 The Virtual Worlds: Best Practices in Education Conference 2012 was excellent this year, with many interactive presentations and top-notch speakers. My graduate research assistant, Veronica Pistoia, moderated a panel session on STEM in Virtual Worlds. Below, you will find the abstract to that panel session as well as a link to the audio. The Virtual Worlds: Best Practices in Education Conference 2012 was excellent this year, with many interactive presentations and top-notch speakers. My graduate research assistant, Veronica Pistoia, moderated a panel session on STEM in Virtual Worlds. Below, you will find the abstract to that panel session as well as a link to the audio. Panel: Dr. Larysa Nadolny, Educational Technology-West Chester University; Dr. Jodi Reeves, Engineering Technology & Media-National University; Dr. Charles Lesko, Technology & Computer Science - East Carolina University Mediator/Author: Veronica L. Pistoia-West Chester University, Biology Graduate Abstract: Student Static...tedious...exhausting…mindboggling. These are words that often parallel students’ experiences with learning fundamentals of Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM). The inception of the well-known virtual world (VW) Second Life, by Linden Lab in 2003, has begun to create a one hundred and eighty degree twist on STEM so that it is now just beginning to be more accepted by students of myriad ages as: Stimulating, Tangible, Engaging, and Meaningfully Multifaceted. What student would not find standing next to a molecular model they constructed in a VW classroom, absorbing? Second Life has sparked professionals around the globe to revamp their teaching methodologies. Secondary Schools, Universities, Business, & even NASA are working to emulate the engaging and realistic ambience that Second Life and other virtual worlds deliver, made evident by 80,000 plus users at any point in time (Lang & Bradley, 2009). Microbiology, Math, Physics, Computer Science, Engineering, Science & Ethics, Ecology, and Immunology concepts are being instituted in these worlds. With the assistance of established professors from STEM backgrounds, this panel will address: Technology Acceptance Model, Current VW Designs, STEM Objectives vs. “Real Life” Skills, and Future Projections of VW’s As Mainstream Learning Tools. 
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