US Department of Energy Establishes Presence in Second Life -- And is Conducting Outreach for Department's CIO Position In-World

Edwin Alekseev/Edwin M. Luevanos of the Department of Energy in Second Life

The United States' Department of Energy is opening a site in Second Life, which is interesting, though it's hardly the first US government presence in SL. (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been active in SL since 2006, among many other government bodies.) What's more striking is the DoE will be conducting job outreach in Second Life, for the Department's open position of Chief Information Officer. The "CIO Informational Session" happens tomorrow (June 2) at 11am SLT. Here's the RSVP link for reserving a spot. This is not just a low-level HR session, for the roundtable will be attended by Kevin Cooke, the DOE's Deputy CIO, and Pete Tseronis, the Department's IT Modernization Lead.

"At the DOE we are always searching for the best talent that this country can offer," Edwin Luevanos, Outreach Program Manager with the Department of Energy, confirms to me in an email, "and our understanding is that Second Life users are some of the most competent, creative and innovative individuals out there." (In SL, Luevanos' avatar is Edwin Alekseev.) "Moreover, we thought it also made sense to promote the position in Second Life since it is an IT related position and one of Second Life’s largest market segments are IT professionals."

The CIO interviews are part of a larger outreach by the DOE in Second Life, which now has a virtual island aptly called Energy Island. [Direct SLurl teleport at this link]. As Luevanos put it to me, the DoE "[F]irst started this as an experiment for outreach." He describes it as a "proof of concept" that reflects the Department's policy of "testing disruptive technologies culture." If the Department of Energy's new Chief Information Officer started his career there as an avatar, that would definitely be disruptive (in all kinds of ways.)

Much thanks to Ms. White Lebed for the tip! Screenshot of Edwin Alekseev at the DoE's presence in Second Life courtesy the US Department of Energy.

Comments

[LittleLostLinden]

I am going to speak to the DOE and tell them how much energy all these bots and campers are using up in the real world.

[Arcadia Codesmith]

Oh blast, I missed it. Somebody needs to offer the "clean coal" advocates a trip to a mountaintop removal site, and then take the nuke nuts on a tour of Chernobyl.