Samuel Conway
Encyclopedia
Samuel C. Conway is a census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue and the border with Delaware County...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
researcher in the pharmaceutical, biomedical and agrochemical fields of organic chemistry
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
. He has a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in chemistry from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
.
Outside the scientific community, Conway is better known as Uncle Kage (icon) and is chairman and chief organizer of Anthrocon
Anthrocon
Anthrocon is the world's largest furry convention, taking place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania each June or July. Its focus is on furries: fictional anthropomorphic animal characters in art and literature...
, the largest furry convention
Furry convention
A furry convention is a formal gathering of members of the furry fandom — people who are interested in the concept of fictional non-human characters with human characteristics. These conventions provide a place for fans to meet, exchange ideas, transact business and engage in entertainment and...
in the world. He is also a volunteer entertainer, auctioneer and a published author.
Academic and scientific activities
A graduate of Ursinus CollegeUrsinus College
Ursinus College is a liberal arts college in Collegeville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.-History:1867Members of the German Reformed Church begin plans to establish a college where "young men could be liberally educated under the benign influence of Christianity." These founders were hoping to...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1986, Conway subsequently studied at the Burke Chemical Laboratories of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1991. His thesis concerned the attempted generation of indolyne (an aromatic compound related to indole
Indole
Indole is an aromatic heterocyclic organic compound. It has a bicyclic structure, consisting of a six-membered benzene ring fused to a five-membered nitrogen-containing pyrrole ring. Indole is a popular component of fragrances and the precursor to many pharmaceuticals. Compounds that contain an...
).
After college, Conway took a postdoctoral appointment in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, later working as a contractor for the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
, a researcher for Bionetics, a medicinal chemist
Medicinal chemistry
Medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry are disciplines at the intersection of chemistry, especially synthetic organic chemistry, and pharmacology and various other biological specialties, where it is involved with design, chemical synthesis and development for market of pharmaceutical...
for Avid Therapeutics (March 1995–August 1997) and researcher for Message Pharmaceuticals (August 1997–April 1999). He spent two years in organ distribution at the National Disease Research Interchange
National Disease Research Interchange
The National Disease Research Interchange is an American 501 non-profit organization founded in 1980 to provide donated human cells, tissue and organs to researchers...
, and was subsequently employed by crop protection company Cerexagri as a regulatory chemist from May 2001 to June 2007, when he became a principal chemist for West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services is a manufacturer of pharmaceutical packaging and delivery systems. Founded in 1923 by Herman O. West of Philadelphia, the company is headquartered in Lionville, Pennsylvania....
.
Conway has authored eleven professional publications and two patents. One patent covers compounds intended to treat hepatitis B in synergy with lamivudine
Lamivudine
Lamivudine is a potent nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor .It is marketed by GlaxoSmithKline with the brand names Zeffix, Heptovir, Epivir, and Epivir-HBV.Lamivudine has been used for treatment of chronic hepatitis B at a lower dose than for treatment of HIV...
; another relates to recyclable packaging material. His work has been published in Heterocycles
Heterocycles (journal)
Heterocycles is a scientific journal on the topic of heterocyclic compounds. In 2006 it was awarded the "In Memory of Professor A.N. Kost" medal by Lomonosov Moscow State University and Mendeleev Russian Chemical Society....
, Synthetic Communications
Synthetic Communications
Synthetic Communications is a scientific journal covering the synthesis of organic compounds....
, Organic Preparations and Procedures International
Organic Preparations and Procedures International
Organic Preparations and Procedures International is a bimonthly scientific journal focusing on organic chemists engaged in synthesis. Topics include original preparative chemistry in association with the synthesis of organic and organometallic compounds....
, Water Research
Water Research
Water Research is a journal of the International Water Association, and publishes research on the science and technology of water quality and its management....
, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry
Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry
Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry , is a peer-reviewed scientific journal, published since 1987 by John Wiley & Sons...
, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy is an academic journal published by the American Society for Microbiology. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy is a major forum devoted exclusively to antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, and antiparasitic agents and chemotherapy...
, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters
Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters
Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters is a scientific journal focusing on the results of research on the molecular structure of biological organisms and the interaction of interaction of biological targets with chemical agents. It is published by Elsevier, which also publishes Bioorganic &...
and Current Organic Chemistry
Current Organic Chemistry
Current Organic Chemistry is a scientific review journal summarizing progress in the fields of asymmetric synthesis, organo-metallic chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, heterocyclic chemistry, natural product chemistry and analytical methods in organic chemistry....
.
