Science Circle

The COVID-19 Pandemic
2020-04-04 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

The COVID-19 Pandemic

Robert A. Hendrix, M.D.

A major pandemic is sweeping the globe. Cases of COVID-19 are growing exponentially as people spread the disease throughout our connected world. Individuals and societal groups are reacting differently, looking for solutions to stem the threat to our health and way of life.
Dr. Hendrix will talk about what we all want to know – what this is, what you can do about it, and what medical researchers are doing to try to find ways to combat the virus.

Specifics of Dr. Hendrix’s presentation:
— SARS-CoV-2 detection: basic molecular biology of the coronavirus, emphasizing detection targets of diagnostic tests for gene fragments using reverse transcriptase / polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques or antibody tests to detect convalescent states following initial infection
— COVID-19 (coronavirus disease): pathophysiology of cytokine explosion and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and limitations of cytokine inhibitors
— Individual actions: strategies for avoidance and containment
— Potential treatments under evaluation:
> “borrowed” multi-drug regimens (drug re-positioning strategies) from other viral management protocols
> novel “off-schedule” application of drugs such as hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), a synthetic derivative of quinine, the first drug used effectively to treat malaria
> infusion of humoral antibodies (passive immunity) or inducing active immunity by vaccines targeting the Spike S-protein or capsid proteins
> pharmaceutical agents that target viral enzymes such as protease and RNA-replicase (potential “designer drugs”)
> Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE)-II inhibitors to block virion access to cellular receptors

Robert A. Hendrix, M.D.
Previous presentations in the Film Collection
Previous work in the Library

Podcast Global Outbreak of Fatty Liver Disease

Podcast Doctor’s Tips for Healthier Mind and Body

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Global Fires
2020-03-28 10:00 - 11:00 | Wildfire Exhibit
This panel has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Global Fires – Australia, Amazon, California

Panel participants:

Chris Lincoln
Linda Morris Kelley
Keith Eric Grant

Host scientific debates: Matthew Burr

Previously recorded panels

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Jurassic Period of USA & Switzerland
2020-03-21 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
A comparison of the Jurassic Period of USA and Switzerland: A case study in international collaboration
by Bill Schmachtenberg, Kass Lapidar, and Darien Bradley

Abstract: Schools are currently encouraging global collaborations. There are advantages to this collaboration, but there are issues that need to be addressed. In the presentation, Bill Schmachtenberg will present the collaborative research he has been conducting with Kass Lapidar in Switzerland on the geology and palaeontology of the Jurassic Period of Switzerland and Como Bluffs, Wyoming, USA. A high school senior, Darien Bradley also helped prepare this presentation.

by Dr. William F. Schmachtenberg (Dae Miami SL)
Previous work in the Film Collection
Related Hypothesis article “The Cracks in Time”

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VWBPE 2020
2020-03-20 10:00 - 11:30 | The Science Circle region
Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education 2020
Pre-conference Immersive Experiences

One of the amazing things about virtual environments is how easy it is to travel to interesting locations. Who else wishes they could teleport in the physical world? It is so easy to take a tour and play anywhere in virtual environments…

The Science Circle (SC) provides immersive experiences and focuses on Science & Education; Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Art, and current events like wildfires. Areas on and above the island are accessible via a teleport system and multi-lingual, explanatory signage.

Past Science Circle presentations are available via mini-theatres.
Includes a 30 minute “Question and Answer” about the Corona Virus in our auditorium at 11 AM PDT
Come play a game, solve a problem, and engage in hands-on learning with virtual world education leaders.
No need to sign up, simply come and learn!

VWBPE 2020
2020-03-20 06:00 - 07:30 | The Science Circle region
Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education 2020
Pre-conference Immersive Experiences

One of the amazing things about virtual environments is how easy it is to travel to interesting locations. Who else wishes they could teleport in the physical world? It is so easy to take a tour and play anywhere in virtual environments…

The Science Circle (SC) provides immersive experiences and focuses on Science & Education; Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Art, and current events like wildfires. Areas on and above the island are accessible via a teleport system and multi-lingual, explanatory signage.

Past Science Circle presentations are available via mini-theatres.

Includes a 30 minute “Question and Answer” about the Corona Virus in our auditorium at 7 AM PDT

Come play a game, solve a problem, and engage in hands-on learning with virtual world education leaders.
No need to sign up, simply come and learn!

