"The new home page is meant to make information easier to find, give HSPH members the ability to manage content, and provide the school’s web pages with a consistent look," said Eastwood.

HSPH’s web content has become more intricate since the previous home page’s debut in 1998. Over the past four years, more than 50 new HSPH-related web sites have been unveiled. More than 160 press releases from the Office of Communications have been added to the news archive, and they have become more complex; a recent press release included digitized segments of an audio interview with Department of Nutrition Chair Walter Willett. The school now offers web casts of HSPH events either live or taped to be downloaded later. The home page serves as the gateway to thousands of school web pages.

"So much content was added over the past few years that both navigation and maintenance of the site were becoming issues," said Eastwood. "We had outgrown our previous structure in all respects."

The web audience has grown, too. The HSPH home page now has more visitors per day on average than it did per week in 1998. The site currently averages nearly 12,800 visitors per day. People in more than 175 countries have come to the home page over the past year.

The new home page, captured in shades of blue and red, offers a main tool bar with nine categories. When the cursor rolls over the tool bar, expanding menus spring up, providing access to more than 50 subdivisions of information. For example, HSPH applicants can learn about financial aid options by rolling their cursor over the "Student Life" button.

A new section called "Innovations" features interactive HSPH web sites, such as a map that viewers can click to read about international research projects involving the school (see sidebar below).

Advances in the resolution and the size of computer monitors have allowed Eastwood and Ternan to offer all of the home page’s main links on one screen. Scrolling down on the home page is no longer required.

"When we created the original home page in 1998, we pushed the envelope design-wise," said Ternan. "Now, we're forging ahead once again, while improving navigation and usability."

The new home page retains the dynamism of the previous site, with nearly daily updates of press releases and announcements. "Inside HSPH" continues to provide information of interest to school staff, faculty, and students. "In the Media" highlights school research covered by the press. "Sites of Note" provides links to specific HSPH web sites.

			HSPH HOME PAGE QUICK FACTS The site averages nearly 12,800 visitors per day. The home page serves as a gateway to thousands of HSPH web pages. People in more than 175 countries have visited the home page in the past year. More than 50 new HSPH-related web sites have been unveiled over the past four years. The previous design was launched in 1998.

Students, too, are being encouraged to participate more in the HSPH web site. The Student Coordinating Committee will soon unveil a new web page designed to be easily maintained by current and future members.

The technologies underpinning the new home page will support online tours being put together by IT. For example, a videotaped tour of Shattuck House is available online.

Launching the home page required much more than computer work. Eastwood and Ternan engaged in a lengthy process to receive feedback from as many people at HSPH as feasible. Meeting with an advisory committee last year that included representatives of the Dean’s Office, Academic Affairs, the Office of Communications, and Enrollment Services, Eastwood and Ternan outlined IT’s goals for the home page and added new ones identified by the committee. The pair met with a senior management group, invited all HSPH deans to peruse a prototype, and met with many offices and departments individually. They presented a prototype to the Department Administrative Leadership Council. Last month, they emailed faculty, students, and staff and asked for responses about the site before its launch.

"The new home page is one of many steps we are taking to facilitate the work and business of the school," said Taso Markatos, assistant dean for information technology. "Deane and Chris did a fabulous job. We as end-users will never be able to really appreciate all the work that was done behind the scenes."

Both Ternan and Eastwood emphasized that the new home page is a starting point to a more comprehensive update of the school’s web site technologies.

"This is a work in progress, and we have dozens of new features to add over the next few months," said Eastwood. "We are very happy with the technology we’ve chosen. It’s a great foundation for the future. This is an excellent starting point."

Feedback about the new home page may be sent to Eastwood at deastwoo@hsph.harvard.edu and Ternan at cternan@hsph.harvard.edu.

New Web Site Provides Information about HSPH International Research

A new HSPH web page, accessible from the school’s home page, features a remarkable image–a digital map of the world dotted with boxes that represent international HSPH research initiatives. Five of the world’s seven continents display brightly colored boxes, deftly illustrating the school’s commitment to improving the health of people around the world.

The newly unveiled map is available at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/worldmap/. A pull-down menu allows visitors to select a country and then see a map of the area and information about specific HSPH research initiatives going on there. Or, visitors can click the boxes and view the same information.

The map offers an extensive sampling of HSPH international research, including more than 250 projects going on in nearly 70 countries. Domestic initiatives are not included on the map.

Collecting information for the map was challenging. Working in a temporary position, Audrey Smith spent several weeks in the Office of Financial Services searching for project descriptions listed on grants records. She inputted the descriptions into a database that Deane Eastwood, HSPH webmaster, and Christopher Ternan, web designer, both of Information Technology, used to create the map. When project descriptions were unavailable, Smith read the grants and wrote summaries. (Smith now works as an assistant to Department of Epidemiology Chair Meir Stampfer.)

Faculty members were given the opportunity to look at the site before the map went public on December 10.

"We’ve had a great response so far from people who have reviewed the site and looked at the data," said Russ Irwin, director of strategic planning and projects in the Office of Financial Services, who helped facilitate the site with Alix Smullin, chief of staff, Office of the Dean, Robin Herman, director of communications, Office of Communications, and the Department of Information Technology.

Department representatives or faculty members can update information on the map. Links to projects are now listed on faculty research pages.

Said Eastwood, "This was a really neat project. The map represents a different and very visual way to search for information. You really get a better sense of how much international research is going on at the school."