Conference Organizing Committee
Joyce Bettencourt | Avatar: Rhiannon Chatnoir
Conference Co-Chair
Joyce Bettencourt is co-founder and Vice President of AvaCon, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to promoting the growth, enhancement, and development of the metaverse, virtual worlds, augmented reality and 3D immersive spaces. AvaCon were organizers of 2010 in Boston & 2011 in Oakland Second Life Community Convention, the Federal Consortium of Virtual Worlds virtual workshops, and the ongoing OpenSimulator Community Conference. AvaCon currently fiscally sponsors the nonprofit community of practice, Nonprofit Commons in Second Life, where Joyce has been a community leader and host of weekly Friday meetings. Joyce is a 2012 graduate of the Singularity University Graduate Studies program, focused on applying exponential technologies to addressing Global Grand Challenges
Cynthia Calongne | Avatar: Lyr Lobo
Conference Co-Chair
Dr. Cynthia Calongne, known as Lyr Lobo, joined CTU’s Computer Science Doctoral department in 1996, and prior to it, was a software engineer for 13 years for AF Space Command and for an environmental organization. She has hosted 125+ keynote addresses, research paper presentations, and workshops. Her team won the $25,000 Grand Prize in the Federal Virtual World Challenge for the Mars Expedition Strategy Challenge, a space simulation, and in 2005, she completed an artificial intelligence grant for the National Science Foundation. Her research began in 1995 when she evaluated a user interface paradigm for using virtual environments on a personal computer.
Michael Bailey | Avatar: Marcus Llewellyn
Grid Admin / Streaming Coordinator
Michael Bailey has been working with technology for the past 24 years. Originally a programmer, he discovered Second Life in 2007 and then became invested in the OpenSimulator project in 2009. Since then, he has acquired expertise scripting and building in virtual environments, as well as familiarity with the OpenSimulator software and its configuration. As an open source advocate, he makes heavy use of tools such as Blender and Open Broadcaster Studio. He’s streamed for the OpenSimulator Community Conference (OSCC) since 2014. Since OSCC 2016, he has been in charge of live streaming setup, coordination, training, and A/V promotional materials. Currently a staff member at AvaCon Inc., he is dedicated to promoting projects for social good by means of video tutorials, presentations on useful software, and content creation.
Dave Fliesen | Avatar: Sun Tzu
Music Coordinator / 3D Content
David Fliesen has extensive experience in virtual worlds and education. He is a Master Training Specialist and taught journalism and broadcasting for the U.S. military at the Defense Information School (DINFOS) and developed a college undergrad course on engineering virtual worlds. He recently graduated from the Art Institute with a major in Media Arts & Animation and is currently looking for opportunities in Virtual and Augmented Reality.
Jeroen Frans | Avatar: Frans Charming
Grid Accounts & Expo Coordinator / Scripting & Interaction
Jeroen Frans is one of the three Founders of the Vesuvius Group, LLC, and functions as Executive Director and Virtual World Technology Specialist. The Vesuvius Group is a Full-Service Solution provider for companies and institutions who desire to develop a presence or experience in a virtual world, with expertise in the virtual world platform Second Life & OpenSim. Jeroen is a creative producer and futurist always looking forward to how innovative technology can be used and enhanced. This drives him to try his hand in many technologies, and his early adoption has resulted in a wide skill set in programming, 3D, Web and game design, machinima and animation.
James Lloyd | Avatar: James Atlloud
Web Schedule / Streaming Lead
James Lloyd is a technology coordinator for the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program at the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. He is founder of Lloud LLC, a company built around the core concept of providing knowledge and skill to the implementation of online learning projects. As a learning technology consultant he provides a full-spectrum of solutions to the challenges facing a learning organization from the earliest stages of ideation to the end result analysis and evaluation. James has a Masters degree in Educational Technology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Buffy Bye | Avatar: Buffy Beale
Volunteer Coordinator
Buffy Bye, who flies around virtual worlds as Buffy Beale, a green fairy martian in a tie-dyed jumpsuit with cool runners and dainty wings, is a retired (early, yay!) Service Integration Engineer with the British Columbia Provincial Government. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the “Nonprofit Commons in Second Life” (http://nonprofitcommons.org), a community of nonprofit and social benefit organizations from around the globe who meet every week to connect and collaborate. She is the founder of “JoinMeJoinUs” (https://joinmejoinus.org), a campaign to connect people who want to change the world. Buffy has many years of volunteer experience for virtual conferences and is an avid supporter of virtual worlds for learning.
