2010 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K| L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
RICHARD L. (Hawk) ALTSTATT
– Radiation Effects Engineer & Evil Genius Supreme Overlord
Richard L. "Hawk" Altstatt models space environments and performs radiation effects design for NASA. He received an MS in Nuclear Engineering, specializing in Plasma Physics fire) and Material Science (burning stuff) from NCSU in 1996 and an MS in Thermal Mechanics (fire again) and Instrumentation (sticking stuff in fire) from UT Space Institute in 1992. NASA work and publications include the International Leonid Meteor Shower Campaigns, the STS-107 investigation, the Hubble Telescope, the Chandra Space Telescope, the Solar Sail, the International Space Station, and the Crew Exploration Vehicle. Hawk teaches rapier, martial arts, and Eagle Claw Tai Chi, tells a good story, and is one of the world's leading experts on catching stuff on fire.
KEVIN J. ANDERSON
– Sci–Fi!Fantasy Writer & Secret Rock Lyricist
Kevin J. Anderson is the author of nearly 100 novels, 48 of which have appeared on national or international bestseller lists; he has over 20 million books in print in thirty languages. He has won or been nominated for the Nebula Award, Bram Stoker Award, the SFX Reader's Choice Award, and New York Times Notable Book. By any measure, he is one of the most popular writers currently working in the genre.Anderson has coauthored eleven books in the Dune saga with Brian Herbert, including the most recent, The Winds of Dune. Herbert and Anderson are co–producers on a major new film of Dune from Paramount. Anderson's popular epic SF series, The Saga of Seven Suns, is his most ambitious work; all seven volumes were just released in paperback and topped international bestseller lists. He is currently at work on a sweeping fantasy trilogy, Terra Incognita, about sailing ships, sea monsters, and the crusades. The first novel, The Edge of the World, was released in June 2009.
As an innovative companion project to Terra Incognita, Anderson cowrote (with wife Rebecca Moesta) the lyrics for an ambitious rock CD based on The Edge of the World. Performed by the new supergroup Roswell Six for ProgRock Records, the CD is a groundbreaking project featuring performances by rock legends from Dream Theater, Asia, Saga, Kansas, Rocket Scientists, Shadow Gallery, and others.
His novel Enemies & Allies chronicles the first meeting of Batman and Superman in the 1950s during the Cold War; also for HarperCollins!DC, Anderson wrote The Last Days of Krypton, chronicling the end of Superman's planet.
He has written numerous Star Wars projects, including the Jedi Academy trilogy, Darksaber, the Young Jedi Knights series (with Moesta), and Tales of the Jedi comics from Dark Horse. Fans might also know him from his X–Files novels or Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son. He has published comics with DC, Marvel, IDW, Wildstorm, Topps, and Dark Horse.
Anderson's newest project is Star Challengers, a series of young adult books he is writing with his wife and Dr. June Scobee Rodgers, the widow of Challenger Shuttle Commander Dick Scobee.
JOHN BRADFORD, PHD
– President; SpaceWorks Engineering, Inc.
Dr. John E. Bradford is President of SpaceWorks Engineering, Inc. (SEI). Dr. Bradfords's background is in systems integration and power/propulsion system design and performance assessment. He has served as SEI's Project Manager for numerous government sponsored programs with the Air Force Research Labs (AFRL), NASA, and DARPA. Working with various NASA field centers, he has provided both concept analysis and disciplinary expertise in the area of propulsion and aeroheating/TPS analysis. Dr. Bradford led the firm's activities in support of both the DARPA/Air Force FALCON program (under the Northrop-Grumman team) and DARPA RASCAL program (under the Coleman Research team).Prior to joining SEI in 2001, he gained experience with both government and commercial organizations including NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and GenCorp. Aerojet in Sacramento, CA. While at Aerojet, he contributed to the Strutjet RBCC program's engine performance analysis and the DARPA ARRMD (currently known as HyFly) dual-combustor ramjet hypersonic missile program's trajectory simulation. At NASA MSFC, Dr. Bradford performed engineering support for the DRACO RBCC engine demonstrator and Bantam-X projects.
Dr. Bradford holds a Ph.D and a Masters Degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering and a Minor in Computer Programming from North Carolina State University. He is currently a Senior Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and a member of both the AIAA High Speed Air Breathing Technical Committee and the Space Propulsion Synergy Team (SPST).
FRASER CAIN
– Publisher – Universe Today & Astronomy Cast Co–Host;
Wants to Explain Why the Univese Wants to Kill You
Fraser Cain is the publisher of Universe Today, one of the most popular space and astronomy blogs on the Internet, read by more than 1 million people a month.
In addition to Universe Today, Fraser is part of the Astronomy Cast podcast, which he co–hosts with Dr. Pamela Gay. Astronomy Cast is a weekly podcast that covers a range of topics in astronomy and space exploration; explaining why Pluto isn't a planet any more, the ultimate fate of the Universe, the search for extraterrestrials, and why the Universe is trying to kill you.
Ginger Campbell, M.D.
