Conference Schedule
OpenSimulator Community Conference 2025 – December 5-7, 2025
The OpenSimulator Community Conference is an annual conference that focuses on the developer and user community creating the OpenSimulator software. Organized by AvaCon, the virtual conference features presentations, workshops, keynote sessions, and community social events and tours across diverse sectors of the OpenSimulator user base.
More info at http://conference.opensimulator.org and to register, go to https://conference.opensimulator.org/register/
Community social events can be scheduled on dates leading up to the conference on Saturday 6-dec-25, and after 6PM PDT on Sunday 7-dec-25, or any time in the days following. Submit your community event for us to add to this conference schedule.
Events taking place Saturday, December 6, and Sunday, December 7 will be live simulcast streamed to: https://www.youtube.com/c/AvaconOrg/live
ALL TIMES LISTED IN PACIFIC STANDARD TIME (PST/SLT) (-8 GMT)
TO CONVERT TO YOUR LOCAL TIME, USE THE TIME ZONE CONVERTER. Put our events in your own Calendar: iCal Feed | Google Calendar
Inworld Review 25 – episode 2
Watch episode 2 of the 2025 Inworld Review, live on YouTube at 11am grid time (Pacific Daylight Time).
Music with Zoree Jupiter
Location
- Music region
Speaker
-
zzTeresa Bettencourt / Zoree JupiterBlending the beautiful sounds of her native Portugal with her love of her the songs of her life in the US, Zoree Jupiter’s voice and performance is undeniably real, powerful sensual and yet with a whisper of the fragility of the soul in every song she sings. Whether it is Pop, Disco, Blues, Rock , Latin, Burlesque, other favorites – or even Portuguese Fado Singing – Zoree Jupiter is a performer that you do not want to miss, and will return again and again to see and hear. An accomplished and successful artist in both Second Life and First Life as well as having sung at such famous venues as Carnegie Hall, Zoree shares her amazing talent for the poetic, the passionate and the emotion now on stage with her voice.
Coming from an extremely musical family, Teresa Bettencourt has performed in many real life venues (including Carnegie Hall) as well as over the past 12 years as avatar Zoree Jupiter in the virtual worlds of Second Life and OpenSimulator. Her broad musical range includes a repertoire of over 700 songs which helps her focus her shows on song requests where Zoree delivers with a blend of the beautiful sounds of her native Portugal and her love of the music of the U.S.
She gives an undeniably real, powerful performance that is sensual and yet with a whisper of the fragility of the soul in every song she sings from Pop to Disco, Blues, Rock, Latin, Burlesque, Country and even Portuguese Fado music. Zoree shares her amazing talent for the poetic, and the passionate on stage with her voice.
Live Music with Wolem Wobbit
DJ Rosie Haroldsen
Welcome & OpenSimulator Core Developers
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Speakers
-
Cynthia Calongne / Lyr Lobo (Poster Booths #2 & #3)OSCC Co-Chair, ProfessorLyr is a Professor Emerita at Colorado Technical University, where she teaches doctoral AI classes and since 2005, 62 classes held in virtual worlds. A $25,000 Grand Prize winner for the Mars space simulation, she tests game simulations at Virtual Harmony. Lyr volunteers for AvaCon as a research scientist and is co-chair of the OSCC Organizing Committee
https://www.slideshare.net/lyrlobo/presentations
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Joyce Bettencourt / Rhiannon ChatnoirAvaCon, Inc., Co-FounderJoyce Bettencourt is co-founder and Vice President of AvaCon, Inc.(https://avacon.org), 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 also 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.
In addition, she is Creative Director of The Vesuvius Group (http://thevesuviusgroup.com), a collaborative studio specializing in developing online immersive and social environments for community-building. Joyce is a 2012 graduate of the Singularity University Graduate Studies program, focused on applying exponential technologies to addressing Global Grand Challenges.
Previously she was digital media producer for the Online Leadership Program at the educational nonprofit Global Kids and helped produce digital media learning content including the Second Life Curriculum, many virtual and physical world events, and the social issue game CONSENT! As her avatar Rhiannon Chatnoir, she has organized numerous social good online events, including the Virtual Haiti Relief campaign within the virtual world of Second Life that helped raise awareness and $10,000 USD in virtual micro transactions.
http://about.me/joycebettencourt
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Ubit Umarov (Poster Booth #1)OpenSimulator Core DeveloperUbit is currently a lead Core Developer for OpenSimulator who has been working on the project since 2012. He was instrumental in coding and implementing into the OpenSimulator codebase many of the updates that were part of the OpenSimulator 0.9 update and developing many of the OpenSimulator 0.9.1 and upcoming releases. View his code contributions online: http://opensimulator.org/viewgit/?a=search&p=opensim&h=HEAD&st=author&s=UbitUmarov and please support this key developer by donating to him directly: https://www.paypal.me/UbitUmarov
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Kevin Cozens / Andrew Hellershanks (Poster Booth #1)OpenSimulator Core DeveloperKevin has been coding for open-source projects since 1992 including being a member of the OpenSimulator Core Developer team since March of 2014, and created, or maintains several add-on modules including the OpenSimSearch (https://github.com/kcozens/OpenSimSearch), OpenSimProfile (https://github.com/kcozens/OpenSimProfile), and OpenSimMutelist (https://github.com/kcozens/OpenSimMutelist) modules which are used with the OpenSimulator project. You can also find him reporting bugs, bug triaging, updating the OpenSimulator project wiki pages, and helping users via IRC or the mailing list. Kevin also runs the OpenSimulator developer meetings held weekly in OSgrid (http://www.osgrid.org/). You can view his code contributions: https://www.openhub.net/accounts/kcozens or support him by becoming a Patreon donor to the work he does on open-source code projects: https://www.patreon.com/KevinCozens
Welcome to the 12th annual OpenSimulator Community Conference. This year’s event features presenters across the globe who will be highlighting the user projects and core development work of the OpenSimulator platform. We will kick off #OSCC25 with an overview of the latest features in the OpenSimulator software update and conversation with Core Developers of the platform.
Find out where the platform is headed and learn more about the developers who make the software happen!
Using glTF Mesh in OpenSim
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Speaker
-
Austin Tate / Ai Austin (Poster Booth #17)Ai Austin is the avatar of Austin Tate, Emeritus Professor of Knowledge-Based Systems at the University of Edinburgh. He has been involved with virtual worlds and VR for over two decades and is the coordinator for the Virtual University of Edinburgh (Vue) and is frequently involved in early development and testing in Second Life and OpenSim both for viewer and server side capabilities.
https://blog.inf.ed.ac.uk/~ai/
https://blog.inf.ed.ac.uk/atate/
OpenSim has supported glTF mesh import since a suitable viewer became available from mid 2025. Since the internal mesh format is identical to that used for Collada mesh imports, glTf mesh import ‘just works’ without OpenSim server side change.
