SUNSET BEACH -- A top official at the National Institute of Health (NIH) says Second Life has huge potential for bringing the science profession together.

J.P. Boucher, a contractor with the NIH says, "I (and the people I work with) see tremendous potential in this medium for communicating and interacting for medical and scientific purposes." The NIH is a global organization that provides funding and research to solve medical issues. Boucher has advocated and supported it by creating the NIH group inside Second Life and advocating the use of NVEs (Networked Virtual Environments) throughout the U.S. government. Boucher said NIH entered the virtual world for four reasons citizen outreach, collaboration, training, and the potential for E-Government Services

“The NIH is in the process of developing further health services within the Second Life environment, including a virtual ToxTown, an education space illustrating the potential toxic man-made environments around us and how a person can remove some of those toxins.” Boucher said.

Bertalan Mesko , a medical student in Hungary, has brought his desire to learn more into Second Life. “I have to say it's a fascinating experience and a unique opportunity to learn with medical students and learn from physicians andscientists from around the world. I do my medical studies in Hungary so it wouldn't be an easy task to meet people working in the same field but located in different parts of the world.”

Mesko is an intern at the Ann Myers Medical Center and one of the organizers of the SciFoo lives on series of scientific sessions in Second Life. The AMMC campus in Second life offers information about health and medicine. SciFoo is an informal conference where hundreds of scientists, technologists, writers and other thought-leaders gather for discussion, demonstration and debate. Mesko worked with Jean-Claude Bradley to bring SciFoo into SL and gave a presenttion on Web 2.0 and medicine.

When asked if the NIH felt the SL audience was receptive to health and wellness topics, Boucher said, “Absolutely. He added, “There are several reasons, everything from SL providing people with disabilities the capability to interact (the Huron Group is having their Open House this weekend focused on this issue) to the general SL population looking for health information.”

Mesko finds giving presentations at virtual events much easier than at real life events.
“ It can be complicated to use slideshows, images, videos, weblinks at the same time while you can use these tools easily in Second Life.” He adds “If I would like to meet people from my field of interest, I have to use tools like Second Life to interact easily and for free.”

Boucher agrees that virtual events can be very effective. “I have hosted several events for various government organizations, including the NIH, with a wide variety of foci. It is truly the interaction and information exchange that makes these events successful.