Science Circle

Science Cafe
2020-07-25 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Lighthouse Café
This poll is no longer accepting votes Your three votes of favorite conversation topics for the Science Cafe today1. How do we improve science communication in the social media era? 2. How to think like a scientist, and the value thereof 3. Why do we have such difficulty understanding probabilities? 4. The next or ideal 3D world 5. Climate change is here. What next? 6. Why is teaching Math’s so hard? 7. Teaching in a room full of creationists 8. Population growth: What will slow it? 9. Have we entered a post Kuhnian phase of science? 10. The future of the higher education 12 votes · 32 answersVote

Follow the Food 2
2020-07-25 07:00 - 08:00 | Auditorium
Follow the Food is a BBC documentary sponsored by one of the big Three agriculture companies, Corteva Agrisciences. It covers the current food chain, challenges to feeding the world, and new technologies in world agriculture. Come watch Season 1 over 6 weeks from July 11th through August 22nd with a Q&A after each one with a Corteva Agrisciences Scientist.

Sunday Concert 3
2020-07-19 07:00 - 08:00 | The Lighthouse Café
Weekly piano concerts by Earl Kiech at the lighthouse cafe.
Wake up quietly, start your afternoon relaxed or take a seat in a comfortable armchair to end your day with us. No matter what time zone you are in, Earl’s music balances a stressful week at any time of the day.

Science Cafe
2020-07-18 10:00 - 11:00 | The Lighthouse Café
This poll is no longer accepting votes Your three votes of favorite conversation topics for the Science Cafe today1. How do we improve science communication in the social media era? 2. Unexplained aerial phenomenon 3. Climate change is here. What next? 4. Teaching in a room full of creationists 5. Have we entered a post Kuhnian phase of science? 6. Why college are slow to adopt VW and VR 7. What influences the evolution of languages? 8. The future of the higher education 9. Big Data and AI: the two heads Janus of our time 10. What is the best way to deal with those blinded by the Dunning-Kruger effect? 12 votes · 28 answersVote

Follow the Food
2020-07-18 07:00 - 08:00 | Auditorium

Sunday Concert 2
2020-07-12 07:00 - 08:00 | The Lighthouse Café

Science Cafe
2020-07-11 10:00 - 11:00 | The Lighthouse Café
This poll is no longer accepting votes Your three votes of favorite conversation topics for the Science Cafe today1. Life outside the Earth 2. Our Societies After Corona3. The next or ideal 3D world 4. Why is teaching Math’s so hard?5. Unexplained aerial phenomenon 6. Climate change is here. What next? 7. The future of the higher education 8. Population growth: What will slow it? 9. What influences the evolution of languages? 10. Big Data and AI: the two heads Janus of our time 11. How to think like a scientist, and the value thereof 12. How do we improve science communication in the social media era? 13. What is the best way to deal with those blinded by the Dunning-Kruger effect? 14. As robots become more human, more intelligent, more capable, and even, perhaps, more emotional, how do we treat them? Do we give them rights? What precautions should we take?9 votes · 25 answersVote

Memory Lane
2020-07-07 09:00 - 10:00 | Auditorium
During a new series of events called Memory Lane, we watch a YouTube from the past together.
This first episode is dedicated to Paul Doherty – Patio Plasma, one of our founders, whose birthday was July 7.

This poll is no longer accepting votes For a shared viewing today, select one of the available YouTubes below.Pluto on Ice, March 2016Rosetta, May 2016Lightning, June 2016The Science of Nail Polish, October 2016"And Then You're Dead", May 2017Gravity, June 201716 votesVote

Sunday Concerts
2020-07-05 07:00 - 08:00 | The Lighthouse Café

Science Cafe
2020-07-04 10:00 - 11:00 | The Lighthouse Café
In the months of July and August, our weekly presentation hour is replaced by the Science Cafe.
Text chat conversations
Subject selected by means of a Poll on the calendar page of our website

This poll is no longer accepting votes Your three votes of preferred conversation topics for the Science Cafe todayWhy is teaching Math’s so hard?Our Societies After CoronaUnexplained aerial phenomenon Are developed countries on the eve of their downfall?Chemophobia: Why should I trust something I can't pronounce? When will the consequences of climate change become severe enough to force major change? Big Data and AI: the two heads Janus of our time How to think like a scientist, and the value thereof Population growth: What will slow it? Life outside the Earth The future of the higher education The next or ideal 3D world How do we improve science communication in the social media era? The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about large, presumably temporary, decreases in carbon emissions worldwide. Can we make those decreases permanent? How would we do that? Can we make other permanent improvements to the Earth's ecosystems thanks to the pandemic? What is the best way to deal with those blinded by the Dunning-Kruger effect? 60% of animal species have been wiped out by humanity since 1970. What can/should we do to preserve what's left? Should/Can we de-extinct those species, for example? What influences the evolution of languages? Plastic debris is found everywhere on the planet. How do we clean up and ecologically dispose of that debris? How do we keep plastics under control? 28 votesVote

