<div><strong>First <a href="https://www.firstlightcon.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fandom Convention</a> for Science and Engineering!</strong>
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<div>Fellow discovery and innovation fans! I am life-long science &amp; engineering communicator and unabashed fandom geek! 
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<div>You often find me speaking at Dragon Con, Shore Leave, MarsCon, FarPoint, and other exceptional fandom events that feature amazing Science Tracks.
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<div>I’m on a team launching <strong><a href="https://www.firstlightcon.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">First Light Con</a> — the world’s first fandom convention dedicated entirely to scientific discovery and engineering innovation.</strong> 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.
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<div>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.
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<div><strong>With your help, we will make that place a reality!</strong>
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<div>Welcome to First Light Con: the world’s first fandom convention dedicated entirely to scientific discovery, engineering innovation, and the people who love them.
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<div><strong>What Is First Light Con?</strong>
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<div><strong>First Light Con</strong> 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.
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<div>Think <strong>Comic Con had a transporter accident with a Hubble Telescope press conference!</strong>
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<div>Attendees will experience:
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<li><strong>Science celebrity guests</strong>: researchers, inventors, authors, humorists, educators, and pop‑culture figures who make science irresistible
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<li><strong>Hands‑on demos</strong> and workshops
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<li><strong>Panels on everything</strong> from exoplanets to AI to medical breakthroughs
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<li><strong>Cosplay contests</strong>
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<li><strong>Citizen science sign‑ups</strong>
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<li><strong>After‑hours socials</strong> and fandom‑style community events
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<li><strong>A “Meet the Pros” party</strong> where fans and scientists connect face‑to‑face
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<div>This isn’t a science fair. It’s a weekend fandom partypalooza! 
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<div><strong>Why Now? Why This?</strong>
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<div>There’s a massive and growing intersection between fandom culture and scientific curiosity. Science tracks at major conventions routinely draw thousands.
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<div>And yet…
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<div>No major convention puts science and engineering at the heart of the experience.
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<div>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 <strong>belonging, identity,</strong> and <strong>shared excitement.</strong>
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<div><strong>First Light Con fills the gap.</strong>
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<div>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.
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<div><strong> Why “First Light”?</strong>
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<div>In astronomy, first light is the moment a new telescope captures its first photons — the instant innovation becomes discovery.
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<div>That’s what this convention represents:
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<div><strong>A new beginning. A spark. A moment of illumination for thousands of curious minds.</strong>
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<div><strong>What Your Support Makes Possible</strong>
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<div>Your contribution helps us <em>hit the critical milestones</em> that turn First Light Con from <em>vision to reality</em>, including:
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<li><strong>Spreading the word</strong> far and wide so we can build the biggest, most vibrant community of attendees from Day 1
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<li><strong>Meeting venue deadlines</strong> that lock in the space we need for panels, workshops, demos, and all the magic we’re planning
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<li><strong>Booking our science celebrity guests</strong> during their limited availability windows
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<li><strong>Offering early‑bird tickets</strong> that make the event accessible and help grow our community quickly
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<li><strong>Staying on track for a successful launch</strong>, from logistics to programming to outreach
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<div>This seed funding is the difference between “Someone should do this someday” and <strong>“We are doing this now.”</strong>
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<div><strong>Broader Impact</strong>
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<div>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.
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<div><strong>First Light Con wants to change that.</strong>
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<div>By merging science with fandom culture, we create a space where:
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<li>Adults stay engaged
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<li>Youth feel inspired
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<li>Barriers fall
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<li>Curiosity becomes community
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<li>STEM becomes accessible, joyful, and culturally relevant
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<div>This is how we build the next generation of innovators — and support the ones already here.
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<div><strong>Be Part of the First Light</strong>
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<div>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.
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<div>If you’ve ever wished science had a bigger place in popular culture…
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<div>If you’ve ever been inspired by a discovery, a breakthrough, or a brilliant communicator…
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<div>If you believe curiosity deserves a home…
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<div><strong>This is your moment to help create it.</strong>
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<div><strong>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.</strong>
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<div><strong>✨ Donate today and help us turn First Light into a shining new tradition.</strong>
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<div>Let’s build a place where fandom meets the frontier.
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Mathew Kaplan

Charles Blue

Help Launch First Light Con!

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Help Launch First Light Con!

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