In her head, she's already there. Photo: CC/Bryan Fenstermacher

[That's a lot of Lindens]

I can’t even ride a bicycle in Second Life without my avatar getting stuck in motion, before peddling madly into the ocean. (I know, clear my cache.)

But it is possible that less rickety virtual worlds will be useful places in which to coordinate a response to some calamity.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health are conducting a study to determine if collaborative virtual environments improve public health preparedness and response planning.

The study is funded by a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The project will use Second Life, a Web-based virtual world in which users move and interact in simulated 3-D spaces, to train public health workers in emergency preparedness.

via UIC evaluates ‘virtual world’ training for public health emergencies.