– Emergency Physician & Podcaster
Ginger Campbell, MD is the creator and host of the Brain Science Podcast, an Internet radio show that brings neuroscience to a worldwide audience. Dr. Campbell graduated from the University of Alabama School of Medicine and she has practiced emergency medicine since 1992. Dr. Campbell began podcasting in 2006 because it allows her share her ability to explain complex ideas in a concise and understandable style.This will be Dr. Campbell's second visit to Dragon*Con, but she likes to brag that she saw Gene Roddenberry in person at one of the earliest Star Trek™ events held in Huntsville, Alabama back in 1977. The highlight of the event was a screening of the previously unaired pilot for Star Trek™. (It had Spock but no Captain Kirk!) "Growing up in Huntsville made me feel like a part of the first moon landing."
To learn more about Dr. Campbell's work go to VirginiaCampbell.com. -->
A.C. CHARANIA
– President; SpaceWorks Commercial
Mr. A.C. Charania is President of SpaceWorks Commercial, a division of SpaceWorks Engineering, Inc. (SEI). Mr. Charania works with entrepreneurial and established aerospace clients to explore future commercial opportunities and to develop businesses to service those markets. He also champions and incubates SpaceWorks-led ventures. As head of SpaceWorks Commercial, he is an advocate for and analyst of commercial space markets, venture-driven space initiatives, and international space activities. Mr. Charania has been with the firm since 2000. He was previously Senior Futurist and head of the Engineering Economic Group (EEG) of SpaceWorks Engineering. Mr. Charania holds an B.S. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (with a concentration in systems design and optimization) and a B.A. in Economics/Mathematics from Emory University. He is currently a Senior Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a member of the Space Power Association, and a Board Member of the Space Frontier Foundation (SFF). Council.
AUBRY DE GREY , Ph.D
– Gerontologist, CEO SENS Foundation – Wants to Stop People From Aging
Dr. Aubrey de Grey is a biomedical gerontologist based in Cambridge, UK, and is the Chief Science Officer of SENS Foundation, a California-based charity dedicated to combating the aging process. He is also Editor–in–Chief of Rejuvenation Research, the world's highest–impact peer–reviewed journal focused on intervention in aging. He received his BA and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. His research interests encompass the characterisation of all the accumulating and eventually pathogenic molecular and cellular side–effects of metabolism ('damage') that constitute mammalian aging and the design of interventions to repair and/or obviate that damage. He has developed a possibly comprehensive plan for such repair, termed Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS), which breaks aging down into seven major classes of damage and identifies detailed approaches to addressing each one. A key aspect of SENS is that it can potentially extend healthy lifespan without limit, even though these repair processes will probably never be perfect, as the repair only needs to approach perfection rapidly enough to keep the overall level of damage below pathogenic levels. Dr. de Grey has termed this required rate of improvement of repair therapies 'longevity escape velocity'. Dr. de Grey is a Fellow of both the Gerontological Society of America and the American Aging Association, and sits on the editorial and scientific advisory boards of numerous journals and organisations. His outreach work includes around 50 invited talks and 100 media appearances per year, including numerous high–profile fora such as 60 Minutes, the Colbert Report, the Washington Post, Wired and Popular Science. In 2007, he and his rsearch assistant Michael Rae published the book "Ending Aging", a general–audience description of SENS.
SCOTT EDGINGTON, Ph.D
– JPL – Investigation Scientist
Dr. Edgington works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He is the Investigation Scientist for the thermal infrared instrument onboard Cassini. His is also a Science Planning Engineer on the Cassini Project, where he aids with the planning of Saturn Atmospheric Science. His specialty is the study of the atmospheric chemistry and physics of the Giant Planets.
STEPHEN FLEMING
- Alt. Space Industry Investor & Chief Commercialization Officer - GA Tech
An Atlanta native and fifth-generation Georgian, Mr. Fleming began his career as an Associate Member of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1979 while still a student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. After graduating with a degree in theoretical physics from Georgia Tech in 1983 (valedictorian, summa cum laude), Stephen joined Northern Telecom, which was then one of the leading optical fiber manufacturers in the world.In 1986, Mr. Fleming was recruited to join a new division of Northern Telecom, focusing on the nascent broadband marketplace. This move involved a promotion from engineering into product management. After two years, Stephen accepted an opportunity to work with LICOM, a venture-funded startup in the Dulles Corridor outside Washington, D.C.
LICOM raised $22 million of venture capital and built an award-winning fiber optic multiplexer for the telco carrier marketplace. LICOM was acquired by a manufacturer of T1 multiplexing equipment in 1989. Mr. Fleming returned to Northern Telecom as a director in the Eastern Sales Region and after two years he was asked to relocate to the U.S. headquarters in Nashville as Director of Strategic Marketing for all of Nortel's broadband products. Eventually being promoted to Associate VP of Marketing for Broadband Access.
In 1994, Mr. Fleming was approached by the founder of Alliance Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in Atlanta. He helped complete fundraising for ATV-I (which closed at $35 million under management), and was instrumental in raising ATV-II ($75 million in 1998) and ATV-III ($150 million in 2000). During his time at ATV, Mr. Fleming made 18 investments, of which only four ended up being written off. Mr. Fleming was personally responsible for the investment of $65 million over eight years.