Fandom activities
Conway was introduced to furry fandomFurry fandom
Furry fandom is a fandom for fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics. Examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, the ability to speak, walk on two legs, and wear clothes...
at Noreascon 3
47th World Science Fiction Convention
The 47th World Science Fiction Convention , also known as Noreascon 3 , was held 31 August 1989 – 4 September 1989 at the Sheraton-Boston Hotel, Hilton Hotel, Park Plaza Hotel, and the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.The chairman was Mark L. Olson...
(the 1989 Worldcon
Worldcon
Worldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...
), and has been involved in fan activities
Fandom
Fandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest...
from the early 1990s to the present day.
Convention chairman
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
; 3,390 attended in 2008. Conway is the public face of Anthrocon, responsible for public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
, negotiating hotel contracts, managing finances, damage control and other activities before, during and after the convention. He also talks to fans about presenting furry fandom to the public.
Media dealings
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
and news media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
, due in part to sensationalist coverage like the 2001 Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
article in which he was quoted. In 2003 he said his standard response to the media was: "Anthrocon is a private event held on private property. Its membership is not interested in being the subject of your documentary."
However, Conway relaxed this stance with Anthrocon's move to Pittsburgh in 2006. While no television, magazine or tabloid representatives were present, several newspapers were invited to attend, and did, including the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
, and the Pittsburgh City Paper
Pittsburgh City Paper
The Pittsburgh City Paper is Pittsburgh's leading alternative weekly newspaper which focuses on local news, opinion, and arts and entertainment...
, which printed both a preview and an extensive review. When local television station KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV, channel 2, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. KDKA-TV broadcasts from a transmitter located in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and its studios are located in downtown Pittsburgh at Gateway Center....
showed up, Conway gave a short television interview outside the convention hotel. In November 2006 he gave a radio interview to Dublin's 98FM
Dublin's 98
98FM is an independent local radio station in Dublin, Ireland, operated by Radio Two Thousand Limited, a subsidiary of Denis O'Brien's Communicorp Limited, under a sound broadcasting contract from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. The station broadcasts on the 98.1 MHz FM frequency...
. Anthrocon still retains tight control over media access, not only to the convention grounds but to the membership, and has official policy that forbids unmonitored dealings with unauthorized members of the media.
Storyteller
Conway styles himself "Furrydom's Storyteller", making annual appearances at Anthrocon in what has come to be known as Uncle Kage's Story Hour. The entertainment typically consists of four or five extended personal anecdoteAnecdote
An anecdote is a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. It may be as brief as the setting and provocation of a bon mot. An anecdote is always presented as based on a real incident involving actual persons, whether famous or not, usually in an identifiable place...
s. His stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
resulted from his first storytelling experience at ConFurence
ConFurence
ConFurence was the first exclusively furry convention, held annually in southern California from 1989 to 2003. The large furry presence at the BayCon science fiction conventions instigated Mark Merlino and Rod O'Riley to throw "furry parties" at Westercon, Baycon, and other west coast sci-fi...
in 1994, and derives from his fandom name Kagemushi Goro (Shadow Bug Goro), a reference to Kagemusha
Kagemusha
is a 1980 film by Akira Kurosawa. The title is a term used for an impersonator. It is set in the Warring States era of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable...
.
Conway is regularly invited to tell his stories at other fan conventions, including I-CON
I-CON
I-CON is a yearly fan convention, held on the campus of the State University of New York at Stony Brook on Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. First held in 1982, I-CON has become a very eclectic convention...
, Eurofurence
Eurofurence
Eurofurence is a furry convention held in changing places in Europe every year. It was originally started in 1995 as a private gathering by nineteen European furry fans who met on the Internet. Attendance has been steadily rising since then, to 1066 at Eurofurence 17 , making it the largest furry...
, ConClave, and Camp Feral!. Gross sales from recordings of his Story Hours were over US$2600 in 2004; no profit was realized, as the intention was to increase membership and awareness of Anthrocon.
Auctioneer
Phil Foglio
Philip "Phil" Foglio is an American cartoonist and comic book artist best known for his humorous science fiction and fantasy work.-Early life and career:...
and Joe Mayhew; they include humor and appeals to pity
Appeal to pity
An appeal to pity is a fallacy in which someone tries to win support for an argument or idea by exploiting his or her opponent's feelings of pity or guilt. It is a specific kind of appeal to emotion....
, novelty
Appeal to novelty
The appeal to novelty is a fallacy in which someone prematurely claims that an idea or proposal is correct or superior, exclusively because it is new and modern. In a controversy between status quo and new inventions, an appeal to novelty argument isn't in itself a valid argument...
and scarcity
Scarcity
Scarcity is the fundamental economic problem of having humans who have unlimited wants and needs in a world of limited resources. It states that society has insufficient productive resources to fulfill all human wants and needs. Alternatively, scarcity implies that not all of society's goals can be...
