Virtual Commons FAQ

What is the Virtual Commons?

The Virtual Commons (VC) is a secure group collaboration system for members of Science Atlantic.

How do I access the Virtual Commons?

Please login at http://sciatl.org/VCLogin using your Science Atlantic ID.

What is my Science Atlantic ID?

If you are a member of a Science Atlantic Division or working group, you will receive an invitation to join the Virtual Commons.  Your ID and temporary password will be provided to you.  If you do not have an ID or have forgotten it, please email us.

Why don’t I see anything related to Science Atlantic when I log in?

Do you have another Google account? Please follow the steps on How to Access Virtual Commons to log in with your Science Atlantic ID.

I don’t know my password!

Your ID is sent to you with a temporary password, which you must change on your first login. If you have forgotten your password, please email us for a new one.

How do I obtain access to the VC?

Please email us with the name of the Division or group that you wish to join.

Why can’t I just sign up using my regular Google account? Why do I need a Science Atlantic ID?

The Virtual Commons is available to Science Atlantic members only and therefore allows only IDs in the scienceatlantic.ca domain.

How do I access files for my committee?  How do I upload a file?

Log in with your Science Atlantic ID, go to your Division Committee homepage, and select “Shared Documents” (see example below).

This will open a separate GDrive window with the folders for your Division Committee.

To upload a file, select “NEW” at the top left of the GDrive window and select “File upload” or “Folder upload”.

Division homepage example:

Why am I listed twice in the member list for my Group?

This is for a technical purpose. The Virtual Commons is for Science Atlantic members only. However, to make it easier for you to communicate with your Group via email, we have mapped your ID to your business/university email address.  This allows you to send and receive messages using your regular email system so you don’t have to log in to the forum to read messages. You must log in for file access, Google Meet, and to read messages via the forum.