James H. Johnson, Ph.D., John E. Stewart, M.D., Ph.D. and Carlton R. Newton, M.F.A.

Students of the VCU School of Medicine studying anatomy take advantage of two types of web-based learning aids. First, digital video demonstrations of dissections produced at the University of Michigan or the University of North Carolina are viewed online, utilizing Internet 2 connectivity. These video clips have been shown by faculty as part of formal lectures preceding laboratory sessions, and have been viewed by students studying in the dissection laboratory.

The second type of application involves the illustration of anatomical content using 3-dimensional computer models developed from the data of the National Library of Medicine's Visible Human Project. Surface models of structures are created from a stack of cross sectional images, and represented in the computer through virtual reality modeling language. Since modeling fidelity increases the complexity (and hence the polygon count) of the 3-dimensional models, internet 2 capabilities are an advantage in achieving acceptable download times. Students have the ability to interact with the models by viewing from any perspective, invoking animated fade-out to full transparency, rollover identification, and links to text annotations and/or images. Development of these models and worlds has been accomplished jointly by collaborators on the two campuses of VCU as well as the Mayo Medical School.