Science Circle

Transcultural Beats
2022-09-17 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Auditorium
There may be many means to bridge and calm cultural differences — beyond transcultural themes and images. This presentation considers how musical rhythms can strike a common beat among multi-cultured gatherings. Sample audio clips demonstrate 20 years of observable rhythmic resonance in culturally-diverse international classrooms.

Presenter: Steven R. Van Hook has a doctorate specializing in transcultural teaching. He is an educator for international communication and business programs at UCLA, UCSB, National University, and elsewhere. He develops virtual world learning, and his research has been published by SAGE and UNESCO journals.
WorldWide Multicultural Research

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Second Life #Metoo
2022-09-17 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle East Cabin
There are no #metoo high profile cases in SL as far as we know, but as Ayesha Lytton put it in her commentary under a “New World Notes” article, the threshold seems to be even lower in SL than in the physical world.
How are your experiences in Second Life? Are you a woman in both worlds or a man who uses a female avatar? What happened to you so far and how do you deal with it? Or do you perhaps feel safer in Second Life than in the physical world? Are you a man who has ever used a female avatar, what was your experience like? Did it perhaps give you insights?

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Classical Concert
2022-09-18 07:00 - 08:00, 2022-09-25 07:00 - 08:00, 2022-10-02 07:00 - 08:00, 2022-10-09 07:00 - 08:00, 2022-10-16 07:00 - 08:00, 2022-10-23 07:00 - 08:00, 2022-10-30 07:00 - 08:00, 2022-11-06 07:00 - 08:00 and 1 more date | The Lighthouse Café

Magnetic Resonance Imaging: MRI
2022-09-24 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
Magnetic Resonance Imaging: MRI
Where did it come from?
How does it work?
What’s that loud banging noise?

How did we get from the image on the left to the one on the right?

The great progenitor of MRI is NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance). The phenomenon of magnetic resonance was initially discovered by physicists, after which chemists turned the basic science into NMR, an essential tool for probing the structure and dynamics of molecules. In a classic story of how science works, physicists, chemists, and physicians are all responsible for the initial and continuing development of MRI, and the story of these connections provides a classic glimpse of how science works and of the occasional controversies associated with Nobel Prizes.
This presentation describes the path from molecular beams studied in vacuum to probe fundamental properties of matter all the way to the widespread use of non-invasive MRI to diagnose an impressive range of medical conditions. In addition, on the research front we’ll look at the use of MRI to pursue the tantalizing question of ‘what is thought.’ Along the way we’ll also talk about why the scanner makes a banging noise that many who have experienced liken to a jackhammer.

Presentation by Natalie Foster // Prof. Emerita: Chemistry Dept. // Lehigh University

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Transcultural Beats
2022-09-24 21:00 - 22:00 | Auditorium
Transcultural Beats: Rhythms of the world that rock across cultures
There may be many means to bridge and calm cultural differences — beyond transcultural themes and images. This presentation considers how musical rhythms can strike a common beat among multi-cultured gatherings. Sample audio clips demonstrate 20 years of observable rhythmic resonance in culturally-diverse international classrooms.
Steven R. Van Hook has a doctorate specializing in transcultural teaching. He is an educator for international communication and business programs at UCLA, UCSB, National University, and elsewhere. He develops virtual world learning, and his research has been published by SAGE and UNESCO journals.
http://wwmr.us

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Howling at the Moon
2022-10-01 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
International Observe the Moon Night
Sponsored by NASA
International Observe the Moon Night is an invitation to everyone on Earth to learn about the Earth’s moon, the role it has and continues to play in our culture, and our continuing fascination and exploration of it. Plus, we get an opportunity to participate together in a personal and social observation of it worldwide!

Howling at the Moon: Our Relationship with Earth’s Nearest Neighbor in Space
For thousands of years, the moon dominated our night, just as the sun does the day. For nearly all life on Earth, it still does.
As humans evolved, the moon played a significant role in the way we learned to observe seasonal events and planned hunting and gathering activities. As humans developed civilization, the moon helped us to shape our concept of time and plan agricultural activities. Throughout human history, the moon has influenced activities ranging from art to war. How so?
The Earth’s moon presence or absence is nearly impossible to ignore if you go outside at night. Throughout human history, it was been the subject of imaginative stories, poems, songs, and myths. We gazed at the moon with our naked eye for millennia, then with enhanced optical instruments and with other detectors over the last century. What did we see?
The moon sometimes seems so close that we can touch it! We do not know when the first human imagined going to the moon, but we know when technology made it possible. Many nations have developed programs to visit the moon and several have succeeded. What did we find?
Returning humans to the moon after a fifty year absence has become part of the news in the last decade. How might we do this and why?
Presentation by Dr. Phil Youngblood

Dr. Phil Youngblood

Previous lectures on film

Podcast

The following activities are part of The Science Circle’s contribution to International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday, October 1:
—All day. See educational displays in the center of SC Island.
—10 am SLT. “Howling at the Moon” presentation (amphitheater).
—11 am SLT. “Live from the Moon!” livestream event (amphitheater)
—8 pm SLT. “International Space Museum” guided tour
—9 pm SLT. “Luna: The Earth’s Moon” presentation (amphitheater)

EXTRA — SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2nd 9 am SLT. The Sky Around Us: A Planetarium Show
—See overview

LOOK UP! Be curious again! Come together, worldwide, for one night. Join us!

