Clarity and ConFusion

This past weekend, I traveled to Troy (a suburb of Detroit) to speak at a science fiction convention. ConFusion, as it is called, draws authors, artists, and musicians to present their work and views to a crowd of enthusiasts. What makes this "con" unusual is the parallel track of scientific talks. Guest scientists are treated with the same respect and excitement as other "celebrities" at the con, and I can report that their sessions are well-attended too.
Unfortunately, I missed the Science Guest of Honor, Kevin Dunn, whose various presentations focussed on how chemistry has influenced (and sometimes directed) human history. Think fire and, later, gunpowder.

I was lucky enough to see Bill Higgins, a radiation scientist from Fermilab who gave an overview of planetary science missions around the solar system: Mercury MESSENGER, Cassini, Spirit and Opportunity, etc. It was a great talk that wound from planet to planet with a healthy dose of tangents in between.

The good and bad news was that I had to follow Bill, a ConFusion veteran (over 20 years as presenter) and whose talk was a rousing success. It was more good than bad because the vast majority of his audience stuck around for my talk (over 50 people). They were undeniably science-fiction geeks, and they asked insightful questions. Their science literacy and awareness was such that I was unfamiliar with several of the more specific inquiries (e.g. environmental and health impact of using depleted uranium in tank armor and weapons).

However, the crowd was very excited by our nuclear research at NSCL and our future potential. That's why I was excited to speak with this audience: I knew they'd have a keen personal interest in nuclear science, given that they had chosen to attend my talk rather than other concurrent sessions such as Chocolate Tasting and Interstellar Empires in Fiction. It's always good to know there are science fans out there who understand the importance and wonder of pure science research. That passion is not lessened by the fact that they may also like to dress up as pirates.