Website Design: UNI PSM Degree Programs
January 29th, 2010Late last year, I was asked to design a website for the Professional Science Master's Degree Programs at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Rapids.
UNI is one of nearly 90 institutions offering the PSM Degree. It's a graduate degree that allows students to pursue advanced training in science or mathematics, while simultaneously developing workplace skills highly valued by employers.
UNI offers PSMs in the following five areas:
- Applied Chemistry & Biochemistry
- Applied Physics
- Biotechnology
- Ecosystem Management
- Industrial Mathematics
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
Website Redesign: Applied Biosciences PSM Degree Program
June 24th, 2009Earlier this year, I was asked to redesign the website of the University of Arizona Professional Science Master's Degree in Applied Biosciences. The site serves as a student recruiting tool, and it combines UA campus scenes with information on degree requirements, career opportunities, and application procedures.
Applied Biosciences PSM students can specialize in any area of the life sciences, drawing on the resources of over a dozen biological science departments in multiple colleges on the Tucson campus and Arizona Health Sciences Center.
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
Website Redesign: Math and Science Education Consultant
June 15th, 2009Longtime client Sheila Tobias has made an art and a science of being an outsider to science and mathematics. Hers is a household name for books like Overcoming Math Anxiety, which is still in print more than 30 years after publication. She's also the author of They're not Dumb, They're Different, Breaking the Science Barrier, and Rethinking Science as a Career.
In conjunction with the release of her latest book, Science Teaching as a Profession, I redesigned her website. The new site provides information about her math and science education research and consulting, and lists her presentation topics. It also conforms to Web Standards.
Here is a before-and-after look at Sheila Tobias' site...
Previous version
Redesigned site:
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
Website Design: University Online Course
January 13th, 2009Nutrigenomics draws on research in nutrition, genetics, and several other scientific fields. Although nutrigenomics is fairly new, there is a great demand for collaboration, training and education.
I just finished working with Randy Burd, Ph.D., who is on the faculties of the University of Arizona, University of Buffalo, and Thomas Jefferson University, on an online nutrigenomics course. This was a combination Web design and photography project. The fruits and vegetables were very cooperative -- and tasty -- photographic subjects.
The screenshot you see below is from the course's public website:
There also is another version that is part of the University of Arizona's online course system. Access is restricted to enrolled students.
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
Website Design: Arts Organization
September 30th, 2008Incorporated in 1981, the Friends of Western Art is dedicated to supporting awareness of and promoting Western Art in Tucson and Southern Arizona. I have been working with FWA on the redesign of their website. The new site is based on Web Standards and includes information on:
- Awards and scholarship programs
- FWA's prestigious Artist of the Year award
- Upcoming events
The site also offers a gallery showing works by FWA Artists of the Year.
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
Website Design: Financial Investigations
August 8th, 2008Do you have some old stock certificates laying around the house? Well, don't throw them away! They could be worth a lot of money.
Stock Search International has helped investors recover millions of dollars from old stocks and bonds thought to be worthless. This Tucson-based company has been a Web design client since the late 1990s, and they recently returned for a website redesign.
This redesign wasn't as drastic as some I've done. What was needed was a recoding of the existing site so that it meets Web Standards. The new version downloads much faster than its predecessor, and that was one of our goals.
We also wanted to make the home page work for visitors who are in a hurry. In just a few seconds, they can see what Stock Search is and does, then choose from one of the company's three services:
- The Database of Companies No Longer Listed. This unique research tool features more than 40,000 fully updated reports and includes information on stock splits, stock dividends, name changes, mergers, acquisitions, availability of funds and contacts to initiate recoveries.
- Initiate New Research. You'll be in good hands with Stock Search because they track down 97% of the companies they investigate. In fact, their reports are recognized by both the Internal Revenue Service and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
- Historical Market Quotes. Stock Search provides historical stock market quotes to establish the cost basis of investments for tax purposes.
Although many site owners try to think of ways to keep visitors glued to their site, I think this is a losing battle. People have lots of other things to do besides spending hours on a website. It's up to us as Web designers to help visitors accomplish their goals as quickly as possible.
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
Website Design: University Research Laboratory
June 13th, 2008On this project, I worked with Terence Monks, Ph.D., head of the University of Arizona Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. My job was to design an attractive, fast-loading website that combines the natural beauty of the Tucson area with information on his lab's research and training opportunities.
The nature photos used were from the University of Arizona's in-house stock collection. I created the Monks Laboratory personnel collage from photos that were supplied by the lab.
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
Website Design: Biotechnology Management Consulting
June 13th, 2008Here are a few of the many accomplishments of Leon E. Barstow, Ph.D.:
- Created the world's first commercial DNA synthesizer, which is now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution.
- Developed and commercialized new products with sales totaling $200 million.
- Raised more than $35 million in capital for several small businesses.
- Managed the removal of a dangerous chemical plant.
- Taught and conducted academic research in the United States and Middle East.
A seasoned entrepreneur, Dr. Barstow founded and led three biotechnology companies involved in:
- Commercializing protein synthesis and purification technologies.
- Designing and manufacturing equipment for the automated production of peptide hormones by the pharmaceutical industry.
- Developing new drugs to treat immune-mediated diseases.
I developed a website for his latest venture, biotechnology management consulting. It's intended for senior executives and owners of biotechnology companies.
Because they deal with abstract concepts, management consulting websites do not lend themselves to highly visual treatments. While some designers try to avoid this problem by using stock photos, I believe that they give websites a generic look. And there's nothing from stopping a competing website from displaying the same photos.
Furthermore, visitors to sites like Dr. Barstow's are not looking to be dazzled by visual "eye candy." They are looking for information. And they’re more than willing to read every word on a website.
This website won an Award of Merit in the International Association of Business Communicators-Tucson Chapter's Cactus Quill competition.
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
Website Design: Really Obnoxious Web Page Backgrounds
June 6th, 2008Looking for something a bit more interesting than the white background that's currently gracing your current website? How about something lively and different that will make your pages totally unreadable? After all, you didn't want those pesky visitors reading your copy anyway.
In the spirit of giving that has made the Internet what it is, I offer this unique collection of Really Obnoxious Web Page Backgrounds!
1. Filename: boxes1.gif
And here is the CSS code:
<style type="text/css">
body
{
background-color: #000;
background-image: url('boxes1.gif');
background-repeat: repeat-y
}
</style>
2. Filename: boxes2.gif
3. Filename: boxes3.gif
4. Filename: oddball.gif
5. Filename: planet.gif
6. Filename: quilt.gif
For backgrounds 2 through 6, here's how to write the CSS:
<style type="text/css">
body
{
background-image: url('boxes2.gif');
background-repeat: repeat
}
</style>
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
Website Design: DNA Research Database
April 15th, 2008ChromDB.org is home to an internationally renowned database for DNA researchers. Based at the University of Arizona's BIO5 Institute, ChromDB includes information on more than 11,000 proteins from plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms.
The website's research team wanted a new look and logo for the site. Since this is a database-driven site, its pages are dynamically generated. So, my job was to build templates that would work with the database output.
After the redesigned ChromDB website went live, database administrator Karla Gendler said, "We are very happy with the looks of it. There are still some features that we are going to add but I'm just happy that I don't have to worry about website design anymore!"
The project's director, BIO5 Research Professor Carolyn Napoli, added, "For the first time in about six years, ChromDB has a sleek, informative and pleasing look to it."
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
