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October 2, 2007
Issue No. 75

Table of Contents

• Highlights and Features
  • SULAIR Open House Oct 17
    
  • Check_Stanford_Answers
    
  • Chat Reference Pays Off
    
  • IT Open House October 31
    
  • New CourseWork for Fall
    
  • StanfordWho Gets Facelift
    
  • New ITS Home Page
    
  • Health Benefits of Smoking
    
  • VPUE ATS Fall News
    
  • SU Tech Commons Web Site
    
  • Get Stanford Desktop Tools
    
  • MS Vista Considerations
    
  • Software Licensing News
    
  • SU on iTunes U-Fall Update
    
  • New Courses in Wallenberg
    
  • ATS Program-What's New
    
  • New Stem Cell Research App
    

Come to the SULAIR Open House to find out about the amazing resources offered by campus Libraries and Academic Computing:

Wednesday, October 17

Noon to 4:00 p.m.

Information sessions and demos will take place in both Green and Meyer Libraries:

• Learn about and see demos of our vast collections (books, films, data, e-resources, and more).
• Meet staff from the over 20 libraries on campus; see highlights of their resources.
• See a demo of our book-scanning robot.
• Tour Green Library with University Librarian, Michael Keller.
• Tour Meyer Library's Multimedia Studio and Digital Language Lab.
• See the Academic Technology Specialist Program's demos and presentations.

The Open House will also include raffles of great prizes and other exciting events and exhibits.

For more details, go to:

http://library.stanford.edu/openhouse/

Be sure to stop by and see what's new and interesting at SULAIR!

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Stanford Answers allows you to search through hundreds of answers to frequently asked questions about computing topics at Stanford. In addition to answers unique to computing at Stanford, there are also answers to questions about common software used on campus like Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook; Adobe Photoshop; Dreamweaver; Acrobat; and many other software titles.

Start at Answers.Stanford.edu by searching for an answer or by browsing through the database using the browse function in the left hand column. When you search, your search results display below the search box. Answers that were created here at Stanford show with a icon in the list. Answers that are not specific to Stanford have either a or a icon. Items with an icon include a video demonstration of the answer. Once you have searched, you can browse through your search results page by page, or by narrowing your search further browsing topics in the left-hand column.

Once you find an item that looks like it may answer your question, click on the hyperlink to see the full description. From there, you can help us improve Stanford Answers by clicking a yes or no to let us know whether or not this item answered your question. You also have the option to submit a HelpSU request from this page to get more help.

Stanford Answers provides a fast and easy way to find answers to your IT questions. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

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When freshman Jocelyn Jiao had trouble finding resources for her PWR (Program in Writing and Rhetoric) paper, she IM'd the Information Center in Green Library: "My topic is about 'yellow fever', the fact that non-Asian men are attracted to Asian women."

In the ensuing online chat and follow-up emails with Phyllis Kayten, reference librarian at the Green Library Information Center, Jocelyn received advice on the overall research process, assistance in selecting an appropriate database, and help in choosing search terms to use to find articles and books related to her topic.

http://infocenter.stanford.edu/

Jocelyn was amazed at the level of service she received, and incorporated Phyllis' suggestions and strategies into researching and writing her paper. When Jocelyn learned that her paper had been selected for the prestigious Boothe Prize, we decided to interview Jocelyn and Phyllis to hear from them about how collaboration between students and librarians can really pay off.

Listen to the interview, or read the interview transcript.

The interview is part of an ongoing series of Academic Technology Podcasts produced by Kimberly Hayworth, of the Academic Computing's Academic Technology Specialists group. (See also The Academic Technology Specialist Program: What's New in this issue.)

You can request assistance with your research questions by visiting the Information Center in Green Library, emailing us, or IM'ing us by going to http://infocenter.stanford.edu, and selecting "IM Us".

