Balticon Schedules, organized by Programming Track

The text below shows a small excerpt from the developing Balticon 49 Program Schedule. This partial schedule will be expanded, in increments, as increasing portions of the schedule become firm. Some items may appear in multiple programming tracks.

Please note that the schedule is still subject to change at any time.

Last update Fri Apr 10 23:47:23 2015
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 Back to Index  ANIME PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Anime Program Schedule for [TBD]

XX:XX Anime For Parents [TBD]
Kat Sarfati, Christine Chase, Christine Chase (Moderator) (50 minutes)
It’s just cartoons, right? No, no it isn’t. Come learn the basics– genres, ratings, cultural differences, terminology, and why a fair amount of anime is not appropriate for children. Ask questions, get recommendations, and some input from those fluent in the exciting, fun, but sometimes grown-up world of anime!
XX:XX Anime After Dark [TBD]
Jason G Banks, Mildred Cady, Lee Sarfati (Moderator) (1 hour 50 minutes)
A freewheeling discussion of any and all anime topics. We go wherever the conversation leads, without having to worry about age-appropriateness! We ask that minors be accompanied by a responsible adult if attending.
XX:XX Fan-service and Fetishism (An After Dark Panel) [TBD]
Jason G Banks, Mildred Cady, Jason Banks (Moderator) (50 minutes)
An exploration into the different expressions of sexuality utilized in U.S. television and Animation compared to Japanese Television and Anime and how one gets way with so much more via animation(Anime) yet the other gets away with so much more in the live action medium.(US)
XX:XX Anime Gone Mainstream! [TBD]
Christine Chase, Jason Banks, Lee Sarfati, Kat Sarfati, Robert R Chase (Moderator) (50 minutes)
Once upon a time, Anime & Manga were the weird obsessions of a weird few. Now, they’re everywhere! Not just Miyazaki anymore, the influence of manga and anime are pervading through American pop-culture. What have you noted and seen in recent years? Is this good? Bad? Natural? Unnatural? To be celebrated? Or to be stopped before it destroys civilization? Come share your thoughts on these developments!
XX:XX The Great Literary Game: History of Shamanism and Fanfiction [TBD]
Alexander Mui (1 hour 20 minutes)
This presentation looks at the historical roots of fanfiction from ancient shamans and myth tellers, who would pass on stories from generation to generation, This panel looks into comic writer Alan Moore’s definition of “Literary Game” when which science fiction writers of the 20th century would write “fanfiction” of previous writers works, example includes Poe’s Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, continued by Jules Vernes as An Antarctic Mystery, then continued by Lovecraft as Mountains of Maddess. This presentation will then look at the evolution of modern fanfiction and the different types that exist today.
 Back to Index  ART PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Art Program Schedule for Sunday, May 24, 2015

10:00 AM Do Your Own Face-ups – Painting Your Own Dolls Hunt
Tristan Alexander, [others TBD] (1 hour 20 minutes)
A discussion on painting techniques and materials for personalizing your own ball-jointed dolls.
4:00 PM Artist Guest of Honor: Ruth Sanderson Valley Ballroom
Ruth Sanderson (1 hour)

Art Program Schedule for [TBD]

XX:XX Electric Origami Hunt
Nancy Janda (1 hour 20 minutes)
Nancy has taught origami for years; now she wants to lighten up! Create glowing origami by making a circuit board on your paper and using the folds of the figure to hold an LED light and a battery. The finished lanterns often flicker like candlelight. Materials Fee – $5. Limit – 12 students.
XX:XX Amber Polishing Hunt
Nancy Janda (1 hour 50 minutes)
Gems are hidden in the ground aroung the world; all they need to shine is a bit of polishing. Nancy Janda will show you how to bring out the beauty of a rough piece pulled from the dirt and sand near the Baltic sea. Rough amber and all materials are supplied. Materials Fee – $15. Limit – 10 students.
 Back to Index  COSTUMING PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Costuming Program Schedule for Saturday, May 23, 2015

