Science Circle

CRISPR Year in Review 2022
2023-01-07 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Auditorium
Every year there are new advances in genome engineering enabled by CRISPR/Cas editing systems. In this talk, the most important and interesting news in CRISPR-based gene editing from 2022 will be presented. Come learn about Technology Advances, New Tools, Intellectual Property, and Target Genes and Modified Organisms from a practitioner in the field. This year’s emphasis will be on some of the clinical trials ongoing and alternate editing systems.
A presentation by Dr. Stephen L. Gasior

Dr. Stephen L. Gasior

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Alternate Energy sources
2023-01-07 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle East Cabin
Alternate Energy sources
As coal becomes harder and harder to obtain, we will need to replace it with more sustainable energy sources. During this discussion we will ask what possibilities we have, and how easily it can be done!

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Classical Concert
2023-01-08 07:00 - 08:00, 2023-01-15 07:00 - 08:00, 2023-01-22 07:00 - 08:00, 2023-01-29 07:00 - 08:00, 2023-02-05 07:00 - 08:00, 2023-02-12 07:00 - 08:00, 2023-02-19 07:00 - 08:00, 2023-02-26 07:00 - 08:00 | The Lighthouse Café

Follow the Food
2023-01-14 08:00 - 09:00 | Auditorium

BB: Climate Change Priorities
2023-01-14 10:00 - 11:00 | The Lighthouse Café
Last year President Biden sign into law the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides, at long last, hundred of billions dollars in climate change action funding. In view of this and other progress around the world, join us at the Science Circle to discuss which climate change initiatives should have priority. For example, should mitigation be prioritized over emissions reduction? What are the best ways to cope with events such as polar vortex, melting Greenland ice sheet, sea level rise, fires, and so on?
Resources to help you prepare for the discussion:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/biden-signs-historic-climate-bill-as-scientists-applaud/
https://www.wri.org/insights/5-strategies-achieve-climate-mitigation-and-adaptation-simultaneously
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/11/28/climate-change-from-a-to-z

COVID19, two years later
2023-01-14 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle East Cabin
COVID19, two years later
Time flies – it’s been two years since the covid pandemic and the virus has basically become a fact of life, at least for now. Think about how things have or have not changed, how people deal with it in 2022/2023 versus 2020 and give us your opinion on how we’re doing.

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Come down, down, down to the Sea with me
2023-01-21 10:00 - 11:00 | STEM Island
Come down, down, down to the Sea with me
When you look down at the sea, do you wonder what lies beneath the surface waters? The ocean’s dark waters hold many mysteries and secrets yet to be revealed.
Earth’s oceans are vast, covering more than 70% of Planet. How much of the oceans to you think we’ve mapped? 50%? More? Less?
Would it surprise you to know that to date we have only mapped about 10% of the floor of Earth’s oceans! That’s much, much less than we’ve mapped of the surface of the Moon (98.2% mapped) or even Mars (86% mapped).
One of the most recognized features on the sea floor is the tropical coral reef. For most of human history they were the only corals we knew. They are amazingly beautiful, and now endangered, threatened by heating waters and man-made pollution.

Although deep-sea cold-water corals have been known to exist for almost 200 years, it’s only recently, only in the 21st Century that we have gotten an inkling of the global extent of cold-water coral reefs and their ecosystems. These corals live at depths between 40 and 3000 meters, or the ones we’ve found so far do. Many live below the depth where sunshine reaches or photosynthesis occur – about 200 meters, yet flora and fauna from giant to microscopic are at home there. Some of these reefs have been actively growing for 40,000 years. We are finding that these kinds of corals span the globe.
Please join us to explore some of these wonders of the deep using the marvellous immersive power of Second Life to experience our evolving knowledge of these wonders. Our STEM Island site is modelled on the deep cold of the Norwegian Sea. What you will find is a sampling of what has been found there…so far.
If you want to suit up for this even, come a little early if you want to get a wetsuit from the freebie box.
A presentation/field trip with Linda M. Kelley

Why education?
2023-01-21 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle East Cabin
Why education?
Today we ask you some questions, why is education so important to you? What do you think are it’s advantages or disadvantages? How can it improve, extend it’s reach, what are problems within the system that you see and want to address?

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The SC in the VWEC Eduverse
2023-01-28 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
The SC in the VWEC Eduverse
By: Phil Youngblood, PhD
Kind of like residents who never venture outside of the remote village in which they live, it is easy in Second Life not to realize that there is a great big virtual world beyond the borders of the 250mX250m space that defines each region.
You may have noticed that two other regions joined The Science Circle region back about six months ago – Chemistry World to the south and STEM Island to the north. What you may not know is that The Science Circle region and the two regions that joined it were all in a different part of the Linden Lab virtual world before then and that this is all part of an ambitious plan for educational regions in Second Life to come together within a large grid collectively known as the Virtual Worlds Education Consortium (VWEC) Eduverse.
At last count, there are 58 educational entities hosting 112 regions within the Eduverse. Come learn about how the VWEC Eduverse was conceived, its goals and vision, and the diversity of educational opportunities represented by this collective.