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Whether you find technology scary or fun, you'll enjoy exploring all there is to see and learn at the 2007 Information Technology Open House this Halloween, Wednesday, October 31, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center. Highly rated by faculty, staff, and students as time well spent, this once-a-year event can show you how to take advantage of a wealth of technology services--so mark your calendars!

Co-sponsored this year by IT Services and Campus Wide Agreements (CWA), the IT Open House gathers technology services from all over campus and vendors from all over the Bay Area into one exhibition hall. Stroll through the Alumni Center's beautiful McCaw Hall and see what technology is available to you now, as well as what's possible in the future. At this year's event you can find out how to:

• Save your department and yourself money on computer equipment;
• Get free or discounted software through Stanford programs;
• Connect securely to SUNet from home;
• Use convergent technologies, like iPhone, at Stanford;
• Access Stanford's online resources while traveling;
• Protect your computer from viruses and spyware;
• Use technology in the classroom;
• Conduct virtual meetings; and
• Much more!

See demos of new and future technology, play with gadgets, ask questions of tech wizards, collect tschotschkes, listen to talks on technology trends at noon. And, you could win a great prize!

Like Halloween, the IT Open House happens only once a year, so don't miss out on this unique opportunity. For more details, see:

http://itopenhouse.stanford.edu/

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CourseWork v5 is Stanford's next-generation course management system built upon the open source software project called Sakai. While CourseWork v5 provides virtually all of the capabilities in the previous system (CourseWork v3), it also adds a host of new features that members of our academic community have been requesting.

During the 2006-2007 academic year, CourseWork v5 ran as a "pilot" for those interested in getting a head start using the new system. As of this summer, however, CourseWork v5 is the only system in which new course sites can be created. The previous system will still be accessible for archival purposes and content from the 2006-2007 academic year will be migrated to the new system.

What's New in CourseWork v5

CourseWork v5 offers expanded functionality for those who are familiar with the previous CourseWork system. Below are a few examples of this new functionality:

• Instructors can now append file attachments to their announcements.
• Instructors can now upload/download multiple documents at a time through a desktop interface (WebDAV).
• Instructors can use the Gradebook to calculate grades, rather than just record them.
• Students can now be notified by email when new content is added to the Materials tool.

CourseWork v5 also offers an expanded set of new Web-based tools that will save faculty time and afford them flexibility in managing course content. For instance:

• Instructors could use the Drop Box tool to download all student paper submissions and hand back commented papers via a few "drag and drop" actions;
• Via the Web Content tool, public Web sites that are referenced frequently in a course could now be displayed within the content frame of a site for quick access.
• Additionally, instructors are given their own private workspace where course-related documents could be stored prior to being published to a specific course.

Getting Started

Instructors can create course sites for the fall quarter by going to CourseWork, logging in, clicking on the Worksite Setup tool in the left navigation, and clicking "New". Students will need to enroll in courses via Axess or use the Membership tool in My Workspace to gain access to their course sites. Once either instructors or students are in a course site, it will appear as a tab across the top of the screen or in the "more" pull-down menu on the right side of the page.

Find Out More About CourseWork v5

The CourseWork team will be providing open demonstrations of the new system during the "Tech Express" lunch hours on September 19 and October 4 in Turing Auditorium. These duplicate events will contain a short demo of the new application, including new and different features from the previous system, as well as answers to questions that any of the attendees might have. All are welcome to attend.

Also, on the landing page for CourseWork v5, there are some introductory videos and other informational resources including FAQs and Quick Start Guides. (Click Help Resources on the left side.) Instructors and students will find information specifically tailored to their activities within CourseWork.

Finally, a demo site is available for people who want to experiment with the features and functionalities of CourseWork v5. One can evaluate CourseWork v5 from the viewpoint of an instructor, a teaching assistant, or a student. The site is available to anyone in the Stanford community.

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The online StanfordWho directory lookup tool was replaced at the end of June with a complete new look and some functional streamlining that have made finding people at Stanford easier and more efficient.