Science Fair 2020
2020-06-27 07:00 - 10:30 | Science Circle region
It is that time again!
The annual Science Fair will take place this year on Saturday, June 27 from 7 AM to 10:30 AM PDT.
This year all curators of an exhibition in the region welcome us at their own work.
For those without a permanent display in the region, pergolas are situated around a mountain.

During a joint teleport, hovering, flying, and walking event with Matthew Burr across the region, we will discover the work of 13 Science Circle members

Schedule
First tour 7-8 AM PDT
SC members present their work

Science Café 8-9 AM
with Earl Kiech on piano

Second tour 9-10:30 AM
SC members present their work

Participants
Subject
Time
Exhibit or Pergola

1
Mike Shaw
Chemistry
7 AM
Sky exhibit

2
Fumon Crystal
Fukushima
7:10
Sky exhibit

3
Deepthinker Oh
Mathematics & Hypothesis
7:20
Exhibit

4
David Hubbard
Neurology “Brodmann’s brain”
7:30
Exhibit

5
Stephen Gasior
Genetics
7:40
Exhibit

6

Linda M. Kelley

Temperate Coastal and marine ecosystems
(New England)
7:50
Exhibit

Earl Kiech
Piano interlude at the Café
8 AM
Lighthouse

7
Phil Youngblood

Covid-19
9 AM
Exhibit

8
James Woods
Astrobiology
9:10
Pergola

9
Mary Anne Clark
Biology
9:20
Pergola

10
Giuseppe Longo
Data Science
9:30
Pergola

11
Lynne Berrett
Whole Brain Health
9:40
Pergola

12
Edgar Altamirano
CERV
9:50
Pergola

13
Bill Harp
Anthropology
10 AM
Pergola

14
Phil Youngblood
Evolution
10:10
Exhibit

15

Linda M. Kelley

Tropical Coastal and marine ecosystems
(Mauritius)
10:20
Exhibit

The Equivalence Theorem
2020-06-20 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
The Cantor Bernstein Schröder Theorem of Set Theory

The EQUIVALENCE THEOREM (a.k.a. Bernstein-Schröder Theorem)
Modern set theory originated between 1874 – 1884 from the researches of Georg Cantor at Universität Halle, Germany. Around 1895, Cantor presented the EQUIVALENCE CONJECTURE:
Given sets A and B,
if A is equivalent to a subset of B
and B equivalent to a subset of A,
then A is equivalent to B.

While this may seem obvious to many, it was not until 1898 that Cantor’s student, Felix Bernstein proved the theorem without flaw.
In this presentation we will review relevant concepts of set theory: types of mappings of sets and their behaviour when sets are combined by union, intersection and difference (relative complement); sizes of sets and equivalence; partitions of sets; special attention will be given to properties of chains of sets (nested subsets).
Then we will demonstrate two approaches for proof of the Equivalence Theorem (the Cantor-Bernstein-Schröder Theorem): 1) à la Bernstein: 2) a stream-lined proof for contrast based on defining a bijective function (1-to-1 from A onto B).
Interesting examples of applications of this theorem will be given that give insight to distinct “DEGREES OF INFINITY”.

Relevant background for this is basic set theory, high school-level mathematics and a normal, human logic.
The goal of this is to help members of the audience understand the strategy of attack in the subtle proof of this important mathematical theorem whose statement is so deceptively simple. Secondarily, this instruction illuminates aspects of how one learns mathematics.

