Before Second Life, Michi Lumin worked at the TV news program "ABC World News Tonight." Her work then was mostly behind the scenes. In a surprise move that she didn't expect, she was contacted by them, asking if she wanted to work for them again. This time in front of the camera.
"They were looking for an anchor, one of the people talking to the camera behind the desk, with some experience in technology. Well, they happened to be looking over information about Second Life, and found one of their former employees was among the founders of the oldest active community here. So they gave me a call, offering me the job. Quite a bit of a change from when I used to work there."
By all means, this doesn't mean that Michi will be leaving Second Life, "There may be some days when I'm not on as much, but I'm sticking around for sure."
Michi says she should have the chance to do parts of some stories from within Second Life, presumably as her skunkgirl avatar at Luskwood, much like National Public Radio used to from the Science School sim.
For the official statement from ABC News, Click Here.
Some days ago on ABC News on TV, there was a story about Second Life. Nova Southeastern University, has been using the virtual world as a training tool for it's medical students. The story came from a local station by Kristi Kruger, whom had reported on what the students were doing.
At the university's College of Osteopathic Medicine, students can use virtual patients to practice diagnostic skills, as well as communication with them. "The key to great health care is building a relationship, a partnership
if you will, between the patient and physician, and -- the more
comfortable and the better listener he is, the more relaxed, and the
better that communication is -- the better the health care outcome is
going to be," spoke Marti Echols, one of the university's teachers. The students can go to the virtual clinic "anytime, anywhere" to practice.
The university has also gotten a million dollar grant to use Second Life to help amputees (news story). Sandra Winker, a researcher and assistant professor at Nova's College of Health Care Services, was awarded the three year grant "in funding from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality to pursue her study. The
project costs will be 100% financed with federal funds."
Amputees from all over the world will be able to join "a support group with no time or space limitations." As avatars can be made more or less into whatever appearance one wants, they will be able to choose whether or not their avatar is also missing a limb, or not. By going about Second Life, such as in the jet ski activities the news program showed, the virtual world will help them "regain their balance and mobility."
"Patients will be able to enter our virtual island and simulate what it
is like to once again use their missing limbs," Winkler explained in the online article, "This has
the possibility to make life better for so many amputees, and all they
will need is an Internet connection."
Ms. Kruger had gotten her own avatar to help in reporting the story, calling the Second Life activities "A fun way to do some very serious learning and growing."
Nova Southeastern University has it's main campus located in Fort Lauderdale Florida. One can learn more about the school at: http://www.nova.edu/ .