Physics & Arts
2020-03-14 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Physics and Arts
The talk will try to demonstrate, with many examples, that science and arts are much more entangled than what is commonly understood. Not only because arts make use of the most recent technological developments to create new forms of expressions, but also at a much deeper level. Both Sciences and Arts are in fact different ways to systematise and organize the perception of the world and therefore reflect what in a given epoch can be called the “cultural paradigm”. Every time deep changes take place in this paradigm, equally deep changes take place in both Arts and Sciences. In some cases arts anticipates science and in others science anticipate Arts.

Giuseppe Longo
Chair Data Science Initiative
Professor of Astrophysics
Accademico Pontaniano
——————————————–
Department of Physics “E. Pancini”
University Federico II in Napoli (I)

Previous work in the Film Collection

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Data into insight: Teasing out how molecules behave
2020-03-07 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

“Data into insight: Teasing out how molecules behave”
My current research involves the exploration of electron-transfer events on models of biologically-relevant molecules such as the heme-nitric-oxide complex. My students learn how to work with air- and moisture-sensitive materials so as to prepare target compounds, and then we have to gather data on these materials so as to be able to prove they are what we set out to make. Once we have the materials in hand, we can start doing experiments which probe the chemical consequences of electron transfer on these compounds.

With examples from my research program, I’ll show you how data we collect tells us about the quality of the materials, and how the data reveals the consequences of electron-transfer events involving these materials. I’ll talk specifically about what we can learn from infrared spectroscopy, magnetic resonance, and an electrochemical technique called voltammetry.

Mike J. Shaw
Previous work in the Library
Previous work in the Film Collection
Podcast interview

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Concert
2020-03-01 07:00 - 08:00
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.1 “Titan” (Piano Transcription)

Langsam. Schleppend. Wie ein Naturlaut
14:38

Kräftig bewegt
7:39

Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen

12:06

Stürmisch bewegt

21:12

Thank you for your interest and participation in our objectives.
The quarterly classical concerts on the first Sunday by Earl Kiech are a social addition to our regular program. At the same time, we want to draw attention to the possibility of also providing financial support so that we can continue to implement our Mission Statement.

There are three options for financial support from our organization, namely;

In Second Life with Linden Dollars, the donation box can be found at the landing point.
With your Linden Dollars we provide our region with all the conveniences and facilities for our events.
Via PayPal, by means of a one-off or recurring payment in your own currency.
And by ABN Amro Bank, the official bank account of The Science Circle.
The income on the last two bank accounts is used to keep our organization running; Second Life Region, website, server, Microsoft license and recruiting staff.

Donation page

In recent years we have developed a variety of activities and your participation has made this a huge success.
We hope that our program for the coming year will once again guarantee your attendance.

Recent Developments in Medicine
2020-02-29 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here
Painting: “De anatomische les van Dr. Nicolaes Tulp” Rembrandt van Rijn, 1632
“The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp”

Panel participants:

Robert Hendrix, MD
Dr. Stephen Gasior

Host scientific debates: Matthew Burr

Previously recorded panels

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Celestial Orbits, Part I
2020-02-22 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Here I present the basic physics that underpins the orbits of celestial bodies. Starting from Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation, and using many examples from everyday life, I elucidate fundamental concepts of mass and weight, true and fictitious forces, potential and kinetic energy, and orbital trajectories. This lays the groundwork for future talk(s) on celestial orbits.
W. F. Wall / Syzygy Asymptote

Dr. William Wall
Previous work in the Library

Previous presentations in the Film Collection

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Fire & Rain
2020-02-15 08:00 - 08:30 | Nikolai’s Planetarium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Fire and Rain
“Oh, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought I’d see you again.”

When James Taylor wrote those words in 1970, he was thinking wistfully about a childhood friend who had committed suicide. Sadly, those words ring true for what we are seeing today in climate weirding as well. “I always thought that I’d see you again.” How many thousands and thousands of people around the world whose homes have been destroyed by fire or by rain had that same thought? This is also the thought some of us are having when thinking about what we had come to know, to expect, as normal climate – wherever we live. While we may wish it, we cannot return to an old normal of climate any more than we can return to a past pattern on a kaleidoscope.

In 2019, too many places on Earth suffered extreme drought and horrible wildfires while other places were deluged by severe rainstorms and floods. We all hope that none of us ever experiences a fire maelstrom for real, or intense rainstorms that damp them. Yet having at least a touch of a visceral sense of what these would be gives more meaning and understanding to data such as those that Dr. Keith Grant shared with us in his excellent presentation a few weeks ago.
One of the unique qualities of Second Life is that we can construct immersive spaces that provoke a sense of being there, of experiencing. For this purpose we have build a fire burnout. Dramatic experiences inform thinking and conversation. Please join me on Saturday, February 15, don some fire fighting equipment and let’s get started.

