What is GalaxyGoo?

Many of my friends in the Flash community know me as "galaxygoo". The thing is, galaxygoo isn't just my online persona, it's actually the name of the non-profit that I founded about 10 years ago.

When I first started visiting online Flash forums, and everyone used avatar names, my main focus was GalaxyGoo (the non-profit). It made sense to me, at the time, to go by the name "galaxygoo" and spread the name of my non-profit. The online community was really thriving in those days, and I got to know a lot of people who liked what I was doing at GalaxyGoo.

Then anonymity went out of style, and people in the Flash community began to step out from behind their online avatars. This was around the time the forums declined and individual blogs took over. I started using my real name in the community. But "galaxygoo" still stuck. Especially since I blogged as part of the GalaxyGoo website.

All along, there were these two communities that I participated in: 1) GalaxyGoo science and arts and 2)Flash. A few people participate in both, but mostly they were two separate groups. In each group, there was a bit of puzzlement about what the other group was.

Recently, I moved my Flash blogging here, so that the GalaxyGoo website can more clearly focus on science visualization and education issues.

So, now we get to the question "what is GalaxyGoo?" The short answer is that GalaxyGoo is a non-profit, based in San Francisco, dedicated to increasing science literacy. We develop educational materials that help students better understand concepts in Science and Math, and publish them for public benefit online.

One of our most popular resources is an animation of the molecular biology of an HIV infection, which is used by AIDS educators around the world for free.

Another is our Neuromuscular Junction Simulation, which is used primarily by college students in anatomy and physiology.

We also developed a hands-on activity for learning about cells. The students, build 3d models of cells from the inside out, and then slice them open to examine the cross-sections. We took this activity to the Maker Faire, where kids and grownups of all ages built their own cells and took them home. We were able to raise enough money at a small fund raising event, to cover the cost of all the clay for the workshops. The workshops were such a success, that we hope to hold more of them soon.

So, that's what GalaxyGoo is. Any questions?