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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Sustainable Energy Science Lab
2020-06-13 10:00 - 11:00 | Sustainable Energy Science Lab
Solar Sierra and Windy Schor represent EnergyTeachers.org in Second Life, building virtual objects for exploring real-life technologies, and holding meetings and discussions between educators and interested people.
Windy uses the somewhat realistic wind that blows through Second Life regions to develop methods for gathering statistics about wind, and for modeling wind power systems.
Solar builds models of solar cookers, heliostats, daylighting, and photovoltaic systems.
Windy and Solar hope to offer EnergyTeachers.org’s Green Dollhouse Challenge in Second Life. The Green Dollhouse Challenge is an event where a jury of building professionals and educators judge models of sustainable buildings on their merits rather than competitively.
Windy and Solar will offer a tour of our Sustainable Energy Science Lab in Second Life on Etopia Island
We’ll look at ways scripting objects in Second Life models the way light, wind, and water work for us, and how data-visualization exposes the ways experts and the public can analyze these resources and turn understanding into fun and practical technologies from power to cooking to art to architecture.
Tour led by Shawn Reeves

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Pathfinder's Office Hours
2020-06-11 10:00 - 11:00 | Pathfinder’s Place
Pathfinder’s Office Hours at the Science Circle

Are you interested in immersive learning, art and education in virtual worlds?
Want to join an engaging discussion with a roundtable of friendly people?
If so, please join us at my weekly Office Hour at the Science Circle in Second Life.
Hope to see you there!

Concert
2020-06-07 07:00 - 08:00 | The Lighthouse Café
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1840 – 1893 was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally, which was bolstered by his appearances as a guest conductor in Europe and the United States. He was honoured in 1884 by Tsar Alexander III and awarded a lifetime pension.

Sleeping Beauty

Nutcracker (Selections), Op.71

Swan Lake Suite, Op.20a

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.

Thank you for your interest and participation in our objectives.
September 2019 “Unanswered Questions 2”. From left to right Nikolai Mnev, Rob Knop and William Wall.

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

Genome Island
2020-06-06 10:00 - 11:00
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Tour of Genome Island
Genome Island was constructed by Mary Anne Clark (Max Chatnoir) to serve as a virtual laboratory, and is divided into several regions, each of which focuses on some area of genetics. Max has used it for teaching both majors and nonmajors, and the island is open for use by other students.

The Abbey, Greenhouse and South Abbey Garden house information and experiments illustrating the Mendelian Laws of Inheritance. The adjacent North Abbey Garden, the Apiary, the Cattery, the Aviary and the Mixollama Herd demonstrate variations on the Mendelian Laws, e.g. incomplete dominance, X-linkage, interactive genes, and linkage.

In the multistoried Tower are a series of experiments establishing the principles of molecular genetics: DNA, RNA and proteins. The tower also features the human genome, beginning with a gallery of human chromosomes and extending into the relationship of the human genomes to other animal genomes. Higher up in the Tower are several sections devoted to Drosophila genetics and bacterial genetics. Finally a few sections were used to develop special projects: Meiosis, human blood disorders, and the genomes of the Influenza A and SARS-CoV-2. An aerial ramp connects the Tower to the Bioinformatics Platform, which illustrates the uses of various genetics databases.

Two sections of Genome Island describe other genomes: the Garden of Prokaryotic Genomes on the north end of the island and a Gallery of Eukaryotic Genomes on a boardwalk below the Tower. Population Genetics is the focus of the Gene Pool and the Population Platform that lies above it. On the southern bank of the Gene Pool is Ribosome Row, which illustrates how genetic information is used in the synthesis of proteins. A teleporter links Ribosome Row to the molecular genetics section of the Tower.

Above the South end of the island is a platform with kiosks containing activities that were once housed on a separate Cell Island and which illustrate various aspects of cell biology. This includes a model cell big enough for an avatar to move around in.

Genome Island also contains a number of regions where instructors and students can meet for discussion: the Genome Science Theatre, the conference area of the Abbey, and several different sections that can accommodate small groups. Student projects are exhibited in the Project Terrace located South of the Abbey Garden.

Dr. Mary Anne Clark, Texas Wesleyan University (aka Max Chatnoir)
Previous work in the Film Collection

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Pathfinder's Office Hours
2020-06-03 10:00 - 11:00 | Pathfinder’s Place
Pathfinder’s Office Hours at the Science Circle

Are you interested in immersive learning, art and education in virtual worlds?
Want to join an engaging discussion with a roundtable of friendly people?
If so, please join us at my weekly Office Hour every Wednesday @ 10am Pacific at the Science Circle in Second Life.
Hope to see you there!

Avatar Psychology
2020-05-30 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

People experience a 3D virtual world through an avatar representation of their real world self. A virtual world avatar can be distinguished from a static social media thumbnail or handle in that a VW avatar is dynamic and 3-dimensional. Typically, the VW avatar form is either chosen from a menu of premade forms or is assembled from a library of components. In either case, the avatar can be customized with an almost limitless array of elements. The choices made in creating an avatar, the way others react to your avatar, and how you respond to other avatars is psychologically revealing and challenging. An avatar need not resemble the real person at all. It can be a non-human form or human but look different from the person’s “real life.” Indeed, an avatar can be a powerful modality to test a new identity such as transgender in a fully social virtual environment. This causes a distinct shift in one’s body awareness. How a person adapts to this shift has strong psychological implications.

