The 2009 Mardi Gras Conference on ?Virtual Worlds: New Realms for Culture, Creativity, Commerce, Computation and Communication? is now ready to accept submissions, following the significant damage to the Baton Rouge area from Hurricane Gustav. The LSU campus and networks sustained damage, so a number of online systems for registering and submitting material to the conference were likely inaccessible last week. The Mardi Gras Conference apologizes for any inconveniences that occurred. The conference Web site and registration/submission processes are now fully operational.

The conference currently is accepting proposals for papers, workshops, panels and posters. If you or other faculty/students at your university are conducting research in the broad and far-reaching area of virtual environments such as Second Life, MultiVerse and Croquet, please consider submitting a paper to address this during the conference.

Abstracts are due Sept. 30, and the program committee will notify selected participants by Nov. 15. Final papers will be due Jan. 9, 2009. Please visit the conference Web site, www.mardigrasconference.org, for more information. This site is frequently updated, so please check back often.

The 2009 Mardi Gras Conference will mark the first occasion where people conducting research in a variety of disciplines using virtual environments will have a chance to collaborate and hear about the latest trends in both business and academia.

This two-and-a-half-day conference, which will take place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Feb. 19-21, 2009, will feature workshops, panel sessions, posters and papers in addition to several invited speakers. Participants will have the opportunity to travel to New Orleans and attend the Krewe of Endymion parade, one of the city?s most spectacular Carnival celebrations.

For more information on the conference, including registration, lodging information, directions for submitting a proposal and a tentative schedule, please visit www.mardigrasconference.org or e-mail mardi_gras09@cct.lsu.edu info@cct.lsu.edu.