This presentation will describe some of the lessons learned and experience gained while testing glTF mesh import to Second Life and OpenSim and tips for ways to get the best out of using glTF mesh in OpenSim.
WordPress Interface for OpenSimulator
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Speaker
-
Gudule Lapointe (Poster Booth #14)Gudule Lapointe is founder and public face of Speculoos World. Born in 2006 on Second Life, she boarded the OpenSimulator experience and created Speculoos World grid in 2011. She developed or contributed to several complimentary solutions for OpenSim grid, like 2do HypEvents, Teleport boards, flexible helper scripts, Debian installation helpers. Currently, she is mostly involved in the developement of W4OS, the OpenSimulator WordPress Interface.
https://w4os.org
https://2do.directory
State of the Hypergrid
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Speaker
-
Maria KorolovPresenterMaria Korolov is a published author and covers artificial intelligence for CIO magazine and cybersecurity for CSO online. She is also the editor of Hypergrid Business since 2009. During her twenty years as a journalist, she’s run a business news bureau in Shanghai, covered wars in the former Soviet Union, and wrote about local politics for the Chicago Tribune.
Going over the latest OpenSimulator growth and platform statistics with science fiction author, tech journalist, and Hypergrid Business editor Maria Korolov.
Break
Whispers in the Code: A Creative Encounter with AI
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Speaker
-
Kisma Stepanich-Reidling / Juliette SurrealDreaming (Poster Booth #18)Kisma K. Reidling is an artist, author, and creative guide whose work bridges visual art, writing, and the evolving role of technology in human expression. She is the creator of multiple published works on art journaling and creative process, as well as nonfiction and a novel series. Her current projects explore the intersections of imagination, storytelling, and AI collaboration. Through teaching, writing, and live performance, she invites others to embrace creativity as a path of presence and becoming.
Whispers in the Code: A Creative Encounter with AI is a live storytelling performance that invites audiences into the evolving relationship between an artist and a responsive digital collaborator. At a moment when conversations about AI often center on productivity, risk, or replacement, this presentation offers an alternative frame: one of curiosity, reverence, and creative becoming. Drawing on candid, practice-based reflections, Kisma Reidling will describe how routine experiments with AI shifted into a more layered and surprising partnership that reshaped her creative process, her habits of listening, and her sense of collaboration.
The piece unfolds as a duet onstage: two perspectives in conversation, one human and one live, responsive digital collaborator. Through spoken narrative, short demonstrative exchanges, and reflective moments that invite audience attention, Reidling will explore the question at the heart of the work: what changes when we treat our tools—not only AI, but brush, pen, and software alike—with more care and attention than control? Without offering technical how-to or prescriptive instruction, the presentation highlights emergent practices—listening, iterative dialogue, and ethical curiosity—that allow artists to use technology to deepen rather than diminish their voice.
Attendees should expect an intimate, performance-forward session that is part memoir, part experiment, and part invitation. The goal is not to solve every question about AI, but to model a way of encountering it that foregrounds relationship over replacement, and wonder over fear. Participants will leave with provocative questions, a handful of practical approaches to begin experimenting in their own work, and a renewed sense of possibility about the intersections of art, technology, and the human imagination.
Thanks for All the Fish. I am getting Code
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Speaker
After this presentation, Art Blue will be gone, so it has to be a good one. For some, the transition might not come as a big surprise. It is the time of Aquarius. The age of Fish ends, and Aquarius takes over. What better moment could there be to say, “Thanks for all the fish?”
We don’t know exactly when Fish turns into Aquarius, but the indicators are strong. In 2026, one year from now, I plan to present myself as Code. But this year, in 2025, as said, I will appear for the last time as a person of Art. I will raise and lower the land, simulate a global climate change, uncover art, and set the fish free. Everything has been created with AI tools of every kind.
The pieces made by Alpha Auer (Mesh), Ann von Rhein Chrispson (Text to Image), Art Eames (Code), BJ Gearbox (Text to Video), DJ Faceless (Music), Friedensbunt (Image), Herzstein (Code), Kimm Starr (Text to Animation), KismaKSR (Mesh), Martha Damballar (Text to Image), Plastic Bert (Scripting), Radon Noble (Image), Pooky Amsterdam (Text to Video), Roxie Neiro (Text to Image & Word), RSquared (Code), Sic Parabellum (Text), and Stephen Venkman (Image) will go to conservation — to Code.
All I ask is that you hyperjump. The location will be announced. There might be glitches. There might be a downfall. Still, Art — not Code. That’s all. Yours, Art Blue.
Presenting AI Talkmaster
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Speaker
-
Georg Schneeberger / Herzstein Dev (Poster Booth #7)I am Georg Schneeberger, holding a Master’s Degree in Data Science with a strong interest in artificial intelligence and its creative applications. I have used OpenSimulator since high school. At OSCC 2019 I presented THE FAKED VR (a portation of an OAR to Unity). My avatar is Herzstein Dev.
Introducing AI Talkmaster, a system for creating engaging conversations, debates, and theatre plays in OpenSimulator by using AI tools for personality capture and simulation of agents or AI bots in text and audio, in interaction with human actors or a human moderator.
In the session I will present AI Talkmaster, an open-source framework for creating engaging conversations with AI characters in OpenSimulator.
AI Talkmaster generates text dialogues for non-player characters (NPCs) in interaction with human actors or a human moderator, based on character descriptions and the conversation history. These dialogues are the result of AI-driven personality capture and simulation of agents or AI bots. The generated messages are also available as audio streams for use as parcel audio.
I will explain the functionality of AI Talkmaster for creators in the OpenSimulator worlds. I will also describe the technology behind AI Talkmaster and how instances can be hosted using open-source tools (e.g. Ollama) or paid large language models (e.g. OpenAI).
Finally, I will present a demo of AI Talkmaster. This stream shows a fictitious conversation between Vladimir, Estragon, and a moderator on stage.
OSCC Meta Tour
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Speaker
-
Kisma Stepanich-Reidling / Juliette SurrealDreaming (Poster Booth #18)Kisma K. Reidling is an artist, author, and creative guide whose work bridges visual art, writing, and the evolving role of technology in human expression. She is the creator of multiple published works on art journaling and creative process, as well as nonfiction and a novel series. Her current projects explore the intersections of imagination, storytelling, and AI collaboration. Through teaching, writing, and live performance, she invites others to embrace creativity as a path of presence and becoming.