What's New

• The look and feel of the new pages is now consistent with the main "Searching Stanford" page.
• Access to the "Stanford Only" view of directory information has been simplified, making it easier for Stanford community members to go directly to information not available to the public.
• You can search by name, SUNet ID, email address, or phone number in one simple search box.
• Searching by first name only is now allowed.
• Options for expanding or limiting your search have been simplified.
• Search results are prioritized and ranked, and presented in a logical order and cleaner layout than in the old StanfordWho.

In addition, a focus on strict compliance with Web standards and usability (with the much-appreciated assistance of the Stanford Online Accessibility Program ensures that the pages are accessible to the broadest possible range of users and browser technologies.

Quick and Easy Access

Users now have three access points for StanfordWho:

• Use the Search feature on the Stanford home page (click the "People" radio button)
• Go directly to http://stanfordwho.stanford.edu.
• Go to http://search.stanford.edu and click the "People" tab.

Faculty and staff can modify their own directory information in StanfordYou. Students will continue to update their own directory information via Axess.

An Important Note to Webmasters

Many Web sites across Stanford use links to StanfordWho directory listings for contact references on their pages rather than providing explicit email addresses (which would be an invitation to spammers). The changes in StanfordWho will not affect these links, which will continue to work as they currently do.

The Middleware and Integration Services team in Administrative Systems is responsible for the StanfordWho improvements and hopes that the community finds the changes beneficial.

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Tired of looking for a needle in the haystack of service and order links on the IT Services web site? Wouldn't a searchable catalog make things easier? During Spring Quarter, that's just what the University's central IT provider organization introduced -- along with a reworked home page that emphasizes quick access to help resources and ways to order services. The site is located at:

http://it-services.stanford.edu/

Service Catalog

The service catalog is available to anyone for browsing and searching services and related links. A link on the home page labeled "Browse, search, and order services" directs visitors to a complete A-to-Z service list headed by easy-to-use search options and controls.

To make the catalog more powerful for Stanford users, designers have made use of WebAuth and the University's central directory: a database back-end powers an option to login and view a service list tailored to the user's primary Stanford affiliation of staff, faculty, or student -- or to a more specifically defined role. Defined roles currently include Local Network Administrator, Resident Computer Consultant, and Department Contact with OrderIT site access.

For each service on the listings pages, the catalog displays a brief description along with links to more extensive documentation and to the tool or site used to order that service. For services obtained via the OrderIT Web site, these links change dynamically in the "tailored" view based on whether the user is a Department Contact or not (Contacts link directly to OrderIT while others access a help page that explains the OrderIT enrollment and authority process).

Other New Features

Following are a few other features that were added to the IT Services Web presence last spring:

• Five content boxes on the department home page group high-profile service links into categories. Clicking the "more" link at the bottom of any of the boxes directs the user to a separate catalog page listing only services in that category.
• The top bar of links common across most IT Services pages now includes a drop-down search box and a "quick links" menu of often-used sites and applications.
• The designers have updated the HTML and CSS code that control the site's page layout and text styles in order to comply with Universal Accessibility guidelines and current Web standards.

For More Information

You can find more information about the new site here.

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The provocative images from tobacco ads featured in the Not a Cough in a Carload exhibit just got a digital display space. The collection of Dr. Robert Jackler and Laurie M. Jackler has been on display in Lane Medical Library since February and a more comprehensive version is now available at:

http://tobacco.stanford.edu/

Over 400 advertising images tell the story of how, between the late 1920s and the early 1950s, tobacco companies used deceptive and often patently false claims in an effort to reassure that smoking was not only safe but healthy.

Ad from Collection of Dr. Robert Jackler and Laurie M. Jackler

On first impression, most viewers will find these visually arresting images outrageous, humorous, and so blatantly false as to trigger incredulity. Tobacco industry ad men excelled in creative genius, had high levels of artistic skill, and could hire the best talent money could buy. The collection may be browsed by theme, brand name, and slogan.

