Posts tagged science
Oceans in Google Earth
Feb 14th
This posted about two weeks ago at YouTube. Ocean data, imagery and 3D objects now included in Google Earth.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...Science Quiz Show via "The Latest at Second Life"
Apr 12th
Two quick things to point out.
First, I want to pass along this news:
Science lovers in Second Life now have their own gameshow. Second Question debuted this week at the SpinDome in SciLands. Second Question is a fast-paced science themed show of rapid fire questions, quizzes, audience participation and, yes, prizes! Check it out Every Thursday, 7pm SLT. Read about this and everything else going on at Second Life at
That’s relevant and intersting news for educators, but highlighting that news story gives me a chance to mention the source. The Latest at Second Life is a daily, one to two minute podcast that is, “Your link to “The Latest” of what’s happening in Second Life. Who’s doing what, how to find it, and what’s new and different in the Linden Lab metaverse.“
The Latest at . . . series is well worth a look, in my opinion. They cover a variety of topics on a daily basis with 1-2 minute podcasts: “Whether you’re into YouTube, Google, eBay, or the goings on in the President race, stay up to date on each of your favorite sites with The Latest At… one minute podcasts recorded every weekday with flare from media expert David Lawrence.” You can see the full list of offerings at the link, but a few of the titles perhaps of interest to instructional technologist type folks (like me) are: Facebook, Google , eBay, YouTube, Yahoo, Amazon, MySpace, WindowsLive, Slashdot, Delicious, iTunes and Wikipedia.
I’ve found most of the series useful and interesting; I just wish I could figure out how to get my 4GB Nano iPod to play podcasts back-to-back like it plays songs; that would make things much easier to listen to the short update podcasts like this one.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Virtual Guantanomo Bay & Virtual Nuclear Reactor
Sep 13th
A quick mention of two projects, one coming up next week, that appear to leverage the capabilities of Second Life, although in two different ways.
Constitution Day – September 17 – Virtual Guantanomo Bay & Interrogation
Seton Hall Law School is offering a program in celebration of Constitution Day on September 17, 2007. The program will consider Interrogation as a Means of Intelligence Gathering. The Constitutional Day program will include input and insight from social sciences, including psychology and medicine, when considering the constitutionality, efficacy and reliability of intelligence gathering by interrogation. More information about the event and the full program is available at http://law.shu.edu/constitutionday/index.htm. For Second Life, the program will be webcast in a virtual Guantanamo Bay detention center.
Virtual Nuclear Reactor by University of Denver
Inside Higher Ed offers a more complete write up on the project. In short, Dr. Robert Amme at University of Denver and colleagues, under a grant from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, are developing a virtual nuclear reactor in Second Life to facilitate hands-on lab experiences for a Master’s degree in applied science with an emphasis on environmental impact assessment. Classes will be hosted on Sci Islands in Second Life and by The Science School.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Spaceport Bravo
Apr 29th
Spaceport Bravo, to accompany the International Space Museum’s original Spaceport Alpha, has been launched (no pun intended) in Second Life. SL Insider has more specific details about events surrounding the launch.
Just checking around the two locations, the piece that caught my attention was the “walk-in” lunar module, which the picture here depicts. I’m not certain if these feature is new or not, but it’s the first time I’ve noticed it. While future applications of SL may allow avatar-LEM interaction, even the simple ability to “walk inside” a mock up of the lunar module is interesting. The planetarium also provides the opportunity to “view the universe.”
Further, some of the events surrounding the official opening of the location are fantastic educational opportunities as well – particularly, from a history and science perspective, the special lectures.
Lectures will include special lectures by Prospero Frobozz ( Dr. Robert A. Knop Jr. in real life) entitled “The Power of the Dark Side : How we know that the Universe is filled with Dark Matter and Dark Energy”, Troy McLuhan, ISM Director, who will tell the story of Alan Shepherd, Kat Lemieux, ISM President, who will speak on the History of the ISM, and Patio Plasma, Director of the Splo Museum in Second Life and Planetary Physicist in real life, who will give a presentation titled “Roving Mars: What is it like to be on the surface of the red planet?”
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Health Sciences: Gulliver’s Anatomy
Feb 13th
Ahhh… Nothing like the rush and hustle of a Spring semester to keep us from new pursuits and interests ;-) I do sincerely hope to keep a better, regular pace with my entries than the one I’ve managed over the past two weeks. On to the idea…
A third idea for facilitating Health Sciences and Science studies via Second Life is one I’m labeling “Gulliver’s Anatomy.” The concept is simple, but the implementation will take a collaborative effort of quality builders and subject matter experts.
Essentially, if we can build buildings to walk through and tour in Second Life, can we not also build a virtual “person” through which we can walk and tour. I created a short video three weeks ago which I was going to use to demonstrate, although VERY crudely, the concept. That may still be of use; however, the NMC Connect Arts Symposium (February 11-13, 2007) provided a much more thorough example of how this could be achieved.
The Penn State Virtual Worlds blog offered an entry regarding the NMC event and, in particular, “a community build” of a “‘giant’ on his back.” The image caught my attention.
Now… Imagine the physical characteristics of the objects (prims) used to create this familiar giant were set to phantom, thus allowing SL residents to walk inside or through the body. Once inside the virtual “skin” of the giant, learners discover virtual anatomy: heart, liver, colon, stomach, muscle tissue, nerves, bones, ligaments, tendons etc. With quality builders and subject matter experts, an expertly crafted model could be created. Such an expert model is not necessarily a new capability enabled by SL.
With SL, each element of the anatomy may easily contain its own reference materials and/or be entirely interactive. Clicking on the heart offers a learner and SL resident a note card with details, facts, links to web-based resources designed to support this virtual tour of the human body. Also, I’ve seen water slides in SL. Would it not be possible for younger learners, on the teen grid, to engage the concept of respiration by riding a blood cell as it travels through the human body and blood vessels, from lung to heart to cell and back again? Exciting “stuff!”
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...
Hot Topics