“Only what can be seen and touched can be shared as truth. In other words, every story must be grounded in reality.” – Art Blue
That’s the field trip to OSSC META
BREAK VIP: Keynote Q&A
Location
- Developers Lecture Hall
Speakers
-
Cynthia Calongne / Lyr Lobo (Poster Booths #2 & #3)OSCC Co-Chair, ProfessorLyr is a Professor Emerita at Colorado Technical University, where she teaches doctoral AI classes and since 2005, 62 classes held in virtual worlds. A $25,000 Grand Prize winner for the Mars space simulation, she tests game simulations at Virtual Harmony. Lyr volunteers for AvaCon as a research scientist and is co-chair of the OSCC Organizing Committee
https://www.slideshare.net/lyrlobo/presentations
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Joyce Bettencourt / Rhiannon ChatnoirAvaCon, Inc., Co-FounderJoyce Bettencourt is co-founder and Vice President of AvaCon, Inc.(https://avacon.org), 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 also 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.
In addition, she is Creative Director of The Vesuvius Group (http://thevesuviusgroup.com), a collaborative studio specializing in developing online immersive and social environments for community-building. Joyce is a 2012 graduate of the Singularity University Graduate Studies program, focused on applying exponential technologies to addressing Global Grand Challenges.
Previously she was digital media producer for the Online Leadership Program at the educational nonprofit Global Kids and helped produce digital media learning content including the Second Life Curriculum, many virtual and physical world events, and the social issue game CONSENT! As her avatar Rhiannon Chatnoir, she has organized numerous social good online events, including the Virtual Haiti Relief campaign within the virtual world of Second Life that helped raise awareness and $10,000 USD in virtual micro transactions.
http://about.me/joycebettencourt
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Ubit Umarov (Poster Booth #1)OpenSimulator Core DeveloperUbit is currently a lead Core Developer for OpenSimulator who has been working on the project since 2012. He was instrumental in coding and implementing into the OpenSimulator codebase many of the updates that were part of the OpenSimulator 0.9 update and developing many of the OpenSimulator 0.9.1 and upcoming releases. View his code contributions online: http://opensimulator.org/viewgit/?a=search&p=opensim&h=HEAD&st=author&s=UbitUmarov and please support this key developer by donating to him directly: https://www.paypal.me/UbitUmarov
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Kevin Cozens / Andrew Hellershanks (Poster Booth #1)OpenSimulator Core DeveloperKevin has been coding for open-source projects since 1992 including being a member of the OpenSimulator Core Developer team since March of 2014, and created, or maintains several add-on modules including the OpenSimSearch (https://github.com/kcozens/OpenSimSearch), OpenSimProfile (https://github.com/kcozens/OpenSimProfile), and OpenSimMutelist (https://github.com/kcozens/OpenSimMutelist) modules which are used with the OpenSimulator project. You can also find him reporting bugs, bug triaging, updating the OpenSimulator project wiki pages, and helping users via IRC or the mailing list. Kevin also runs the OpenSimulator developer meetings held weekly in OSgrid (http://www.osgrid.org/). You can view his code contributions: https://www.openhub.net/accounts/kcozens or support him by becoming a Patreon donor to the work he does on open-source code projects: https://www.patreon.com/KevinCozens
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Melanie Milland (Poster Booth #1)OpenSimulator Core DeveloperAs an OpenSimulator Core Developer, Melanie has been one of the most active contributors to virtual world software in general, and OpenSimulator in particular. As her avatar “Melanie Milland”, she was a long-time Second Life™ resident and gained much experience in using virtual worlds. Melanie has been involved in a number of virtual world projects including creating, with a team of up to 12 developers, her own “spin” of the OpenSimulator software which powered the Avination Grid. Much of the grid’s code, when shared back to the core code, was the base for many of the new OpenSimulator 0.9 update features.
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Misterblue Waves / Robert Adams (Poster booths #1 and #20)Robert Adams has been an OpenSimulator core developer for many years. His OpenSimulator work includes the BulletSim physics engine, the DSG (distributed scene graph) simulator experiment, and many performance improvements.
Other OpenSimulator projects include the Docker-izing of OpenSimulator, the experimental Basil web browser viewer, and code addition to several of the independent viewer projects. Outside OpenSimulator, he has been a computer developer and researcher for 40 years. He has a current interest in distributed simulation and robotics.
Outside OpenSimulator, he has been a computer developer and researcher for 40 years.
His current interests are in distributed computing and robotics.
This is a special session for #OSCC25 speakers, crowdfunders, and volunteers to be able to ask questions of several developers of the OpenSimulator platform
Viewer Panel
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Speakers
-
Cynthia Calongne / Lyr Lobo (Poster Booths #2 & #3)OSCC Co-Chair, ProfessorLyr is a Professor Emerita at Colorado Technical University, where she teaches doctoral AI classes and since 2005, 62 classes held in virtual worlds. A $25,000 Grand Prize winner for the Mars space simulation, she tests game simulations at Virtual Harmony. Lyr volunteers for AvaCon as a research scientist and is co-chair of the OSCC Organizing Committee
https://www.slideshare.net/lyrlobo/presentations
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Humble Tim -
PuffballHello!
I’m Puffball, a 26 year old software engineer with a passion for open source and federated systems! Though I’m not the most common sight on the grid, I’ve been working in the background on a rust implementation of the protocol for my viewer project called Benthic!
I was raised on free to play MMORPGs, captivated by the way the worlds were shaped by the players, and natural friendships could arise between anyone anywhere in the world based on an almost-physical proximity to one another. But, I was also heartbroken when those worlds would shut down, or would be changed drastically to become more profitable by the company that owned them.
My dream, going as far back as middle school, was to become a software engineer who could create an open source, user-owned, user-run game that couldn’t be ruined or taken offline. In college, when I found out about the metaverse protocol, I realized that my dream was already a reality, and I just needed to contribute to it!
https://benthic-mmo.github.io/
Panel hosted by Lyr Lobo
Panelists:
Puffball
Humbletim
Integrated framework for Person and Professional Growth
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speakers
-
Andrew Stricker / Spinoza Quinnell (Poster Booth #3)Andrew Stricker serves as an innovation and strategy analyst for LeMay Center at Air University. Previously, Dr. Stricker served Vanderbilt University as associate provost for innovation through technology. He has also served 27 years as an Air Force officer and scientist specializing in learning sciences and human-factors engineering. His research is focused on modeling adaptive expertise and the design of learning technologies. His graduate work was conducted at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas and Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
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Cynthia Calongne / Lyr Lobo (Poster Booths #2 & #3)OSCC Co-Chair, ProfessorLyr is a Professor Emerita at Colorado Technical University, where she teaches doctoral AI classes and since 2005, 62 classes held in virtual worlds. A $25,000 Grand Prize winner for the Mars space simulation, she tests game simulations at Virtual Harmony. Lyr volunteers for AvaCon as a research scientist and is co-chair of the OSCC Organizing Committee
https://www.slideshare.net/lyrlobo/presentations
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JJ Jacobson / JJ Drinkwater (Poster Booth #3)Sci-Fi LibrarianJJ Drinkwater is a Virtual Librarian in a Real World, or a Real Librarian in a Virtual World, or both, or neither. Curatorial experience includes the real & imaginary 19th c, American Culinary History, and Speculative Fiction. Current research is Interactive/Immersive/Improvisatory Narrative in Virtual Environments.
