Second Avenue is a 2012 nominee for a Harvard Innovations in American Government Award. This prestigious nomination follows a Phase I SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation for initial development of Martha Madison’s Marvelous Machines, a collaborative physics game for middle school girls.

About the Innovations in American Government program: The Innovations in American Government Awards Program is a significant force in recognizing and promoting excellence and creativity in the public sector. Through its annual awards competition, the Program provides concrete evidence that government can work to improve the quality of life for citizens and that it deserves greater public trust. By highlighting exemplary models of governments’ innovative performance, the Program serves as a catalyst for continued progress in addressing the nation’s most pressing public concerns.

Second Avenue Software, Inc. is a certified women-owned interactive media company in Pittsford, NY that provides development for interactive modules and serious games, as well as managed services for learning management systems. Second Avenue offers products and services to clients in publishing, government and Fortune 500 companies including W.W. Norton, Pearson, K¹², and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. To learn more, visit http://secondavenuelearning.com.

AUSTIN, TX– Second Avenue participated in a Microsoft in Education panel discussion titled “Interactive Gaming and Student Achievement” at SXSWedu in Austin, Texas. Senior project manager Melissa Ciano Ellis discussed the impact and potential of interactive games in education, along with fellow panelists Stephen Jacobs of the Rochester Institute of Technology and Lisa Perez, network library coordinator for Chicago Public Schools.

For additional information on the panelists, please visit the Microsoft in Education blog.

Second Avenue Software, Inc. is a certified women-owned interactive media company in Pittsford, NY that provides development for interactive modules and serious games, as well as managed services for learning management systems. Second Avenue offers products and services to clients in publishing, government and Fortune 500 companies including W.W. Norton, Pearson, K¹², and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. To learn more, visit http://secondavenuelearning.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ROCHESTER, NY: Second Avenue is pleased to announce the launch of Star Seed, an iOS application about star formation for astronomers of all ages. Star Seed is the follow up to the Second Avenue produced game Star Formation, which was developed to accompany a 2009 Discover magazine article by Professor Adam Frank of the University of Rochester (see The Violent, Mysterious Dynamics of Star Formation).

In the game, the user must control the impact of cloud explosions through the use of seed stars, which maximize star formation in the cloud before combined supernova blast waves turn the cloud to shreds. As new seed stars are dropped into the cloud, the user must try and corral the gas and raise the concentration of cloud material until gravity forces collapse and a new star forms. Star Seed is available at a price point of 99 cents for download in the Apple app store.

Second Avenue Software, Inc. is a certified women-owned interactive media company in Pittsford, NY that provides development for interactive modules and serious games, as well as managed services for learning management systems. Second Avenue offers products and services to clients in publishing, government and Fortune 500 companies including W.W. Norton, Pearson, K¹², and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. To learn more, visit http://secondavenuelearning.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ROCHESTER, NY– The National Science Foundation has awarded Second Avenue Software, Inc. a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. This award will fund the initial development of Martha Madison’s Marvelous Machines, a collaborative physics game targeted at middle school girls. The game will immerse players in collaborative physics projects to improve their understanding of and interest in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines. Under the direction of CEO Victoria Van Voorhis, the Second Avenue team will work in collaboration with Professors Stephen Jacobs and Chris Egert from the School of Interactive Games and Media at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Games for Learning Institute researchers Dr. Jan Plass (NYU) and Dr. Bruce Homer (CUNY). A plan for multi-platform development is in place.

To view a demo of in-house playtesting, please visit http://www.youtube.com/user/SecondAveSoftware

Our research results are based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Second Avenue Software, Inc. is a certified women-owned interactive media company in Pittsford, NY that provides development for interactive modules and serious games, as well as managed services for learning management systems. Second Avenue offers products and services to clients in publishing, government and Fortune 500 companies including W.W. Norton, Pearson, K¹², and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. To learn more, visit http://secondavenuelearning.com.

ROCHESTER, NY– Second Avenue CEO Victoria Van Voorhis presented in a Game Based Learning panel at the 2011 SIIA Ed Tech Industry Summit with Megan Gaiser, CEO of Her Interactive, Inc. The dialogue focused on the merits of collaboration between businesses such as Her Interactive and Second Avenue, which represent both education and entertainment. Van Voorhis and Gaiser discussed the importance of educational games being both engaging and fun. Van Voorhis noted that there is a large and growing body of research which demonstrates that the use of games as part of the educational process improves learning outcomes. Van Voorhis explained that a well thought out comprehensive development plan including learning design, game design, subject matter expertise and playtesting are key components of a game’s success.

A detailed summary of the panel discussion may be found here: http://www.siia.net/etis/2011/ppt/Game-Based_Learning.pdf

Second Avenue Software, Inc. is a certified women-owned interactive media company in Rochester, NY that provides development for interactive modules and serious games, as well as managed services for learning management systems. Second Avenue offers products and services to clients in publishing, government and Fortune 500 companies including W.W. Norton, Pearson, K¹², and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. To learn more, visit http://secondavenuelearning.com.

ROCHESTER, NY– Victoria Van Voorhis, CEO of Second Avenue Software was interviewed May 20th on WCEOHQ’s the CEO Hour.

Victoria spoke about an upcoming Second Avenue produced collaborative physics game, Martha Madison’s Marvelous Machines. The game’s target audience is middle school age girls, with a goal of piquing interest in physics and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

Click to view demo of Martha Madison’s Marvelous Machines

Archived audio of Victoria’s interview can be found here on the WCEOHQ website.