Mr. Fleming kept his ties to the Atlanta technology community, becoming involved in the state of Georgia's high technology public policy debates and served on the board of directors for the Georgia Center for Advanced Telecommunications Technology. He also continued his close relationship with Georgia Tech, endowing a professorship and serving on advisory boards for the College of Computing, the College of Sciences, and the College of Management.
Stephen left ATV in early 2002 and for the next two years he focused on consulting work and personal angel investments, including XCOR Aerospace and other space-related startups. He also accepted a part-time position as an advisor to the Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech. Also at Georgia Tech, Mr. Fleming taught New Venture Creation, for the University's MBA program. He continues to periodically teach classes in several departments at Georgia Tech.
In mid-2003, Stephen helped organize Seraph Group, an early stage venture capital firm that is comprised of investors who are successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. He currently represents Seraph as a board observer on three investments.
Based on his work in the 'alt.space' community, Mr. Fleming was invited to testify before the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy (the "Aldridge Commission") in March 2004.
In May 2005, Stephen accepted a position at his alma mater, Georgia Tech, as Chief Commercialization Officer. His appointment led a reorganization designed to streamline the handling of intellectual property, accelerate the licensing of technology and make the Institute’s resources more readily accessible to business and industry.
Mr. Fleming enjoys music and reading and declares, ". . .his house teetering under the weight of several thousand books". He serves on the Board of Trustees of Tech High School, a charter high school emphasizing science, math, and technology in urban Atlanta. He is a frequent public speaker, discussing various topics to a wide variety of organizations. Mr. Fleming lives with his wife and 'miscellaneous cats underfoot', in mid-town Atlanta.
PAMELA L. GAY, PHD
– Astronomer, Writer & Podcaster
Dr. Pam Gay teaches at SIUE and runs the website StarStryder.com. She is a regular contributor to Astronomy Cast and spends lots of time hanging around with the skeptics group. Dr. Pamela L. Gay is perhaps best known for her work on the Astronomy Cast and Slacker Astronomy" podcasts. Combining a solid background in astronomy with a sexy voice, this young astronomer is working to bring the cosmos the the masses, one download at a time. "Astronomy Cast" is a featured podcast in iTunes, and has been in the top 20 podcasts in iTunes Science and Medicene section since its creation in September 2006.Prior to working on Astronomy Cast, Pamela, along with fellow Slackers Aaron Price and Travis Searle, was part of "Slacker Astronomy." This first ever astronomy podcast was the reason for science becoming a genre in podcast directories. Launching in February 2005, Slacker Astronomy ran for over a year. Parodying everything from the opening to ABC's Monday Night Football and the Theme to Green Acres, Slacker Astronomy combined off-beat humor with hard-core science. Off air, its three personalities produced the first peer-reviewed papers on what it takes to make a podcast and who is listening.
In addition to her podcasting, Pamela also communicates astronomy to the public through her blog "Star Stryder". Writing about astronomy and academia one sidereal day at a time, Pamela communicates not just the facts, but also the context of what we are learning about our cosmos. Her writing has also appeared in "Astronomy" magazine and "Sky and Telescope" magazine. She is also gives frequent invited public talks around the United States. In 2010, Dr. Gay was asked to be a participating scientist in the History Channel's series, The Universe.
As a believer in the concept of citizen science, Dr. Gay is actively involved with Galaxy Zoo. This extremely successful project uses regular people from around the world, on their own computers, to help identify and catalog hundreds of thousands of galaxies in images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Out of the Galaxy Zoo project has come Hanny's Voorwerp which prompted worldwide interest within the astronomical community as they attempted to figure out what this Kermit the Frog look–alike 'voorwerp' (Dutch for object) was. The whole adventure is being made into an online graphic novel, Hanny & the Mystery of the Voorwerp, which will make it's debut at Dragon*Con in 2010, as a part of The Space Track.
A public school kid through and through, Pamela received a B.S. in Astrophysics from Michigan State University in 1996 and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Texas in 2002. Today she teaches at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Her first research love was (and remains) variable stars, but she has committed scientific adultery more than once, and has taken stolen moments to explore the secrets of galaxy evolution. She serves on the council of the American Association of Variable Star Astronomers and is part of the U.S. organizing team for the 2008 Year of Astronomy.
Pamela lives in a historic house Southern Illinois with her husband, two dogs, and a lot of books. When she is not online or teaching, you might be able to find her gardening or working on DYI projects around the house.
STEPHEN GRANADE, PHD
– Physicist/Senior Scientist, DragonCon Tech Ops &
Dragon*Con TV Co–Host
Dr. Stephen Granade is a senior scientist who specializes in space-based sensors. He worked with NASA on the Advanced Video Guidance Sensor (AVGS), which measures the distance from a spacecraft to a target satellite, so that the spacecraft can dock gently with the satellite. When AVGS was first tested on orbit as part of the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology mission, the sensor guided the spacecraft right to the satellite, where the two promptly collided.