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Live from the Moon!
2022-10-01 11:00 - 12:00 | Auditorium
International Observe the Moon Night
Sponsored by NASA
International Observe the Moon Night is an invitation to everyone on Earth to learn about the Earth’s moon, the role it has and continues to play in our culture, and our continuing fascination and exploration of it. Plus, we get an opportunity to participate together in a personal and social observation of it worldwide!
Live images from the Swiss Alps on the Moon
By Star Kass

The following activities are part of The Science Circle’s contribution to International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday, October 1:
—All day. See educational displays in the center of SC Island.
—10 am SLT. “Howling at the Moon” presentation (amphitheater).
—11 am SLT. “Live from the Moon!” livestream event (amphitheater)
—8 pm SLT. “International Space Museum” guided tour
—9 pm SLT. “Luna: The Earth’s Moon” presentation (amphitheater)

EXTRA — SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2nd 9 am SLT. The Sky Around Us: A Planetarium Show
—See overview

LOOK UP! Be curious again! Come together, worldwide, for one night. Join us!

Is this the first time you will attend a presentation with us?
Follow this link first.

International Space Museum
2022-10-01 20:00 - 20:50 | International Space Museum
International Observe the Moon Night
Sponsored by NASA
International Observe the Moon Night is an invitation to everyone on Earth to learn about the Earth’s moon, the role it has and continues to play in our culture, and our continuing fascination and exploration of it. Plus, we get an opportunity to participate together in a personal and social observation of it worldwide!

International Space Museum

Come to our real time tour of a premier virtual world sim, the International Space Flight Museum. All science, and of course, rockets too. Two of our rockets, the Space Shuttle and SpaceX Dragon, will take you for a ride up to the international space station! And back down to terra firma, your choice of runway or a parachute splashdown. All fun aside, this is a serious science based museum and there is lots to learn!

Take this LM for a spectacular view from the top of the NASA construction building on Spaceport Bravo of both the Spaceport Alpha and JCL sims.
Please set your view distance to 500M or more.
And we will meet you here.

The following activities are part of The Science Circle’s contribution to International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday, October 1:
—All day. See educational displays in the center of SC Island.
—10 am SLT. “Howling at the Moon” presentation (amphitheater).
—11 am SLT. “Live from the Moon!” livestream event (amphitheater)
—8 pm SLT. “International Space Museum” guided tour
—9 pm SLT. “Luna: The Earth’s Moon” presentation (amphitheater)

EXTRA — SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2nd 9 am SLT. The Sky Around Us: A Planetarium Show
—See overview

LOOK UP! Be curious again! Come together, worldwide, for one night. Join us!

Luna: The Earth’s Moon
2022-10-01 21:00 - 22:00 | Auditorium
International Observe the Moon Night
Sponsored by NASA
International Observe the Moon Night is an invitation to everyone on Earth to learn about the Earth’s moon, the role it has and continues to play in our culture, and our continuing fascination and exploration of it. Plus, we get an opportunity to participate together in a personal and social observation of it worldwide!

Luna: The Earth’s Moon
The moon has influenced, and continues to influence, the Earth and everything and everyone on it. The lunar mass and lunar orbit have moderated Earth’s seasons and produce daily tides that affect sea-life and human-life. The phases of the moon provide varying degrees of nocturnal illumination affecting flora and fauna, as well as inspiring literature and romance among human beings. Solar and lunar eclipses have both frightened and exhilarated many. I will discuss the various celestial motions responsible for these phenomena and the moon’s role in the future of humanity.
Dr. William Wall

The following activities are part of The Science Circle’s contribution to International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday, October 1:
—All day. See educational displays in the center of SC Island.
—10 am SLT. “Howling at the Moon” presentation (amphitheater).
—11 am SLT. “Live from the Moon!” livestream event (amphitheater)
—8 pm SLT. “International Space Museum” guided tour
—9 pm SLT. “Luna: The Earth’s Moon” presentation (amphitheater)

EXTRA — SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2nd 9 am SLT. The Sky Around Us: A Planetarium Show
—See overview

LOOK UP! Be curious again! Come together, worldwide, for one night. Join us!