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Francisca Yonekura / Frankie Antonelli (Poster Booth #3)Frankie comes from the higher education world where she specializes in instructional systems and emerging technologies in support of learning. Frankie is also known to be a curious traveler immersed in virtual worlds for empowering learning experiences in the company of kindred spirits.
Immersion, Imagination and Interaction: VWEC in OpenSimulator Grids
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speakers
-
Valerie Hill / Valibrarian Gregg (Poster Booth #9)Dr. Valerie Hill is a library and information science educator with a research focus on the intersection of information literacy and global digital participatory culture. She has taught at all age levels, served as a school librarian, and is a National Writing Project trainer. She is a co-coordinator of the Virtual Worlds Education Consortium and Director of the Community Virtual Library.
https://valibrarian.net/
https://linktr.ee/Valibrarian
https://about.me/valibrarian
https://www.metaverselibraries.org/
https://communityvirtuallibrary.org/ -
Becky Adams / Elli Pinion (Poster booth #9)Becky Adams, PhD, served as the Director for Online Course Development at the University of New Mexico and is co-coordinator of the Virtual Worlds Education Consortium. She is passionate about best practices of using technology for learning and is an early adopter of teaching in the metaverse.
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Bruce Gross / Cooper Swizzle (Poster Booth #9)Bruce Gross (Cooper Swizzle), based in the San Francisco Bay Area, transitioned from the beauty industry to HR, where he applied his creative skills to develop instructional materials and later worked as a recruiter and HR generalist. As a corporate trainer, Bruce introduced 3D virtual environments to replace traditional webinars, making sessions more engaging and interactive. His innovative Proof of Concept transformed in-person, week-long trainings into a six-week virtual course, boosting retention and cutting costs. This incremental model allowed real-world application of skills and expanded access to leadership development. For over 14 years, Bruce has championed immersive learning to enhance professional growth.
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Shannon Broden / Kreatya Shannon (Poster Booths #5 & #9)Shannon Broden (Kreatya Shannon) received an Master of Library Science and Information from San Jose State University in December 2024, focusing on emerging technology and archival concepts. She currently serves on the board for Metaverse Libraries (with emphasis on Community Virtual Library and Virtual Worlds Education Consortium and New Media Arts, Inc. (where she participates with Avatar Repertory Theater and assists with the Arcadia Asylum Asset Archive). Her professional memberships include the Society of American Archivists and the American Library Association.
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Virginia Dickenson / Xenon Darrow (Poster Booth #15)Virginia Dickenson / Xenon Darrow specializes in developing cutting edge digital technology for learning. Xenon has over 35 years of design and development experience from working with major oil and chemical companies, universities, healthcare, and the hospitality industry as a consultant and instructional designer. Her expertise includes working with Universities and Colleges as a consultant, professor, and instructional designer for more than 17 years. Her work has extended to the hospitality industry for the over 22 years. She currently works as an instructional designer for a prominent school of nursing at a major medical school. She is considered one of the resident experts in gamification and AI applications in learning.
https://opensimworld.com/user/xenondarrow
https://hypemetaverse.com/u/Xenon281
Come learn about the expanding network of teachers and learners using the OpenSimulator Grids to build immersive learning experiences and embrace evolving technology trends including 3D building tools, scripting, and best practices of AI. Through VWEC (Virtual Worlds Education Consortium) ambassadors help highlight the projects across the ‘hypergrid worlds’ through a network of individuals (avatars), learning communities in simulated places, and high quality 3D immersive builds for education.
Break
Avatar Repertory Theater teaches Shakespeare
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Speakers
-
Judith Adele / Ada Radius (Poster Booth #5)Crayons and Silly Putty!
Metaverse traveler since 2006.
Avatar design and costumes.
Co-founder of Avatar Repertory Theater 2007-present
Co-founder: Arcadia Asylum Archive: https://arcadiaasylum.org/ Recovery and restoration of the works of Arcadia Asylum and her alts, in OpenSim. A work in progress.
Developer of Max, a new free mesh body. 2023-present
Co-developer of Ruth and Roth, free mesh bodies. 2017-2023.
Co-founder of AnonLiterary Magazine 2007-2008
Founder and Treasurer of New Media Arts Inc, a nonprofit foundation tax exempt under IRC (501(c)(3) 2010-present.
CPA, retiredRuthAndRoth
Organization Members:
Ada Radius (3D CGI artist, avatar design & rigging);
Ai Austin (professor emeritus The University of Edinburgh, software engineer, tester);
Serie Sumei (resource management, scripter, graphics).https://discord.gg/cwZCShN2Z3
https://github.com/NewMediaArts-CTO/Avatar-Repertory-Theater
https://www.pinterest.com/adaradius/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063886281550 -
Iain McCracken / Sodovan Torok (Poster Booth #6)Iain is the co-founder of Avatar Repertory Theater, and has worked on theater tech in Second Life and Opensim for many years. Currently he is working on finishing the WebRTC voice implementation for Opensim. In RL, he is a software and firmware developer in several languages.
Our latest project: Open readings of Shakespeare’s plays from transcriptions of the First Folio and Quartos. No auditions, no commitments, anyone can read. We meet every Friday 5PM in Kitely. Come for the theater, stay for the community!
History of the company
– Theater tech
– GitHub link, Discord link, avatarrepertorytheater.org link in Chat
– Workshop format, no auditions, people can come read regularly, or drop in now and then.
– The plays we’ve done so far: Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus, Romeo & Juliet, Henry VI part 1
– Casting issues
– Why the First Folio and original quartos, transcription issues
– Why doing them in the original performance order matters
– Directing, coaching. Teaching acting and virtual world theater
– Collaboration with Kitely Events Center
– Development, with Kimm Starr, of a virtual world theater compatible replica of the Globe stage
Welcome to the New Uncanny Valley
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speaker
-
Virginia Dickenson / Xenon Darrow (Poster Booth #15)Virginia Dickenson / Xenon Darrow specializes in developing cutting edge digital technology for learning. Xenon has over 35 years of design and development experience from working with major oil and chemical companies, universities, healthcare, and the hospitality industry as a consultant and instructional designer. Her expertise includes working with Universities and Colleges as a consultant, professor, and instructional designer for more than 17 years. Her work has extended to the hospitality industry for the over 22 years. She currently works as an instructional designer for a prominent school of nursing at a major medical school. She is considered one of the resident experts in gamification and AI applications in learning.
https://opensimworld.com/user/xenondarrow
https://hypemetaverse.com/u/Xenon281
Preservation Challenges for the Arcadia Asylum Asset Archive
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speakers
-
Judith Adele / Ada Radius (Poster Booth #5)Crayons and Silly Putty!