11:00 AM 1870s Victorian hairstyles Tack
Janet Stephens (50 minutes)
1:00 PM 1870s hair dressing for the modern time-traveller [TBD]
Janet Stephens (1 hour 50 minutes)
11:00 PM Post-masquerade party Salon C/D
GCFCG (Moderator) (1 hour 50 minutes)
 Back to Index  DANCE PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Dance Program Schedule for Saturday, May 23, 2015

4:00 PM Medieval Dance Garden
Patches (2 hours)

Dance Program Schedule for Sunday, May 24, 2015

4:00 PM Contra Dance with Live Music! Garden
Kristin Seibert with musicians (2 hours)
 Back to Index  FAN PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Fans Program Schedule for [TBD]

XX:XX Fan-service and Fetishism (An After Dark Panel) [TBD]
Jason G Banks, Mildred Cady, Jason Banks (Moderator) (50 minutes)
An exploration into the different expressions of sexuality utilized in U.S. television and Animation compared to Japanese Television and Anime and how one gets way with so much more via animation(Anime) yet the other gets away with so much more in the live action medium.(US)
XX:XX The Great Literary Game: History of Shamanism and Fanfiction [TBD]
Alexander Mui (1 hour 20 minutes)
This presentation looks at the historical roots of fanfiction from ancient shamans and myth tellers, who would pass on stories from generation to generation, This panel looks into comic writer Alan Moore’s definition of “Literary Game” when which science fiction writers of the 20th century would write “fanfiction” of previous writers works, example includes Poe’s Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, continued by Jules Vernes as An Antarctic Mystery, then continued by Lovecraft as Mountains of Maddess. This presentation will then look at the evolution of modern fanfiction and the different types that exist today.
 Back to Index  GAMING PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Gaming Program Schedule for Friday, May 22, 2015

9:00 PM Two Rooms and a Boom! Parlor 1041
Michelle Hymowitz, Alan Aspinwall (Moderator) (1 hour 50 minutes)
Do you like mystery and intrigue? In this game, everyone has a role and belongs to one of two factions. At the start, no one knows who anyone else is. For several rounds players interact with each other in two separate rooms, trying to learn more about each other. One faction has their favorite: a rarely seen Blue Martian. But it is not easy being blue. The other faction, supporting a fiery Red Martian, wants to blow up the Blue Martian! At the end of the last round, if the Blue Martian and the Red Martian end up in the same room, the RED team wins, otherwise the BLUE team wins. Come and try to save the Blue Martian! Or maybe blow it up!

Gaming Program Schedule for Saturday, May 23, 2015

9:00 AM Active Victorian Games for Children Garden
Mildred Cady (1 hour 50 minutes)
Come to this kid-friendly event that highlights several Victorian parlor games that will get the children up and moving around.
6:00 PM Magic: The Gathering (Draft & Play Closed Deck Tournament) Chase
Scott Schroth (1 hour 50 minutes)
Become a Planeswalker today! New and Experienced players are welcome! We will be drafting from the newest releases of Magic: The Gathering — Khans of Takir, and Fate Reforged. We will be having 2 8-person groups; spectators are welcome. If you are a new player, panelists will provide a quick reference guide to the rules and will help you to understand how game play works. Door prizes and raffles will also be given away to those who attend. Either a materials fee ($15.00), or 3 sealed packs of either Fate Reforged Cards or Khans of Takir Cards, will be required.

