Second Life: What Makes Us Human Competition

The dynamos at Uni of Western Australia have launched another great competition for content creators in Second Life. Having had the pleasure of judging some of UWA’s great art / sculpture competitions in previous years, I have no doubt this one will be another cracker. Here’s the full details via the UWA in SL blog:

December 1st 2013 – February 28th 2014

Prize pool: L$268,750

Open to Everyone

You be the teacher!

Models that simulate and models that stimulate! Your models can be interactive!Imagine riding a blood corpuscle through a three storey high heart, watching from “inside” the brain as an aneurysm bursts (a “stroke”).

“What Makes Us Human?” is an event run by UWA and sponsored by the School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology as well as the School of Physics. We encourage you to create a model, animation or simulation that reflects what makes us human at a cellular, organ, or system level. We encourage you to create fairly accurate or representative creations or models that can be used for teaching. The aim is to enable others to learn anatomical, histological, developmental and/or physiological concepts about the human body from your work.

Entries can be submitted anytime between the 1st of December 2013 and the 28th of February 2014. Entries should have no more than 300 prims. There is no limit on the number of entries you can submit. Entries will be displayed at the UWA Virtual Gallery.

Fill out the Creator’s Notecard form (available from the entry drop box, or create a new notecard with your name, the title and description of your entry, a bried bio (optional) and your rl city location (optional)) and include it with your entry. Be sure to include your name and the name of your entry in the filename of the notecard.

Place the model in the contest entry receiver at UWA Gallery HERE http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/UWA/64/132/250:

• Select your item from inventory while holding down the CTRL key
• Drag the file from your inventory to the contest entry billboard prim.
• The outline of the billboard should turn red. You may then release your mouse button and your entry will be deposited.
• Do the same with your Creator’s Notecard.
• Mod/copy perms are appreciated, so entries can be displayed via temporary rezzers. This will allow for a greater number of prims/land impact for individual entries, if mod is not possible copy is adequate

If you have problems with the receiver drop the model into the inventory of FreeWee Ling (UWA Curator of Arts) or Jayjay Zifanwe (Jay Jay Jegathesan: UWA in Second Life Founder & Lead) along with a note card stating the name of the model/animation/simulation and the creator.

Nervous System: What are the various representations of different types of neurons?
Integumentary System: What are the structural differences between the layers of epidermis (skin)?

Muscular System: Examine structural differences and/or similarities between skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle cells.

Embryology & Foetology: What are various stages of embryonic and foetal development? Perhaps look at the transformation from embryo to foetus.

Skeletal System: What are the components of the human skeleton?

Present the anatomy of various types of joints.

Nervous System: What are some of the neural pathways that enable us to perform day to day cognitive and motor functions?

Circulatory System: How does blood circulate through our body to meet the metabolic needs and maintain the normal function of cells/organs/and bodily systems.

Circulatory System: How does the heart operate, and what are its different chambers and valves?

Histology, anatomy, and physiology are disciplines that go hand in hand. It is only natural that you may construct entries that draw on more than one of these disciplines in order to facilitate the learning of concepts.

Furthermore, you could also think outside the box. You can portray/convey the difference between normal features and functioning, and the abnormal or dysfunctional.

Other topics could include representations of anatomy, physiology and histology pertaining to the following systems:Digestive, Endocrine, Exocrine, Immune,  Lymphatic, Reproductive, Respiratory, Urinary, Visual

1^st L$81,250 (~$330 USD)

2^nd  L$62,500 (~$255 USD)

3^rd  L$37,500 (~$150 USD)

4^th  L$18,750 (~$75 USD)

5^th  L$12,500 (~$50 USD)

Anatomy Special Prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)

Histology Special Prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)

Physiology Special prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)

Total Prize Pool = L$268,750 (~$1,090 USD)

*(Prizes will be awarded in Linden Dollars. US Dollar equivalents are shown for reference.)

• By submitting an entry, you agree to allow the University of Western Australia to use your model/animation/simulation for teaching and learning purposes, and for promotion of UWA’s programs.
• Maximum land impact for any entry is 300. Mod/Copy perms are appreciated so we can rez/remove entries on demand, however, if mod is not possible, copy is appreciated.
• Size is not technically limited, but may not interfere with other exhibits or activities on the sim.
• Script lag, light or particle emitters, or sounds should be confined to the area of the entry.
• Contact FreeWee Ling, curator, regarding any special requirements such as orientation, media parcels, environmental needs, etc.
• We encourage the submission of all-original work. If any component of your entry is the result of rendering work that has originated from another author, whether or not it is under copyright, you must have permission to use it and acknowledge the original author of the component.

Professor Stuart Bunt (Anatomy)

Professor Geoff Meyer (Histology)

Assistant Professor Gavin Pinniger (Physiology)

Jay Jay Jegathesan (Founder & Lead – UWA in Second Life)

FreeWee Ling (UWA Second Life Curator & Designer)

Teresa Clune (UWA APHB Contest Administrator)

Cranial nerve models, like the one pictured in the competition poster, can be viewed at the University of Kentucky’s Cranial Nerve Skywalk in Second Life. To teleport there, click HERE.