Linda Morris Kelley (Delia Lake in SL)
Habitat Curator
Previous tours on film

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Darwin Day: Heroes of Evolution
2020-02-12 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Heroes of Evolution: Margulis and McClintock: The Women Who Broke Darwinian Theory
This lecture will honor the accomplishments of two scientists who characterized exceptions to standard Darwinian Evolution Theory.
Dr. Lynn Margulis (aka Lynn Sagan) proposed that some organelles in cells are derived from once free-living organisms that took up residence inside a larger host cell. Chloroplasts and mitochondria are now well established examples of Endosymbiosis. Endosymbiosis is the combination of two organisms to create a new one thus breaking “identity by descent.”
Dr. Barbara McClintock (Nobel Laureate 1983) characterized “jumping genes” in corn. The presence of transposons and other mobile elements has described over time a new paradigm for how we understand genomes and how dynamic they are. Their ability to transfer themselves and DNA between organisms and move within genomes is another counterexample to “identity by descent”
The challenges these women in science faced from their male peers will be briefly discussed as well.

Dr. Stephen L. Gasior
Previous work in the Library
Previous work in the Film Collection
Podcast interview

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Marking Time: Consciousness, Cosmos, and Calendars
2020-02-08 10:00 - 11:00, 2020-01-25 06:00 - 07:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Photo: Midnight Planétarium Watch by Van Cleef & Arpels
“Marking Time: Consciousness, Cosmos, and Calendars“
“Explore Science in Second Life!”
A public presentation and consultation of members for a joint educational journey.
Facilitated by Phil Youngblood / SL: Vic Michalak

Abstract
Time is an inescapable reality in our personal and social lives.
We mark it, celebrate it, take it, stretch it, slow it, waste it, and curse it.
Our mind and bodies count on its regularity, but the reality is it is not regular.
We are almost constantly aware of it, but conceive of it differently if awake or asleep.
Happy New Year? Leap Year? New Decade? Yes or No?

Religious calendars, secular calendars, fixed and movable holidays.
The perfection of the cosmos and imperfection of the sun, moon, planet, and stars.
Let us take time together to explore the physical reality and the abstract concept of time.

Previous work from Phil in the Library

Previous presentations in the Film Collection

Podcast – Guest: Phil Youngblood

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Wuhan Coronavirus
2020-02-01 10:00 - 11:00, 2020-02-01 07:00 - 08:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Photo: Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that have a halo, or crown-like (corona) appearance when viewed under an electron microscope. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Library (PHIL), image identification number #4814; courtesy of Dr. Fred Murphy of the CDC.

CHINA’S NEW WUHAN CORONAVIRUS
Presentation for SCIENCE CIRCLE
Robert A. Hendrix, MD, a.k.a., Tagline in Second Life

A new contagious CORONAVIRUS has emerged from a large food market in Wuhan, China that has fish, birds and live animals. This virus is transmissible person to person and has caused the death of at least 17 and sickened 540 people in China as of 22.January 2020. Furthermore, it has quickly spread across borders in Asia and now been reported in the United States.
This talk will review prominent medical and public health features of this new virus that may become a pandemic.

Previous presentations of Robert in the Film Collection
Previous work from Robert in the Library

Podcast Global Outbreak of Fatty Liver Disease

Podcast Doctor’s Tips for Healthier Mind and Body.

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Open board meeting
2020-01-27 07:00 - 08:00 | Auditorium
You are cordially invited to attend our board meeting.
The focus today will be on our participation in the VWBPE conference and then specifically Immersive Experiences.

Possible interactive exhibits for participation:
RealTime Planetarium by Nikolai Mnev
Wildfire Exhibit by Linda Morris Kelley
Teacher Training Tower by Hajime Nishimura
HMS Beagle by Phil Youngblood
Mike’s Chem Lab by Mike Shaw
Prospero’s Planetarium by Rob Knop
Population Genetics by Stephen Gasior
Educare International Learning Center by Steven Van Hook
Let’s Make a Deal by Deepthinker Oh

Modern Extinctions
2020-01-25 10:00 - 11:30 | Auditorium
Extinction is the death of all members of a species of plants, animals, or other organisms. Smithsonian
Latest: The Chinese Paddlefish

Panel participants:

Alex Hastings
Mike Shaw
Phil Youngblood

Host scientific debates: Matthew Burr

Previously recorded panels

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Natural Forcings & Natural Climate Cycles
2020-01-18 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
Graph: Global Climate Change NASA
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Natural Forcings and Natural Climate Cycles – Just not what we are seeing today
In order to understand how human-caused climate change differs from natural cycles, it helps to have a basic understanding of natural cycles. In that context, this talk will address orbital forcing, solar variation, and natural carbon dioxide emission and removal.