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The Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education's (VPUE) Academic Technology Specialist (ATS) Program has a new ATS in Freshman Sophomore Programs and has launched a new Undergraduate Academic Life Web Portal.

New VPUE ATS in Freshman Sophomore Programs

The newest VPUE ATS at Stanford works for Freshman Sophomore Programs, under the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. Edward R. O'Neill will be working with faculty who teach introductory seminars, as well as those who teach in Sophomore College.

Edward comes to Stanford from the private sector. "I was consulting on a number of different technology-related fronts. I shot and edited promotional videos, built online courses in Sakai, even did 'corporate messaging' for technology companies."

Ed, as people tend to call him, earned his Ph.D. in Critical Theory from UCLA Film School. Between then and now, he taught film and media studies, including multimedia, at UC Santa Cruz, USC Film School and Bryn Mawr. Along the way, he became more and more drawn to the technology side of teaching.

"I came to technology pretty naturally. I was writing HTML in the very early days of the Web. When I taught, I did a lot with streaming media. I put lectures and video clips online. And I taught students all the skills I had."

While some ATS's come from computing, Ed is an arts-humanities hybrid. "I studied theater and literature at Yale as an undergrad. So it was partly about analysis and partly about doing."

New Undergraduate Academic Life Web Portal

The VPUE is pleased to announce that the Undergraduate Academic Life Web site is now live.

Found at http://undergrad.stanford.edu/, it's a student-centric Web site that:

• Conveniently provides the most important academic information students need while providing a portal for exploration.
• Provides multiple pathways for finding information, e.g., by type of information as well as by year.
• Requires no knowledge of administrative boundaries (nor acronyms!).
• Creates a singular online presence for students' needs in this area.

Feel free to browse the site when you have a chance and share any comments you might have by sending an email to vpue@stanford.edu.

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For years the Academic Technology Specialist Program (ATSP) has been looking for a common knowledge base to share their experiences in implementing and experimenting with new technologies for Stanford's research and teaching environment, both within the ATSP and within the wider Stanford technology community. One of the greatest challenges has been gaining the critical mass necessary to maintain such an endeavor.

In late July, representatives from various groups on campus came together for a kick-off meeting to discuss how to join forces. In September, the new Stanford Technology Commons Web site was officially launched at:

http://techcommons.stanford.edu/

What's Its Purpose?

The purpose of this site is twofold:

• It offers a quick and easy way to share and expand a knowledge repository. Examples of some of the questions addressed are: How can I install pmwiki on Leland? How do configure the .htaccess file for Drupal? What's new in Final Cut 2?
• It serves as a hub, bringing together dispersed resources and connecting various technology groups on campus. It encourages communication and facilitates mutual exchange within a Stanford community that rarely meets face to face.

How Does It Work?

The Stanford Technology Commons Web site functions like a wiki. Any SUNet ID holder can create an account, allowing him or her to post articles, edit other's posts, and comment on postings. Optionally, individuals can subscribe to the site via RSS feeds to be notified of additions or changes to the site.

What Does It Contain?

The content is divided into main categories which cover topics such as Drupal, Video and Multimedia, GIS, Wikis, and Blogs. A free tagging system allows the addition of keywords to all posts. An events module allows contributors to post local events that are of interest to this community.

Who Creates the Content?

The Stanford Technology Commons content is created by the Stanford University community with significant support from the Academic Technology Specialist Program, SU Webmasters, the Stanford Video and Multimedia Group, the SULAIR Information Center, and IT Services.

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Are you still using PC-Leland or MacLeland? If so, you may have already received an email asking you to update your systems. It's time to upgrade to Stanford Desktop Tools.

Stanford Desktop Tools is the new way to manage authentication to Stanford systems. All computers using the old software must be upgraded to Stanford Desktop Tools before the old Kerberos 4 architecture used by PC-Leland and MacLeland is shut down in April 2008. Additional reminders to upgrade will go out in the Fall and Winter Quarters to all staff, students, and faculty still using the outdated software.

