Aaron Pollyea has a background in astronomy and physics, but currently has a day job dealing with climate change and its intersection with agriculture. He has been a life-long Star Trek fan, and has been working as a freelance writer for Star Trek Adventures since it began. In his free time, Aaron may be found gazing through his telescope, reading a good book, or doing historical reenacting with his wife. Al Spader is a middle school science teacher, father of five-year-old twin boys, and a freelance RPG writer and game designer. As a regular writer for Star Trek Adventures and lead designer of the Sentience 2d20 RPG, Al brings his knowledge of neurodivergence and social-emotional learning to the TTRPG community. Please check out these relevant links: REDACTED! Core Rulebook (coming soon!)Saucer Squadron Core RulebookPioneer RPG Kickstarter Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Dr. Aaron Peterson comes to Converse University from the North Star State of Minnesota. He holds an EdD in Educational Leadership with a focus on higher education administration from Minnesota State University, Mankato, an M.S. in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution from Creighton University’s School of Law and a B.S. in a double major of Communication Studies and Aviation Operations from St. Cloud State University. Dr. Peterson is the Director for the Doctorate in Professional Leadership and Assistant Professor of Leadership. He teaches in the Doctorate in Professional Leadership and the Master’s in Management programs. He is also currently developing graduate courses focusing on higher education leadership. He previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership with emphases in higher education and student affairs at Minnesota State University, Moorhead. Prior to faculty roles, he served in multiple leadership roles in higher education and student affairs. These areas include residential life, financial aid, and student advising. Please check out these relevant links: Faculty WebsiteSecond Star to the Right: Essays on Leadership in Star TrekCall for Chapter Proposals: Beyond the Next Star Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Derek Tyler Attico is a speculative fiction author, essayist, and award-winning photographer. In fiction, Derek has won the Excellence in Playwriting Award from the Dramatist Guild of America, and he is a two-time winner of the Star Trek Strange New Worlds short story contest (“Alpha & Omega,” “The Dreamer and the Dream”) published by Simon and Schuster. Derek is also the author of the bestselling, critically acclaimed Star Trek novel The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko by Titan Publishing. Please check out these relevant links: WebsiteThe Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Dr. Michael Wong is an NHFP Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Science's Earth & Planets Laboratory working with Robert M. Hazen and others. His primary scientific interests are planetary atmospheres, habitability, biosignatures, and the emergence of life. He is also co-authoring a revised edition of the textbook “Astrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approach” with Professor Jonathan Lunine. His other passions include photography, writing, public speaking, graphic design, and playing a variety of team sports. He hosts a podcast called Strange New Worlds, which examines science, technology, and culture through the lens of Star Trek. Please check out these relevant links: Paper in Nature (behind a paywall)Strange New Worlds PodcastWebsiteTwitterInstagramPioneer RPG KickstarterTraveller RPG Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Ross Leiser is an asexual geek, math-loving theater and choir kid, and forever GM (by choice) who specializes in player-facing design. He's worked many jobs, from math teacher, to grocery store pizza maker, to flooring wholesaler, to landscaper, but he's a lot happier making games full-time. Since March of 2017, he's operated under the brand Outlandish Adventure Productions, with products that spark whimsy and capture the imagination, but with a serious focus on system syntax, narrative-mechanical cohesion, inter-party balance, and positive gameplay experiences for both the player and game master. His body of work primarily includes independent, third-party supplemental products for D&D 5e on the Dungeon Master's Guild, but now he's a senior designer on the core design team of the award-winning Cosmere RPG as a decade-long Sanderfan who's utterly obsessed with the Cosmere's magic systems, and having an absolute blast working alongside the most wonderful team in the world. Please check out these relevant links: LinkedInRoss on Dungeon Masters GuildCosmere BackerKit Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Katrina Ostrander has served as editor for over a dozen media tie-in novellas spanning multiple genres including cyberpunk, fantasy, Lovecraftian horror, and science fiction. She has worked with emerging writers as well as New York Times–bestselling authors. As the Creative Director of Story and Setting with the Asmodee Franchise Development Team, she oversees the internal and licensed development of the company’s proprietary IPs. Besides her work as an editor of tie-in fiction and developer of IPs, she has written for or developed over a dozen roleplaying game products, including adventures, supplements, and core rulebooks. Please check out these relevant links: WebsiteThe Worlds of AndroidAsmodee Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

It's a midsummer night's interlude! Instead of a full episode, we bring you this brief PSA. Please check out these relevant links: Fantasy Flight GamesEdge StudioCosmere RPGSecond Star to the Right: Essays on Leadership in Star Trek Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

