Science Circle

Mathematics Club
2024-11-14 16:00 - 17:00, 2024-11-21 16:00 - 17:00, 2024-12-05 16:00 - 17:00, 2024-12-19 16:00 - 17:00, 2025-01-02 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Maths Club

Renewed Hope Ahead for 2025
2024-11-16 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
Renewed Hope Ahead for 2025
Steven R. Van Hook, PhD
November 16 @ 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PST

It’s time to cheer up a bit. Clouded by global turmoil and uncertainty, we may lose sight of transcendent growth blooming just beyond the gloom. Some of the world’s brightest minds in government, education, business, economics, and science have looked not so far ahead and envision a world of abundance and opportunity. Let’s ponder and refresh our hope for a brighter future beyond the tumult of today.

Bio: Dr. Steven R. Van Hook has taught communication and culture courses for universities in the USA and abroad for 25 years. He’s been a newspaper columnist, radio reporter, TV news anchor, and podcast host. He was a television producer and bureau chief in Russia; and directed public education media programs in Ukraine through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He has a PhD specializing in transcultural learning, and is published in scholarly journals including UNESCO’s Prospects, and Sage.

Research website: http://wwmr.us

Classical Concert
2024-11-17 07:00 - 09:00, 2024-11-24 07:00 - 08:00, 2024-12-01 07:00 - 08:00, 2024-12-08 07:00 - 08:00, 2024-12-15 07:00 - 08:00 | The Lighthouse Café

Moon Base Meeting
2024-11-18 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-11-25 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-12-02 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-12-09 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-12-16 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-12-23 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-12-30 10:00 - 11:00 | Moon base

Learning a new Skill: Computational Chemistry
2024-11-23 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
With the recent awards of the 2024 Nobel Prizes in Physics for machine learning through neural networks and in Chemistry for computational protein design and structure prediction, it is apparent that modern physical science depends deeply on computer-aided calculations to provide insights about the world. In 2024, it is far easier than it has ever been for citizen-scientists to explore computational tools and even make significant discoveries. Personally, the pandemic lockdown period represented an opportunity to start learning how to perform quantum mechanical calculations to provide insight into my research group’s work. Another benefit was to provide enrichment to Second Life talks through the scientifically-accurate mesh-objects and animations calculation makes possible. There are a lot of rabbit holes that one can go down in trying to set up a system, and I’ll share my journey from performing some modest calculations to starting to use a computational cluster.
by Mike Shaw, PhD
https://www.siue.edu/arts-and-sciences/chemistry/faculty-staff/shaw.shtml

No Mathematics Club
2024-11-28 16:00 - 17:00
For holiday reasons, there is no Maths club this day

Thanksgiving Debate Forum: Free Speech
2024-11-30 10:00 - 11:00 | Science Circle Forum
Tired of heated arguments around the dinner table? Getting bored of the blowhards on TV and social media? Wondering why everyone is yelling and/or crying about the state of everything? Then this is the event for you.
A debate in the Oxford Union style on the matter of free speech in the US versus EU.
The Chamber proposes the US should adopt a more regulated free speech regimen akin to the UK or Germany for misinformation or destructive topics.
Tagline for the proposition versus Gus Plisskin in opposition
This will be a rational and measured debate to highlight the pros and cons of each side of the argument. Put away the (figurative) debate brass knuckles and the acrimony to participate in reasoned and civil discourse. Lincoln and Douglas would be proud.
Moderated by Stephen Xootfly

SC Field Trip: Whole Brain Health
2024-12-07 10:00 - 11:00 | Whole Brain Health
Whole Brain Health presents the most recent multimedia self-guided tour! Simply Impossible by Thuja Hynes exploits the SL physics engine to create marvelous unscripted and perpetual machines, including the Lemniscate, rocking blocks, ceiling fan, carousel, and more! With Gifts and Instructions to build your own!
Destination is http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Inspiration%20Island/116/36/22
But we will gather at Science Circle before going over en mass.

NO Mathematics Club
2024-12-12 16:00 - 17:00
Cancelled

SC Field Trip: Virtual Worlds Education Consortium
2024-12-14 10:00 - 11:00
VW Education Consortium (VWEC) was founded in January 2021 as a way bring educators together both to share successes and to tackle obstacles across virtual platforms and communities.

When Linden Labs wanted to establish an educational region in Second Life, the VWEC became a central hub for this effort. The Science Circle and tens of other organizations are now part of this greater educational community. You will find a link to us and a partial list of other members at https://www.vweconsortium.org/communities/

Join us for this field trip to the hub of education in Second Life. We will gather at the Science Circle auditorium at 10am SLT on Saturday before proceeding to VWEC island at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VWEC%20Eduverse/219/105/45

SC Field Trip: Scientia
2024-12-21 10:00 - 11:00
Our field trip this week is to Scientia, our nearest neighbor in Second Life.
Scientia is the new name for Virtech, the virtual presence of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
We will arrive at the Scientia Central Plaza to begin our field trip: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Scientia/128/128/31
From the region’s website at https://virtual.caltech.edu/virtech
Scientia “is an experimental platform for online education, operated by the Virtual Reality Lab, which is a part of the Center for Data-Driven Discovery at Caltech. It was designed to furnish the Caltech community with an alternative to in-person interactions during the pandemic. Through the use of avatars, participants can visit a rich virtual space furnished to enable engaging experience as well as seamless social interaction. It is open to all members of the Caltech community and their approved guests, as well as the members of other academic communities by a special arrangement.”
From https://virtual.caltech.edu/virtech/virtech-and-second-life
“Caltech uses Scientia to experiment with various combined technologies for online learning, and virtual teaching labs in particular. A general consensus is that using virtual worlds for education can lead to better learning outcomes, as the students find the lectures and demonstrations more engaging and more memorable than those delivered through a standard video (e.g., YouTube) or conferencing (e.g., Zoom) platforms. VWs also provide a channel for the human interaction component of the learning process (both student to student and student to instructor) that is clearly superior to other online mechanisms such as the discussion threads, social media posts, or video conferencing, and that is their major strength. While such interactions are obviously not as good as those in the physical reality, they can be pretty close, once the participants get used to the platform and identify with their avatars.”

NO Classical Concert
2024-12-22 07:00 - 08:00, 2024-12-29 07:00 - 08:00 | The Lighthouse Café
cancelled for the holiday

NO Mathematics Club
2024-12-26 16:00 - 17:00
Cancelled for holidays

SC Field Trip: Chemistry World
2024-12-28 10:00 - 23:00 | Chemistry World
Explore the region south of Science Circle with Mike Shaw. Chemistry World is contiguous with Science Circle at its southern border. It is a working educational region, serving about 160 engineering college students in freshman Chemistry labs annually. Originally designed by faculty at Texas A&M and Florida Tech, the region now boasts a total of 4 Chemistry Lab activities, conference areas suitable for peer-led Team Learning, an environmental recreation of the Tantramar Marsh, and many fun Chemistry Easter eggs.
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chemistry%20World/183/48/26

2024 Genome Editing Year in Review
2025-01-04 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
2024 Genome Editing Year in Review
Every year there are new advances in genome engineering enabled by CRISPR/Cas and other editing systems. In this talk, the most important and interesting news in gene editing from 2024 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 developments most adjacent to the public.
Stephen Gasior, Ph.D.
Stephen’s previous talks
