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Exploring Innovation in Appalachia: an Undergraduate Research Symposium

Using GatherTown

If you're having any trouble using the GatherTown platform, this page should help you out! Any up-to-date internet browser should work fine for the steps below. Many of the steps are similar to what you've probably experienced using Zoom or other video meeting platforms.

If you have any issues the day of the event and this page does not cover those issues, email your problem to mdh0072@mix.wvu.edu immediately.

First, if you are an attendee to the symposium, you will have received an invite to our GatherTown meeting hall within a few days of the event. When you click on the URL it should take you to the screen shown below:

A character select screen for GatherTown.

Please type in whatever name you used to register for the event. Then, customize your avatar to your liking (there are lots of options!) before clicking 'Next'.


The next page begins the process of connecting your input devices to GatherTown. In the upper left of your screen in Firefox for example, it asks 'Allow' or 'Block' after I selected my intended microphone and camera from the drop down boxes. Be sure to hit 'Allow' when you have chosen the correct input device, otherwise we won't be able to hear you during the conference! You may have to hit allow for both your microphone and camera if they are separate devices.

Allowing and not allowing devices for GT.


Once your devices are properly configured the screen should reflect something similar to the one below. Notice that both the camera and microphone now have text beside them instead of being grayed out.

GT settings finalized.

Once everything seems to be connected you can hit 'Join the Gathering'.


If this is your first time using GatherTown it will load you into a short tutorial on movement and how input devices work during the conference. Simply follow this short tutorial (<1 min) and you'll have a complete understanding for the rest of the event.

Tutorial world for GT.

After completing the tutorial in this beach area, you'll be prompted to fully join the symposium setting and intermingle with everyone else. We look forward to having you!