Becky Adams | Avatar: Elli Pinion
Moderator Coordination / Scripts
Dr. Becky Adams retired from the University of New Mexico after thirteen years as the Director of Online Course Development & Faculty Support. As Director, she facilitated the design and delivery of UNM Online Courses for the Main Campus, ensuring quality courses and day-to-day support for online faculty. She has taught online and face to face in Higher Education for the College of Education Teacher Education & Human Sciences as well as Organization, Information and Learning Science (OI&LS). Her Ph.D. is concentrated in Instructional Technologies and Educational Administration and she has been a part of the Virtual Worlds in Education community since 2007.
Advisors
Crista Lopes | Avatar: Diva Canto
Crista Lopes is a Professor in the School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. Prior to being in Academia, she worked at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (1995-2001). She is co-inventor of AOP (Aspect Oriented Programming), a programming technology featured in the MIT Technology Review (2001) as “one of the 10 emergent technologies that will change the world.” She also serves on the board of the Core Developers of OpenSimulator and is the creator of the Hypergrid protocol, which allows avatars to travel between Hypergrid-enabled OpenSimulator grids.
Mal Burns | Avatar: Mal Burns
Mal Burns is host of the “Inworld Review” – a weekly news and discussion program which has been running for over 10 years. He and Tara Yeats run Metaworld Broadcasting to provide input and output services for TV in virtual worlds and the expertise for the same. Mal has used virtual environments for nearly a decade, is concerned about user interfaces in general and has a wealth of media and design experience behind him. In the organic sphere he is now retired and uses his experience to deploy and promote in immersive spaces. He also has a twitter stream (@malburns) provide news links on a daily basis.
Maria Korolov | Avatar: Maria Korolov
Maria Korolov has been covering revolutions for the past twenty years. Economic, political, military — and technological. She’s reported from Russia, Chechnya, Afghanistan, China, and more than a dozen other countries. For the past five years, she’s been the editor and publisher of Hypergrid Business, an online publication covering enterprise uses of virtual environment and founder and former editor of the Hyperica directory of hypergrid destinations.
Melanie Thielker | Avatar: Melanie Milland
Melanie Thielker is an OpenSimulator Core Developer, Melanie has been a very active contributor to virtual world software in general, and OpenSimulator in particular. Melanie has been involved in a number of virtual world projects and had created her own “spin” of the OpenSimulator software — Up to twelve developers worked two years on creating the software which powered Avination.
In Memorial
Barbara Truman | Avatar: Delightful Doowangle
1962-2021
Dr. Barbara Truman served as a Strategic Advisor for Immersive Learning & Collaboration in the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Simulation & Training in Orlando. At UCF, Barbara founded an award-winning department representing Online@UCF. Her background was in Instructional Systems Design, Human Performance Technology, and Computer Science, Emerging Media. Barbara has also served as the Community Manager for the US Army’s Military Open Simulation Enterprise Strategy (MOSES) Project.
Volunteer Staff
Streaming & Media Team
The Streaming Team records, live streams, and produces over 55 sessions of content, re-records sessions where there are issues, edits video, audio, and session channels, and produces archives so that the conference sessions can continue to benefit the OpenSimulator community for years to come. They are grace under pressure and wonderful to work with!
Stream Team Coordinators:
- Michael Bailey
- James Attloud
- Beth O’Connell | Avatar: Beth Ghostraven
- Petlove Petshop
Greeters & Moderators
Greeters and Moderators perform crucial functions in the success of the event. Greeters assist audience members and visitors with technical support, viewer questions, wayfinding, and generally ensuring that attendees have a positive experience at the conference. Moderators assist presenters and introduce each speaker and session topic, help with the smooth presentation and streaming experience, and close out each session by thanking the speaker and audience. They are the MCs of each session and they do a fantastic job!
