Messenger - Vol. 1, No. 3, Page 11 Spring 1992 Anatomy videodisc takes a gold Probably the next best thing to a laboratory experience, the University's human anatomy videodisc won a gold medal in international competition in January. Titled Dynamics of Human Anatomy, the interactive videodisc took the top prize in the New York Film Festival's health and medical information category. Second place went to Dartmouth Medical School. Under development for four years by faculty in the Department of Physical Education and staff of the Instructional Technology Center, the human anatomy program is designed to teach the muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular and nervous systems to nursing, biology and physical education students. In addition to an original motion video of cadaver dissection, the program uses slides, computer animation, medical illustrations and student-controlled graphic overlays. A few unusual production problems occurred during the creation of the disc. A shortage of cadavers in Delaware made it necessary for the faculty and filming crew to travel to Baltimore because it is illegal to transport human bodies from one state to another. Finding a complete skeleton on campus suitable for photography also proved difficult, so bones from several unrelated skeletons were combined to make a filmable creation. And blood vessels, arteries and nerves were sometimes painted different colors to define their location in a dissection. Spanning all four sides of two laser video discs, the program represents approximately 15 student contact hours. Teachers can use the disc in class, and students can look at it on their own for review. Dynamics of Human Anatomy was developed by David Barlow, director of the University's Physical Education Program; Robert E. Neeves and Keith Handling, associate professors of physical education; and the Instructional Technology Center (ITC). It will be published by Lea & Febiger Publishing Inc. "For some students, it will be supplemental. For others, it will be as close as it gets," explains Kathleen Troutman, senior software development analyst in ITC and project coordinator. Founded in 1957, the New York Film Festival international awards competition was designed to reward outstanding achievements in non-broadcast media. The festival includes competitions in such diverse fields as television and cinema advertising, television and radio programming, print advertising, design, photography and illustration and music, home and interactive video.