Category: Science Guest

Lexi Cleveland

March 31, 2026 / ravenchair

Lexi Cleveland is the Executive Vice President at ARtGlass, a leading software technology company with headquarters in Richmond, VA, and Milan, Italy. With a passion for early American history and interactive programming. She holds a B.A. in History from the College of William & Mary, where she also earned a certificate in Early American History, Material Culture, and Museum Studies from the National Institute of American History and Democracy. Additionally, she furthered her academic pursuits by obtaining an M.A. in American Studies from Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Throughout her career, Lexi Cleveland has been actively involved in groundbreaking projects that aim to interpret and bring to life the experiences of enslaved Virginians. She has used her expertise to launch initiatives at renowned historical sites such as Colonial Williamsburg, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, James Monroe’s Highland, and Richmond’s Monument Avenue. By combining her extensive knowledge of early American history with her skill in interactive programming, Lexi has successfully fostered a deeper understanding of the lives and legacies of those who have shaped our nation’s past.

Lexi Cleveland’s unwavering commitment to historical preservation, coupled with her proficiency in software technology, has established her as a respected authority in the field. With her vast experience and notable contributions to the intersection of history and technology, she continues to make valuable strides in making the past accessible and engaging for audiences worldwide.

Rebecca Gibson

March 29, 2026 / ravenchair

Rebecca Gibson is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Virginia Commonwealth University, and recipient of the university’s Excellence in Pedagogical Innovation Award. Her published works include Desire in the Age of Robots and AI: An Investigation in Science Fiction and Fact (Palgrave Macmillan 2019); The Corseted Skeleton: A Bioarchaeology of Binding (Palgrave Macmillan 2020); and The Bad Corset: A Feminist Reimagining. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from American University, and when not writing or teaching can be found reading mystery novels amidst a pile of stuffed animals.

A.M. Giddings

March 29, 2026 / ravenchair

A.M. Giddings is a writer, scientist, cellist, independent filmmaker, and aspiring swamp hag from North Carolina. She has a PhD in Microbiology and has authored multiple scientific articles in virology, cell line design, and gene therapy. She enjoys writing stories that live within the murky boundaries between genres. She is the author of the futuristic dark fantasy series Dance of Ages, which begins with Shadow into Light and has short stories in various anthologies. She recently wrote and directed her first short horror film with Sick Chick Flicks. She is also the co-director of the Sick Chick Flicks Film Festival.

Sam Scheiner

March 12, 2026 / ravenchair

Sam Scheiner is a long-time fan and scientist. He grew up in the Pittsburgh area and got involved in fandom during college. At the University of Chicago, he reincarnated their science fiction club. He met his wife at Windycon in Chicago, and his child attended their first con at the age of 4 weeks, sleeping underneath a huckster table. He was the CFO for DisCon III and currently is involved in the Washington Science Fiction Association and is a past chair of the local convention—Capclave.

His scientific areas of expertise are ecology and evolution, and he has published 11 books, including The Ecology of Plants and The Theory of Ecology, and over 120 scientific papers. He also co-authored a book with SF author Phyllis Eisenstein on arthritis. He retired after working for 26 years as a Program Director at the U.S. National Science Foundation, having escaped just in time, but continues as an active researcher.

Sign Guy

March 9, 2026 / ravenchair

Your friendly neighborhood Sign Guy is a professional nerd from a family of professional nerds who occasionally convinces people he’s competent enough to present things at conventions. When not talking at crowds, he works with satellites, ships, and dives far deeper into pulp-era sci-fi than is medically advisable.

Alan Smale

March 9, 2026 / ravenchair

Alan Smale writes alternate history, historical fantasy, and hard SF. His novella of a Roman invasion of ancient America, “A Clash of Eagles”, won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History, and his novels set in the same universe, Clash of Eagles, Eagle in Exile, and Eagle and Empire (2015-2017) are available from Del Rey. His “Roman baseball” collaboration with Rick Wilber, The Wandering Warriors, came out from WordFire Press in 2020. Hot Moon, his alternate-Apollo “techno-thriller with heart”, set entirely on and around the Moon, was launched by CAEZIK SF & Fantasy in 2022, with sequels Radiant Sky in 2024 and Burning Night in 2025.

Alan has sold over fifty stories to Asimov’s and other magazines and anthologies, and his short story “Gunpowder Treason” earned him a second Sidewise Award in 2022. His non-fiction essays have appeared in Lightspeed, Journey Planet, and Galaxy’s Edge.

Alan grew up in Yorkshire, England, and earned degrees in Physics and Astrophysics from Oxford University. Until recently he performed astronomical research at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and served as director of an astrophysical data archive. He also sings bass with high-energy vocal band The Chromatics, and is co-creator of their educational AstroCappella project, spreading astronomy through a cappella in schools across the country.

David Brin

October 13, 2025 / ravenchair

David Brin is a scientist, tech speaker/consultant, and above all a proud sci fi author. His novels about our survival and opportunities in the near future include Earth and Existence. A film by Kevin Costner was based on The Postman. His 16 novels, including NY Times Bestsellers and Hugo Award winners, have been translated into more than twenty languages. Earth foreshadowed global warming, cyberwarfare, and the world wide web.

David has lately been “paying forward” by mentoring new or rising authors through his two series of Young Adult science fiction novels*.

Speaking and advising about how science, technology and evolving values will affect our onrushing future, David has keynoted for IBM, Google, Procter & Gamble, SAP, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Price-Waterhouse, the Mauldin Group and Casey Research, all the way to think-tanks, Homeland Security and the CIA.

A Caltech Distinguished alumnus, Brin spent a decade advising NASA’s Innovative & Advanced Concepts program (NIAC). He appears frequently on shows such as Nova and The Universe and Life After People. His first non-fiction book—The Transparent Society—won the Freedom of Speech Award. His second nonfiction book is Vivid Tomorrows: Science Fiction and Hollywood (2021). His third—about Artificial Intelligence—is nearing completion.

See more at: DavidBrin.com

*The Out of Time (or Yanked!) series: Only teens can teleport through time and space! Dollops of fun, adventure & optimism for young adults. AND

The High Horizon series: aliens kidnap a California high school!