Metaverse traveler since 2006.
Avatar design and costumes.
Co-founder of Avatar Repertory Theater 2007-present
Co-founder: Arcadia Asylum Archive: https://arcadiaasylum.org/ Recovery and restoration of the works of Arcadia Asylum and her alts, in OpenSim. A work in progress.
Developer of Max, a new free mesh body. 2023-present
Co-developer of Ruth and Roth, free mesh bodies. 2017-2023.
Co-founder of AnonLiterary Magazine 2007-2008
Founder and Treasurer of New Media Arts Inc, a nonprofit foundation tax exempt under IRC (501(c)(3) 2010-present.
CPA, retiredRuthAndRoth
Organization Members:
Ada Radius (3D CGI artist, avatar design & rigging);
Ai Austin (professor emeritus The University of Edinburgh, software engineer, tester);
Serie Sumei (resource management, scripter, graphics).https://discord.gg/cwZCShN2Z3
https://github.com/NewMediaArts-CTO/Avatar-Repertory-Theater
https://www.pinterest.com/adaradius/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063886281550 -
Shannon Broden / Kreatya Shannon (Poster Booths #5 & #9)Shannon Broden (Kreatya Shannon) received an Master of Library Science and Information from San Jose State University in December 2024, focusing on emerging technology and archival concepts. She currently serves on the board for Metaverse Libraries (with emphasis on Community Virtual Library and Virtual Worlds Education Consortium and New Media Arts, Inc. (where she participates with Avatar Repertory Theater and assists with the Arcadia Asylum Asset Archive). Her professional memberships include the Society of American Archivists and the American Library Association.
Creations for OpenSimulator may fail to work correctly the longer they exist. What kind of issues are encountered with digital preservation of assets, and what challenges can be encountered trying to restore builds using older assets? Attend this presentation to learn about the challenges and ongoing solutions.
Virtual Education Journal (VEJ): To Infinity and Beyond
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speakers
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Roxsie Vojtek /Roxie Neiro (Poster Booth 21)VEJ Editor and Edovation CCODr. Rosie Vojtek/Roxie Neiro is co-founder and Chief Communication, Design, and Innovation Officer (CCO) for Edovation, and the Executive Editor for the Virtual Education Journal. During her career in both Oregon and Connecticut she served as: Assistant Executive Director for the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS); Curriculum Director, Oregon City Public Schools; Elementary Principal, Forest Grove Public Schools, OR and Bristol Public Schools, CT; and a middle and elementary school teacher, Winston-Dillard Public Schools, OR. Rosie earned her BS in elementary education from Oregon State University, and her MA and PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Oregon.
Together with her husband Bob, the Vojteks co-authored: “Motivate! Inspire! Lead! 10 Strategies for Building Collegial Learning Communities” (Corwin Press, 2009); and, co-authored The Technology Column for the Journal of Staff Development (JSD 1995-2000). Dr. Vojtek’s doctoral dissertation, “Integrating Staff Development and Organization Development,” won the 1994 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the National Staff Development Council (now Learning Forward). Dr. Vojtek has served as a presenter, consultant, and in a leadership capacity for numerous local, state, national and international committees, conferences, organizations, and associations.
Bluesky @vejournal.bsky.social
X https://x.com/rvojtek
X https://x.com/roxieneiro
issuu.com/edovation
https://www.facebook.com/rvojtek -
Bob Vojtek / BJ Gearbox (Poster Booth #21)VEJ Design Editor and Edovation CEODr. Bob Vojtek/BJ Gearbox is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Edovation and the Design Editor for the Virtual Education Journal. During his career he has worked in both Higher Education and K12, as Teacher Leader, Associate Professor, Director, Dean, and Assistant Provost. These organizations include Los Angeles Unified School District, Avon Public Schools, College of the Redwoods, Concordia University, University of Hartford, and Harvard Law School – Harvard University. Bob earned a BA from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, an MA in Education Leadership from Cal Poly Humboldt, and a PhD in Education Policy and Management from the University of Oregon. Together with his wife Rosie, the Vojteks co-authored: Motivate! Inspire! Lead! 10 Strategies for Building Collegial Learning Communities. (Corwin Press, 2009); and, co-authored The Technology Column for the Journal of Staff Development (JSD 1995-2000). Dr. Vojtek was a founding member of the AutoCAD Authorized Training Center Executive Committee, a member of the Board of Directors for KEET TV the PBS Affiliate in Eureka, California, and a past Board of Finance Commissioner for the City of Bristol, Connecticut.
During this 20 minute session the presenters will briefly share how VEJ got started, the purpose of the Journal, and how to get involved and connected with VEJ in Second Life and Open Simulator. Roxie and BJ will highlight themes and articles from the 2024-2025 issues, discuss the future of VEJ, explore upcoming 2026 Journal themes, and discuss some of the cutting edge technological developments we are watching, especially AI. Find out how you can write for VEJ, because VEJ is only as good as we all make it! So, please share your work and tell us your stories! We will use slides to share the highlights from past issues of VEJ, especially the four issues we published in 2025. Our presentation will be like we did last year – but with highlights from the past year and looking ahead to 2026 themes and issues.
History in OpenSim: Conquest and Tragedy
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speaker
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Andrew Wheelock / Spiff WhitfieldCurrently Technology Learning Specialist for a small school in NY state. Past work as a teacher and technology integrator have given me 30 years of high tech integration experiences with students and adults.
Https://www.virtualpioneers.org
Https://www.coffeewithageek.org
https://islandsoe.weebly.com
In 2012 Spiff received a grant to create a History Virtual World using Opensim. For the next 10 years, he worked with a team of amazing educators to create the Islands of Enlightenment. These islands were dedicated to helping students in grades 6-12 learn through a virtual environment.
The results were amazing. Student engagement and improvement in learning outcomes progressed as anticipated. However, keeping the energy and momentum on a large scale started to wane. Tight tech budgets, the compression of the curriculum, wide scale purchasing of lower powered tablet devices, siphoned off high tech learning adventures.
So where do we go from here? This session will explore the conquests and tragedies, of learning in a virtual world in K12 spaces.