Gaming Program Schedule for Sunday, May 24, 2015

9:00 AM RPG Gameplay with a Sci-Fi Theme — The Red Menace Parlor 3026
Tom Jewell (3 hours 50 minutes)
RPG Gameplay with a master GM: Sci-Fi Theme — The Red Menace. Rules: “The Red Menace” — An Inquisition Cadre in the Warhammer 40K universe using the FATE system. Sign up in advance at the Balticon Information Desk by the Maryland Ballroom, at the top of the escalators, or walk in and see if space is available. Four hour dedicated session.
2:00 PM RPG Gameplay with a Fantasy Theme — Original Edition D&D Parlor 1026
John Montrie (3 hours 50 minutes)
RPG Gameplay with a master GM: Fantasy Theme — Original Edition D&D. Rules: The three paperback books. Sign up in advance at the Balticon Information Desk by the Maryland Ballroom, at the top of the escalators, or walk in and see if space is available. Four hour dedicated session.
4:00 PM What is Ingress? Salon B
Mildred Cady (50 minutes)
The world is not what it seems. Alien influences, artificial intelligence, ancient myths, and a conspiracy on a global battlefield surround you. It’s time to move! Ingress is a game where the real world is the play space. You can either play casually to meet new people and explore your area, or you can delve deeply into the storyline and lose yourself in tracking down clues among the ephemera. Haven’t played yet? Come and learn about the game and the community. Veteran player? Come and share your experiences!
7:00 PM RPG Gameplay with a Fantasy Theme — D&D 5th Edition Parlor 1026
Jay Wix (3 hours 50 minutes)
RPG Gameplay with a master GM: Fantasy Theme — D&D. Rules: 5th Edition. Sign up in advance at the Balticon Information Desk by the Maryland Ballroom, at the top of the escalators, or walk in and see if space is available. Four hour dedicated session.
10:00 PM Late Night Cards Against Humanity Salon B
Pallas Schroth, Scott Schroth, Michelle Hymowitz, Kristina Lynch (moderator) (1 hour 50 minutes)
If you have ever heard of or played the card game Apples to Apples and enjoyed it, this game is definitely for you. Just make sure that you are willing to be a little disturbed by the adult-themed cards and how we humans respond to them in a group of strangers.

Gaming Program Schedule for [TBD]

XX:XX RPG Gamemaster Basics: K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) [TBD]
Neal Levin, Mildred Cady, Robert Waters (50 minutes)
How can you create a robust adventure that won’t take forever and is easy to follow, but has many opportunities to expand and grow into an elaborate world of your own creation? Come and discover the elements required to start a new story that fits into your play stem and leaves room for expansion.
XX:XX Tales of an RPG Gamemaster: What NOT to do… [TBD]
Mildred Cady, Neal Levin, Robert Waters (1 hour 20 minutes)
Are you thinking about running an adventure in the near future and need some advice that will help to ensure that you don’t “break the game” before it even starts? If you have your own experience/stories, bring them with you. Come to this panel and find out the absolute “no-no’s”!
XX:XX Cooperative Games [TBD]
Kristina Lynch, Michelle Hymowitz, Donna Dearborn (50 minutes)
Everything is awesome when you’re part of a team! Come to this panel and learn about the many games that require you to work together with one or more players in order to win.
XX:XX Cowboy/Western Games [TBD]
Perrianne Lurie, Kristina Lynch (50 minutes)
Do you like board games, card games, and dice games? There are many to choose from, but if you enjoy Cowboy/Western themes, come and learn how to play a great bunch of games set in the Wild West!
 Back to Index  LAUNCHES PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Launches Program Schedule for Sunday, May 24, 2015

7:00 PM Book Launch Party Garden
Danielle Ackley-McPhail (Moderator) (2 hours)
 Back to Index  LITERARY PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Literary Program Schedule for Sunday, May 24, 2015

7:00 PM Book Launch Party Garden
Danielle Ackley-McPhail (Moderator) (2 hours)
 Back to Index  LITERARY: WRITERS TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Literary – Writers Program Schedule for Sunday, May 24, 2015

10:00 PM New Media Homecoming Dance in Honor of P.G. Holyfield, Presented by SpecFicMedia.com Garden
(2 hours)
A celebraton of life for Author PG Holyfield. Author of Murder at Avadon Hill, Podcaster of the podcast that never ends: MaAH, Beyond the Wall, Living NaNoWriMo, Consumption, and contributor to much more, PG Holyfield held a special place in the hearts of the new media, literary, and Balticon communities. After passing suddenly this summer from a fast acting cancer, his co-hosts (Chooch, Viv, Christianna, & Nuchtchas) and friends wanted to come together in his honor to celebrate the life of the man they loved in the spirit he showed at Balticon. Join us for a Geek Homecoming, a time of rememberance and fun. Party down as PG would have if he were with us.
 Back to Index  MUSIC PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Music Program Schedule for Sunday, May 24, 2015

2:30 PM Sassafrass Ballroom
Sassafrass (1 hour)
 Back to Index  NEW MEDIA PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

