Science Center Opening Draws Diverse Group

On Thursday, October 12, the new Science Center group held its first whole-group meetings and open house on Info Island II. Similar meetings were held at 10 AM and 7 PM to help ensure that members could attend at least one. The Science Center group was founded by Rain Noonan and Hayduke Ebisu. The group’s charter is as follows:

“The mission of the Second Life Science Center is to help facilitate a community in SL for those passionate about science. We strive to accomplish this mission by:

1. facilitating networking opportunities for those interested in science and science content in Second Life
2. using exhibits in the Science Center on Info Island II to create a directory of science content in SL
3. providing learning opportunities for those interested in understanding science and creating science content in SL”

There were about 35 people at the 10 AM meeting and 25 at the 7 PM meeting. The meetings began with a review of the group charter (which is not carved in stone, or baked into a texture, yet!). Then everyone said a little bit about themselves and the science-related projects they are doing or contemplating in Second Life. A wide variety of people are in the group, from university professors to educational technologists to science enthusiasts.

Davee Commerce of the UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) also announced a new Request for Proposals that his lab is putting out. They will be giving a contract to develop a new exhibit about their TRUTHS satellite. If you would like to get a copy of the NPL RFP, send an email to me.

Everyone then enjoyed the free food being served on the dock, browsed the sample science exhibits on display, and visited.

If you are interested in joining the Science Center group, it is open-enrollment, so all you have do do is click the “Search” button at the bottom of your SL window, select the “Groups” tab, search for “Science Center”, and then “Join” it.