Is this the first time you will attend a presentation with us?
Follow this link first.

The Sky Around Us: A Planetarium Show
2022-10-02 09:00 - 10:00 | Prospero’s Planetarium
International Observe the Moon Night
Sponsored by NASA
International Observe the Moon Night is an invitation to everyone on Earth to learn about the Earth’s moon, the role it has and continues to play in our culture, and our continuing fascination and exploration of it. Plus, we get an opportunity to participate together in a personal and social observation of it worldwide!

The Sky Around Us: A Planetarium Show
We have focused on the Earth’s moon this week. Our nearest neighbor dominates the sky at night when it is visible where we live, just as the sun, our nearest star, does during the day. Both are objects of wonder and subjects of much science, stories, legends, music, and poetry. While Earth’s moon is special to us, it is only one of 210 known moons in the solar system. While Earth’s star makes life possible on our planet, it is only one of roughly 5000 stars we can see from Earth.
What else is out there in the sky around us that we can see when the sun and moon are not visible where we are? Let’s explore the myriad of objects that form the community that make up our solar system and our local region of the Milky Way. What science have we learned about them? How has looking up at the stark contrast of these bright, untouchable objects standing out like immutable beacons against the blackness of space inspired humans over the ages to create stories, legends, legends, music, and poetry about them?
During this show, together we will—
—Look and learn about the most prominent constellations, the brightest stars, the planets visible at that time, and other objects we can see in the sky then.
—Examine the DART mission to the moonlet of an asteroid passing by the Earth and its significance
—Learn about missions to other moons in the solar system and the potential for significant discoveries there

NOTE: This show is in Prospero’s Planetarium, inside the big mountain on the north side of Science Circle island – use the red teleporter near the big sign to enter.

Presentation by Dr. Phil Youngblood

Dr. Phil Youngblood

Previous lectures on film

Podcast

The following activities are part of The Science Circle’s contribution to International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday, October 1:
—All day. See educational displays in the center of SC Island.
—10 am SLT. “Howling at the Moon” presentation (amphitheater).
—11 am SLT. “Live from the Moon!” livestream event (amphitheater)
—8 pm SLT. “International Space Museum” guided tour
—9 pm SLT. “Luna: The Earth’s Moon” presentation (amphitheater)

EXTRA — SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2nd 9 am SLT. The Sky Around Us: A Planetarium Show
—See overview

LOOK UP! Be curious again! Come together, worldwide, for one night. Join us!

Is this the first time you will attend a presentation with us?
Follow this link first.

Paranormal: Ghosts, Cryptids, Ancient Aliens, Superpowers, Time Travel. Best Practices for Debunking
2022-10-08 10:00 - 11:00 | The Lighthouse Café
It’s spooky season. A good time to talk about the paranormal. Ghosts, cryptids, ancient aliens, superpowers, time travel and the like. Pseudoscience is often invoked to argue that such things are real. Usually all in good fun but not without the danger of people believing junk. Please join us to talk about best practices for debunking junk.

Resources
Debunking Robert Sepehr (junk anthropology)
Debunking the Baghdad battery
Milo’s collection of TikTok Shorts debunking pseudoscience
The worst ghost hunting reality show ever, explained
Enjoy Joe Rogan discussing time travel with his sidekick

A discussion hosted by Matt Burr at the Light house Cafe

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The Science(s) of Architecture
2022-10-08 21:00 - 22:00 | Auditorium
The Science(s) of Architecture
Terry Beaubois(Tab Scott in SL) has been practicing, presenting and teaching Architecture nationally and internationally for 4 decades. He first entered SL in 2005 and taught Architecture classes on his University Island while Director of the Creative Research Lab at Montana State University. He has also taught at Stanford and University of Hawaii, and presented at Universities in London, Paris, Vienna, Finland, Denmark, Japan and India.
He loves Architecture and he loves Science.
Terry will present information about the role that the Sciences play in the design of buildings.
Additional Links:
Podcast
Architect Magazine

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Understanding the importance of coastal zones in climate resilience and mitigation (Part 1)
2022-10-15 10:00 - 11:00 | Chemistry World
Tantramar Salt Marshes and Mudflats: Tour and Discussion
Invitation
The coastal regions of Earth are special places, transitions between water and land that nourish and protect both, making littoral edges hubs of activity. The Bay of Fundy is one of the most unique in the world. The world’s highest tides bring about 2 billion cubic meters of water in and out of the narrow Bay two times a day, water with enough nutrients to feed pods of calving whales.
These are among the many reasons this Bay and its inlets are chosen nesting, nursery, and seasonal homes for many migratory land and sea species making these areas some of the richest ecosystems in the world.
We are focusing on one of those inlets, the Cumberland Basin, particularly the Tantramar salt marshes and mudflats. This area is anything but pristine though, having been settled and farmed by people for hundreds of years. Today people are working to rewild at least some of this area. Is it possible? What would it take? Please join us for a tour and discussion of our Second Life version of this enormously vital area.
By Linda M. Kelley (Delia Lake)

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Mental Health Near You
2022-10-15 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle East Field
Mental Health Near You
In recent years the issue of Mental health has come to the forefront, and we have more awareness of it now than we did in the past. But different countries handle it in different ways.
In your experience, how well does your country deal with mental health issues? What help is available to you and the people around you? Is it effective? Do you have any suggestions, criticisms, or ideas on improving it?