New Media Program Schedule for Sunday, May 24, 2015

10:00 PM New Media Homecoming Dance in Honor of P.G. Holyfield, Presented by SpecFicMedia.com Garden
(2 hours)
A celebraton of life for Author PG Holyfield. Author of Murder at Avadon Hill, Podcaster of the podcast that never ends: MaAH, Beyond the Wall, Living NaNoWriMo, Consumption, and contributor to much more, PG Holyfield held a special place in the hearts of the new media, literary, and Balticon communities. After passing suddenly this summer from a fast acting cancer, his co-hosts (Chooch, Viv, Christianna, & Nuchtchas) and friends wanted to come together in his honor to celebrate the life of the man they loved in the spirit he showed at Balticon. Join us for a Geek Homecoming, a time of rememberance and fun. Party down as PG would have if he were with us.
 Back to Index  RELIGION PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Religion Program Schedule for Saturday, May 23, 2015

8:30 AM Shabbat Service / Parsha Discussion by Barry Nove Pimlico
Barry Nove (1 hour 15 minutes)
Shabbat Morning Service with Parsha Torah Study in lieu of Torah Reading

Religion Program Schedule for Sunday, May 24, 2015

11:00 PM Shavuot: Of Shadim and other Fantasy Elements of Judaism Chase
Barry Nove (1 hour)
A Discussion about Judaism and Magical Fantasy in Jewish Tradition

Religion Program Schedule for Monday, May 25, 2015

12:00 PM The Foundations and Roots of Judaism Salon A
Rabbi Larry Pinsker (50 minutes)
 Back to Index  SCIENCE PROGRAM TRACK FRIDAY  Back to Top 

Science Program Schedule for Friday, May 22, 2015

5:00 PM Health Care and Phylogenetics Salon A
Beatrice Kondo PhD (50 minutes)
6:00 PM Space Shuttle First Flights Salon A
Jack Clemons (50 minutes)
A behind the scenes look at the early days of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program. An informative and often surprising story, including videos, photographs, and anecdotes, of how the Shuttle came to be and some of the exceptional men and women who made it all happen.
7:00 PM Mirrors of Nature: The Animal World Salon A
Iver Cooper Esq. (50 minutes)
We see the world by virtue of its reflection of light. Some natural objects are noteworthy because of how shiny they can be, the mechanism by which they reflect light, or the environmental effect of their reflection. These are the “mirrors of nature”, and they include both nonliving (the Moon, still and rippled water, snow and ice) and living (fish scales, bird plumage, beetle bodies, butterfly wings, animal eyes) examples. Biotech/chemical patent attorney and alternate history writer Iver Cooper has researched both kinds, and in this presentation he will guide us to a better understanding of the “mirrors” in the animal world.
9:30 PM Meet the Scientists Social Chesapeake
Miriam Winder Kelly (1 hour 45 minutes)
Back to Index SCIENCE PROGRAM TRACK SATURDAY Back to Top

