Purdue News

August 1999 Vet school unveils new Web pages WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The country's first veterinary school World Wide Web pages have a new look. Purdue University's School of Veterinary Medicine has completed the first major redesign of the school's Web pages since they debuted, said Tim Nordland, Webmaster and graphics specialist. Purdue's veterinary school is one of 27 in the United States and in 1992 became the first to establish a Web presence. "We collected a lot of information about who uses our Web site before we started the redesign," Nordland said. "We discovered that we have a global audience, with 55 percent of the visitors coming from outside the United States. Keeping that in mind, we redesigned the school's Web site to accommodate slow Internet connections and smaller computer screens." Although designed for speed, the site is not short on information. "We have some unique services that are not available anywhere else," Nordland said. "We have a database of poisonous plants that allows people to look up information by what the plant looks like, how it affects animals or plant type. And our front page features anatomy drawings by Purdue faculty." The site also features information on the school's research centers and the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association. A few Veterinary Technology Distance Learning Program courses are already available from the Web, and each course this fall will have an electronic discussion area. CONTACT: Nordland, (765) 496-6145; webdog@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page