Undaunted, NASA and DARPA included AVGS in their Orbital Express mission. Orbital Express was to demonstrate a spacecraft docking with a satellite without a human guiding it. This time, no spacecraft were harmed in the process, and the spacecraft was able to transfer fuel and new computers to the satellite. This was the first such on-orbit transfer of fuel and supplies without a person guiding the spacecraft, and will hopefully let NASA and other space organizations keep satellites flying longer.
Currently he's working on a video-based sensor to measure Hubble's location and orientation that will, NASA willing, be tested during a Shuttle Flight in 2008. His PhD research was on trapping and cooling neutral atoms to nearly absolute zero by using really powerful lasers, vacuum systems, and a fair amount of Mountain Dew. During that research he only set fire to himself once, shocked himself twice, and still has two working eyes.
Stephen has been a Dragon*Con volunteer for many years, and has been involved with Dragon*Con TV. That bald-headed guy in the red shirt who dies a lot? That's him. He's also responsible for the bumpers that play between video clips before panels and events. He reluctantly admits that that Cthulhu version of Blue's Clues was his fault.
KEVIN GRAZIER, Ph.D
– JPL Scientist, Sci-Fi TV Consultant & Author
Dr. Kevin R. Grazier is a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and holds the dual titles of Investigation Scientist and Science Planning Engineer for the Cassini/Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan. His research involves long-term large-scale computer simulations of solar system dynamics, evolution and chaos with collaborators at UCLA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the University of Auckland, Purdue University and the Space Science Institute. At JPL, he has written mission planning and analysis software that won both JPL- and NASA-wide awards.Grazier has been featured in several documentaries; he co-hosted the premier episode of Discovery Channel's Science Live! Kid's Edition and even co-anchored CNN's coverage of Cassini's Saturn orbit insertion with Miles O'Brien. This year found Dr. Grazier doing segments for 3 of the History Channel's series, The Universe and he will also be in the coming season of the same series.
Grazier is currently the Science Advisor for the PBS animated series The Zula Patrol, and The Sy-Fy Channel's top rated series Eureka, as well as the recently completed Battlestar Galactica. He has co-authored The Science Battlestar Galactica, with Patrick DiJusto, and has worked with Richard Hatch on both Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming and Great War of Magellan projects.
He is also the author of The Science of Dune and The Science of Michael Crichton. A little known fact is Dr. Grazier's contribution to keeping the world laughing! Using his name in an Amazon search will not only bring up the above mentioned books as well as his contributions to various planetary science volumes, but this funny quip from The Internet Joke Book!! This comes as no surprise to Space Track Director rain – after 2008's Saturday night laugh fest featuring Dr. Grazier and his co–hort the Bad Astronomer himself, Dr. Phil Plait, she immediately signed them up for the yearly 'Kevin & Phil Show'.
In what passes for his spare time, Dr. Grazier teaches classes in basic astronomy, planetary science, cosmology and the search for extraterrestrial life at both UCLA and Santa Monica College. He is also a planetarium lecturer at Los Angeles' famed Griffith Observatory, and is the interim director of the Drescher Planetarium at Santa Monica College. He has recently taken on yet another project, Blogging. Dr. Grazier is now a regular contributor to Discovery Magazine's Science Not Fiction blog. This blog has 5 contributors each specializing in a different area of science. Dr. Grazier covers Space and Physics.
KRISS HOUGLAND
– NASA Contractor/ISS; Likes Pushing High School Students into Math & Science
Kriss Hougland is a contract at NASA where he supports the training of ISS and ground cadre. He is responsible for keeping the Laboratory Training Complex (LTC), a full size mock–up of the ISS US Lab module, running which is used for training the Huntsville ISS support cadre and as a tool to research and resolve issues. Often, he is called upon to research and analyze obscure and minute facts and details.He is also tasked with assisting, creating, or enhancing training items within the LTC. He is a member of the High schools United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) program as their computer and electronics expert where is he guiding the programs first year into embedded/microcontroller electronics.
His prior work included being the lead software developer for the Video Command and Monitoring System,Commercial Protein Crystal Growth – Video (VCMS/CPCG–V) payload that was manifested for the original ULF–1 flight.
He has a strong personal and professional interest in inspiring the future generation's interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. His personal interests and hobbies include Sci–Fi, computers, embedded electronics, Acclaim's MMORPG 9 Dragons, 1980's pinball and coin video games. He is currently unmarried and lives with one cat.
RICHARD JAKIEL
– Astronomer, Author & EPA Research Scientist
Currently, Richard is a research scientist working for The State of Georgia's Radiation Protection Program. A member of several astronomical organizations, he has contributed nearly 70 astronomy articles to magazines and professional journals that include Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, Deep Sky Observer (DSO), The Strolling Astronomer (ALPO), Astronomie Heute, Magellan, Amateur Astronomy, plus numerous descriptions and drawings for the book Night Observer's Guide. His latest articles (2010) were on the Fornax Galaxy Cluster and Whirlpool Type Galaxies. He also taught astronomy and physics at the University of West Georgia (1997–2002), and is currently the director of the Webb Society's Galaxy Section. Richard is also a review editor for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO), and a number of his images of the planets have graced the pages and covers of their main publication – The Strolling Astronomer.His current research interests include the imaging and monitoring the major bodies of the solar system and ancient (Greco-Roman) astronomy. He is currently constructing a new observatory (Duck Dodgers Observatory) in the 'wilds' of Lithia Springs.