Science Program Schedule for Saturday, May 23, 2015

8:50 AM “Marie Curall’s Science Show” — A spoof film by Marlene Zechman Salon A
Paul Loeschke (7 minutes)
10:00 AM Your Brain: Breathing, Sleep Apnea, and Stroke Salon A
Dr. Robert I. Katz MD (50 minutes)
A brief description of the anatomy, evolution and function of the human brain, with particular emphasis on the specific pathologies involved in sleep apnea and stroke.
11:00 AM Einstein’s Dice and Schrödinger’s Cat: How Two Great Minds Battled Quantum Randomness to Create a Unified Theory of Physics Salon A
Paul H. Halpern PhD (50 minutes)
The story of the doomed competition between two of physics’ greatest to create a grand unified theory: the little-known story of how Einstein and Schrödinger searched, first as collaborators and then as competitors, for a theory that transcended quantum weirdness. This story of their quest–which ultimately failed–provides new insights into the history of physics and the lives and work of two scientists whose obsessions drove its progress.
12:00 PM Blood, Sweat, and Fears: Infectious Outbreaks Among Us Salon A
Dr. John Cmar MD (50 minutes)
Infectious outbreaks have swept through the human population throughout the existence of our species. Despite technological improvements and medical advances, pandemics continue to create illness and fear. We’ll look at how three different infectious outbreaks are trying to kill us, and how we are fighting back — Ebola, Chikungunya, and Enterovirus D68.
1:00 PM Celebrating 25 Years of Discovery with the Hubble Space Telescope Salon A
Jennifer Wiseman PhD (50 minutes)
2:00 PM Just How Many Universes Are There, Anyway? Salon A
John Ashmead PhD (50 minutes)
3:00 PM The Ancient Art of Oceanic Navigation and Landfinding Salon A
RDK Herman PhD (50 minutes)
The settling of the Island Pacific over 1000 years ago is one of the greatest adventures of human history. Using double-hulled voyaging canoes built with stone-age tools, and navigating by stars and swells, Pacific Islanders journeyed as far as 2500 miles to find tiny dots of land in the middle of an ocean covering one third the surface of the planet. Then they traveled back, and forth, and back, and forth to settle those islands. With no maps, instruments or written texts, how did they do it? Until the 1976 voyage of the Hōkūle’a, scholars did not believe that such intentional navigation and landfinding had been possible. In this engaging presentation, Doug Herman reveals the intricate arts of Oceanic navigation and landfinding that enabled this amazing feat. Tales recounted from dozens of interviews with contemporary Hawaiian navigators, voyagers, artisans and canoe builders testify to the skills involved in building and navigating deep-sea voyaging canoes.
4:00 PM Weather Happens: The Update! Salon A
Jason P. Tuell PhD (50 minutes)
5:00 PM Science Trek: A Hitchhiker’s guide to 18 Years and $200 million of Simulations, Games, and Virtuality. And Don’t Forget the Robots! Salon A
Dr. Thomas Talbot MD (50 minutes)
Science Trek — Share Dr. Talbot’s 18 years as an accidental medical simulation inventor as he reveals how a disappointing purchase led to dozens of new medical simulators, the first interactive online cervix, ‘illegal graphics’, a nerve agent lab (the home version), $200 million spent, a few video games, the Oculus VR, synthetic children, an artificial intelligence breakthrough… and don’t forget the robots! This talk will take you on a whirlwind tour of an intriguing science trek, and more.
6:00 PM Water Water Everywhere, a wet tale of other worlds Salon A
Pamela Gay PhD (50 minutes)
7:00 PM The Pioneer Anomaly: Is Something Hinky with Gravity? Salon A
Stephen Granade PhD (50 minutes)
The Pioneer Anomaly — For years it appeared that Pioneer 1 and 2 were slowing down more than they should have. Is something hinky with gravity? Let’s review gravity, spacecraft motion, data forensics, scientific modeling, and how hard it is to keep data around.
Back to Index SCIENCE PROGRAM TRACK SUNDAY Back to Top

