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Simulating physically realistic complex fluid behaviors in a distributed interactive simulation (DIS) presents a challenging problem for computer graphics researchers. The authors consider how solving the 2D Navier-Stokes equations via a computational fluid dynamics method lets us map surfaces into 3D and achieves realistic real-time fluid surface behaviours.

The lack of compelling content has relegated many promising entertainment technologies to laboratory curiosities. Although mixed-reality techniques show great potential, the entertainment business is not about technology. To penetrate these huge markets, MR technology must become transparent for the content to have full effect. To achieve this goal, we have devised a framework that lets us integrate concepts from disparate areas such as theme parks, theater, and film into a comprehensive research methodology. We believe that our framework, which has already helped us create content for MR entertainment systems, can provide these benefits to other developers as well.

Mixed Reality (MR), and its predecessor Virtual Reality (VR), has been primarily viewed as a visual science, with much less attention given to the other senses, despite clear evidence of their importance, especially audio. In fact, in military operation in urban environments, audio is often a more primary sense than vision, providing a soldier with an early warning system that needs to be honed and trained. Our research program, in contrast, treats the auditory sense as an equal to the visual. The consequences are MR experiences that have much greater impact than those in which audio is just an after thought. However, given the depth and breadth of graphics research, we are compelled to learn from this mature area. Thus, we are constantly striving to find results from graphics research that have useful analogies in the audio domain. Lessons learned from these analogies, especially as concern people's perception expectations, are the focus of this paper.

A 'rehearsal style' system called PROSPR, designed to aid authors of procedural training material, is presented. While PROSPR is a prototype, it demonstrates the utility of the programming-by-rehearsal paradigm within the context of procedural training. The object-oriented approach helps the programmer and the author to support the mental models between real-world objects and their representations in simulation. The graphical interface allows the procedures created to become a dynamic world where a student can interact with graphical representations as if they were actual objects themselves. Presently the system is best used to train students in procedures which consist of a series of stimulus-response pairs. Each correct trainee action triggers the next simulated screen event. >

This paper describes a current project to design an Introductory Computer Science Course for High School students. Problems concerning the choice of hardware, the selection of software, programming language(s) and the overall design of the curriculum are discussed. In addition, some previous related research is summarized and a plan for future activities is outlined.

A year's work on the NSF/University of Tennessee High School Computer Science Project (HSCS) has indicated that it may indeed be possible to dissociate computer skills from the scary, elitist traditions of science and math curricula in high schools. Teachers and students remote from the traditional science/math constituency are learning to play/work with the computer. The development of HSCS is chronicled and some likely scenarios for its arrival on the high school scene are presented. The essential context is that of a race between declining computer hardware costs and declining support for public education. HSCS is succeeding because it exploits computing's unique ability to bridge between the worlds of play, study and employment.

One of the most important developments in the 70's has been the introduction of microcomputers. The impact of these systems presents a major challenge for computer educators today and in the foreseeable future.Though educators have tried to adapt to this rapid change in technology, only recently have articles appeared describing experiences in integrating micro-systems in Computer Science curricula (5,6). Though each paper covers different topics in varying degrees of depth, almost all the authors agree that having a micro-lab facility provides students with exposure to concepts and problems such as:- actual hardware- computer operation- operating systems- backup procedures- time dependent coding- program size problems- inter-computer communications- scheduling- maintenance- computer management.These are the types of problems students will encounter after graduation and this laboratory provides them with actual experience that previously was not available.