The Primary Silicates (Committee)
Primary silicates are the main class of rock-forming minerals that crystallise when molten magma cools. Abundant on Earth and elsewhere in the Solar System, the simplest, Olivine, contains isolated silica tetrahedra (one silicon atom surrounded by four oxygens). How appropriate a name for our Chief Crystalline Entity, who combines the loneliness of command with the burden of keeping convention funds sequestrated. By sharing two oxygen atoms, tetrahedra form well-ordered Pyroxene chains, reminiscent of the registration queues overseen by our Vice Chair. Amphibole has a double chain structure – two series running neatly side-by-side in parallel – just like a typical Satellite programme. Mica arises from tetrahedra sharing three oxygens to form sheets. Hotels have lots of those! Finally the framework structure of Feldspar, where tetrahedra share all four oxygen atoms, reflects the goal of publicity to reach out and build networks.
Olivine
Michael Davidson (Chair & Treasurer)
Michael has been going to conventions since Christine dragged him to an Albacon in the mid-1980s. Over the years, he got the con-going bug, then succumbed to the con-running virus. He has been on the committee for all Satellite conventions, and chaired most, including our Eastercon, Satellite 4. He must enjoy it tough as he still he comes back for more, acting as Chair and treasurer for Satellite 8. Previous to all this his main contribution to cons had been running a series of 'Deface the Music' quizzes at Redemptions, Eastercons and even a Worldcon.
In the real world he runs the Radiochemistry Group in the United Kingdom Health Security Agency and when not working or SMOFing spends the rest of his time mucking around on boats, and shoving food in one end and cleaning up the mess from the other end of two cats (just hope he knows which end is which – Ed.).
Pyroxene
Morag O'Neill (Vice Chair & Scribe)
Morag’s first convention was a day event featuring Babylon 5 and including Guest of Honour, Michael O’Hare, in Glasgow way back when. After that, her next trip into the heady realms of sci-fi cons was Satellite 1, followed by Satellite 2 and Satellite 3. She bravely decided to try out a different convention, went to Novacon 42 with Christine and Michael and was prevailed upon to become Scribe to the Satellite 4 Committee, a position she filled with great expertise. From there it was a natural step to join the committee of Satellite 5, 6, 7 ... all those who have been sucked into a committee position for conventions know how this goes…
In her other life, Morag works as a Pharmacovigilance Specialist for a company specialising in all things secondary publishing, as they like to put it. Basically it means a lot of reading of papers in medical journals, identifying specific information for clients and putting it into what the client considers an easily searchable format.
Amphibole
Christine Davidson (Programme & Guest Liaison)
Christine started attending SF conventions around 1980 but only became involved in running them in 2007, drawing on experience gained organising scientific conferences. She ran Programme for all of the previous Satellite conventions, including Satellite 4 (Eastercon 2014), and looked after Guest Liaison for all but Satellite 5 and 6. She edited newsletter for Follycon (Eastercon 2018), worked on Info Desk at Interaction (the 63rd Worldcon), and served as Ops Shift Manager for Loncon 3 (the 72nd Worldcon) and Dublin 2019 (the 77th). Her ambition however is not to work on every ‘station of the con’ before she retires! Her day-job (and evenings… and weekends…) is as an academic at the University of Strathclyde, where she is Reader in Environmental/Analytical Chemistry and Associate Dean Postgraduate Research. She plays percussion in the platinum award winning Strathclyde University Concert Band, and enjoys sailing and walking, especially on the West Coast of Scotland.
Mica
Mark Meenan (Hotel Liaison)
Mark's first convention was Albacon II, he enjoyed it so much he volunteered at his next convention — Invention later the same year — and helped run the at-con registration desk. After helping again at Albacon 84 he was invited onto the committee of Albacon 85. He has been on the committee of 4 Eastercons, most recently our very own Satellite 4, and a number of worldcons including the 3 in Glasgow Intersection, Interaction and the upcoming Glasgow 2024. For these he was responsible for liaison with the SECC & the Moat House/Crowne Plaza hotel.
Mark's enormous contribution to fandom was recognised in 2014 when he was voted recipient of the Doc Weir Award.
In real life Mark works as a sysadmin at the University of Glasgow while trying to amass enough books to enter L-space.
Feldspar
Mad Elf (Publicity & Publications)
Mad Elf has been congoing since 1988. In that time he has discovered the delights of being a Gopher, Green Room Bod, Tech, and Steward, and has finally settled on Operations as the place to be. He has also been on several con committees, from the tiny Isocon 4 to Albacons and Eastercons, and only one of the resulting conventions has been classified as Better Off Not Mentioned.
Outside of conventions, he enjoys watching anime, playing computer games, and reading dodgy fan-fiction — and also writing the occasional computer game and dodgy fan-fiction. All of this is funded by a job contracting as a web applications programmer.
Beryl
Blue Beryl (Convention Mascot)
Our convention mascot this time is an anthropomorphised silica tetrahedron, knitted as always by the hugely talented Sha. We’ve named her after another of the primary silicate minerals, Beryl. The alternative name for Blue Beryl is Aquamarine. So here she is k(n)itted up and ready for an undersea adventure. Please come and meet her at Con – but we’d be grateful if you would kindly refrain from using her as a giant D4!