Science Program Schedule for Sunday, May 24, 2015

9:30 AM Science Special Guest Edie Stern — Inventor and holder of 140 information technology patents, and an SF fan Valley Ballroom
Edie Stern, Inventor & Science Special Guest (1 hour)
10:45 AM Dinosaurs: The Update! 2015 Valley Ballroom
Thomas R. Holtz Jr. PhD (1 hour)
What is the latest news concerning paleontological research into dinosaurs? What new discoveries have been made? Find out in this annual Balticon tradition.
12:00 PM Fire & Forget: Improved Patient Compliance Towards Better Single Dose Long Term Herpes Therapy Salon A
Barry Margulies PhD (50 minutes)
Herpesvirus infections last for the life of the individual who is infected. While there are adequate medications on the market, all must be taken daily, sometimes multiple times per day, to prevent recurrent outbreaks from appearing. Our research is geared toward reducing the need for patient compliance by providing steady doses of these drugs over the course of months to years with a single intervention, using implantable devices that release antiherpetic drugs slowly over that time. Our most recent invention is a biodegradable implant that dissolves while it releases medication, allowing for even better clinical outcomes.
1:00 PM MESSENGER’s Mission to Mercury Has Ended: What Have We Learned? Salon A
Noam Izenberg PhD (50 minutes)
After more than 4 years in orbit, the MESSENGER mission ended this spring with impact into Mercury. We’ll examine some of the mission’s most interesting highlights and discoveries, and the questions that still remain.
2:00 PM Sex, Maize, and How to Feed the World Salon A
Burkhard Schulz PhD (50 minutes)
3:00 PM Crustaceans in the Chesapeake: The Untold Story Salon A
J Sook Chung PhD (50 minutes)
4:00 PM Some First Results from the 2014 – 2015 Encounters with Small Solar System Bodies: Comet Siding Spring, Comet 67P, Ceres, and Pluto Salon A
Carey Lisse PhD (50 minutes)
5:00 PM Edie Stern, Inventor and Science Special Guest, with Iver Cooper, Patent Attorney Salon A
Edie Stern, Iver Cooper Esq., Marv Zelkowitz (Moderator) (50 minutes)
6:00 PM International Space University: The Update! Salon A
Laura Burns (50 minutes)
7:00 PM Physics for SF Authors: Relativity, Exploding Planets, and Black Hole Disasters Salon A
Andy Love (50 minutes)
8:00 PM Catching Apollo: A History of the Apollo Flights Salon A
Jack Clemons (50 minutes)
An insider’s view of NASA’s Apollo Moon Program, with historic videos, photographs and anecdotes. Join us for an informative and entertaining account of life as a young engineer working on the greatest adventure of our times.
9:00 PM Captain, I Canna’ Change the Laws of Physics! Salon A
Prof. H. Paul Shuch (Dr. SETI), Andy Love, and YOU (audience participation desired) (50 minutes)
Forward’s Law famously states: “Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.” But even Bob Forward conceded that adhering to scientific fact made a good story even better. How can good SF stories be made even better by adhering to science as we know it: General Relativity, Special Relativity, the observed age of the universe, evolutionary biology, and the Speed of Light limit? And what can scientists do to help authors get their facts right? But far future science fiction often depends on postulating laws of physics that have not yet been discovered. What can scientists do to help authors carefully inject new principles in ways that do not obliterate (obviate?) the old ones?
Back to Index SCIENCE PROGRAM TRACK MONDAY Back to Top

Science Program Schedule for Monday, May 25, 2015

8:45 AM “The Astronomers” — A short film by Dustin Lee of Maple Films Salon A
Paul Loeschke (12 minutes)
9:00 AM Between Heaven and Earth, Between Gamma Ray and Radio Waves: Observatory Collaborations Create New Possibilities Salon A
Inge Heyer PhD (50 minutes)
Astronomical observatories have existed since antiquity. Until fairly recently, most observing was done by visiting a given facility. In this modern space age of high tech electronic connectivity, many observing programs use multiple observatories and instruments to obtain information about the objects being studied. Observatories are linked to observe in multiple wavelengths, to increase the size of the “light-bucket”, and to take advantage of differing strengths of Earth-based and space-based platforms. We will look at a few spectacular results of these modern collaborations.
10:00 AM Allergies on Alien Planets? What would REALLY kill you? Salon A
Dr. John Cmar, Dr. Perrianne Lurie, Dr. Thomas Talbot, Sam Scheiner PhD (Moderator) (50 minutes)
12:00 PM The Foundations and Roots of Judaism Salon A
Rabbi Larry Pinsker (50 minutes)
1:00 PM Proton Therapy: Increasing the Therapeutic Ratio Salon A
Dr. Michael Chuong MD (50 minutes)
Ever since radiation has been used to treat cancer, radiation oncologists have aimed to treat tumors with an effective dose while minimizing the dose to normal surrounding tissues. While most radiation therapy worldwide is performed using x-rays, this talk will explore the unique physical properties of protons.
2:00 PM Herbicide Resistance in Plants Salon A
Burkhard Schulz PhD (50 minutes)
3:00 PM Aurora on Jupiter Salon A
Tim Livengood PhD (50 minutes)
Descriptions of the planet Jupiter usually include the words “more” or “most.” The same is true for aurorae on Jupiter, where the power that goes into this minor lightshow is comparable to all the sunlight falling on Earth. Jupiter’s aurora cooks the air, making new chemicals and making a major contribution to the planet’s global energy budget. The power to make the aurora comes from the plasma in the magnetosphere… somehow. The plasma in the magnetosphere gets hot and jets into the atmosphere… somewhere, for some reason. The plasma gets into the magnetosphere from the moon Io… mostly. Despite being a major portion of what’s going on at the planet that is most of the solar system, there is a tremendous amount of hand-waving and guesswork about the aurora, still. Next year, a brave little spacecraft carrying three Lego® minifigs will fly right through the auroral streams of Jupiter, and maybe we finally will get some answers.
 Back to Index  SKEPTICAL THINKING PROGRAM SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Skeptical Thinking Program Schedule for Friday, May 22, 2015

