Contents for March 5-11, 1999

• Work is under way on two virtual reality labs on campus. One will be used to test how humans learn to navigate new environments and how those skills can be programmed into robots. The second will enable scientists to do such things as walk around "inside" a molecule.

• Zaid Ashai '99 returns from Bosnia with research for his thesis on the Dayton Accords and a mission to assist the refugees he encountered during the trip.

• Women's health concerns will get a full day of attention at "Women's Health: Critical Issues, New Frontiers," a conference on campus March 12.

• The public component of the Presidential Seminar debuts March 11 with Robert Putnam, who will discuss "Civic Engagement in America: Trends and Challenges."

• With a tip of the hat to the late Gene Siskel, the Water Cooler asks: Which movies or actors are you rooting for when the Academy Awards are presented March 21?'

• THE LAST WORD: David B. Abrams details how Rhode Island should use tobacco settlement funds to save lives.

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