Bahama, aka John Bregenzer, earned his Ph.D. in anthropology with a study of cultural change in the out-island Bahamas: "Tryin' to Make It: Adapting to the Bahamas." University Press of America, 1976. In 1978 he began research into how computerized communication is changing world culture. He chaired a session on this topic at the meetings of the American Anthropological Association in San Francisco in 1990. In this he was able to draw on years of collaboration in the SolSys Simulation. For two years Bahama ran his own SolSys colony: Northwest Passage, a plausible future environment under earth's north polar icepack, not entirely dissimilar to the environment of the early Bahamas in it's desolation, but with vastly changed technology.

... is an award winning artist who divides his time between painting, sculpturing, and computer graphics. He teaches computer graphics at Modesto Junior College and CSU-Stanislaus. In the 1980's Hagan organized projects exploring the nature of the creative proccess in which scientists, artists and writers collaborated on exercises in disciplined imagination. He has carried on with this concept as cofounder of the annual CONTACT conferences. An active advocate of international space efforts, Hagan is founder and board member of the International Association of Astronomical Artists.

… is former Secretary-General of the World Futures Studies Federation, an international professional non-governmental organization that has "consultative status" with UNESCO; a part-time futures consultant for neoFutures; author of a new science-fiction thriller; a former professor of Futures Studies at the University of Houston-Clear Lake; and, currently a federal grant coordinator at the University of Hawai`i. Jones served as Faculty Leader for the Luna Settlement in SolSys 1994-1999 and has been a regular at CONTACT conferences. He was a founding member of the Honolulu L-5 society, wrote his MA thesis on space development, and dreams of retiring to a micro-gravity orbital habitat. In the meantime, he can be found in his LEO Station office, in the persona of "Owlz."

... is an astronautical engineer and author with degrees in physics and systems management, has published fiction as "G. David Nordley," technical papers and nonfiction articles, including "Don't Rule Out Intersteller Probes". He works at his home in Sunnyvale, CA, consulting, writing and investing. His stories appear in Analog and Asimov's magazines, and elsewhere.

      From December 2001, I have joined my colleagues at the Finland Futures Research Centre at the Turku School of Economics and Business Administration for a six-month stay as a Fulbright Lecturer and Researcher.
     From August 1996 through August 2001, I was Visiting Assistant Professor in Studies of the Future at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. During that time I organized two conferences, designed and taught six different graduate seminars, edited the five-year program review, and served for one year as Acting Chair.       I have also worked with the International Space University, lecturing on futures studies and visioning at ISU's Summer Session `95 in Stockholm, and at the inauguration of their Master's program in October 1995 in Strasbourg, France.
      I completed my doctoral dissertation, "Futures Fluency: explorations in vision, leadership, and creativity," in 1995, and have served as both an Executive Council member of the World Futures Studies Federation and as a Course Director for the WFSF Futures Seminar in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

. . . is Research Scientist with the Center for Mars Exploration and the Computational Sciences Division of NASA Ames. Michael received a BS in Physics and a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Mathematics from Rutgers University and has been at NASA Ames Research Center since 1987. His research includes robotics, machine learning, visualization, and tools for enhancing and easing scientific modeling. He was one of the founding members of the artificial intelligence and the intelligent mechanisms groups at Ames.
      Previously he served as agent for artificial intelligence, robotics and human performance for NASA's Office of Exploration. Michael is actively involved in plans for future planetary missions including robotic activities and human settlements on the Mars and the Moon. He is involved in the Haughton-Mars Project where he coordinates robotic activities. He was a participating scientist on the Pathfinder mission and is co-investigator on the Mars 2003 rover missions.

... is an anthropologist with over 30 years of teaching experience at a number of universities and community colleges. He is currently at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. His research interests have included biological anthropology, demographic and genealogical anthropology, Native American Ethnohistory, cultural futures, and metalaw. He has taught a course in Anthropology Through Science-Fiction several times and his library includes over 40 years of Analog magazine. Bob is a veteran of First CONTACT, and currently serves as CONTACT Secretary.

Elizabeth Viau is Emeritus Professor in the Charter School of Education at California State University, Los Angles, where she taught classes in the use of technology in education and continues to teach World Builders, . Elizabeth has attended a number of CONTACT Conferences, AstroBiology Conferences in Washington State and at NASA Ames, and a Lunar and Planetary Society Workshop on Martian Analogs. She also participated in workshops on the Burgess Shale and at the Royal Tyrell Museum in Alberta, Canada.