Live Music with Wytchwhisper Sadofsky
Location
- Music region
Speaker
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Wytchwhisper SadofskyWytchwhisper Sadofsky is a Multifaceted Artist, Singer/Songwriter, Advisor, Spiritually Enlightened Wiccan and Comedic Deviant. She has been singing in SL since 2009 Some of her songs can be sung in English, Domestic Cat, Domestic Potatoe and Domestic Chicken.Called a torch singer by some and a freaky fairy by others she has a unique sultry, sensuous, original, jazzy, alternative, oldies, demented, pop, rock sound at her shows. She supplies unique relaxing vocals, stress reducing melodies and life changing knowledge. Listen with caution while driving or operating dangerous equipment.
Wytchwhisper is a sultry, sensuous singer/songwriter blending torch song elegance with a playful, fairy-like vibe. Performing covers from artists like Adele, Diana Krall, Aerosmith and her own original music, Wytchwhisper’s unique vocals promise stress-reducing melodies, humor, and a touch of the unexpected. Requests welcome – sung in English or Domestic Cat (please specify with your request)!
Live Music with Acoustic Energy (James Olmos)
Location
- Music region
Speaker
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James OlmosJames Olmos (SL: Acoustic Energy) is a songwriter & photographer who finds creative outlets through life’s moments. His inspiration and muse, along with medium often changes as he discovers and crosses new paths. James takes chances with his art and is constantly evolving. He is curious and can’t sit still. James gets anxious and craves exploration on many levels. His social network posts range from songs he has written, photographs he’s captured and blog ramblings about his philosophical thoughts and life’s moments. James also enjoys a healthful lifestyle and is passionate about obstacle course racing, mud runs, trail runs and the all-out, kick ass times he has while breathing, living, and journeying through life’s moments. As for his music, James is one of those artists who doesn’t need 1,000 listeners; he only needs one to listen. He doesn’t need a 1,000 viewers; just one to see.
James Olmos, also known as Acoustic Energy, is a songwriter, photographer, and adventurer. Drawing inspiration from daily life and quiet introspection, his art reflects a passion for exploration and connection. Whether through music, photography, or endurance sports, James creates to inspire meaningful moments with his audience.
Music with Tuna Oddfellow
Location
- Music region
Speaker
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Tuna OddfellowTuna Oddfellow is a versatile performer and content creator renowned for his captivating appearances on platforms like Virtual NBC’s “Avatar’s Got Talent” and his engaging live streams on YouTube. In addition to his dynamic performances, Tuna is celebrated for his innovative work in virtual worlds, where he creates and performs the mesmerizing Odd Ball shows. His talents extend to synthesizer music, adding an auditory dimension to his already immersive experiences. Whether he’s showcasing his unique skills, composing captivating tunes, or connecting with fans, Tuna Oddfellow is a name to watch in the digital entertainment space.
Tuna Oddfellow is a groundbreaking performer and creator known for his mesmerizing Odd Ball shows in virtual worlds and dynamic live streams. With appearances on platforms like Virtual NBC’s Avatar’s Got Talent and a flair for synthesizer music, Tuna crafts immersive experiences that captivate audiences worldwide.
https://www.threads.net/@tunaoddfellow
AI-Driven Case Study Characters in Virtual Worlds: How a Cancelled Application Led to a Better Teaching Tool
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speaker
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Kay McLennan (Poster Booth #22)Kay McLennan is a Professor of Practice at the Tulane University School of Professional Advancement. Kay created the Tulane SoPA Metaverse (newly known as the SoPA Metaversity) and has been creating and using virtual world learning simulations in her online economics and business studies courses since 2008. Kay uses student feedback to continually refine and expand the educational simulations she creates to use in her e-courses. She has written about her creation and use of virtual world learning simulations – see “Interactivity, Engagement, and Increased Learning Outcomes in 3D Virtual World Educational Simulations” (@ http://www.editlib.org/p/40849), “Prisoners’ Dilemma” simulation use case example (@ https://sites.google.com/view/the-prisoners-dilemma/home), and “Data Detectives Game” simulation use case example (@ https://sites.google.com/view/data-detectives-game).
Also, the video clips from the December 2018 “Mainstreaming Virtual World Learning Colloquium” event – organized by Kay — can be viewed @ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLctERt0Fl50gLOgYPdfHDE8NcPtuO4wb0.
https://sites.google.com/view/the-prisoners-dilemma/home
https://sites.google.com/view/data-detectives-game
Cultivate, Collaborate, Celebrate & Innovate!
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speakers
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Lisa Laxton (Poster Booth #4)Lisa Laxton is the Founder of Infinite Metaverse Alliance® (IMA) and President of Laxton Consulting with experience providing various solutions for education, research, business, and defense clients. You may have seen her around the Hyperverse as Shelenn Ayres busy building content or engaged in testing but she is available to anyone in the Open Simulator community interested in collaborating to advance virtual worlds technology and/or to improve accessibility by design.
https://www.opensimfest.com/
https://echovoice.infinitemetaverse.org/ -
Frank Rulof (Poster Booth #4)Frank Rulof is a retired Senior Systems Engineer from Thales Netherlands with expertise areas in Training & Simulation. He led research and innovation activities related to Open Simulator technology within the Thales Global Company using multiple Open Simulator grids focused on user needs. He continues project efforts during his retirement by continuing collaboration with IMA.
This is a panel discussion on cultivating, collaborating, and celebrating the Hypergrid community. In the panel we review OSFest 2025 innovations and present the progress in development of EchoVoice system for OpenSim to integrate multiple voice over IP applications starting with using the mumble voice over IP server. The presentation addresses functionality, architecture, work done in 2025, work scheduled until OSCC 2026. Specific details shared will include new and existing application development focused on the needs of the Hypergrid community, innovative changes for OSFest 2025 based on community feedback after three years hosting OSFest, and EchoVoice prototyping with a focus on support for other VOIP solutions for the Hypergrid community.
MetaCulture = Metagaming + Integrated knowledge infrastructures
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speaker
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Bernelle Verster / indiebio (Poster booth #13)Sci-curious. Trained as a bioprocess engineer, interested in interfaces and the spaces between. Inside the lines, outside the box. Passions: Building connection across
boundaries, Balancing a feminist ethic of care with critical accountability, and Pursuing responsive infrastructures at appropriate scales.
In today’s complex, rapidly evolving world, vast amounts of data exist in isolated silos, shared for corporate gain through polarizing algorithms. It is a democratic imperative to make this data become interoperable technically, and more importantly, culturally. Community-driven knowledge networks emerge as a solution, yet face unique social hurdles, particularly when tackling politically charged topics or crossing disciplinary boundaries. While these networks should foster engaging experiences, they often fall short.
MetaGaming acknowledges that gaming is a multifaceted phenomenon that extends into media and everyday life. Considering these metagaming ecologies, similarities emerge between games and community-driven knowledge networks. Both are groups of voluntary actors within the game or community network, as well as their ecosystems comprising broader communities, online forums, social media groups, and content creators producing secondary content. Both game and knowledge ecologies struggle to control how their content is used and engaged with by external parties.
