Genome Island: A Virtual Science Environment in Second Life
Mary Anne Clark

Mary Anne Clark describes the organization and uses of Genome Island, a virtual laboratory complex constructed in Second Life. Genome Island was created for teaching genetics to university undergraduates but also provides a public space where anyone interested in genetics can spend a few minutes, or a few hours, interacting with genetic objects—from simple experiments with peas to the organization of whole genomes. Each of the approximately four dozen activities available in the island’s various areas includes background information, model objects with data sets, and suggestions for data analysis. The island also has a presentation theater, an indoor conference setting, and separate meeting spaces suitable for small group conversations. Clark describes some of the activities available on the island, offers advice for their use, and discusses the results of a pilot project that identified some pedagogical and technical challenges arising in this virtual setting.

Link: http://innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=562 (article requires free registration)

Link: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Genome/118/145/53 (Second Life location)

In honor of Charles Darwin, the University of Cincinnati has undertaken a project to recreate the Galapagos Island in the virtual world of Second Life. For those who are unfamiliar, the Galapagos Islands is where Darwin conducted some of his research that led to the famous On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. When this project is finished, which is currently set at January 2009, all avatars in the virtual world will be able to retrace Darwin’s steps “from his 1832 journey to South America aboard the Beagle to his tours of the islands.” For more information about the University of Cincinnati’s Darwin Sesquicentennial Celebration program Evolution: Evidence and Impact, please see http://www.uc.edu/darwin/.

Link: http://www.educause.edu/library/erm08516

Second Life is a virtual world with tens of millions of square meters of virtual lands, more than 13 million “residents,” and a thriving economy. Large numbers of colleges and universities—or, in some cases, individual departments or faculty—are active in Second Life, not only for academic purposes but also for campus visits, recruiting activities for prospective students, and fundraising. Second Life lets educators easily build and modify learning spaces to test how different strategies for a physical space affect learning, and a similar approach can be taken toward educational activities in those spaces.

Link: http://www.educause.edu/node/163004