Dr. Stephen L. Gasior, otherwise known as Stephen Xootfly in Second Life, has a thing about aging. As a biologist, he is fascinated by what he calls the very complicated systems involved in the aging process. “To me, understanding the underlying chemistry and how that relates to genes is a key component in understanding the aging process,” Stephen says. “Then, connecting those genes, chemistry, expression of the genes, and cellular physiology to the behaviors and environment that affect the aging process become what is important.”
Stephen is a molecular biology scientist who worked in higher education. He was first introduced to Second Life (SL) while teaching biology at the University of New Orleans. His interest in virtual worlds was piqued when the distance learning team there offered a workshop in SL. It wasn’t long before he’d gotten himself an avatar and was looking at ways to use SL to teach biology. “I taught three semesters of biology to non-biology majors in Second Life from the summer of 2010 to the spring of 2012,” he says. “I also developed several inworld activities and objects for virtual teaching of biology and chemistry.” Wanting to do more than just lecture, he recreated and took students on Darwin’s Voyage aboard the Beagle, arranged a visit to Mendel’s Abbey, and taught them the basics of genetics by having them breed bunnies. “I even asked them to BE animals sometimes,” he adds.
Although Stephen’s early years in Second Life were focused mostly on education, he found time to socialize and explore the many and diverse environments the grid had to offer. “Initially, I was worried I would get too sucked into Second Life as a game or as an escape from reality. But, for the most part, I seem to have found a healthy balance. The varied life experiences for one's mind available in Second Life are really great for anyone, including myself. They have helped me to keep an active and young mental attitude.”
Stephen also believes that having an avatar has given him the chance to reflect on both his real life appearance and how he is aging in physical reality. “I have an avatar that resembles my physical self but dresses better,” he says. “I like having it as a reflection of my real life but am not jealous that he is trimmer with a six-pack. I also think having a younger looking version of me is a way to remind myself I can be young at heart.”
These days, Stephen enjoys being able to get out and socialize, engage in scientific discussions, and give presentations without having to actually travel or dress up in physical reality. “I make it out to as many art gallery showings as I can along with dance performances. I find those quite entertaining,” he says.
At the Healthful Aging Through Lifelong Learning Conference, Stephen will be giving a presentation entitled, “Why We Age and What to do About It.” He will discuss current molecular and physiological models of aging and their implications for treatment regimens and lifestyle. Based on these models, he will talk about how drugs, medicines, lifestyle activities, and even gene therapy could be useful based on each model. - Jena Ball (Jenaia Morane)
HAC Presentation Information
Date: Tuesday, May 16th.
Time: 10:00 AM (SLT)
1:00 pm (EDT)
5:00 pm (GMT)
Location: HAC Main Stage
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Inspiration%20Bay/210/123/21
Voice: Yes (Enable ears)
Text Chat: Yes
About Stephen
Stephen Gasior is a molecular biology scientist with a past stint in higher education. During his teaching phase, he taught classes and developed learning activities in Second Life and Open Simulator. In addition, he helped develop collaborations between other educators culminating in Virtual Islands for Better Education which was a self-hosting Open Simulator education group. Currently, he is focusing his efforts on promoting Science Circle activities and working at Corteva Agrisciences.
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slgasior/
Science Circle: https://www.sciencecircle.org/Stephen%20L%20Gasior/
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