepler is still finding planets and NASA has launched the follow on satellite TESS. How many exoplanets have we found? How do scientists find them?
Exploring Mars with Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity
Saturday, 3:00 PM-3:50 PM, Stargazer
Bill Farrand
Exploring Mars with the Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity Rovers. The Mars rovers Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity have found evidence for the action of abundant water in the early history of Mars.
Favorite Life Forms & Planets of Star Trek
Sunday, 2:00 PM-2:50 PM, Stargazer
Brian Douglass, Casey Jones, Emily Hardegree-Ullman, Kevin Ikenberry, Thomas Berger
Star Trek missions are governed by the prime directive, yet, somehow, the prime directive always gets broken. Our panel of scientists will argue about which species and planets frame the best Star Trek storylines.
Hacking and Coding – Computer Tech for Writers
Wednesday, 3:00 PM-3:50 PM, Thunderpass
Vivian Caethe, Brian Ziman, Kevin Roche, Stace Johnson
Coding is far from the scrolling green DOS screens of popular culture. Join a discussion about what it’s really like to be a computer programmer and how to better portray them in your writing.
Ham Radio Drop In
Thursday, 11:00 AM-11:50 AM, Stargazer
Scott Mecca
Ever wanted to know what long distance ham radio operators hear on the airwaves? Stop by this informal drop-in session to chat with ham radio operators and listen in on their conversations.
Hard Science in Fiction
Sunday, 12:00 PM-12:50 PM, Stargazer
Connie Willis, Frank Carry, Heather Preston, Jaime Harold, Kevin Ikenberry
Getting the Science Right in Science Fiction: The Hard Science Panel. What is the most important word in the phrase “Science Fiction?” Hollywood seems to say fiction, whereas scientists scream science. Our hard science fiction panelists debate whether or not a great story needs great science.
How Science is Killing Fiction
Friday, 10:00 AM-10:50 AM, Stargazer
Bret Carter
Will children of tomorrow be able to create great works of fiction and art or is modern STEM decimating our ability to be a creative force in the universe.
Living Red: Mars on Earth
Saturday, 11:00 AM-11:50 AM, Stargazer
Graham Lau
Scientists use analog environments on Earth that serve as representatives of Mars. Learn how these key places are used for investigating human colonization and exploring potential signs of life.
Mechanical Analog Calculators
Thursday, 3:00 PM-3:50 PM, The Shire
Courtney Willis, Dan Dubrick
Before the digital era, scientists and engineers did a great deal of math in their heads and on paper . . . but not all. Discussion of the vintage calculating instruments from the 15th to 20th centuries.
New Dr. Who Topics?
Saturday, 2:00 PM-2:50 PM, Stargazer
Bill Farrand, Casey Jones, Graham Lau, Ruben Gamboa
As the longest running science fiction show, Dr. Who has covered a universe worth of topics…but there is still more to go? Which topics and episodes still deserve to be made (or remade) for Dr. Who fans worldwide?
Outstanding Mysteries in Astrobiology
Sunday, 1:00 PM-1:50 PM, Stargazer
Emily Hardegree-Ullman
How does a jumble of organic molecules develop into a living system, is intelligence inevitable, and if life exists elsewhere, how can we spot it?
Private Space Programs
Friday, 6:00 PM-6:50 PM, Stargazer
Dan Dubrick
Since the announcement of the Ansari X-Prize, many companies have started up trying to launch private citizens into space. What has happened? Should there be launches by now?
Really Weird Science: An Introduction to Quantum Computing
Friday, 11:00 AM-11:50 AM, Helm’s Deep
Kevin Roche
A no-mathematics introduction to the weirdness of quantum mechanics, how we harness that to build quantum computers, and how you can play with one right now for free!
Sci Fi Fairy Tales
Friday, 4:00 PM-4:50 PM, Stargazer
Bret Carter
Einstein argued one should read fairy tales to children. If you are a family of nerds, couldn’t it be even better if fairy tales sounded like science fiction adventures?
