V.A.S.T. Virginia Academy of Science Team Website Feasibility II October 23, 2013
Dec 26, 2015
V.A.S.T. Virginia Academy of Science Team
Website Feasibility II
October 23, 2013
The Team
Mark Ben
Raven Jack Jasmine
Peter
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 2
Project Mentor
•Dr. Christopher J. Osgood
•Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 3
Outline
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 4
•Introduction
•History
•Who needs the Virginia Academy of Science
•Why the Virginia Academy of Science
•Problem
•Solution
•Software and Hardware
•Conclusion
Problem
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 5
2
Virginia Academy of Science
•Association of Virginia Biologists was original organization5
•April 26th, 1923 Virginia Academy of Science founded, 123 members5
•Dr. Ivey E. Lewis, first president of the academy
•Majority of members were affiliated with Biology
•Dr. Miller, also known as “Mr. Academy”5
•First Secretary-Treasurer
•Held the position for two decades
•Dr. George W. Jeffers5
•In the 70s he recorded all of the known history
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 6
What is the Virginia Academy of Science ?
7
There are nineteen sections of the Virginia Academy of Science
1. Agriculture, Forestry, and Aquaculture 11. Education
2. Astronomy, Mathematics, and Physics 12. Statistics
3. Microbiology and Molecular Biology 13. Aeronautical and Aerospace Sciences
4. Biology* 14. Botany
5. Chemistry 15. Environmental Science
6. Materials Science 16. Archaeology
7. Biomedical and General Engineering 17. Computer Science
8. Geology 18. Geography
9. Medical Sciences 19. Natural History and Biodiversity
10. Psychology
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.)
3
What do they do?• Provide grants and awards for members that do research in a scientific
area of study
• Publishes the Virginia Journal of Science
• Provide annual meetings
CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) October 23, 2013 8
Virginia Junior Academy of ScienceWhat is the Virginia Junior Academy of Science?
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 9
● 1941 - Virginia Junior Academy of Science4
● A yearly symposium is held4
○ Awards
○ Scholarships
● Scholarships range from $5,000 - $ 14,0004
Why do we need the Virginia Junior Academy of Science?
•To increase awareness in the fields of science
•To provide an economic boost to Virginia by enticing programs and scientists to setup and work here
•To help give access to Virginia’s colleges and universities to young scientists
Who benefits from The Virginia Academy of Science?
● Students● Grades: 6-12● Undergraduate● Graduate
● Faculty
● Teachers
● Professional
● Businesses / Corporations
● Anyone
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 10
Award offered: Best Student Paper Awards - awarded by certain sections for original student research presented at the annual meeting of VAS
Award offered:J. Shelton Horsley Research Award - the highest honor bestowed by the Virginia Academy of Science for original research
US Trust, Bank of America:Jeffress Memorial Trust - to support basic scientific in chemical, medical or other scientific fields through grants to educational and research institutions
Problem StatementThe Virginia Academy of Science does not effectively promote its cause with the use of publicly available information via the Internet.
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 11
Created from Google Trends
State Academy of Science Comparison
State Academy
Clear Navigation
Social Media Links
Drop Down Menu
Membership Login
Able to browse by topic
Events Calendar
Login on Homepage
Link to PayPal for donations
Footer Navigation
Search Engine
Alabama X X X X
Alaska
Arizona X X X X
Arkansas X
California X X X X X X X X
Colorado X X X X X
Connecticut X X
Delaware X X X
Florida X X X X X
Georgia X
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 12
State Academy of Science Comparison Cont.
State Academy
Clear Navigation
Social Media Links
Drop Down Menu
Membership Login
Able to browse by topic
Events Calendar
Login on Homepage
Link to PayPal for donations
Footer Navigation
Search Engine
Hawaii X X X X X
Idaho X X X X X
Illinois X X X
Indiana X X X X X X
Iowa X X X
Kansas X
Kentucky X X X X X
Louisiana X X X
Maine X X X X X X X
Maryland X X X X X X X X
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 13
State Academy of Science Comparison Cont.