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The Science(s) of Architecture
2022-10-22 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
“The Science(s) of Architecture”

Terry Beaubois (Tab Scott in SL) has been practicing, presenting and teaching Architecture nationally and internationally for 4 decades. He first entered SL in 2005 and taught Architecture classes on his University Island while Director of the Creative Research Lab at Montana State University. He has also taught at Stanford and University of Hawaii, and presented at Universities in London, Paris, Vienna, Finland, Denmark, Japan and India.
He loves Architecture and he loves Science.
Terry will present information about the role that the Sciences play in the design of buildings.

Current work includes:
• Podcast
• ARCHITECT Magazine Special Section

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Language, words that transcend culture
2022-10-22 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle East Field
Language, words that transcend culture
Second Life allows for interaction between countries and languages all around the world. It can lead to misunderstandings, but also fun coincidences!
Join us as we explore words and phrases that transcend culture and explore unique phrases that don’t transcend culture!

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The Non-lethal Effects of COVID Infection
2022-10-29 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
The Non-lethal Effects of COVID Infection
As a new virus, COVID-19’s ability to infect and cause death was both alarming and mysterious. Very rapidly, thanks to modern science, we have been able to uncover the basic aspects of how it is transmitted, replicates, and developed a series of vaccines to combat it. While a death toll of around 6.5 million people is a staggering number, the additional symptom burden of infection remains not fully understood or appreciated. This presentation aims to catalog many of the non-lethal effects of COVID-19 infection like long COVID, loss of smell, memory loss, and others. Much like our ability to understand the viral life cycle and its infectivity, there has been much progress made in understanding how these symptoms develop.
Presentation by Dr. Stephen Gasior (Xootfly)

Dr. Stephen L. Gasior

Previous lectures on film

Podcasts

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Halloween around the world, past, present and future
2022-10-29 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle East Field
Halloween around the world, past, present and future
Rounding off the month of October and bidding farewell to the spooky season once again, we will discuss how this holiday is celebrated in your country, if at all.
We’ll also discuss your opinions on the future of Halloween, will it become more prolific as time goes on?

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Basics of Dynamic Equilibrium
2022-11-05 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
Basics of Dynamic Equilibrium
When is a chemical reaction over? Sometimes reactions never finish, they just achieve a state where no further change appears to occur on the macroscopic level. Welcome to the world we live in, a world where chemical changes constantly occur in an attempt to rebalance systems that are pushed out of a steady state. Equilibria allow systems to resist changes, for example the pH of blood is maintained in a life-sustaining narrow range by “buffers”, i.e. agents which resist large concentration swings by acids or bases. These systems are surprisingly easy to describe and model, yet support surprising diversity and complexity. In this talk, we’ll discuss relevant properties and examples of such equilibrium systems.
A presentation by Dr. Mike J. Shaw

Dr. Mike J. Shaw

Reference work in the library

Previous lectures on film

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Addressing Overpopulation
2022-11-05 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle East Field
Addressing Overpopulation
Overpopulation.
A 21st century problem that nobody seems to know how, or want to, address. But with each passing day it becomes a bigger issue, as more people are added to the world.
Today we will discuss this problem, why it’s so hard to address, and how we could find a solution before it’s too late.

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Autumn Leaf Colors
2022-11-12 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium

Basics of Dynamic Equilibrium
2022-11-12 21:00 - 22:00 | Auditorium
Basics of Dynamic Equilibrium
When is a chemical reaction over? Sometimes reactions never finish, they just achieve a state where no further change appears to occur on the macroscopic level. Welcome to the world we live in, a world where chemical changes constantly occur in an attempt to rebalance systems that are pushed out of a steady state. Equilibia allow systems to resist changes, for example the pH of blood is maintained in a life-sustaining narrow range by “buffers”, i.e. agents which resist large concentration swings by acids or bases. These systems are surprisingly easy to describe and model, yet support surprising diversity and complexity. In this talk, we’ll discuss relevant properties and examples of such equilibrium systems.
A presentation by Dr Michael J. Shaw.

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