C. LES JOHNSON
– Deputy Manager, NASA Advanced Concepts Office & Author
Les Johnson is the Deputy Manager for NASA's Advanced Concepts Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. During his career at NASA, he served as the Manager for the Space Science Programs and Projects Office, the In–Space Propulsion Technology Program, and the Interstellar Propulsion Research Project. He was the Chief Scientist for the ProSEDS space experiment. Les is the co–investigator on a Japanese solar sail space experiment that was launched in the spring of 2010. He has numerous peer–reviewed publications and was published in Analog. He is a frequent contributor to the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society and a member of the National Space Society, The World Future Society, and MENSA. He has twice received NASA's Exceptional Achievement Medal, and holds 3 space technology patents.
Living Off The Land In Space, the 2008 PROSE Award finalist, Solar Sailing: A Novel Approach to Interplanetary Travel and the soon to be published,
Paradise Regained: The Re–greening of Planet Earth. He has also co–authored his first science fiction novel, Back to the Moon. The Baen hardback is due to be released in December 2010.
Les frequently speaks to the general public about space and science. He regularly speaks to civic and community groups throughout the southeastern United States and has done so in public forums in four countries. One student at the Tec de Monterey in Monterey, Mexico told him that he was "bigger than a rock star." (Now that's something a physicist does not hear very often!) He was the technical consultant for the movie, Lost in Space. NPR, CNN, Fox News, The Science Channel and The Discovery Channel have all interviewed him about space and space exploration. Most recently, Les was featured in three episodes of Exodus Earth which debuted on The Science Channel in June of 2009.
To learn more, please visit his website: www.lesjohnsonauthor.com.
WILLIAM C. KEEL, PHD
– Astronomer & University Professor; Nighttime Live Astronomy
In the more socially respectable part of my job, I teach at the University of Alabama; mostly introductory astronomy courses with occasional forays into extragalactic astronomy and observational techniques at the graduate level.Unlike many professional astronomers, I got my start in the back yard many years ago and retain a soft spot for eyeballing the Universe. A recent major project has been writing The Road to Galaxy Formation, published in August 2002 by Springer-Praxis. A more popular effort (I hope), The Sky at Einstein's Feet, which was published in October 2005. This volume traces the many ways in which relativity has informed the last century of astronomical discovery. More information at http://www.astr.ua.edu/keel/.
JAMES P. KINNEY
– Brew Master and Beer Snob; Physicist as well
James Kinney holds a Master's degree in physics from Georgia State University. About that time, he began serious beer brewing. The brewing continued through his time teaching physics at Emory University and teaching astronomy and physics at Georgia Perimeter College. Currently, James is working for Google and is actively working on a brewing process with the executive chef for a rotating Google beer style (for local consumption only – sorry). Jim is an avid collector of impressive experimental physics imagery. Especially if it's dangerous. (Sandia National Labs Z Machine). James also serves as a judge for science fairs and Science Olympiad to satisfy his passion for science education. As the spouse of another avid space science enthusiast and frequent Space Track guest, (Ginny Mauldin-Kinney, NASA–JPL Solar System Ambassador and popular Dragon*Con speaker), James is a constant participant of lively discussions of how humans should migrate to space and what it'll take to get there.
JAMES MARSTERS
– Actor and Singer
American actor, singer and songwriter James Marsters first found international fame playing punk–goth Brit vampire Spike in the critically acclaimed American TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the equally popular spin–off Angel.Film roles include romantic love story P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler and Kathy Bates, USA Original true–crime film Cool Money, independent thrillers Shadow Puppets, The House On Haunted Hill and Chance with Buffy co–star Amber Benson. He is currently filming a live action film of DragonBall Evolution.
The Californian actor, who grew up in Modesto, has recently been seen as Capt. John Hart, in Torchwood, Barnabas Greeley in Caprica and also played Brainiac in TV's Smallville. He has guest starred in Without A Trace, Millennium, Andromeda, The Mountain and Saving Grace. One of his early television appearances was as a hotel bellhop in the television series Northern Exposure. James's voiceover talents can be found portraying Lex Luthor on the DVD release of Superman: Doomsday and he continues to read for the very popular Dresden Files books on tape series.
He has received numerous nominations and awards, including the Spacey Award, the Saturn Award, the Cinescape Face of the Future Award, the Golden Satellite Award, and the Teen Choice Award.
James attended New York's prestigious Juilliard, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, and the American Conservatory Theatre and spent 10 years doing stage work before moving to LA to work in film and television. He worked in Chicago's famous Goodman Theater and also set–up and ran companies in Chicago and Seattle.
James is also a singer songwriter and has enjoyed sell–out concerts in America, Canada, Australia and Europe. He brought out his first solo album, Civilized Man, in 2005 and has followed it up with Like A Waterfall.