State AcademyClear
Navigation
Social Media Links
Drop Down Menu
Membership Login
Able to browse by topic
Events Calendar
Login on Homepage
Link to PayPal for donations
Footer Navigation
Search Engine
Massachusetts
X X X X X X X X X X
Michigan X X X X X X X
Minnesota X X X X X X X X
Mississippi X X X X X X X
Missouri X X
Montana X X X
Nebraska X X X
Nevada X
New Hampshire
New Jersey X X
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 14
State Academy of Science Comparison Cont.
State Academy
Clear Navigation
Social Media Links
Drop Down Menu
Membership Login
Able to browse by topic
Events Calendar
Login on Homepage
Link to PayPal for donations
Footer Navigation
Search Engine
New Mexico X X
New York X X X X X X X
North Carolina X
North Dakota X X X X X X X
Ohio X X X
Oklahoma X X X
Oregon X X X X
Pennsylvania X X X X X
Rhode Island
South Carolina
X X X X X
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 15
State Academy of Science Comparison Cont.
State Academy
Clear Navigation
Social Media Links
Drop Down Menu
Membership Login
Able to browse by topic
Events Calendar
Login on Homepage
Link to PayPal for donations
Footer Navigation
Search Engine
South Dakota X X X X
Tennessee X X
Texas X X X X X
Utah X X
Vermont X X X
(Current) Virginia
X
Washington X X X X
West Virginia X
Wisconsin X X X X X X
Wyoming X X X X X
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 16
Comparison Conclusion
Clear Navigation
Social Media Links
Drop Down Menu
Membership Login
Able to browse by
topic
Events Calendar
Login on Homepage
Link to PayPal for donations
Footer Navigation
Search Engine
# of States That Implement This Design: 41 16 19 15 37* 16 6 12 18 12
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 17
* The only design Virginia Academy of Science utilizes on their website
Current Process I (Becoming a Member)
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 18
Current Process II (Document and Journal Storage)
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 19
GoalTo restructure the Virginia Academy of Science
offerings and information to clearly promote
their cause to the targeted audience, while
providing contributors an easier method to
update via a custom content management
system.
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 20
Objectives• Define target audience• Demonstrate specific advantages to said
target audience• Show these benefits in an attractive manner
on the site• Allow interested members to sign up
electronically• Give the option for Virginia Academy of
Science admins to submit member only content
• Simplify content approval and addition process via an updated back-end
• Store pertinent information on a database for retrieval by interested Virginia Academy of Science members
• Create a tiered admin system with varying privileges
User Role Hierarchy
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 21
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 22
Solution Process I (Becoming a Member)
Solution Process II (Document and Journal Storage)
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 23
Major Functional Components
Hardware Software● Web Server (Bluehost)
● Database Server
● PHP
● MySQL
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 24
Major Functional Components
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 25
Marketing Strategy
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 26
Objectives
Objectives• Promote the Virginia Academy of Science
effectively through social media• Have up-to-date content• Target specific age groups• Engage our audience• To trial new ideas• Attract and recruit new members• Protect our brand
Content Management System
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 27
• Joomlao An open source that maintains and stores website
content o Easy to update
No technical skills are required
• Used by business corporations, non-profit organizations, educational facilities and more
Solution Problems
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 28
• Maintenance o Updating the website should be straightforward
• Participation is not guaranteedo Will the website attract new users?
• Increased interest also not guaranteedo Are people still interested to this day in learning about
the Virginia Academy of Science?
Summary
October 23, 2013CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) 29
The Virginia Academy of Science does not effectively promote to a targeted audience.
Feasibly corrected with:• Proper content organization• Clean designs• Improved backend system for contributors
References
1. The virginia journal of science. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2013 from http://www.vacadsci.org/vjs.htm
2. The virginia academy of science. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2013 from http://www.vacadsci.org/
3. The constitution of virginia academy of science. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2013 from http://www.vacadsci.org/constitution2.htm#commd11
4. The virginia junior academy of science. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2013 from http://66.147.244.216/~vacadsci/vjas-1.htm
5. Staggers, H. J. (1968). A history of the virginia academy of science. The Virginia Journal of Science, 19(1), 61-83. Retrieved from http://www.vacadsci.org/history1.htm
CS410 - Virginia Academy of Science Team (V.A.S.T.) October 23, 2013 30