From: Marjory Blumenthal <MBLUMENT@NAS.bitnet>
Subject: Re: National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) reportedly to hold meeting 
Date:         Fri, 10 Jan 92 10:03:00 EST



>It's been reported by D.C. sources that the National Academy of
>Sciences, the highest authority in the U.S. on federal
>support for scientific research, will hold a meeting on the
>topic of virtual worlds technology on Tuesday, January 14,
>1992.

Folks,

We are having a (closed) planning session on that date with
the goal of identifying parameters for a possible project
relating to a national agenda for R&D for virtual reality.
The planning effort is being undertaken by two units of the
operating arm of the NAS (and NAE), also known as the
National Research Council.  Those units are the one I
manage--the Computer Science and Telecommunications
Board--and the Committee on Human Factors.  In addition to
NRC staff, the meeting will largely involve representatives
of federal agencies with current or potential interests in
VR, agencies that might be interested in such a project.  As
some of the readers may know, all NRC projects are sponsored
by someone, and most are sponsored by federal agencies.

Assuming we go forward with a project, we would compose a
study committee of senior people from industry and academia
to conduct the study, complemented by NRC staff.  The study
would also draw on members of the community beyond the
committee.

I would welcome any ideas from the readership of the list as
to issues for such a project (or even issues for other
projects in the area, assuming they have some national
relevance and would benefit from a high-level committee
endeavor), but PLEASE send them to me directly--the volume
of traffic on this list is already rather high.

Thanks,

Marjory S. Blumenthal
Director, CSTB
National Research Council
National Academies of Sciences and Engineering
MBLUMENT@NAS.BITNET