STEM
Noon | Location: Sooner B presented by Fowler Automotive
Open Coloring & Empathy Exhibit for Kids
Soonercon kids coloring area and hands-on empathy exhibit by Heroic Inner Kids org. Runs hourly in the Kids area during Soonercon's daytime programming hours.
Moderator: Heroic Inner Kids
Panelists: Heroic Inner Kids
3:00 PM | Location: Boomer B
Teaching a Robot to Be Kind: The Ethics of Autonomous Systems in Fiction and IRL
Autonomous systems are great at hard-coded inputs and pretty good at keeping the show on the road without a lot of oversight. As these systems begin to manage whole aspects of our society, how do we teach them to be ethical, despite our own less-than-perfect nature?
Moderator: Mel White
Panelists: Dara Fogel, PhD, Loretta McKibben, Mel White, Pigeon, Tim Frayser, William Ledbetter
Tracks: Culture & World Affairs, Science Fiction, STEM, Internet Life
3:00 PM | Location: Noble
Observing Our Star
Observe our very own star, the Sun, in ways you’ve never seen before! From our ancient ancestors to the latest NASA heliophysics, learn how humans view the Sun and its vital role in our world and our Solar System.
Moderator: Okie Space Queen
Panelists: Okie Space Queen
Tracks: STEM
4:00 PM | Location: Embassy Hotel: Bedlam 1 Boardroom
Intro to Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing)
Ready to get into 3D printing but don't know where quite to begin? Learn about the various AM technologies used throughout the world today, material science, design principles for AM and slicing techniques to give you better and stronger prints at home. (2 hours. Limit 14 participants.)
Moderator: WandererTJ
Panelists: WandererTJ
10:00 AM | Location: Sooner B presented by Fowler Automotive
Open Coloring & Empathy Exhibit for Kids
Soonercon kids coloring area and hands-on empathy exhibit by Heroic Inner Kids org. Runs hourly in the Kids area during Soonercon's daytime programming hours.
Moderator: Heroic Inner Kids
Panelists: Heroic Inner Kids
10:00 AM | Location: Noble
Okie Space Planetarium
Get ready for summer stargazing with a visit to the Okie Space Planetarium. The Okie Space Planetarium is a portable planetarium showing a special presentation just for Soonercon guests detailing the summer constellations and upcoming astronomical events. All ages welcome. Shows are 15 minutes long and space is limited to 15 people at a time in the planetarium.
Moderator: Okie Space Queen
Panelists: Okie Space Queen
11:00 AM | Location: Sooner A
Norman's Historic Weather Legacy
From the Embassy Suites, you can look to the east and see several radar domes, the former home of the National Severe Storms Laboratory on OU's North Campus. That area is historic ground in the history of weather forecasting and understanding in the United States, as well as the world. Now a multi-agency group of federal and state entities is housed in the OU Weather Center on OU's South Campus. Loretta worked as a systems administrator, programmer, and in computer support at NSSL from 1991 through 2001. She began storm chasing long before it was popular and has a few opinions and stories about Hollywood's treatment of storm research ("Twisters" is now filming in Oklahoma). Let's learn more about Oklahoma's legendary role in meteorology and related sciences.
Moderator: Loretta McKibben
Panelists: Loretta McKibben
Tracks: STEM
5:00 PM | Location: Boomer B
2023: Welcome to the Singularity. Sorta.
We've talked for a long time about how AI would someday reach “the Singularity.” With things like the recent deployment of ChatGPT, is that day today? Whether this is a positive development or a negative one remains unknown. As a society, what's our role in steering this technology towards a positive direction rather than one that destroys our perception of facts, critical thinking, and language composition? Are things that desperate?
Moderator: Daniel Erickson
Panelists: Brian A. Hopkins, Daniel Erickson, Loretta McKibben, THE james k burk, William Ledbetter
Tracks: Writing & Publishing, STEM, Culture & World Affairs, General Interest
10:00 AM | Location: Sooner B presented by Fowler Automotive
Open Coloring & Empathy Exhibit for Kids
Soonercon kids coloring area and hands-on empathy exhibit by Heroic Inner Kids org. Runs hourly in the Kids area during Soonercon's daytime programming hours.
Moderator: Heroic Inner Kids
Panelists: Heroic Inner Kids
10:00 AM | Location: Embassy Hotel: JQH Boardroom presented by Morningstar Storage
Using 3D Models to Bring a Cosplay to Life
Come learn the start-to-finish process of what it takes to turn 3D digital models into physical props and armor for your cosplay. We will discuss 3D models and file types, file preparation, scaling, creating printable pattern-files (2D and 3D), and the ins-and-outs of finishing your pieces with an emphasis on smoothing 3D prints. (2 hours. Limit 14 participants.)
Moderator: WandererTJ
Panelists: WandererTJ
1:00 PM | Location: Embassy Hotel: Crimson Meeting Room
Yes! Science!
Through captivating interviews, mesmerizing experiments, and enlightening literary explorations, Yes! Science! is a gateway to the limitless possibilities of STEM, inviting everyone to embrace the wonder of scientific inquiry. A production of www.TheShowStartsNow.tv. Join Pallas the Librarian for this live episode recording with Soonercon STEM guest of honor, Loretta McKibben, as they cover thriving in STEM-related careers, unveiling the incredible stories behind the work, the fascinating journeys and the invaluable contributions STEM professionals make to society.
Moderator: Dennis Spielman
Panelists: Dennis Spielman, Loretta McKibben, Pallas the Librarian
Tracks: Content Creation & Podcasting, STEM
3:00 PM | Location: University C
Space Telescopes: Our Eyes On The Universe
Come and explore the Hubble Space Telescope, the most important tool ever invented by humans. How did its data and creation revolutionize our understanding of our solar system and the universe? Hubble is one of the Great Observatories which also included the Chandra (X-Ray) and the Spitzer (Infrared). The Kepler mission used a space telescope to search for planets around other stars in one small section of the night sky, and found thousands! Of course, we'll discuss the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which may detect the first light in our infant Universe (over 13 billion years ago). Finally, the newest space telescope yet to be launched, is named for a female astronomer!
Moderator: Loretta McKibben
Panelists: Loretta McKibben
Tracks: STEM