Science in Second Life operates through the modeling and interacting
with virtual objects. These objects are primarily visual constructs
represented on the screen. There is an interplay of interactivity
and information found in constructions of scientific environments and
tools in Second Life. In this presentation I analyze builds in Second
Life that do one of three goals, either they are classroom materials
about sciences, sites aimed at toward improving the public
understanding of science, or sites that represent scientific history
and institutions. Construing the construction of objects as locations
of intersubjective experiences about science, I argue that there is a
varying mix of information and interactivity that is necessary for the
production of knowledge in virtual spaces and the lack of information
and/or interactivity hinders that knowledge production.