Science and Religion
Friday, 2:00 PM-2:50 PM, Stargazer
Bret Carter, Courtney Willis, Heather Preston, Lou Mayo
Science and religion are frequently assumed to be at odds with one another. Does it have to be that way? Can scientists find religion and peace? Can the religious accept the conclusions of science?
Science Fiction vs Science Fact
Saturday, 2:00 PM-2:50 PM, The Shire
Heather Preston, J.L. Forrest, Mario Acevedo, Nancy Kress
Sci-fi influences real world tech; see how real tech is incorporated into fiction and how to keep your science and tech plausible, or at least believable.
Science: Fact or Fiction
Thursday, 5:00 PM-5:50 PM, Stargazer
Anne Holland, Jaime Harold
This session will explore Hollywood Fiction to see what science they got right, and what they got terribly wrong!
Search for Life in the Universe
Friday, 3:00 PM-3:50 PM, Stargazer
Lou Mayo
If the universe is such a big place, perhaps live exists beyond the confines of Earth. How is NASA leading the search for extraterrestrial life?
Second Digital Age
Saturday, 5:00 PM-5:50 PM, Stargazer
Chris Gilbert
Over the next few decades, advances in digital technologies will dramatically change what it means to be a human. Join me as I explore some of these technological revolutions!
Space OPS: Ground to Space
Sunday, 10:00 AM-10:50 AM, Stargazer
Brian Douglass
Introduction to Space Operations from Concept on the Ground to Satellites in Space. Science fiction stories often utilize spacecraft. Where do those spacecraft come from and exactly who is driving them as they circle the Earth?
Space Weather & Technology
Sunday, 11:00 AM-11:50 AM, Stargazer
Thomas Berger
Space Weather and What it Means for Technology and the Exploration of Space: How the Sun occasionally erupts in the form of giant magnetic plasma clouds that can envelope the Earth and cause technological havoc.
T-Space Science
Thursday, 4:00 PM-4:50 PM, Stargazer
Alastair Mayer
Terraforming and warp drives and fusion power, oh my! What’s the real science behind Alastair Mayer’s T-Space series?
The Sun Explodes! Sort of…
Saturday, 6:00 PM-6:50 PM, Stargazer
Thomas Berger
Our 5 billion year old Sun is anything but a quiet ball of simmering gas. What can we learn about the dynamic and explosive Sun by looking carefully?
Traveling Through Sun’s Atmosphere
Saturday, 1:00 PM-1:50 PM, Stargazer
Nicholas Gross
This summer NASA will launch the Parker Solar Probe which will fly closer to our nearest star, the Sun, than the Enterprise ever dared!
Weapons vs. Zombies
Thursday, 1:00 PM-1:50 PM, Stargazer
Dr. Tim Slater, Brian Ziman, Jason Henry Evans
What are the most Desired Firearms for Killing Zombies? When the zombies come, what do you want as your side arm? Do the movies get this right or are there better choices to save yourself and humanity?
Weird Astronomy
Thursday, 3:00 PM-3:50 PM, Stargazer
Lou Mayo
From black holes to the multiverse, the universe is a very strange place. Exploding stars, alternate timelines, and even parallel universes are things we don’t often see, but are actually there.
What Can Machines Learn
Friday, 5:00 PM-5:50 PM, Stargazer
Ruben Gamboa
How do machines learn, what does that really mean, and am I out of a job?
What I Learned at Space Camp
Saturday, 4:00 PM-4:50 PM, Stargazer
Kevin Ikenberry
Teaching the future generation of astronauts at US Space Camp was a learning experience like none other.
Zombie Apocalypse Preparation
Friday, 11:00 AM-11:50 AM, Stargazer
Laura K. Sida
Or, Ahhhh!!! Zombies! Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response for the Doomsday Apocalypse. Want to survive a disaster? That’s not how science works! That’s not how infectious disease works! That’s not how shelters are run! No matter what’s in the movies, for the first 48 hours you are on your own.