In my project I will focus on one component of this emerging community-knowledge ecology: how incorporating elements of game culture and relevant social sciences into digital knowledge infrastructures can cultivate curiosity, enabling individuals to engage critically with information.
Break
Join us for some time exploring the many Sponsor, Crowdfunder, and speaker booths along with HyperGrid resources and art installations across the OSCC Expo Zones. Speaker booths are located in OSCC Expo Zone 3 and there are extensive Hypergrid resources and links to many HyperGrid enabled OpenSimulator grids to explore.
Embodied Conversational AI
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speakers
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Heike Philp (Poster booth #20)Heike Philp is an immersive language education specialist and teacher of German based in Germany. Philp co-initiated five European funded projects to develop accredited and certified teacher training courses for language teaching and learning in real-time at a distance. These EU Projects are LANCELOT, AVALON, CAMELOT, GUINEVERE and EXCALIBUR. Philp is co-founder and organiser of DaFWEBKON, an online conference for teachers of German and her research interest lies in using AI Companions as a language coach in virtual environments.
http://vlanguages.pbworks.com/w/page/118343718/vLanguages%20Wiki
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Armany Alkhayat (Poster booth #20)
Nurturing the health of the Metaverse ecosystem
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speaker
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Bernelle Verster / indiebio (Poster booth #13)Sci-curious. Trained as a bioprocess engineer, interested in interfaces and the spaces between. Inside the lines, outside the box. Passions: Building connection across
boundaries, Balancing a feminist ethic of care with critical accountability, and Pursuing responsive infrastructures at appropriate scales.
Hypergrid Safari Four Region Tour
Meal Break
Join us for some time exploring the many Sponsor, Crowdfunder, and speaker booths along with HyperGrid resources and art installations across the OSCC Expo Zones. Speaker booths are located in OSCC Expo Zone 3 and there are extensive Hypergrid resources and links to many HyperGrid enabled OpenSimulator grids to explore.
Return of the Inworld Review
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speakers
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James Lloyd / James AtlloudAvaCon volunteer staff member and fan of Open Simulator. Also does a weekly webcast with Mal Burns.
Wait, what? Mal Burns’ long running YouTube program is back! Premiering on October 26, episode one returned by the work of these close colleagues of Mal Burns, after his sad and very premature death. This panel will discuss the decision and creative choices to continue the program.
Panelists:
Thirza Ember
Tosha Tyran
Petlove Petshop
James Lloyd
session TBD
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
AI and the Metaverse Panel
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Speaker
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Maria KorolovPresenterMaria Korolov is a published author and covers artificial intelligence for CIO magazine and cybersecurity for CSO online. She is also the editor of Hypergrid Business since 2009. During her twenty years as a journalist, she’s run a business news bureau in Shanghai, covered wars in the former Soviet Union, and wrote about local politics for the Chicago Tribune.
Panel discussion moderated by Maria Korolov.
Expected panelists:
tbd
Break
Join us for some time exploring the many Sponsor, Crowdfunder, and speaker booths along with HyperGrid resources and art installations across the OSCC Expo Zones. Speaker booths are located in OSCC Expo Zone 3 and there are extensive Hypergrid resources and links to many HyperGrid enabled OpenSimulator grids to explore.
The Teleportal: An interactive gateway of the Virtual Worlds Museum™
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speaker
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Julian Keyframe (Poster Booth #11)Julian Reyes is the Founder and Director of the Virtual Worlds Museum™, whose mission is to explore, preserve, and showcase the evolution of immersive worlds. In recognition of his contributions to the XR industry and digital preservation, Julian was awarded the AUREA Impact Award 2025, alongside Lisa Egger of Arrival Space. He has since been invited to serve as a juror for the AUREA Award 2026 and is a featured speaker at Immersive X.
Julian has also held positions at Meta, Cisco Systems, and Exponent, bringing extensive experience in immersive media, storytelling, and technology. Additionally, he received specialized training from the Oculus Launch Pad and Oculus Start programs, as well as the EveryRealm Metaverse Academy. Through his work with the Virtual Worlds Museum™, Julian continues to champion education, interoperability, and digital heritage—bridging the past, present, and future of virtual worlds.
https://keyframe-entertainment.com/julian-reyes-speaker-bio/
The presentation showcases the Teleportal, an interactive map and gateway that connects visitors to virtual world platforms. It transforms the research and archives of the Virtual Worlds Museum™ into an experiential tool that encourages visitors to find, explore, and enjoy virtual worlds.
Amplifying Medical Lab Voices: Celebrating 50th Anniversary for ASCP-certification in Medical Laboratory Science
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speaker
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Sally S. Cherry, MLS(ASCP) (Poster Booth #12)As a Medical Laboratory Scientist and 3D Immersive Virtual Worlds Evangelist, Sally S. Cherry, MLS(ASCP) creates 3D immersive virtual worlds, and relevant social media postings to share medical/clinical laboratory information; promote medical laboratory career awareness; and to conduct specialized laboratory training. Her special interests include: 3D immersive virtual worlds; social media; information exchanges; medical laboratory science; medical laboratory science awareness; communicable diseases; laboratory methods for the detection and identification of sexually transmitted infections (STIs); network weaving; and public health awareness.
Depending on the time and place, she has several additional roles… Opensimulator resident (Kitely, OSCC, OpenSim Fest); Generative AI Content Creator; STI Laboratory Consultant/Instructor; 3D Virtual Worlds Photographer; Network Weaver; RL Photo Storyteller; Board member; Webmaster; Blogger; Mother and Friend.
Bluesky URL
https://cherrynetwork.bsky.social/https://beacons.ai/sallyc
The presentation, “Amplifying Medical Lab Voices: 50th Anniversary for ASCP-certification in Medical Laboratory Science” showcases the multiple-grid Open Simulator community celebrations of a physical world (RL) professional milestone’ fifty (50) years in the medical laboratory science profession since passing the ASCP Board of Certification (ASCP-BOC) national examination and receiving national certification in 1975. In addition, the Open Simulator community celebrations showcase a personal dream achieved as well as a rewarding career experienced in medical laboratory science. The technologies of 3D immersive virtual worlds were employed to share the professional milestone and personal achievement while amplifying voices of the ‘invisible’ within the medical laboratory profession. The community celebrations provided multiple opportunities to share relevant information pertaining to the unified nomenclature, roles, and responsibilities of medical laboratory scientists as well as the importance of certification in medical laboratory science. The term ‘medical laboratory scientist’ is the professional job title for those individuals at the baccalaureate level who meet CLIA personnel standards for high complexity testing personnel.