In 2009, Marsters took on the role of Living Legend, Astronaut and 2nd man to walk on the Moon, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., in the movie MoonShot.
Trivia
– James is left handed
– Co–founded the New Mercury Theater in Seattle, named after Orson Welles' own theatre group
– He shaved off his famous platinum blond "Spike" locks on television in On Air With Ryan Seacrest for charity
– Wrote comic book Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Spike And Dru for Dark Horse Comics.
PATRICK MASON
– Likes to Play With Nuclear Power
Patrick Mason spends most of his time as a Reactor Engineer at a Nuclear power plant in St. Francisville, Louisiana. When he's not moving control rods or reloading nuclear fuel he travels to spread the good word of nuclear power. Over the last three years he has become Dragon*Con's resident nuclear power expert. Patrick started his career in the nuclear field working for Entergy Nuclear at their corporate headquarters in Jackson, MS. He spent most of his time inventorying spent nuclear fuel for dry storage or creating automation programs. Patrick also spent time working as a student in the Interphase Transport Phenomena Laboratory at Texas A & M University. While there he contributed to the various zero gravity two phase flow experiments, most notably one involving a space shower. He spent a short amount of time working for GE-Hitachi Nuclear in the advanced methods group helping with the creation of GE's next generation of core design and monitoring software. Most recently he was hired as a Reactor Engineer for River Bend Station in Louisiana. While there, he has been involved with several rod pattern changes, sipping of spent nuclear fuel, and the receipt of new fuel. Beyond his time at Riverbend he also spent time in Port Gibson, MS helping Grand Gulf Nuclear Station during its latest refueling outage as a Fuel Movement Supervisor.Beyond just his occupation though, Patrick is also the owner of a small gaming company known as Ruminant Productions, current producers of the Vanished Lands series of roleplaying books. He, and his fellow writers, have some big stuff in store for the future of gaming, in the small time gaming company kind of way. Patrick also holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and while not utilizing the degree in a professional manner, he does still study the field of rocketry in hopes that the US will get off its lazy duff and embrace nuclear power as the way to traverse the stars so he can finally utilize both of his degrees at the same time. Patrick has also spent some time dabbling in the creation of Animated Music Videos and won the audience favorite award at AggieCon 38 for his video: Goodnight Animatrix. The fact that Patrick was convention director of the con had nothing to do with his triumph, I'm sure. As you can tell by now, Patrick is an all around nerd, so if you manage to corner him in the halls it's likely he'll know a little something about what you feel like talking to him about, and he's usually too polite to refuse a conversation.
SARAH MILKOVICH, PHD
– JPL Planetary Scientist –
Likes High Resolution Imaging of Icy Worlds
Sarah Milkovich received her B.S. in planetary science from Caltech, and her M. S. and Ph.D from Brown University in planetary geology with studies of mountain glaciers and polar deposits on Mars, and volcanism on Mercury. Sarah joined NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2005 as a postdoctoral research fellow, studying martian ice deposits using images, radar, and topography.
She realized that she wanted to become more involved with spacecraft operations in addition to working with the scientific data, and was hired in 2008 as a science planning systems engineer. Sarah was a member of the surface operations team for Mars Phoenix during the summer of 2008, and joined the Cassini–Huygens Mission science planning team later that year.
Sarah is currently the Investigation Scientist for the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, where she represents the far-flung HiRISE science team to the JPL–based spacecraft management; keeps the lines of communication between scientists, instrument operators, and spacecraft engineers open; and works on spacecraft science operations. Sarah is also a science planner for the Cassini spacecraft, where she works to maximize science observations while managing spacecraft resources, and plans flybys of icy satellites such as Enceladus, Rhea, and Dione. Sarah's scientific research continues to focus on the geological history of the polar deposits of Mars.
REBECCA MOESTA
– Sci–Fi"Fantasy Author & Copy Editor of Kevin J. Anderson's Books
Rebecca Moesta wanted to be an author since her early teens, but it wasn1t until 1991 that she began writing in earnest. Her solo novels include Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Little Things (2002) and three novels in the Junior Jedi Knights series. With her husband, Kevin J. Anderson, she wrote the Crystal Doors trilogy, the movie novelization of THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN under the pseudonym "K.J. Anderson" (2003); a movie novelization of SUPERNOVA (2000); a novelization of the popular StarCraft computer game STARCRAFT: SHADOW OF THE XEL'NAGA, under the pseudonym "Gabriel Mesta" (2001); and a Star Trek graphic novel, THE GORN CRISIS (2001). The team, currently working on a Young Adult science fiction series, has also written two young adult TITAN A.E. novels, TITAN A.E.: CALE'S STORY and TITAN A.E.: AKIMA'S STORY (2000), two high–tech Star Wars Pop&ndashup Books, and a series of fourteen bestselling young adult STAR WARS novels, the Young Jedi Knights. Their CRYSTAL DOORS fantasy trilogy was published by Little, Brown, and they are currently working together on a series of books to promote space education in conjunction with the Challenger Learning Centers, Star Challengers.Moesta has written several short stories, both on her own and with her husband, ghost–written a novel and co–written three science fiction and fantasy books under pseudonyms. In addition to her many fiction credits, she has had photographs, computer art, and nonfiction articles published in numerous magazines.
