Help Launch First Light Con!
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First Fandom Convention for Science and Engineering!
Fellow discovery and innovation fans! I am life-long science & engineering communicator and unabashed fandom geek!
You often find me speaking at Dragon Con, Shore Leave, MarsCon, FarPoint, and other exceptional fandom events that feature amazing Science Tracks.
I’m on a team launching First Light Con — the world’s first fandom convention dedicated entirely to scientific discovery and engineering innovation. I’ve spent my career sharing the wonders of science and excitement of innovation, and now I’m working with a like-minded team to build a place where that excitement becomes a full‑scale community experience.
Imagine a place where the thrill of scientific discovery meets the electric energy of a fandom convention. A place where astrophysicists and engineers share a stage with beloved science communicators, where cosplay meets citizen science, and where curiosity becomes a community.
With your help, we will make that place a reality!
Welcome to First Light Con: the world’s first fandom convention dedicated entirely to scientific discovery, engineering innovation, and the people who love them.
What Is First Light Con?
First Light Con is a first‑of‑its‑kind, multi‑day, immersive fandom convention that puts science and engineering at the center of the experience. It’s designed to bridge the gap between fundamental research and popular culture — not with lectures, but with excitement, creativity, and community.
Think Comic Con had a transporter accident with a Hubble Telescope press conference!
Attendees will experience:
- Science celebrity guests: researchers, inventors, authors, humorists, educators, and pop‑culture figures who make science irresistible
- Hands‑on demos and workshops
- Panels on everything from exoplanets to AI to medical breakthroughs
- Cosplay contests
- Citizen science sign‑ups
- After‑hours socials and fandom‑style community events
- A “Meet the Pros” party where fans and scientists connect face‑to‑face
This isn’t a science fair. It’s a weekend fandom partypalooza!
Why Now? Why This?
There’s a massive and growing intersection between fandom culture and scientific curiosity. Science tracks at major conventions routinely draw thousands.
And yet…
No major convention puts science and engineering at the heart of the experience.
Traditional science festivals tend to be youth‑focused and passive. Adults often end up as observers rather than participants. Meanwhile, fandom conventions thrive because they create belonging, identity, and shared excitement.
First Light Con fills the gap.
It brings science into the world of fandom — where people of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of scientific literacy can engage, learn, and feel part of something bigger.
Why “First Light”?
In astronomy, first light is the moment a new telescope captures its first photons — the instant innovation becomes discovery.
That’s what this convention represents:
A new beginning. A spark. A moment of illumination for thousands of curious minds.
What Your Support Makes Possible
Your contribution helps us hit the critical milestones that turn First Light Con from vision to reality, including:
- Spreading the word far and wide so we can build the biggest, most vibrant community of attendees from Day 1
- Meeting venue deadlines that lock in the space we need for panels, workshops, demos, and all the magic we’re planning
- Booking our science celebrity guests during their limited availability windows
- Offering early‑bird tickets that make the event accessible and help grow our community quickly
- Staying on track for a successful launch, from logistics to programming to outreach
This seed funding is the difference between “Someone should do this someday” and “We are doing this now.”
Broader Impact
People learn science best through self‑directed, interest‑driven, social experiences — exactly the environment fandom conventions excel at creating. But participation in STEM engagement drops sharply with age.
First Light Con wants to change that.
By merging science with fandom culture, we create a space where:
- Adults stay engaged
- Youth feel inspired
- Barriers fall
- Curiosity becomes community
- STEM becomes accessible, joyful, and culturally relevant
This is how we build the next generation of innovators — and support the ones already here.
Be Part of the First Light
Launching a convention is a bold undertaking. But every major fandom event — every Comic Con, every DragonCon, every iconic gathering — started with a small group of people who believed in the idea before it existed.
If you’ve ever wished science had a bigger place in popular culture…
If you’ve ever been inspired by a discovery, a breakthrough, or a brilliant communicator…
If you believe curiosity deserves a home…
This is your moment to help create it.
Your support will help bring the world’s first science‑and‑engineering fandom convention to life — and ignite a movement that celebrates discovery as passionately as we celebrate our favorite stories.
✨ Donate today and help us turn First Light into a shining new tradition.
Let’s build a place where fandom meets the frontier.
Organizer