A special page has been developed to guide you through the upgrade. It includes background information and links to the Essential Stanford Software site to download the latest version of Stanford Desktop Tools, which is Version 1.3.

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In January 2007,after many years of development, Microsoft released its new operating system, Vista, to general distribution. See Microsoft's information on this new product.

IT Services staff and others on campus have used this software since before it was released. Many months after its release, a number of campus users are using Vista without problems. However, if you are considering either upgrading or purchasing a new computer with Vista pre-loaded, please note the following:

• Campus business applications have not yet been certified by our vendors to run under Vista. The staff in Administrative Systems are continuing to work with our vendors to get such applications as PeopleSoft and Oracle Financials certified. Users who are dependent on those applications, usually staff members, should not upgrade to Vista unless they have first validated that their critical applications work properly under Vista.
• Users need to make sure their system can handle the minimal requirements of the OS. In some cases, users may wish to wait until ordering a new computer to acquire Vista.
• Some vendors are still writing drivers for peripheral devices, so before upgrading make sure drivers exist for your various peripherals: printer, scanner, etc.
• Because of campus security concerns and issues with integration with our campus computing infrastructure, only certain versions of Vista are supported. The supported versions are Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise or Windows Vista Ultimate (without supporting Media Center for home use). Not supported, and not recommended for usage, are the "Home" versions of Vista.
• Vista brings with it the usual set of new features and new interfaces you'll both benefit from and have to get used to: the new OS offers significant changes in the user interface which will require user familiarization and a learning curve.
• In late August, Microsoft Corp. confirmed that the first service pack for Windows Vista will be out sometime in the first quarter of 2008, along with a third and final service pack for Windows XP. The first major update to Vista will contain a number of tweaks to speed up the operating system and fix reported reliability problems. Again, another possible reason to wait before installing Vista.

All Essential Stanford Software applications now work with Vista.

IT Services has put together a Vista Web page with pertinent information.

If you're interested in Vista, please discuss your specific situation with your local computing support staff.

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The mission of the IT Services Software Licensing team is to save Stanford University as much money as possible on software purchases by negotiating campus-wide and volume license contracts. The savings to the university are then passed on to individual licensees. We offer a variety of popular academic- and research-oriented products for departmental purchase, for use mainly on Stanford-owned machines, and some software for student personal purchase. We also license the software used on the campus computer clusters and for Essential Stanford Software. See also Essential Stanford Software: Fall 2007 Update in this issue.

New Software Releases in 2007

This past year we have seen some changes in the world of software. Microsoft, Apple, and Adobe, all announced major upgrades to their product lines. These three companies alone kept us on our toes for most of the year, as we endeavored to keep up with the latest news and buzz, and keep our clients informed of the progress of all the new releases. Adobe updated Acrobat and Creative Suite at the beginning of 2007, and released all new Creative Suite versions again six months later. Microsoft released several versions of Vista and Office 2007 for Windows in the same timeframe. See also New Microsoft Vista Operating System: Some Considerations Remain in this issue. Two products were put off until fall - Apple Mac OS X 10.5 and Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, so we'll have more to look forward to later in the year.

Several other vendors released new software versions this year, including Stata, AutoCAD, COMSOL MultiPhysics, MATLAB, Mathematica, Movable Type, and SPSS.

Within the Stanford IT community, new software releases are not simple isolated incidents. Software Licensing coordinates with many other groups in IT Services before new versions are ready for use at Stanford. Our IT desktop support staff tests new versions of centrally-supported software for compatibility and vulnerability issues, and the Help Desk team learns how to use and support the products in order to route help tickets appropriately, or answer them directly. The Tech Training team offers classes on new versions as soon as they can. Since much of the training is provided in-house, they also need to acquire and learn the products quickly. The Documentation team helps us update our Software Licensing and Software_at_Stanford web sites. Cross-departmental teams discuss and plan how new software versions are deployed across campus, the issues that may arise, and the knowledge that we may share.

