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SciLands is an area within the virtual world Second Life dedicated to science and technology.[2][3] The member organizations share the borders of their regions to create a larger virtual continent. Their goal is to foster conversations and ideas that might not have occurred if each region were separate. Other goals of the SciLands include increasing visitor traffic and making it easier to find useful educational content within Second Life.
| Formation | December 2006 |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Creating science and technology education content for virtual worlds. |
| Headquarters | SciLands in Second Life |
| Location | |
Main organ | Senate and council[1] |
SciLands members have regular meetings in Second Life where they share ideas, try to help each other, vote on new memberships, and plan future projects.[4] Members also share resources such as meeting spaces and developers.
SciLands was initially formed around the International Spaceflight Museum and NASA CoLab.[5] Since its establishment, it grew to host a variety of other organizations including government agencies, universities, and museums, but many of these organisations have since left Second Life, so the area has become increasingly fragmented.
Highlighted content
edit| Name | Category | Sponsoring Organization | Description | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPR's Science Friday[6] | General | NPR's Science Friday[6] | A weekly talk show on NPR covering a variety of science-related topics. |  |
| Victoria crater[7] | Space | NASA | A one-third scale model of Victoria crater found on the surface of Mars. |  |
| Real-time US weather map[8] | Earth Science | NOAA[9] | Observe the current weather above the continental U.S. |  |
| Hurricane Ride | Earth Science | NOAA[9] | Fly through a virtual hurricane aboard a P-3 Orion Hurricane Hunter. |  |
| Tsunami Demonstration | Earth Science | NOAA[9] | See the deadly effects of a tsunami wave and learn how they are formed. |  |
| Weather Balloon Ride | Earth Science | NOAA[9] | Hold on to a balloon and learn about the instrumentation that NOAA uses to collect atmospheric data. |  |
| Submarine Ride | Earth Science | NOAA | Visit a variety of coral sanctuaries worldwide on board a virtual submersible. |  |
| Oil Spill Cleanup Demonstration | Earth Science | NOAA | Assist in the cleanup of an oil spill. |  |
| Red Tide Demonstration | Earth Science | NOAA | Understand the effects of harmful algae bloom commonly known as red tide. |  |
| Sea Charting Demonstration | Earth Science | NOAA | Map the sea floor aboard an NOAA ship. |  |
| Science On A Sphere | Earth Science | NOAA | Visualize Earth data sets on a spherical projection screen. |  |
General
edit- Nanotechnology
- Genetics
- Science School I, II, III
Space
edit- Rocket Ride to Space
- Virtual Planetarium[10]
- Solar System Tour
- Apollo 11 Landing Site on the Moon
- Real-time Satellite Positions
- Martian Dust Storms
Health science
edit- Visualizing Future Healthcare Options for London (Imperial College London)
Member organizations
edit| Name | Description/Focus | Logo |
|---|---|---|
| NOAA | The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. | 
|
| National Physical Laboratory (NPL UK) |  | |
| NASA | The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government responsible for the nation's public space program. | 
|
| Exploratorium | The Exploratorium: a hands-on museum of science, art, and human perception in San Francisco. | |
| Elon University | A private institution in North Carolina. |  |
| University of Denver | A private university in the Rocky Mountain region, DU has undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. | |
| The Tech Interactive | The Tech Interactive is a hands-on technology and science museum located in San Jose, CA. | |
| Imperial College London | Imperial provides scholarship, education, and research in science, engineering, management, and medicine. | |
| US National Library of Medicine (NIH) | The National Library of Medicine (NLM), on the campus of NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, is the world's largest medical library. It collects materials in all major areas of the health sciences and to a lesser degree in chemistry, physics, botany, and zoology. | 
|
| National Space Society | The National Space Society (NSS) is an independent, educational, grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to creating a space-faring civilization. | |
| Space Studies Institute | Space Studies Institute is a nonprofit educational and research organization. Founded in 1977 by Dr. Gerard K. O'Neill, Gerard O'Neill, Princeton University professor and author of The High Frontier, SSI sponsored and conducted research into areas such as solar power satellites, lunar bases, space colonies, asteroid mining, and mass drivers. | |
| NPR Science Friday | Weekly two-hour radio program about science, technology, and environmental issues in the news. | |
| Loughborough University | ||
| Space Frontier Foundation | The Space Frontier Foundation is an organization of people dedicated to opening the Space Frontier to human settlement as rapidly as possible. | |
| Future Focus - BERR (UK) | Futurefocus is a purpose-built resource in London, open to everyone in the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR), the Department for Universities, Innovation & Skills (DIUS), the Department for Children, Schools & Families (DCSF), and across government and business. | |
| Texas Wesleyan University | Texas Wesleyan University, founded in 1890 in Fort Worth, is a United Methodist institution with a tradition in the liberal arts and sciences with professional and career preparation. | |
| Northern Michigan University | Northern Michigan University, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is a four-year, public university that offers 180-degree programs to nearly 9,400 undergraduate and graduate students. | |
| International Spaceflight Museum | The International Spaceflight Museum is a museum in the virtual world of Second Life. It hosts exhibits and events about real-world spacecraft, rockets, astronomy and exploration. |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "SciLands Bylaws". SciLands. 29 August 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-01-21. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
- ^ Medeiros, Joao (1 February 2008). "Doing physics in Second Life". physicsworld.com. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
- ^ Psaltery, Phoenix (29 January 2008). "Science continent grows to 41 islands" (PDF). Metaverse Messenger. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
- ^ Mabeus, Courtney (25 February 2008). "Spice up your next meeting: Wear wings". Federal Times. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
- ^ "Bringing Real Life Science to Second Life" (PDF) (Press release). SciLands. 30 April 2007. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ^ a b "ScienceFriday.com". Science Friday. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ "NASA - 'Victoria Crater' at Meridiani Planum". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ Roush, Wade (July 2007). "Second Earth". Technology Review. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
- ^ a b c d "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ Semeniuk, Ivan (7 August 2007). "Astronomy in Second Life". New Scientist Space Blog. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
- ^ "Largest medical library". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ "MLA : TAKE ACTION : The National Library of Medicine: an Investment in Good Health". www.mlanet.org. Retrieved 2023-06-25.