Many of you maybe wondering why I chose James A. Sullivan's Cells Alive as my number one pick. If you have been there you have noticed the information to be excellent. However, the information at the site is not a complete explanation of a field of science but rather little bits of interesting information concerning microbiology, immunology, and cell biology. I chose this site as tops in my list for four reasons.
Reason 1: This site is a multimedia event that informs the viewer. Our world is full of colorful people, animals and things that move and make noise. Scientists study this colorful noisy moving world and try to determine how it works. I feel many scientific discoveries can best be demonstrated using color, sound, and movies. This site demonstrates what the web can do in educating people concerning microbiology, immunology, and cell biology. The web is a truly multimedia event. You can, with the right equipment, see pictures move, hear sounds, and read text. What better way to show and explain how the world works! One example of the use of text, images, and movies is seen in Sullivan's demonstration of HIV infection. Here he tells you how the AIDS virus infects cells. He does this using animated images. He also uses an image you can click on so that you don't have to start at the beginning but can go to any place in the infection process. All the action takes place on your computer screen.
Reason 2: This site is entertaining and educational. One example of how the author uses entertainment and education in concert is demonstrated in a movie on how penicillin kills bacteria. Not only does the movie do a good job of showing the viewer how penicillin kills bacteria but it also adds sound effects to make the movie more enjoyable. The only down side is that the movies do require some time for downloading. However, I feel they are worth the wait.
Reason 3: This site is innovative. We all know that downloads of movies can be slow and often the viewer leaves the site before the movies are completely loaded to their computer. Therefore, it seems that Cells Alive has chosen to use animated images in many of their newer creations. Another excellent use of animated images is used to show us how antibodies are made. A very complicated process can be demonstrated to the viewer in a very short period of time. No waiting for the movie to download. This site is innovative, entertaining, and informative.
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