Over the last several years,new advances have been made in creating collaborative virtual places, populated by both intelligent agents and human players. Unlike the usual homogenous simulation system, part of the strength of a Virtual World (VW) is its ability to become the common meeting ground for a variety of different types of computer-based processing capabilities. During January 7-11, the Society for Computer Simulation will hold its fourth Virtual Worlds and Simulation Conference (VWSim'01) in Phoenix, Arizona. Although this conference has always been noted for its diversity, this year we are making a special effort to bring in several users of distance education amd telemedicine. The requested funds will support researchers in the areas such as distance education and distance medical projects, teachers and healthcare practioners who will report on ongoing VW projects in The Navajo nation and in rural Alaska.