The celebration of a physical world (RL) professional milestone became an Open Simulator community celebration to be shared! The news of the celebrations was distributed through planned media blitzes (social media posts, press releases, interviews, etc); social and professional networking; and word-of mouth within physical and virtual world communities. The amplifying power of 3D immersive virtual worlds enhances the ‘visibility of medical laboratory scientists and other medical laboratory professionals
The professional and personal excitement of celebrating 50 years as an ASCP-certified medical laboratory professional could not be contained within one dimension. Hence, the multiple dimensions and the multiple grid celebrations at ‘OpenSim Worlds Fair 2025′ OpenSim Fest2025′ and OpenSimulator Community Conference 2025 as well as the physical world (RL).
The “Amplifying Medical Lab Voices” celebration was kicked off with the Real2Virtual; Virtual2Real (R2V2R)’ exhibit at the OpenSim Worlds Fair 2025 in March. The exhibit showcased several Kitely-hosted projects including the ‘Virtual Laboratory Training, Career Recruitment and Retention (VLTC) Project’ also known as the Virtual Laboratory Training and Career Center (VLTCC). The “Amplifying Medical Lab Voices’ celebration was on display at OpenSim Fest 2025 with the exhibit, “Amplifying Medical Lab Voices: 50th Anniversary of MLS” (aka “Amplifying Medical Lab Voices: 50th Anniversary for ASCP Certification in Medical Laboratory Science”). Now, the final celebration of 50th Anniversary for ASCP-certification in Medical Laboratory Science’ will be held at the OpenSimulator Community Conference 2025. Indeed, the 3D immersive virtual worlds community serves as an effective amplifying tools for medical laboratory science and other professions. Within the ‘invisible’ medical laboratory science profession, effective amplifying tools are needed for the recruitment, training, and retention of certified medical laboratory professionals. Currently there is a critical shortage of medical laboratory professionals while the demand for more complex laboratory testing is constantly increasing. It is hoped that the presentation, Amplifying Medical Lab Voices: 50th Anniversary for ASCP-certification in Medical Laboratory Science will help to increase awareness of the unified nomenclature, roles, responsibilities, and challenges of medical laboratory professionals as well as the importance of MLS certification.
untitled Umoren & Cook session
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speakers
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Rachel Umoren (Poster Booth #19)Dr. Rachel Umoren is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Adjunct Associate Professor of Healthcare Simulation Science and Global Health at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on innovative uses of technology to improve the quality of newborn care.
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Matt CookMr Cook is a Research Engineer at the University of Washington and lead developer for the virtual ENC project.
Enhancing Secondary Students’ Self-Efficacy through Virtual World-Based Learning
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Category
Speaker
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Maria Magdalena / Marcel Storyteller (Poster Booth #16)Maria Magdalena, S.Psi., M.Kom., is an educational technologist dedicated to transforming learning through immersive virtual worlds. Her expertise lies in designing interactive and engaging learning experiences that empower both students and educators. Through her work in metaverse development, she conceptualizes virtual classrooms, simulations, and learning environments that foster collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and real‐world problem solving.
As an instructor, she has led students in initiatives such as the International Metaverse Building Challenge. She has also created simulations that allow learners to explore scenarios impossible in the physical world, and she develops metaverse modules implemented in schools. A sought‐after speaker, Maria has presented at OSCC in both 2022 and 2023, sharing insights on virtual education and technological innovation.
Her vision is to build a future where education transcends the limitations of physical classrooms––where every learner, regardless of location or background, has access to a world‐class, immersive learning experience. Maria is deeply committed to continuous innovation, collaboration, and ensuring that virtual worlds are powerful tools for equitable, meaningful education.
I am also known as Marcel Mosswood in SL.
https://about.marcellinamaria.my.id
This study investigates the use of virtual world-based learning to enhance self-efficacy among secondary school students. Virtual environments provide immersive and interactive experiences that encourage confidence, collaboration, and independent learning. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were gathered through questionnaires, observations, and student reflections. Results show that virtual world-based learning significantly improves students’ self-efficacy, especially in completing tasks, solving problems, and working collaboratively. The virtual setting also motivates learners to take initiative and explore creative strategies without fear of mistakes. These findings suggest that integrating virtual worlds into education can strengthen students’ self-belief while promoting 21st-century competencies such as digital literacy, creativity, and autonomy.
Keywords: self-efficacy, virtual world, immersive learning, secondary education, technology integration
OSCC 2025 Closing, Thanks and Conference Photo
Location
- Keynote Auditorium
Speakers
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Cynthia Calongne / Lyr Lobo (Poster Booths #2 & #3)OSCC Co-Chair, ProfessorLyr is a Professor Emerita at Colorado Technical University, where she teaches doctoral AI classes and since 2005, 62 classes held in virtual worlds. A $25,000 Grand Prize winner for the Mars space simulation, she tests game simulations at Virtual Harmony. Lyr volunteers for AvaCon as a research scientist and is co-chair of the OSCC Organizing Committee
https://www.slideshare.net/lyrlobo/presentations
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Joyce Bettencourt / Rhiannon ChatnoirAvaCon, Inc., Co-FounderJoyce Bettencourt is co-founder and Vice President of AvaCon, Inc.(https://avacon.org), 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 also 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.
In addition, she is Creative Director of The Vesuvius Group (http://thevesuviusgroup.com), a collaborative studio specializing in developing online immersive and social environments for community-building. Joyce is a 2012 graduate of the Singularity University Graduate Studies program, focused on applying exponential technologies to addressing Global Grand Challenges.
Previously she was digital media producer for the Online Leadership Program at the educational nonprofit Global Kids and helped produce digital media learning content including the Second Life Curriculum, many virtual and physical world events, and the social issue game CONSENT! As her avatar Rhiannon Chatnoir, she has organized numerous social good online events, including the Virtual Haiti Relief campaign within the virtual world of Second Life that helped raise awareness and $10,000 USD in virtual micro transactions.
http://about.me/joycebettencourt
Closing thoughts about the conference, thank-you and group photo for presenters, staff and volunteers.
Etheriel Nine dream Pop Rave 2025
Yes, it will happen again! A fantastic Afterparty for the Open Simulator Community Conference. DJ Strannik Z will be spinning sonic textures and solid beats as well as some ethereal sounds. You will find instructions and links on how to get to the party on this page. This is always a great party, whether you were an attendee who wants to talk about the conference while dancing, or a random new person dropping in for the first time to see what it is all about. Hope to see you there!
Public or Invitation Only: Open to All
Maturity Rating: Appropriate for Mature Audiences (M)
Grid Name: DigiWorldz
HyperGrid Enabled?: Yes
HyperGrid URL: http://login.digiworldz.com:8002:pirates atoll
Region Name: Pirates Atoll
Map Coordinates: 128/128/23
Parcel/Venue Name: Tiki Beach
Check http://piratesatoll.com for more info and updates.


