Report of the Website Committee (4/29/17)
The Website Committee is currently considering a number of initiatives that could improve both content and appearance of our website. We believe that the site should be both engaging and informative, serving the needs of current members, and offering an appealing ‘face’ of the society to the outside world.
Appearance:
We will begin improving the look and organization of some of the pages over the next few months. This will include adding photographs of members and activities where appropriate, adding systems diagrams(!), and it will include some re-writing for simplicity and clarity. Stay tuned, coming your way…
Content:
We will be modifying some features and adding others. Features should either, (1) provide useful functions (environments for database, simulations, etc), (2) promote upcoming events or initiatives, like emergy courses or lectures, or (3) report on achievements of our members, including publishing, conferences, workshops, etc.
We plan to improve or add the integration of a number of features, including the listserv, databases, course materials, blogging, and others. And we will be producing a number of new webpages, for example, a Young Scholar Awards page, an Emergy Foundations Scholarship page (with links to key papers), Simulations page (with links to simulation environments, such as Enrique’s), Education page (with past and future initiatives), Committees page (with reports and activities), Databases page (with links or direct incorporation), Publications page (reporting past and recent publications of members), and more.
As all committees, this work will be accomplished by volunteers. Toward that end, we would like to invite others to join us, especially if they have experience managing websites or working with WordPress. If tasks are too daunting for us, we will come back to the society with requests for approval of funding, and perhaps fundraising, to hire the needed outside expertise.