Born in Heidelberg, Germany, to American parents, and raised in Southern California, Moesta has traveled extensively in Europe. She has one son, who is in college. She is also CEO of WordFire, Inc., the company that she and Kevin J. Anderson jointly own. In addition to her own writing, she serves as final reader and copyeditor on her husband's manuscripts.
JAMES OWENS
– Real Rocket Scientist – Likes to Sing & Act for Fun
James is the design lead of the Upper Stage structures of the Ares I rocket, and the Technical Fellow for Mechanical Design for Qualis Corporation's one thousand plus person contract to NASA. He has been doing mechanism and structure designs for space hardware since 1996, and worked on the team that did the initial layouts for Ares I and V (before they had names). He currently has a number of hardware projects on the Space Station.James considers himself quite a 'space enthusiast' and with a personal, as well as professional interest in the current happenings, he keeps up with all the latest news on the NASA budget and the Constellation Project. That same 'enthusiasm' drove James to study all the various alternatives to Ares V, such as (DIRECT, Shuttle–Derived side–mount, etc.) and the commercial launchers (Falcon 9, Delta IV, Atlas V), and all sorts of other spaceflight technologies.
James received his education at Mississippi State University. He considers himself very outgoing, he acts and sings in a band in his personal time, yet calm and even–tempered. Just wait until he takes on a Space Track audience!
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STEPHEN W. RAMSDEN
– Solar Telescope Guy & Air Traffic Controller
In his real job, Stephen Ramsden helps keep us all us safe when we fly the friendly skies, as a full time air traffic controller in Atlanta, GA. His passion though, is solar astronomy and he has an amazing array of equipment to prove it.Stephen's love of solar astronomy extends to wanting everyone to have the chance to see our Sun as he does. This idea took on new meaning to him in 2008 with the death of a longtime co–worker and friend, Charlie Bates. To continue his friend's outreach efforts, Mr. Ramsden started The Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project, a 501(c3) non profit dedicated to offering students and youth in the Atlanta area a chance to enjoy the mysteries of our nearest star. 2009 is only the second year of the Project and it is on target to reach over 15,000 children and adults. To expand the reach of this Project, Mr. Ramsden has made himself available to many groups for outreach or IT positions in the fields of science, mathematics, aviation careers and air traffic control simulation. Some of the groups he is associated with:
- NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION
- NASA / JPL SOLAR SYSTEM AMBASSADOR
- NASA / AMES SMART SKIES INSTRUCTOR
- FAA AVIATION AND SPACE EDUCATION COUNSELOR
- ATLANTA ASTRONOMY CLUB/CHARLIE ELLIOTT CHAPTER OUTREACH PROVIDER
- FAA AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER/INSTRUCTOR
- FAA GLOBE AVIATION AND SPACE EDUCATION COORDINATOR (AVSED)
- National Black Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees AVSED INSTRUCTOR
- National Hispanic Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees AVSED INSTRUCTOR
- PROFESSIONAL WOMENS CONTROLLERS, INC
Mr. Ramsden's telescopes are narrowband in nature and only show the H alpha wavelength of light eminating from Hydrogen fusion processes on the Sun. It is his first time with the Dragon*Con Space Track (much to his wife, Natalie's delight; she being a big fan of Dragon*Con) and he is looking forward to answering all questions relating to our Sun, solar astronomy and astronomy in general. He encourages everyone to come out to the Hilton's 3rd floor pool deck each day between approximately 11:30am and 3:00pm – weather permitting of course. Although new to the Space Track, he has already endeared himself to Track Director, rain, by joining in what has become standard practice for us; he has feebies to give away!! Come by and see him and get a free pair of solr eclipse viewers, donated by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (www.natca.org), while supplies last.
TRINA RAY
– Science System Engineer for the Project
Scientist on Cassini
& the co-chair of the Titan Orbiter Science Team
Trina started her career at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a bang. Her first and still favorite experience was working on the Voyager Neptune Encounter in August of 1989. Her current position is Science System Engineer for the Project Scientist on Cassini and the co&#ndash;chair of the Titan Orbiter Science Team (TOST) where she coordinates the targeted Titan science opportunities which is currently very exciting.
Trina received her Bachelor's degree in Physics from California State University, Northridge, and her master's degree in Astronomy from San Diego State University, where her research specialty was Planetary Nebulae.
Trina is an active public speaker for NASA, JPL, and Cassini and a founding member of the Cassini Virtual Singers: a group of project staff that rewrites lyrics to popular melodies and performs at various Project and Laboratory functions. Trina is a Figure Skating fanatic, traveling to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships every year. She loves to dance (especially West Coast Swing), has befriended a stray cat, and is a long time volunteer for Recording for the Blind and Dyslectic, and has recently become obsessed with the skeptics movement.