Some people find the avatar experience so foreign that they either are very uncomfortable or decline the opportunity entirely, perhaps due to reduced visual cues inherent in in-person interaction or to how closely participants identify with their avatars and how much they recognize the people behind other avatars. This is a psychological clue about how deeply our perception of self is connected to the emotional investment we make in our avatar.
During the pandemic, educators and students alike have been introduced rather abruptly to the virtual environment. While grappling with how to teach and learn, they may not be aware of the impact of how they present themselves has on the way they interact with each other. Some educators and students adapt well to the virtual environment while others find it uncomfortable. Understanding these aspects of the virtual environment is a critical element in the success of online education.

Panel participants:

Dominique Meldau
Deepthinker Oh
Phil Youngblood

Host scientific debates: Matthew Burr

Previously recorded panels

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Pathfinder’s Office Hours
2020-05-27 10:00 - 11:00, 2020-05-06 10:00 - 11:00 | Pathfinder’s Place
Pathfinder’s Office Hours at the Science Circle

Are you interested in immersive learning, art and education in virtual worlds?
Want to join an engaging discussion with a roundtable of friendly people?
If so, please join us at my weekly Office Hour every Wednesday @ 10am Pacific at the Science Circle in Second Life.
Hope to see you there!

John Pathfinder Lester

Weather Models, Climate Models, Observations, and Parallel Earths
2020-05-23 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

Image: Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, NOAA

Weather Models, Climate Models, Observations, and Parallel Earths
Weather models and climate models share some core algorithms. They also share algorithms with the models used to obtain properties of the atmosphere and surface from satellite observations. There are differences also, largely a reflection of different spans of time. All three depend on local observations but in different ways.

FLUXNET: Net Ecosystem Exchange CO2, latent and sensible heat for 1992 at Harvard Forest: Total (blue), Day (red), Night (green). [Climate Data Guide; D. Shea]

Satellite observations can be effectively instantaneous, many acquired within a single day. Climate model runs span years, requiring inclusion of seasonal changes and feedbacks of surface and ocean. Weather models are only able to predict the weather up to about two-weeks into the future before the actual weather and the model weather diverge. This does not mean that the weather the model creates is unrealistic. A person on a parallel Earth with the model’s weather wouldn’t be able to tell from the weather alone that they weren’t on our Earth. That’s a bridge between weather modeling and climate modeling.

By Keith Eric Grant
Previous recordings
Climate Change panel can be found here
Papers in the Library

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Genomic Parasites Nibbling Away at Us: Why I should win the Nobel Prize
2020-05-16 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here
Aging, infertility, neural degeneration, cancer, genetic variability. What could they all have in common? An underappreciated source of their cause in little genomic parasites known as retrotransposons. Retrotransposon exist in our genomes and live a life of copying and pasting into new locations to reproduce themselves. Unfortunately, this involves making breaks in DNA to insert themselves. This DNA breaking is, well, bad for genomes to stay intact. While long thought to be dormant in most cells, they were found to actually be actively expressed. To be discussed will be the speaker’s seminal work on demonstrating the DNA breaking activity of retrotransposons in human cells and the potential impact they have on human health. The case will be made for this body of work to be in the running for Nobel Prize recognition.

DNA damage theory of aging
Long interspersed nuclear elements

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

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Pathfinder's Office Hours
2020-05-13 10:00 - 11:00 | Pathfinder’s Place

Walk along the SC Beach
2020-05-09 10:00 - 11:00 | Beach
Take a break. Join us for a walk along the beach…feel the sand squish between your toes. Warm sun spreads across your shoulders and back. Smell the salt in the air. Breathe deeply as you relax into the moment. A walk along the beach can be a soul-restoring experience, a small human in connection to the vastness of the world spread out with a sea that looks endless.

Look closer and you’ll realize you’re on a liminal edge, a littoral zone and intertidal ecosystem that is part land, part sea, always a richly magical place to explore.

Bare feet only. No shoes allowed.