.
Author
While known within the fandom for his spoken storytelling, Conway is also the author of several short storiesShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
published in various works by Sofawolf Press.
In May 1998, Conway was invited to write a story based on his interest in birds of prey
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
, particularly the Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West...
. The result was "Tweaked in the Head", published December 1999 in Flights of Fantasy. He next contributed to the first issue of HistoriMorphs, a fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
mixing historical fiction
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
with interaction between humans and anthropomorphic animals. "The Secret of Wollknäul" took place in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and was published in June 2001. He went on to write "The Good Bird of Nanking" and "It Takes A Fox" for subsequent issues of the series.
For Anthrolations #5 — a magazine of dramatic fiction — Conway submitted "Six", a previously-written work "based on a true story" involving wildlife rehabilitation
Wildlife rehabilitation
Wildlife rehabilitation is the process of removing from the wild and caring for injured, orphaned, or sick wild animals. The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to provide the food, housing and medical care of these animals, returning them to the wild after treatment.-Process:Rehabilitation begins...
from his days as a Red Cross volunteer. The story, illustrated by Synnabar, was nominated for "Best Anthropomorphic Short Story" in the 2002 Ursa Major Awards. Also nominated that year was Breaking the Ice: Stories from New Tibet, a collection set in and around a subarctic mining colony; Conway's contribution, "Dead End", features a bartending vulture who provides an introduction to the harsh, dystopic world.
Other activities
While in college, Conway was a member of the Ursinius MeistersingerMeistersinger
A Meistersinger was a member of a German guild for lyric poetry, composition and unaccompanied art song of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. The Meistersingers were drawn from middle class males for the most part.-Guilds:...
s vocal music group, and the performing arts honor society Pi Nu Epsilon
Pi Nu Epsilon
Pi Nu Epsilon is an honor society for university students in musical performing arts organizations.- Purpose :The purpose of Pi Nu Epsilon is threefold:...
. He became a volunteer for the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
Disaster Service in 1989, but quit in 1998 due to his perception of high-level corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
in the organization. He remains the Emergency Management Coordinator
Emergency management
Emergency management is the generic name of an interdisciplinary field dealing with the strategic organizational management processes used to protect critical assets of an organization from hazard risks that can cause events like disasters or catastrophes and to ensure the continuance of the...
for his home town, Malvern, Pennsylvania
Malvern, Pennsylvania
Malvern is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,998 at the 2010 census. The main road through the borough is King Street, although the borough is also bordered by Paoli Pike on the south, and is near US 30 on the north. The primary cross street is Warren...
.
In March 1990, Conway became an experimental bone marrow
Bone marrow
Bone marrow is the flexible tissue found in the interior of bones. In humans, bone marrow in large bones produces new blood cells. On average, bone marrow constitutes 4% of the total body mass of humans; in adults weighing 65 kg , bone marrow accounts for approximately 2.6 kg...
donor for Mark Stevenson, a 4-year-old suffering from Hunter syndrome
Hunter syndrome
Hunter syndrome, or mucopolysaccharidosis Type II, is a lysosomal storage disease caused by a deficient enzyme, iduronate-2-sulfatase . The syndrome is named after physician Charles A. Hunter , who first described it in 1917...
. The operation – the first of its kind involving an unrelated donor – was a success, allowing Mark to live to 24. Conway became an active volunteer for the National Marrow Donor Program
National Marrow Donor Program
National Marrow Donor Program® Be The Match is the global leader in providing marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants to patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other diseases. The nonprofit organization matches patients with donors, educates health care professionals and conducts research so more...
, claiming to have helped add over 500 entries to their donor registry.
Since May 1996, Conway has participated in the MadSci Network
MadSci Network
The Madsci Network is a website known primarily for its Ask-A-Scientist forum where users can ask questions to a panel of volunteer scientists. Each question, submitted via a Web interface, is reviewed by a volunteer moderator...
, a free questions-and-answers resource organized by the medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
of Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
. While most active in the period 1997–2000, he remains a member as of 2009.
External links
- Furrydom's Storyteller: Uncle Kage - personal website
- Samuel Conway's Journal - journal
- Samuel Conway - Twitter account
- Uncle Kage at WikiFur
- Articles at WikiFur: Uncle Kage's Story Hour, ConClave, Sofawolf Press, Anthrolations, HistoriMorphs, Synnabar