POLY Web Pages

 For current issues or suggestions for the POLY Website, contact the Webmaster

 

In 2009, a new format website was launched and has been acontinual  source of information until July 2018.   

 

The 2009 pages were created by Christine Landry-Coltrain using a Content Management Firm called Website Forge.  The content can be created directly in RTF.  Any input to these pages, or issues with the Website can be directed to the POLY Webmaster.

2010 POLY Web-Site 1993-2010 and Beyond:   "a perspective" by Frank Blum

 

  In 1993, electronic communications were just coming on line to the scientific main stream. At that time, I started the Poly List Serv (electronic discussion list) for Poly members. This list is used today as a medium for distributing POLY information. Two years later in 1995, the burgeoning worldwide web looked like an attractive medium for disseminating information in a different way. Thus, the POLY web pages were born. These web pages were intended as a way for the division leadership to provide information to the membership as a whole. I was in my second term as Secretary of POLY under Kurt Frank’s leadership as Chairman. As Secretary, I had a good knowledge of the information that was important to members.

 

  The basic structures of the web pages were primarily to highlight news, meetings, Polymer Preprints, national meeting activity awards, jobs, and to provide a bit of a historical perspective on POLY. In the early days, the pages were housed on the University of Missouri-Rolla server. Many people came to the Poly Web Pages looking for how to access Polymer Preprints and “Jobs”. The web pages became defacto means to identify and contact symposium organizers for national meetings. Web access has also become a major mechanism for getting information out about the details of programs for the Poly Workshop. The workshops are extremely important to the financing of the division. In addition, information on various Poly Awards calls can be found there.

 

  One of the unexpected aspects of the Web Pages (at least by me) was the popularity of the job site. In retrospect, it is not surprising, but the job pages got more views than anything else. Early on, the jobs site was open to everyone. At a later date, the Executive Committee decided that this was a member benefit that would be available for members only. At that time, it was put behind a login system in cooperation with the American Chemical Society.

 

  One additional aspect of the Web Pages is its use for being a public means of archiving some information for the division. How this will play out in the long run is uncertain, but for now it seems like a viable place where POLY history, such as who was Chair when, or previous award winners can be found.

 

  In 2003, a new site was built and housed on servers provided by a commercial vendor. To that, a consistent menu system was added. In 2009, the Web Pages were transferred to a commercial site and the stewardship changed to Dr. Christine Landry-Coltrain at Eastman Kodak. This has given the Web Pages a more modern feel, and added simplicity and flexibility to the structure with the capability of displaying image slide shows, videos, and much more. The Web Pages are also completely searchable. The “new look” is shown below.

 

For me, the 15 years that I spent as the Poly Division Webmaster has been a fair bit of work, but I have enjoyed it.

 

 

The 2009 Pages

 

The 2009 pages were created using a Content Management Firm called Website Forge.  The content can be created directly in RTF.  Any input to these pages, or issues with the Website can be directed to the POLY Webmaster.

The 2003 Pages

The 2003 pages operate with cgi and java scripts. Browsers without Java scripts enabled will not have the functional walk-out windows. There is a known problem with some of the walk-out menus and older browsers such as Netscape 4.x where the walk-out menus extend over the text of the page. ...Time to update your browsers folks.

 

For a while there will be a mix of new and old styles. I would appreciate input when things don't work or there are obvious errors. I correct them slowly, but I do correct them. I also appreciate Division oriented content. Send them to Frank Blum.

 

History

The POLY pages started on the web site at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) and continued there from 96 until present for some of the archival information. It was moved in a large part to www.polyacs.org in February 2003. Some of the archival information is still at UMR. At the time of this writing, the UMR pages still serve as a text oriented back-up for the web pages, although they are unlikely to be updated.

 

Acknowledgements

The Division of Polymer Chemistry, Inc. acknowledges the past support of the University of Missouri-Rolla, especially Mr. Joseph Counsil of the UMR Chemistry Department. The 2003 design layout is credited to Mr. Muthiah Alagappan, a UMR student in Engineering Management, who has a real talent for web page design.

 

-Frank Blum, February 2003

 

 

past information/reports about the POLY web pages