For More Information

See the Software Licensing Web site for ordering instructions and individual information pages on each product. Please call us at 724-2424 or email software@stanford.edu, if you have questions.

See also How to Find Software on Campus in this issue.

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Stanford on iTunes U provides access to a wide range of Stanford-related audio and video content via the iTunes Store, Apple's popular online music, video, and podcast service.

The project includes two sites:

• A public site with Stanford courses, faculty lectures, event highlights, music, sports, and more._
• An access-restricted site for the Stanford community which includes:
  • CourseWork-linked iTunes U pages for course-related use.
  • Stanford Community iTunes U Stanford Community iTunes U for the entire campus community.

Now in iTunes Store

Last spring, Apple expanded public access to our content by adding a new "iTunes U" link to the main menu of their music store. You can now search Stanford content as well as academic content from about a dozen other universities.

The public Stanford on iTunes U site now contains over 1000 tracks, including recorded lectures from a dozen academic courses. This academic year, our team plans to record at least a dozen more courses to include on the site. We encourage you to visit the site and explore the rich collection of Stanford content that is now available to download free of charge.

Academic Use of iTunes U

Kim Hayworth, the Academic Technology Specialist and Manager of the Academic Technology Lab (ATL) in Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources (SULAIR), has been working actively with instructors who want to learn how to produce their own audio and video content for teaching. She continues to be available for consulting (kimhwrth@stanford.edu). (See also The Academic Technology Specialist Program: What's New in this issue.) Jeremy Sabol, Academic Technology Specialist for the Center for Teaching and Learning is also available to help instructors think about how audio and video might enhance their teaching practices.

In addition, members of the Stanford community can share audio/video content with the entire campus via the Stanford Community iTunes U space. This Stanford-only space is intended for content of more local interest, with access via a SUNet ID.

For More Information

If your department or program would like to include audio or video content on Stanford's public iTunes U site, please email stanford-itunes@lists.stanford.edu or call Brent Izutsu at 736-0784. The Office of University Communications manages the project.

If you'd like to get a CourseWork-linked iTunes page for a course or add materials to the community site, contact Jeremy Sabol (jsabol@stanford).

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In June, Wallenberg Hall played host to the Program in Writing and Rhetoric's PWR global symposium on cross-cultural collaboration. The course and the symposium were supported by a grant from the Wallenberg Global Learning Network WGLN.

The symposium participants connected with each other using the Marratech collaboration system that Wallenberg Hall hosts. The session began with brief presentations from both Stanford and Sweden and then moved into smaller breakout groups - each globally distributed and connected in smaller Marratech 'rooms' to generate ideas about future directions in globally collaborative student work. Participants then regrouped into one large 'room' to share their experiences from the smaller groups.

In Spring 2007, Wallenberg Hall also hosted globally collaborative courses from the schools of medicine and engineering. The team at Wallenberg Hall is excited to support pedagogies and technologies that advance our understanding of the learning benefits, technologies, and cross-cultural issues associated with globally-collaborative courses.

For more information, please contact Dan Gilbert.

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The Academic Technology Specialist Program (ATSP) has recently acquired two new Academic Technology Specialists (ATSs) and initiated a variety of projects, one of which is highlighted in this article (i.e., the core chemistry module for the Human Biology Program). In addition, the ATSP has collaborated with several campus groups to implement and launch the Stanford Technology Commons Web site. See Stanford Technology Commons - A Community Knowledge Base for New Technologies in this issue.

Ken Romeo joins Program as ATS for the Language Center

Ken Romeo joined our program in July as the Academic Technology Specialist for the Language Center.

