History

Visitors to "Modeling Malaria" learn how computer modeling can be applied for developing strategies to stop a malaria epidemic in the mythical land of Cardoon.

In the SkyView world, users can watch stars form with this virtual high-powered telescope.

SciCentr was founded in 1998 at the Cornell Theory Center (CTC), then Cornell University’s high-performance computing center. In July 2007, SciCentr.org became a part of the Office of the Associate Provost for Outreach at Cornell University. This exciting move enables the program to continue its focus on STEM education, while providing educators with new tools to meet national and state computing and digital media standards both in the classroom and out-of-school activities.

In 1998 the SciCentr staff joined a group of pioneers colonizing cyberspace through the use of virtual worlds. Virtual worlds are multi-user environments that are graphically represented as a 3D space on the user’s desktop. Virtual worlds for SciCentr are developed for science and technology, art education and now, social studies. These virtual worlds are hosted and maintained at Cornell using the Active Worlds software environment.

SciFair began in earnest in 2000, with an after school program at rural Spencer Van-Etten High School. The program expanded in 2003 with support from the GE Foundation and other sources to include after school programs at six schools across the country. In 2004 the SciFair program reached 110 teens, coast to coast, all creating their own virtual worlds about science using the SciFair Model.

By 2006, SciFair was reaching more than 100 students at Lincoln-Orens Middle School alone and launched CyberCiv for the 6th grade students in Elmira City Schools. SciFair coaches, teachers and staff at remote sites are working constantly with the SciCentr staff to build curriculum around exhibit worlds and to plan new exhibits for supplemental activities.