By Keith Eric Grant
Previous work in the Library
Previous work in the Film Collection
Keith participated in a Climate Change debate, a film recording can be found here

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Fugaku, the next SuperComputer
2020-01-11 06:00 - 07:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Outline of the next supercomputer in Japan
by Arianne Chavasse, Science Circle Student, Abyss Observatory Group Member

Abstract
The name of post K supercomputer in Japan is “FUGAKU”. I would like to talk about the origin of the name and review the brief history of development around K and FUGAKU.
In addition, I would like to talk about what Japan is aiming for in the supercomputer field.

2019 CRISPR Year in Review
2020-01-04 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here
Every year there are new advances in genome engineering. In this talk, the most important and interesting news in CRISPR-based gene editing from 2019 will be presented. Come learn about Technology Advances, New Tools, Intellectual Property, and Target Genes and Modified Organisms from a practitioner in the field.

Dr. Stephen L. Gasior
Previous work in the Library
Previous work in the Film Collection
Podcast interview

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Open Board meeting
2019-12-30 07:00 - 08:00 | Auditorium
You are cordially invited to attend our Open Board meeting, in which we will share an overview of all our activities and developments of the past year. But we also want your best memories of 2019!
If due to circumstances you cannot be present on Monday, December 30 at 7 AM PST then there is the possibility to share your answers via a survey here.

Thank you for a very successful year in which your participation has been essential!
Jes Stannard, Phil Youngblood, Greg Perrier, Mike Shaw & Chantal Jager

Audience Questions
2019-12-28 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This panel has since taken place, you can view the film recording here
Your questions to our scientists!
Panel participants:

William Wall, Astronomy
Mike Shaw, Chemistry
Phil Youngblood, IT & Science in SL

Host scientific debates: Matthew Burr
Previously recorded panels

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Charles Dickens Project
2019-12-21 10:00 - 11:00 | The Dickens Project
Tour the Dickens Library and Research Center with the Community Virtual Library

In Voice & Text chat
Location The Dickens Project
Description
Put on your Victorian attire (optional) and join us at the Dickens Project for a holiday tour. We will discuss research in virtual worlds for historical simulation and see examples.
by Marie Vans Ph.D.

A few recommendations
1. Buy your Victorian attire in time! Second Life Marketplace
2. Clear the cache before arrival on the excursion day itself, this will provide you the desired experience. The cache is where the Second Life Viewer stores data on your hard drive for later retrieval.
To clear the cache:

Choose Me > Preferences.
Click the Advanced
Click Clear Cache.
After you’re prompted, restart the Viewer.

Northern Virginia Community College
2019-12-14 10:00 - 11:00 | Northern Virginia Community College
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Since 2009, the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) has had a campus in Second Life.

Currently, over 400 students a year complete one or more of the 23 activities there. The tour on 14 December will highlight four of these activities that illustrate some of the different ways that professors use the virtual campus to enhance education in their classes.

Greg Perrier
Emeritus Professor, Biology
NOVA

Previous presentations of Greg in the Film Collection
Previous work from Greg in the Library
Podcast by Host/Producer: Steven R. Van Hook

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Documentary
2019-12-10 06:00 - 07:00 | Auditorium
This season we started a new weekday activity, in which your input is essential.
Every second Tuesday of the month at 6 AM PST we broadcast a documentary in the auditorium.

This month: History of the World II
“Age of Empire”

The story of the first empires in China and Greece which laid the foundations for the modern world.

Proposals for future documentaries come from the audience present, creating a wide variety of subjects.
We understand that 6 AM PDT is not feasible for everyone and we hope to expand it once we have found more staff.
Join us and submit your proposals!

Climate Change Portal
2019-12-07 07:00 - 08:00 | Multiple Check Abstract
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Photo: 3rd floor of The Climate Change Portal at NPO co2sos, Geoffroy. The background building is a virtual model of RL Science museum in Japan, SCi-Pia.

