Bill Leaf retired as an Infantry Major after 23 years in the Army. He then retired from teaching science after 20-plus years. He is currently Special Projects Director at the Military Museum of Fort Worth. He has designed and printed 3D versions of Honorverse warships for the chapters to use on their fan tables. He is licensed to print CASPERs from Chris Kennedy’s 4 Horseman Universe.
He has participated in the “Firearms for Writers” panel at both Fencon and P-Con. He has presented or been part of “How to Design a SF Spaceship” at Tulkon, FenCon, and P-Con, As well as “SF Spaceships, Art or Engineering” at Manticon 2017, Tulkon, FenCon, and P-Con.
He resides in Sansom Park, TX with his wife Jackie (The Star Trek Jeopardy Queen).
Stories set aboard ships often highlight bonds formed through shared danger, isolation, and purpose. These relationships have captivated audiences in fantasy, sci-fi, historical adventure, and modern fiction. This panel explores why the idea of a crew resonates so deeply and why found families remain a powerful force in character-driven storytelling.
Academic writing is meant to reward research, reasoning, and intellectual honesty. This panel examines what happens when those standards break down, from poorly supported arguments to institutional responses that undermine education itself. Using anonymized and hypothetical scenarios, panelists explore how bad writing, misplaced outrage, and weak oversight collide, along with what students, educators, and readers should actually expect from higher education.