It's our sesquicentennial episode! Jim Johnson was born about the same time Apollo XII landed on the moon (and has always been kinda spacey) and shares a birthday with the Kindle. He is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids weird western series and the Potomac Shadows urban fantasy series. He's also written a bunch of other stuff in and around the SFF genres and pen and paper RPGs. He's currently the project manager and line editor for Modiphius's Star Trek Adventures RPG. Please check out these relevant links: WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTubeBooks on Amazon Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Dr. Michael Wong is an NHFP Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Science's Earth & Planets Laboratory working with Robert M. Hazen and others. My primary scientific interests are planetary atmospheres, habitability, biosignatures, and the emergence of life. I am also co-authoring a revised edition of the textbook Astrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approach with Professor Jonathan Lunine. My other passions include photography, writing, public speaking, graphic design, and playing a variety of team sports. I host a podcast called Strange New Worlds, which examines science, technology, and culture through the lens of Star Trek. Please check out these links from the episode: Strange New WorldsWebsiteTwitterInstagramBoldly Go! Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Ross Leiser is an asexual geek, math-loving theater and choir kid, and forever GM (by choice) who specializes in player-facing design. He's worked many jobs, from math teacher, to grocery store pizza maker, to flooring wholesaler, to landscaper, but he's a lot happier making games full-time. Since March of 2017, he's operated under the brand Outlandish Adventure Productions, with products that spark whimsy and capture the imagination, but with a serious focus on system syntax, narrative-mechanical cohesion, inter-party balance, and positive gameplay experiences for both the player and game master. His body of work primarily includes independent, third-party supplemental products for D&D 5e on the Dungeon Master's Guild, but now he's a senior designer on the core design team of the award-winning Cosmere RPG as a decade-long Sanderfan who's utterly obsessed with the Cosmere's magic systems, and having an absolute blast working alongside the most wonderful team in the world. Please check out these relevant links: LinkedInRoss on Dungeon Masters GuildCosmere BackerKit Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Peter Tinaglia is a human teacher who wants to use TTRPGs in places of work as a team building tool. His day job is teaching teenagers about history, but his evening job is running an after school D&D club for teenagers and teachers. Please check out these relevant links: ShadowDarkSoloDark Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Greta K. Kelly is (probably) not a witch, death or otherwise, but she can still be summoned with offerings of too-beautiful-to-use journals and Butterfingers candy. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her husband EJ, daughters Lorelei and Nadia who are doing their level-best to take over the world. The Warrior Witch duology, consisting of THE FROZEN CROWN and its sequel THE SEVENTH QUEEN are both out now. Greta’s third novel, THE QUEEN OF DAYS, a stand alone adult fantasy is also out now. Please check out these relevant links: WebsiteThe Frozen CrownThe Seventh QueenThe Queen of DaysSFF Addicts Podcast Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Aaron Pollyea has a background in astronomy and physics, but currently has a day job dealing with climate change and its intersection with agriculture. He has been a life-long Star Trek fan, and has been working as a freelance writer for Star Trek Adventures since it began. In his free time, Aaron may be found gazing through his telescope, reading a good book, or doing historical reenacting with his wife. Please check out these relevant links: Star Trek Adventures: Technical ManualStar Trek Adventures: Utopia Planitia Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

*We apologize for the low-gain issue with Meric's microphone*   Meric Moir is a digital marketing manager at an international engineering company, a MacEwan University graduate from the sadly defunct Professional Writing program, a father of four, and a constant storyteller and worldbuilder. He recently became the book lead on Cosmere RPG’s Mistborn World Guide. Please check out these relevant links: Cosmere Roleplaying Game Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

It's our fourth anniversary episode! Join us for a brief look back and candid look forward to what you can expect from Year 5 of Dice in Mind. Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Jim Johnson was born about the same time Apollo XII landed on the moon (and has always been kinda spacey) and shares a birthday with the Kindle. He is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids weird western series and the Potomac Shadows urban fantasy series. He's also written a bunch of other stuff in and around the SFF genres and pen and paper RPGs. He's currently the project manager and line editor for Modiphius's Star Trek Adventures RPG. Al Spader is a middle school science teacher, father of five-year-old twin boys, and a freelance RPG writer and game designer. As a regular writer for Star Trek Adventures and lead designer of the Sentience 2d20 RPG, Al brings his knowledge of neurodivergence and social-emotional learning to the TTRPG community. Michael Dismuke is a Certified Professional in Talent Development and Certified Leadership Development and Succession Strategist. He is a national speaker/trainer and consultant, a freelance writer for the Star Trek Adventures RPG, and a published comic creator. Please check out these relevant links: Star Trek Adventures: Technical ManualStar Trek Adventures: Second Edition Core RulebookSentience 2d20 Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Kelli Fitzpatrick is a science fiction writer, gamewriter, and teacher. She is the author of Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers Declassified (from BenBella Books, 2025) and is a contributing writer for the Star Trek Adventures role-playing game from Modiphius. Her Star Trek story “The Sunwalkers” won the 2016 Strange New Worlds contest from Simon and Schuster. Her short fiction has been published by Baen Books, Crazy 8 Press, Flash Fiction Online, and others, and her essays on sci-fi pop culture appear at StarTrek.com, Women at Warp, and in anthologies from Sequart and ATB Publishing. She has written for NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope outreach team and Arizona State University’s Interplanetary Initiative. She has over a decade of experience teaching high school and college courses. Find her at KelliFitzpatrick.com and on Bluesky @KelliFitzWrites. Please check out these relevant links: Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers DeclassifiedStar Trek Adventures: Shackleton Expanse Campaign Guide Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Dr. Jesse Rogerson is an Assistant Professor at York University. He is a passionate scientist, educator, and communicator. Whether in the classroom or on social media, he seeks to create conversations on how science and society intersect, and why science is relevant in our daily lives. Please check out these relevant links: Daydreaming in the Solar SystemTraveller RPGThe Millennial Project Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Dr. John Moores is an Associate Professor at York University and Director of the Graduate Program in Earth and Space Science. He is the Science Advisor to the President of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and also serves as the Director of the Technologies for Exo-Planetary Science NSERC CREATE Program, which provides unique training opportunities for graduate students. He previously served as the Associate Dean of Research & Graduate Studies for the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University. Please check out these relevant links: Daydreaming in the Solar System Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.

Michael Dismuke is a Certified Professional in Talent Development and Certified Leadership Development and Succession Strategist. He is a national speaker/trainer and consultant, a freelance writer for the Star Trek Adventures RPG, and a published comic creator. Please check out these relevant links: Star Trek Adventures: Klingon Core RulebookDune: Adventures in the Imperium Core RulebookStarforged RulebookContinuing Mission Article Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.