Title: The Climate Change Portal, a Science basis for ESD: Education for Sustainable Development in collaboration with RL Science museum in Japan
Date and time: 7 Dec (Sat) at 7:00 am PST/ 15:00 GMT/ 24:00 JST
Tour guide: Hajime Nishimura, senior staff of Japan Agency for Marine and Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). Yan Lauria in SL

Locations:
– Starting point
– Field study centre at Bowness
– Chaos and climate prediction
– Etopia

Abstract:
Greta Thunberg, 16 years old, became famous since her solo school strike in 2018. Her movement is spreading in many schools in the world, and recently, she had a speech at the UN Climate Action Summit on 23 Sep, 2019. Aside of her provocative words, “How dare you!”, I was surprised how she understood IPCC latest special report on “Global Warming of 1.5 deg C” well. But after her speech, she got not only lots of applauds but also lots of bashing from all over the world. For example, above YouTube gets 44 thousand likes and 22 thousand dislikes. This is unusual number of dislikes for a girl’s speech. I doubt haters’ organizational operation.
Greta said in her speech, “… if you really understood the situation and still kept on failing to act, then you would be evil.” It means she thought before that top-level leaders don’t understand well so still kept on failing to act, but she came to doubt recently. But I doubt not only President Trump but also any other top-level leaders really understood the IPCC reports because it is impossible for usual people to read and understand more than one thousand pages of full reports.
So I made a portal of science basis of Climate Change based on not only IPCC reports but also another latest resources.
There are many graphs and they are difficult for children. And Graphs are 2D, so it is not always necessary to use 3D space. But seamless 3D space can make possible to arrange them along their relations and help students to understand.
And I rezzed several teleporters where students can experience CO2 rich world in the past Earth, vulnerable nature and global situation of the present Earth, and also experience future sustainable society and learn how to predict the future Earth.
This portal could be developed through several times of remote classroom in collaboration with NPO co2sos and RL Science museum in Japan, Sci-Pia.

Remark:
I’ll use voice chat, so please confirm your setting in advance.
We’ll visit texture rich places, so please set drawing distance less than 200m and clear cache as following.
Official viewer: Ctrl + P > Advanced > click [Clear Cache]
Firestorm: Ctrl + P > Network & files > Directories tab > Cache location: click [Clear Cache]

Hajime Nishimura / Yan Lauria

Previous work in the Library
Previous work in the Film collection

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SC Benefit Concert
2019-12-01 07:00 - 08:00 | Auditorium
The quarterly Sunday concerts by Earl, Piano & Carle, Cello.
33:29 Alkan: Cello Sonata in E major, Op 47
23:50 Beethoven: Sonata for Cello and Piano 1 in F Major, op 5(1)
1:31 Beethoven: Sonata for Cello and Piano 3 in A Major, op 69, III
58:50 Total time

Thank you for your interest and participation in our objectives.
The quarterly classical concerts on the first Sunday by Earl and Carle are a social addition to our regular program. At the same time, we want to draw attention to the possibility of also providing financial support so that we can continue to implement our Mission Statement.

There are three options for financial support from our organization, namely;

In Second Life with Linden Dollars, the donation box can be found at the landing point.
With your Linden Dollars we provide our region with all the conveniences and facilities for our events.
Via PayPal, by means of a one-off or recurring payment in your own currency.
And by ABN Amro Bank, the official bank account of The Science Circle.
The income on the last two bank accounts is used to keep our organization running; Second Life Region, website, server, Microsoft license and recruiting staff.

Donation page

In recent years we have developed a variety of activities and your participation has made this a huge success.
We hope that our program for the coming year will once again guarantee your attendance.

Movies about Science
2019-11-30 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
A presentation by Matthew Burr with video clips of science-based films.
Join us for your favourite hour of the week!
By Matthew Burr

Previously recorded panels

Podcast interviews with host/producer Steven Van Hook
Digital postings and creations
Patent Law Protecting Your Ideas
Biologist and Patent Attorney

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Green and Purple: Bioprocesses that use light
2019-11-23 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here
Abstract: Light-driven biological processes have the reputation of being very complicated, but they achieve simple goals. Fundamentally, light drives the movement of hydrogen ions and electrons to accomplish important tasks including vision, and the storage of energy in carbohydrates or other molecules. These processes are mediated by beautiful molecular structures which rival Rube Goldberg machines in their complexity. We will take a look at some of these structures, and see the basics of how they work.

Mike J. Shaw
Previous work in the Library
Previous work in the Film Collection
Podcast interview

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