4:00 PM The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly Of Medical Studies: A Skeptical Journal Club Salon A
Dr. John Cmar MD (50 minutes)
One of the most important aspects of being a healthy skeptic is knowing that just because a scientific study was done on a topic does not mean that the study was done well, or that the conclusion the authors reached was supported by what they actually did. But when someone states that a particular study has major flaws or was well-done, what precisely does that mean? Join us as we analyze two different journal articles in detail, focusing on the good, the bad, and the ugly of how studies are done and interpreted.

Skeptical Thinking Program Schedule for Saturday, May 23, 2015

9:00 AM Women of Science: A History Salon A
Laura Burns (50 minutes)

Skeptical Thinking Program Schedule for Monday, May 25, 2015

11:00 AM King Kong at Loch Ness, The Outer Limits onboard Flying Saucers: Popular Science Fiction and the Genesis of Paranormal Claims Salon A
Thomas R. Holtz Jr. PhD (50 minutes)
People don’t always appreciate the impact that popular science fiction (particular TV shows and movies) has on public consciousness. A great example of this is the folklore of claims of the paranormal. Investigation of classic stories of paranormal encounters reveal how the early versions of these stories begin as recitations of then-recent mass media SF productions, unlike the later refined and retold versions.
3:00 PM Public Perception of Science: Lessons from a Dead Sheep Salon B
Adam Ruben PhD (50 minutes)
In 1997, the public learned that a sheep named Dolly had been cloned, and as it is wont to do, the public went nuts. In this humorous and informative talk, Dr. Adam Ruben, from the Science Channel’s Outrageous Acts of Science, discusses the fervor that accompanied Dolly’s arrival – and how unashamed people are to form opinions about scientific advances that they don’t understand.
 Back to Index  SPECIAL EVENTS PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Special Events Program Schedule for Friday, May 22, 2015

8:00 PM Opening Ceremonies Valley Ballroom
Presentation of the Compton Crook Award and BSFS Heinlein Award, introduction of Guests of Honor, introduction of the winneres of the Poetry and Amateur Writing Contests, and changing of the guard. (2 hours)

Special Events Program Schedule for Saturday, May 23, 2015

1:00 PM CJ Henderson Memorial Garden
(2 hours)
4:00 PM Medieval Dance Garden
Patches (2 hours)
11:59 PM Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Ballroom
Maura Taylor et al (45 minutes)
Shadowcasting Dr. Horrible

Special Events Program Schedule for Sunday, May 24, 2015

1:00 AM Once More, with Feeling Ballroom
Maura Taylor et al (45 minutes)
1:00 PM The Usual Suspects Ballroom
The Usual Suspects (1 hour)
2:30 PM Sassafrass Ballroom
Sassafrass (1 hour)
4:00 PM Contra Dance with Live Music! Garden
Kristin Seibert with musicians (2 hours)
7:00 PM Book Launch Party Garden
Danielle Ackley-McPhail (Moderator) (2 hours)
 Back to Index  SPECIAL GUESTS PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

Special Guests Program Schedule for Sunday, May 24, 2015

9:30 AM Science Special Guest Edie Stern — Inventor and holder of 140 information technology patents, and an SF fan Valley Ballroom
Edie Stern, Inventor & Science Special Guest (1 hour)
 Back to Index  TV,FILM AND VIDEO PROGRAM TRACK SCHEDULE  Back to Top 

TV, Film and Video Program Schedule for Saturday, May 22, 2015

12:00 PM Marvel Cinematic Universe Garden
(50 minutes)
1:00 PM New Doctor Who Garden
(50 minutes)
2:00 PM Old Doctor Who Garden
(50 minutes)