Second Avenue Software is a certified women-owned interactive media company in Pittsford, NY that provides custom software development for interactive modules and serious games, training services, managed services for learning management systems and content authoring. Second Avenue offers products and services to clients in publishing, government and Fortune 500 companies including W.W. Norton, Pearson, K¹², and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. To learn more, visit http://secondavenuelearning.com

ROCHESTER, NY– The Second Avenue team participated in the 2011 United Way Day of Caring on May 11, 2011. Team members were tasked with helping rake, seed and spruce up the historic Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester.

Second Avenue’s team was part of a large collective of over 100 employees from various local organizations that worked for the day at Mount Hope. The Day of Caring is an annual event sponsored by United Way– and a great opportunity to give back to the community!

United Way Rochester raised an impressive $28,021,372 in their 2011 campaign.

Second Avenue Software is a certified women-owned interactive media company in Pittsford, NY that provides custom software development for interactive modules and serious games, training services, managed services for learning management systems and content authoring. Second Avenue offers products and services to clients in publishing, government and Fortune 500 companies including W.W. Norton, Pearson, K¹², and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. To learn more, visit http://secondavenuelearning.com

ROCHESTER, NY– Second Avenue CEO Victoria Van Voorhis has been named the 2011 Digital Rochester Technology Woman of the Year.

An awards breakfast took place Thursday, April 28th 2011 at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, NY to commemorate the event. Victoria was one of ten local women nominated for the annual award. Award criteria included sustained contributions to Technology, advancement of and opportunities for women in the field, and personal contributions to the Greater Rochester community. Ms. Van Voorhis believes that exposure to technology, math and science is crucial at a young age, and serves as a seed of interest for girls to further explore these fields later in life. Monroe Community College President Dr. Anne M. Kress gave the keynote address, and spoke about the importance of the educational pipeline– from cradle to career.

Ms. Van Voorhis serves on the Board of the Smith College Club of Rochester, an affiliate of Smith College in Northampton, MA. She served as Chair for the Smith College Club of Rochester House Tour Committee, which provides scholarships to local young women attending Smith College. A mother of four with two young children at home, she actively volunteers with the Boy Scouts and youth soccer in Pittsford. Ms. Van Voorhis also mentors Girl Scouts to encourage their confidence studying STEM disciplines. She volunteers as advisor for youth sailing at the Rochester Yacht Club. Ms. Van Voorhis herself competed in the 2009 Rolex International Keelboat Championship in Rochester, an all-women sailing regatta.

Second Avenue Software is a certified women-owned interactive media company in Pittsford, NY that provides custom software development for interactive modules and serious games, training services, managed services for learning management systems and content authoring. Second Avenue offers products and services to clients in publishing, government and Fortune 500 companies including W.W. Norton, Pearson, K¹², and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. To learn more, visit http://secondavenuelearning.com

About Digital Rochester:

Digital Rochester is a community of over 5,000 technology professionals and entrepreneurs from across the region working together to strengthen, grow and connect the technology industry value chain. DR events and community services include an array of educational, entrepreneurial, networking, and economic development activities designed to create measurable economic value within the tech sector of our region. Digital Rochester was named New York State’s 2003 Small Business Not-For-Profit Organization of the Year. The Association for Women in Computing (AWC) and eBusiness Association (eBA) joined the Digital Rochester community in September 2010. For information about Digital Rochester, please visit their website.

ROCHESTER, NY– Second Avenue team members Emily Brenner Stump and Rebecca Ferraro collaboratively led a workshop with Professor Steve Jacobs on Gaming and STEM at Rochester Institute of Technology on April 23, 2011. The workshop was intended for local Girl Scouts in middle through high school. Emily and Rebecca discussed how girls traditionally out-perform their male peers in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) until around middle school age, at which point many young girls begin to develop confidence issues surrounding their abilities in STEM and choose alternate paths. Teachers, peers, and societal influences can all deter girls from the STEM disciplines, inhibiting future career paths for many talented individuals.

Throughout the workshop, additional discussions ensued surrounding video games, to field interest and have conversations about why the girls liked various games. The girls were then grouped into small teams and tasked with creating their own original video game, upon choosing a subject matter area and an idea for how the game would teach that subject. One girl created a Civil War game where the user would select an avatar (Lincoln, famous generals, etc.) and then experience the war from their perspective. Another participant created a music and art based game that composed original music that matched what the user was drawing.

Second Avenue Software is a certified women-owned interactive media company in Pittsford, NY that provides custom software development for interactive modules and serious games, training services, managed services for learning management systems and content authoring. Second Avenue offers products and services to clients in publishing, government and Fortune 500 companies including W.W. Norton, Pearson, K¹², and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. To learn more, visit http://secondavenuelearning.com

ROCHESTER, NY– Local news network YNN recently conducted an in-depth business profile on Second Avenue. The story aired hourly on Monday April 11, 2011. As the company celebrated its 5th anniversary, Second Avenue CEO Victoria Van Voorhis spoke about the goals of the organization going forward and the importance of incorporating play into education.

Ms. Van Voorhis discussed the relationship between learning and games, “One of the things that we’ve really become known for is creating what we call serious games– where students have the ability to play with content and learn from it through play”. Second Avenue is a major proponent of learning through play.

Software Developer Jamil Khan also spoke about a current plant hormone tower defense game in development, which ultimately will be used in secondary level biology education.

Video and text of the business profile can be found here.

Second Avenue Software is a certified women-owned interactive media company in Pittsford, NY that provides content authoring, training services, managed services for learning management systems, custom software development for interactive modules and serious games. Second Avenue offers products and services to clients in publishing, government and Fortune 500 companies including W.W. Norton, Pearson, K¹², and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. To learn more, visit http://secondavenuelearning.com