JUNE SCOBEE RODGERS, Ph.D
– Educator; Co–founder of The Challenger Center for Space Science Education
& Widow of Challenger Shuttle Commander Dick Scobee
June Scobee Rodgers is the widow of Challenger Space Shuttle Commander Dick Scobee. A tireless proponent of the space program, June is intent on fostering a new generation of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She serves as the Founding Chairman of the Board and as a Founding Director for Challenger Center for Space Science Education. The Challenger Centers encourage student interest in space and science through realistic simulations; the 50 Challenger Centers across the US and worldwide reach 400,000 students and 20,000 teachers per year, and since their founding they have put through over 8 Million students, sparking their interest in space. With award–winning and bestselling authors Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson, she has just launched a new young–adult science fiction series, Star Challengers, of SF adventures set in and around the Challenger Center network.
JASON SCHNEIDERMAN, PH.D
– Neuro–Scientist
Dr. Jason Schneiderman is a neuroscientist whom over the last decade has worked for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, NASA's Space and Life Sciences Directorate, and the National Institutes of Health on a variety of research and educational projects including those on space medicine, the biological effects of long– duration space flight, mental illness, and brain imaging. He had a BS in Psychology from Stony Brook University, a PhD in Neuroscience from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, and is currently a researcher at Harvard Medical School. His research has appeared in scientific journals including The Journal of Vestibular Research, Psychological Medicine, Biological Psychiatry, Neuropsychobiology and Schizophrenia Research.Find out more about Dr. Schneiderman from this profile.
KIM STEADMAN
– JPL Engineer – Cassini Project
Kim received both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech. In graduate school, her research area was launch vehicle design optimization. She spent a summer during graduate school working at Edwards Air Force Base on reusable launch vehicle design.Since December 2000, Kim has worked on the Cassini–Huygens Mission to Saturn. For six years, she was a Mission Planner and her job included tracking spacecraft consumables, updating software to estimate propellant usage, performing trade studies, and supporting sequence implementation. Kim then spent three years as a Science Planning Engineer where she was responsible for integrating the science and engineering activities for Titan flybys and leading implementation of sequences. Currently, Kim is a Flight Operations Systems Engineer on Cassini–Huygens where her job consists of design, uplink, and monitoring of Orbital Trim Maneuvers and support of sequence planning and development.
Kim also worked for 6 months on the Mars Exploration Rover Mission validating communication window timing using DSN coverage requests and generating data rate capability requests and data volume summaries prior to EDL (Entry Descent and Landing).
Kim was the co–author on the paper "Single Stage and Thrust Augmented Reusable Launch Vehicle Stability and Performance Study" published at STAIF (Space Technology and Applications International Forum) in January 1998.
ANGELLE MARIE TANNER, PH.D
– Professor/Georgia State University; Exo–Planet Specialist & Dreams of Finding Vulcan
Dr. Angelle Tanner is an astronomer working at the Physics and Astronomy department at Georgia State University. She is currently studying extrasolar planets using a variety of astronomical tools. She is collaborating with astronomers at JPL on the SIM–Lite space telescope which will be able to discover Earth–like planets orbiting stars like our sun. She is also using some of the largest telescopes in the world to collect images of Jupiter–like planets orbiting stars in our stellar neighborhood. In the next few years, the James Webb telescope will be able to search for the tell–tale signatures of methane gas and green plants on some of these worlds which imply the presence of alien life.Dr. Tanner has attended numerous Star Trek conventions where she talked about searching for Spock's home planet, Vulcan. There are many stars which have been popularized by science fiction works such as Star Trek, Dune, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe, Babylon 5 and even Avatar. Many of these solar systems will be observed by planet searching telescopes that will determine whether any Earth–like planets are orbiting the star and eventually attempt to determine the composition of their atmospheres. Dr. Tanner's ultimate career goal is to search for signs of life on these planets. She is proud to be able to call herself a stellar cartographer and she looks forward to finding the M class planets that her great–great grand children may one day travel to.
Dr. Tanner has written articles for Sky and Telescope, has contributed to popular content on the JPL and NASA home pages and was a guest star in The Next Generation's Legacy hosted by Wil Wheaton.
jonnyX
– Science Track Director and Evil Genius (wannabe)
Yes fans, this is your intrepid Science track leader (please hold your laughter - you'll hurt his feelings). jonnyX believes if you don't have the brains to be an Evil Genius than you can at least look the part.Away from DragonCon and his evil genius duties jonnyX is a mild mannered computer geek who only surfaces from his computer to sleep, catch the latest sci-fi/fantasy movie at the theater, play with Tigger, the call of nature and to spend hours talking with Cherise on the phone. Eating, watching sci-fi and science on tv are done with 75% of his attention on the computer screen.
jonnyX has plenty of con experience. Besides his many years as a speaker and track director at DragonCon, he began PhreakNic, a technology con held every year in Nashville and Interzone, an Atlanta computer con which, has since morphed into Outerzone. He plans to live forever (fingers crossed that future cryonics technology vastly improves) as long as he can take his cats with him. Don't ask him about Cid, it's hard to watch an evil genius cry but you can ask about Tigger and his silly antics!