A presentation by Dr. Phil Youngblood

Dr. Phil Youngblood

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Internet Security
2023-01-28 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle East Cabin
Internet Security
Your data is one of your most valuable assets. Given that fact, in your opinion are companies who gather it doing their utmost to keep it from being hacked and leaked, for your safety but also for their advertising profits? Why/why not?

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Information Revolution! The First 50 Years of the Internet
2023-02-04 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
Information Revolution! The First 50 Years of the Internet

By: Phil Youngblood, PhD
With the exception of the printing press, the way information was shared and stored two hundred years ago had not changed much over the preceding two thousand years. Then a series of discoveries and electrical inventions helped to connect businesses and individuals in new ways and enabled some to broadcast messages to anyone able to pick up their transmissions.
Still, even within my lifetime, with the exception of television broadcasts, information sharing was largely local or delayed or restrained to printed sources like it had been for hundreds of years. When I was born, there were no practical computers at all, let alone a computer that an individual could own. Even if there were, there was no way to connect them because there was no Internet, in fact no computer networks at all.
About 50 years ago (60 years, if you count the origins), all that began to change with the development of rules about how electricity could represent language and abstract objects, paired with the invention of transistors and their micro-miniaturization, advancements in transmission media and connectivity protocols, and the concept that connecting people around the world was too big of an idea to be possessed by any one nation or company.

Come learn about the first 50 years of the Internet, how it began as an idea, how it was realized, who owns it, who controls the technology, and the applications that we use to connect us to the world in both constructive and destructive ways that could never have been imagined decades ago.
A presentation by Dr. Phil Youngblood

Dr. Phil Youngblood

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Combating Negative Thinking
2023-02-04 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle East Cabin
COMBATING NEGATIVE THINKING
The human brain seems to favor negative experiences, memories, and thought over positive ones, why? Is this an evolutionary lesson or a societal one? How do we balance negative thoughts with positive ones? Do you have any advice on those who may struggle with it?

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Virtual Institutions from the Perspectives of a Geographer and Biologist
2023-02-11 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
Virtual Institutions from the Perspectives of a Geographer and Biologist
People tend to think of geography at any given time as little more than static points, lines, and areas on a map. Geography involves understanding the spatial processes that define the map, including the flow and flux of people and ideas against the backdrop of space and time. The concept of diffusion helps to inform the evolution of a map’s human geography.
Thoughts on biology, in light of evolutionary theory, would tend to run opposite as organisms in constant flux. However, within biology, species tend to adapt to a particular place over long spans of time to be able to adapt specifically and branch out from ancestors. The concept of diffusion also guides the biologist’s understanding of the formation of new species.
We propose to use our disciplinary understandings of diffusion to demonstrate how conceptual collaboration is possible within Science Circle. Our goal is to contextualize and to validate groups like the Science Circle in today’s 3-D online settings and globalizing world through the use of a simple concept like diffusion; and, in so doing, to contemplate the meaning of a physical-world concept such as diffusion to a virtual-world setting. We build on this goal by asking broader questions like what are the advantages of a virtual-world Science Circle over a similar actual-world organization? How is Science Circle a model for the future? We tackle these questions as the Science Circle achieves its 15th year of illuminating minds (not facelights) within Second Life. And, we will guide an open-ended discussion in which everyone may participate.

A joint presentation & discussion by Stephen L. Gasior, Ph.D. and Merrill Johnson, Ph.D.

Re-purposing Human Talent
2023-02-11 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle East Cabin
Re-purposing Human Talent
AI art and chatGPT may be another example of humans losing business/work to a machine…. OR IS IT?
Today we’ll be discussing ways in which we can coexist with these applications. How can we re-purpose our talents with work in tandem with AI?