Greeters & Moderators:
- Ghaelen D’Lareh
- Beth Ghostraven
- Taralyn Gravois
- Olivetree Lighthouse
- Lyr Lobo
- Elli Pinion
- Mary Stokrocki
- Kaylee West
- Lissena Wisdomseeker
- Esparanza Freese
- Catseye Moonstone
- Gwenette Writer
- Mystic Rivers
Building Team
The builds of OSCC are the result of many collaborative partnerships, individual donations of new creations, and adaptations of existing open source content. In many ways, the builds showcase the creative talents of dozens and dozens of people and what’s possible when open source content can be reused and remixed.
Current Landing Zones – The Landing zone regions where redesigned by Nebadon Izumi with help and/or structures by Alexis List, Fleep Tuque, Jak Daniels, Cheopss Forlife7, Joe Radik and Key Gruin.
From 2018 forward Frans Charming redesigned and maintained the middle Telehub areas in the Landing and Expo Zones, where everyone teleports in to. He redesigned the teleport boards, informational signs, new Automatic Teleport Doorways and introduced community Art exhibits in the Telehub areas
Previous Landing Zones
The first version of the Landing Zones were first built from scratch by the Air Force Research Laboratory Discovery Center Tec^Edge ”Summer at the Edge” Student Build Team and then modified, adapted, and re-textured by the OSCC13 Build Team, especially Armenious Resident and Cheops Forlife7. Special thanks to Frans Charming for the scripted map boards and rotating sponsor signs.
Keynote Regions – The Keynote Regions main build was donated by Nebadon Izumi. Fleep Tuque textured and added modifications, and Eryn Galen and Chibo Ryder customized signage and speaker booths.
The audience seats, the stage, and the layout of both where redesigned by Frans Charming for OSCC18. Michael Bailey and Dave Fliesen helped with importing the mesh seats and couches. Dave Fliesen created the speaker podium.
ART – There is freely available art in all OSCC Regions.
These works of Art are created by the following artists:
| Aine.Caoimhe @lfgrid.com:8002 | Cherry.Manga @hg.francogrid.org |
| amsterdam.Bingyi @hg.osgrid.org | Art Blue |
| Basil.Sosides @hg.osgrid.org | XXXSHE MALEXXX |
| Venus Adored | Vagabond Wanderer |
| Uf Yifu dileoo | Kirax Trash |
| grafer | Sergio Rodriguez |
| Keith Selmes |
In the Surreal Museum region you will find curated art by Juliette SurrealDreaming
Breakout Zones – The Breakout Zones began from the open source Universal Campus, modified by Fleep Tuque to fit on a single region, modified and adapted and re-textured by the Air Force Research Laboratory Discovery Center Tec^Edge ”Summer at the Edge” Student Build Team, and then further modified by the OSCC13 Build Team, especially Buffy Beale and Cam Chevalier, Cheops Forlife7, Frans Charming, Joe Radik, and Jeff Cost. Special thanks to Buffy Beale and Cam Chevalier for their heroic work creating customized booths for each speaker, Frans Charming for the scripted panel chairs, and Jeff Cost‘s tireless tweaking of the sit scripts in the auditorium chairs.
Air Force Research Laboratory Discovery Center
Tec^Edge ”Summer at the Edge” Student Build Team:
Program Director: Dr. Robert Williams
Build Team Managers: Lydia Divine and Mark Siebert
Student Builders:
Landing Zone – Original Student Build
Daltin Loomis, Joseph Merrill, Spencer Lukowski, Jacob Slezak, Dalton Flanagan, Miranda McGrothers, Kristen Tate, Bryan Rich, Shea Tolson, Josh Crank, Matt Larson, Michael Erno, Abigail Riffle, Jonathan Sander, Jocelyn Meyer, Wilson Bailey, William Gross
Special thanks to Lydia Divine and Mark Siebert for overseeing and coordinating all of the student build teams!