Linda Morris Kelley (Delia Lake in SL)
Habitat Curator
Previous tours on film
Article Hypothesis “Staring into the Abyss”

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The World 20 Years Ahead with 2020 Vision
2020-05-02 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here
Our current times are bad. But where are we headed? Some of the world’s smartest people in government, research, academia, business, economics, science, and other fields have looked 20 years into the future, and seen a time of abundance and shared opportunities. Let’s visit evolving technologies from an optimistic perspective above and beyond the turmoil of 2020.
Bio:
Steven R. Van Hook has developed online and hybrid courses over 20 years for universities including UCLA, UCSB, California Lutheran, National University and elsewhere in subjects including communications, marketing, global issues, and international management. He has a PhD in Education specializing in transcultural distance learning, and has been published in SAGE and UNESCO journals on global education. He has designed in virtual-world learning platforms for more than a decade.

Previous presentations
Film Collection
Library
Listen to Steven’s journey of discovery into the world of science by podcast

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Pathfinder's Office Hours
2020-04-29 10:00 - 11:00, 2020-04-22 10:00 - 11:00 | Pathfinder’s Place
Photo: Pathfinder Lester “Augmented Mind” available in the library

Anyone who entered Second Life Education between 2005 and 2010 undeniably came across Pathfinder Linden. Pathfinder Linden was the customer market development in Education and Healthcare at LL. His office hours were phenomenal and many a teacher took advantage of John’s knowledge. Within Second Life Education he always remained a great loss, so we are very pleased to announce that John will resume his office hours again, this time with us. Accessible to everyone in SL.

If you have any questions related to teaching in Second Life, drop by!

John Lester has worked in software development, product design and management, knowledge engineering and online community building for over 20 years. He has led projects and teams in a variety of settings from startups to Fortune 100 companies, and his diverse background includes neuroscience, perceptually immersive learning, VR, artificial life, fintech, infosec and big data analytics.

With his background in neurology, John developed the first immersive medical education products and online patient support communities while doing research at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. John co-founded the the first computer security hackerspace “The L0pht,” he’s a long-standing member of the oldest white-hat hacker group “Cult of the Dead Cow,” and he led the development of pioneering immersive learning education initiatives for Second Life while working at Linden Lab.

Online Strategies for Quarantine: An Evening with Pathfinder Lester
2020-04-25 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

John Lester (Pathfinder Lester) has worked in software development, product design and management, knowledge engineering and online community building for over 20 years. He

has led projects and teams in a variety of settings from startups to Fortune 100 companies, and his diverse background includes neuroscience, perceptually immersive learning, VR, artificial life, fintech, infosec and big data analytics.

With his background in neurology, John developed the first immersive medical education products and online patient support communities while doing research at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. John co-founded the the first computer security hackerspace “The L0pht,” he’s a long-standing member of the oldest white-hat hacker group “Cult of the Dead Cow,” and he led the development of pioneering immersive learning education initiatives for Second Life while working at Linden Lab.

Matthew will discuss the following topics with John

(1) Platforms Pathfinder is excited about
(2) Tools recommended; Apps, websites, podcasts, etc
(3) Strategies
– Synergies to using a platform and a tool together
– The role of social media during quarantine
(4) Caution, things not to do or to avoid?

Host: Matthew Burr

Previously recorded panels

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The COVID-19 Pandemic: Envisioning the Future
2020-04-18 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
This presentation has since taken place, you can view the film recording here

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Envisioning the Future

Phillip D. Youngblood, Ph.D.

A major pandemic is sweeping the globe. While new cases and COVID-19 related deaths continue to climb throughout our connected world, there are signs that the pandemic has reached its peak in several parts of the world. Individuals and societal groups are reacting differently, looking for solutions to stem the threat to our health and way of life.

In the face of this threat, people are turning to governments for action, to the medical community for help, to the scientific community for answers, to commercial entities for products, to mass media for information, to social media for support, and to non-scientific organizations for miracles. In many ways, the pandemic is not just a test of our immune systems, but of what we hold valuable and where we put our trust.

Dr. Youngblood will bring us up to date on the pandemic and discuss the science and psychology behind what we are being asked to do to save the lives of others and possibly our own.
No one has “2020 hindsight” about what will happen next, but we can share probable futures based on experiences in our past and the ability of the scientific approach to project future trends.

Phil Youngblood, Ph.D.
Previous presentations in the Film Collection
Previous work in the Library

Podcast – Guest: Phil Youngblood

Note to the audience: This is not a forum for blaming others. A pandemic cannot occur unless millions of people create it.
Instead, let us discuss together the science and psychology of what has happened, what is happening, and what may happen.

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Trivia
2020-04-18 07:00 - 08:00 | Auditorium
Can you use some distraction and fun during this quarantine time?
Come play carefree digital Trivia with us!
Six thousand Lindens in the prize pool and for every correct answer, fifty are for you.