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Darwin Day, Heroes of Evolution: Svante Pääbo
2023-02-12 09:00 - 10:00 | Auditorium
Darwin Day
Heroes of Evolution: Svante Pääbo

By Dr. Stephen L. Gasior
Abstract: Much of science is about pushing the boundaries of technology to build the future. However, in some cases the frontiers of technical achievement are used to unlock the secrets of the past. In the area of paleobiology, no one exemplifies this more than Svante Pääbo. Pääbo is a Swedish molecular biologist who developed DNA analytical techniques to sequence ancient DNA. He was able to illuminate the genomes of extinct species like the mammoth, sloth, and ancient human cousins the Neanderthals. Along the way, he discovered a new species of hominin, the Denisovans. The greatest surprise was that signatures of Neanderthal and Denisovan genes are found in humans. Understanding the genetic history, comparative genomics, and evolutionary impact of humans along with their extinct cousins has led to several interesting conclusions about genes that impact the human condition and health. For this reason, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2022 for his work. This talk gives an overview of Svante Pääbo’s career and impact in paleobiology.

Svante PääboMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

15th Anniversary
2023-02-15 | Auditorium
2008 – 2023

Mathematics Club & Moon Base
2023-02-18 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
In honor and celebration of Science Circle’s 15th Anniversary, we present two new projects for your edification and delight.
From 10:00 – 10:30 AM, Robert Hendrix (Tagline Resident) will discuss the THE MATHEMATICS CLUB, a project that offers ‘a regular meeting of the curious.’ Tag will present the who, what, where, and why of this new Club and encourage us all to participate. He promises discovery more than instruction and exploration more than lectures.
From 10:30 – 11:00 AM, Natalie Foster (Sumo Itano) will offer a brief description of PROJECT MOON BASE: what is it, why is it, and what do we hope it will be. Think of this as a preview – just like at the movies! — of the 10 AM presentation on 04 March that will include brief talks from nine SC members. Several of us have been thinking about this opportunity and want to open the discussion and participation to all members and share our enthusiasm.

Mathematics Club & Moon Base(9pm session)
2023-02-18 21:00 - 22:00 | Auditorium
Mathematics Club & Moon Base(9pm session)
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An Astrophysical and Geological Analysis of the Middlesboro, Kentucky, USA Asteroid Crater
2023-02-25 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
An Astrophysical and Geological Analysis of the Middlesboro, Kentucky, USA Asteroid Crater
The town of Middlesboro, Kentucky, USA is located within an Asteroid Crater that formed sometime in the last 300 Million years ago. I visited the crater to collect samples and take pictures of the rock outcrops within the crater during the Spring of 2022. Based on the diameter of the crater (3.67 miles), Dr. George Djorgovski at Caltech (CuriousGeorge on SL) estimated that the size of an asteroid with density of 3 g/mL may have been 0.5 miles in diameter. A geological study of asteroids that have struck Kentucky suggests that the density may have been about 6 g/mL and that a size of 0.25 may be more accurate. This study has implications for studying not only craters on the surface of the Earth, but also for doing mining on asteroid terrains in a future Mars colony.
By Dr. William Schmachtenberg – Dae Miami

Dr. William Schmachtenberg

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Moonbase Brainstorm Session
2023-02-25 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle East Cabin
Moonbase Brainstorm Session
Following our introduction last week of the Moonbase Project the Science Circle is undertaking, we want to hear from you!
we invite you to join us for this 9pm brainstorming session, where you can share your ideas for what you want to see, and subjects you would like us to address/cover!

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Mathematics Club
2023-03-01 17:00 - 18:00 | Maths Club
“Please have a drawing compass, a straightedge (e.g., ruler) with pencil and paper at hand on which to jot notes or create geometric constructions and logic tables“

Project Moon Base
2023-03-04 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
PROJECT MOON BASE
Let’s bring the life on the moon to Second Life! You heard about the origin of Project Moon Base on Feb 18 – now it’s time to hear the plan and join in making it real. Team Lead Tab Scott (Terry Beaubois) and eight other Science Circle members will present initial ideas in the areas of science, education, ethics, and organizational psychology along with needs in scripting, construction, outreach and ‘inreach.’ Tap into your imagination, find your enthusiasm, join one of these teams or suggest another one, and take part in the pursuit of what promises to be a mind-expanding and rewarding activity.

Natural Language Processing
2023-03-04 21:00 - 22:00 | Auditorium
Natural Language Processing
I nearly copied an abstract generated by ChatGPT… I told it to write an abstract for this presentation in the style of Bugs Bunny, then I put it in a word-cloud in my poster 😊.
ERHEM!… Although much of my work over the recent years has involved deep learning in the context of computer vision, I’ve come to realize that some of the most impactful advances in the field (such as the vision transformer architecture) are inspired by developments in Natural Language Processing (NLP). NLP algorithms allow computers to extract meaning from text to perform tasks like sentiment analysis, translation and text generation.
In this presentation I hope to share the insights I’ve gained in studying how computers process text and understand language. I’ll discuss some of the algorithms in artificial intelligence catered to challenges in language processing and generation, and the implications these developments have on our lives.
A presentation by Karthik Prathaban.

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