** Tentative Topic list — subject to change without notice **

SCI001 Alien Communications Challenges

How will we be able to talk with aliens when we cant yet communicate with intelligent animals on earth? A panel discussion of what we’ve learned about communicating with dolphins and other intelligent animals and how this can be applied to a first contact situation.

SCI002 Europa, Jupiter’s moon, is like Earth but much much colder.

What can we learn from this? Will it evolve life like we did?

SCI003 Popular Misconceptions In Astronomy

What things are believed to be true by the public that really aren’t?

SCI004 Cutting Edge Forensics And Genetics

Panelists with expertise discuss these areas and the latest knowledge in them.

SCI005 Space Programs Outside

The US An update on the progress of space programs of countries outside the US.

SCI006 Nationalism And Space Explorations

Will voters vote for space exploration without a rival power to race? How does the Presidents decision about the Moon affect the space industry?

SCI007 The Universe Is Quiet, Does That Mean We Should Hide?

We keep searching for extraterrestrial communication without finding it. Are our neighbors hiding? Does that mean we should keep a low profile too?

SCI008 So You Want To Be An Astronaut

Discussion of the requirements for the Astronauts in the past and what the requirements will be for the future.

SCI009 When Science Fiction Becomes Science Fact

From the Golden age of Sci Fi, things that were fiction then that are fact now! And what should we expect from the future.

SCI010 Future Of Bio Tech

Effects of zero-G on plant life as well as radiation and other factors of space flight on growing plants for food for long space journeys.

SCI011 Sex In Space

Not the physics of how it is done, but the effects of zero gravity on a fetus. Plus radiation, and other factors for long space flights.

SCI012 The Future From Now

If we project forward from where we really are right now to space opera or even shorter term significant space travel, if we start with the assumption that that’s still going to happen, what’s it going to look like?

SCI013 Whats Up Doc?

A discussion about what is coming up in the space program in the next few years.

SCI014 40+ Years Of US Space Travel

We first went into Space 40 years ago. A look at the history of the United States Space Program.

SCI015 Making A First Contact

We can not even communicate with the other intelligent creatures of our own planet, how will we be able to form communication with aliens? Would we start an interstellar war by offering a hand shake?

SCI016 Science Which We All Know Which Is Wrong

There is so much misunderstanding about science out there today that we all know some facts which are wrong. A discussion of these misunderstandings.

SCI017 Today Is The Future: Where Science Fiction Got It Right And Wrong

It is 2010. We are supposed to have a flying cars and a robot maid. Where are they? Did we anticipate personal computers, cell phones, other things we currently have?

SCI018 Is The United States Still Number One In The Space Race?

Nationalism and space explorations. Will voters vote for space exploration without a rival power to race?

SCI019 Where Are The Next Mad Scientists?

How do we get the children of today interested in and prepared to be our next group of scientist?

SCI020 Solar Sailing

Not Jimmy Buffet in Space but an approach for exploring the solar system using sunlight as fuel.

SCI021 Paradise Regained: The Re-Greening Of Earth

How space resources can help provide a better future for all of humanity and preserve the Earth at the same time Space Activists and Environmentalists UNITE!

SCI022 Interstellar Travel

The dream as opposed to what is and will be possible.

SCI023 Space Law

This idea has been used three times and was thought a joke panel at the start, each time. Space Law is a serious subject because it has both an intra- and inter-species possibility. It can be discussed as an academic (there are quite a few University Law Schools that teach it as a discipline) or as a practical function that will be necessary now and in the future. The Space Station, today, is acting under Japanese Law, not English Common Law, Napoleonic Law, Judaic Law or Shirria Law. This was done by usage, for the Japanese own more of the station than any other participating nation. As for the future, how do we meld Terrestrial Law with other life forms’ jurisprudence when we meet them in our travels? Figure combining the Bill of Rights with the Rules of Acquisition.

SCI024 Are Clones Kosher?

When we’re finally able to clone a chicken breast, will it be something that vegetarians will eat? Will it be Kosher? Halaal? Will it taste the same as the “original”? Will anyone want to eat it? Many science fiction authors have speculated about “vat-grown meat”, but are we actually on the verge of having it to serve on the dinner table? Will it help end famine and starvation, or just make things worse?

SCI025 The Future Of Medicine

Medicine is evolving at an amazing pace. New discoveries, technology, etc. are announced every day. What will medicine be like in 100 years? Will we have tricorders and neuroscanners like in Star Trek? How about growing or cloning organs? Will we be using organics to solve problems instead of nanobots? What about Star Wars style healing tanks?

SCI026 Funny Stories From Scientific Research And Development

Our panelists will entertain you (and frighten you) with personal experiences and other true stories about the R&D business.

SCI027 The Physics Of Superheroes

Is there anything believable about Superman’s powers? Batman’s abilities? How can you explain what superheroes do? What about technology to augment?

SCI028 Interstellar Transportation

What have scientists learned about traveling between the stars? We’ve done lots to study interplanetary travel, but have we made any progress in getting to Alpha Centauri?

SCI029 Exoplanets And Other New Discoveries

We’ve finally developed the technology to detect planets around other stars. We started out with Jupiter-like ones, then on to Earth-like ones. How do they do it? What else have they discovered? Surfaces of other stars? Black holes at the center of most galaxies?

SCI030 Superstrings, M-Space And P-Branes

Oh My! We’ve gone from a spherical universe to an aspherical one, static to expanding, quantum physics to string theory to membrane theory. Where are we now? Whats the cutting edge in our understanding of the universe?

SCI031 Longevity Panel

This panel is aimed at the planet’s future medical situation; practical, social, moral, and technical; developmental and
physical. The social and moral ramifications of Longevity are problems that are suited to Fandom’s area of expertise. Included will be discussions of prostheses, surgical advances, biologic and chemical cures. Panel members should be made up of two medical professionals, one social service type, an interested party and a moderator.

SCI032 James Webb Telescope

SCI033 Explorer Missions

Small Missions, Big Science

SCI034 Cities of the Future

SCI035 Trans-humanism

The wonderfully slippery slope from assistive technologies to human augmentation.

SCI036 Earth Crossing Objects: Possible impactors past, present, and future.

SCI037 Selected Results from Science Humor Journals

SCI038 The Prospects for Finding Intelligent Life beyond the Earth

SCI039 Computing Before Computers

A tour through the prehistory of computing: slide rules, Babbage engines, and more. Before silicon chips took over
the job, there were other ways of doing computing — quite a few ways, in fact, some going back thousands of years.

SCI040 The Science of Gaming

A presentation on how physical simulation and the science of light is used in games and other entertainment.