Ken has taught ESL (English as a Second Language) in a variety of situations since 1988 - first in the People's Republic of China, then for 10 years in Japan, and finally here at Stanford. He came to Stanford in 2000 to complete an MA in the School of Education, and continued on to the doctoral program there, graduating in 2006. Over the years, he has moved from using cassette tape players in his teaching to employing online data collection technology in the Language Lab and in his dissertation research.

Ken works with the instructors in the Language Center, primarily on assessment using the SOPI and other online tools, and on content delivery via CourseWork. (See also The New CourseWork Is Ready for Fall 2007 in this issue.) He also administers the weblogs and wikis for the Language Center and teaches graduate ESL courses in English for Foreign Students.

In the constant search to improve the conditions for learning, he is always aware of the fact that technology has many definitions: from flashcards and textbooks to stand-alone electronics and online software. In the last year, Ken has helped implement a wiki farm, Movable Type weblogs, and online listening exercises and assessments. In addition to assisting with testing, he is looking forward to not just adding to the number of tools that Language Center instructors have at their disposal, but also to contributing to the ways that they think about developing their lessons and curricula.

Kimberly Hayworth joins Program as ATS and Manager of the Academic Technology Lab

Kimberly Hayworth has formally joined our program as the ATS and Manager of the Academic Technology Lab (ATL). Kimberly will be working with faculty in any discipline who are interested in incorporating technology in teaching, learning, and research.

Kimberly came to Stanford in 2001 as an Academic Technology Consultant and was a member of the CourseWork (Stanford's Learning Management System) design and support teams. In 2005, she went on to manage the Consulting and Multimedia Services Group. Some of Kimberly's upcoming projects include curriculum development support and the implementation of multimedia components in Communications courses. She will be able to leverage the rich resources of the ATL and the Multimedia Studio to create instructional content and consult with faculty and their students. Kimberly will also be working with Biological Science faculty to explore ways to enhance student collaboration and to increase the opportunities for capturing student-generated course content. Kimberly holds a master's degree in French with an emphasis in Educational Technology from Washington State University.

Core Chemistry Module for Human Biology Program

This fall, the Program in Human Biology is introducing a chemistry learning module to supplement its core curriculum. Much of the information could be found online and in textbooks, so the objective was not to provide more information but less: to focus on the basic concepts a student needs to understand lectures and course content and graphically illustrate them.

In June, when the ATS for Human Biology Program Carlos Seligo and Academic Technology Assistant Larry Spackman began working on this module, there were a variety of ways to proceed. A web site had certain limitations, though would be easy to produce, whereas a Java-based application had many freedoms, but could be too time-consuming for the rapid production schedule. Flash was the obvious compromise, and ActionScript 3 has provided the language for extending the navigation features beyond what would have been possible in html.

Seligo has focused on the design and illustrations and Spackman on the implementation, though sharing a room means there is a lot of give and take in development. "There was a bit of a learning curve," Spackman said, "because I hadn't used Flash since 1999 and a lot has changed since version one, but the new scripting language library is robust enough to create and quickly modify tools. Its pretty sweet."

The chemistry module will be available at:

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/humbio/chemcore

For More Information

To learn more about the ATS program, visit:

http://ats.stanford.edu/

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Researchers at Stanford are familiar with the Animal Subjects and Human Subjects eProtocol web applications. This fall, a new eProtocol application to support the use of stem cells in research goes live: eProtocol SCRO.

The State of California requires that all human stem cell research be reviewed and approved by a Stem Cell Research Oversight (SCRO) committee. The new eProtocol Stem Cell module will facilitate the submission, review, storage, and retrieval of stem cell research protocols.

Because stem cell research often involves human subject and animal subject protocols, the SCRO module allows for data sharing with the existing modules. The eProtocol SCRO replaces the existing paper-based process and offers a consistent interface for investigators and SCRO committee reviewers alike.

For further information about the new eProtocol SCRO web application, please see the Research Compliance Office Web site or contact Kathy McClelland ( kathy.mcclelland@stanford.edu).

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