A Special Report to SAS Members
Ely Silk
Back in early 2002, the founder of the Society for Amateur Scientists (of which I've been a member since its inception) contacted me. Shawn Carlson told me that he was planning the first conference of the SAS to be held in Philadelphia in June of that year. He asked me if I was willing to write a paper about my latest experiments for presentation at the meeting. I had been thinking about developing a low-cost system for fluorescence microscopy, so I happily said, “Sure!” Well, the next thing I knew, I was working away constructing a whole bunch of microscope light mounts containing LEDs of various wavelengths. I experimented with different dyes on different organisms. I pored over multiple books dealing with fluorescence, ran spectra, took numerous pictures, produced a video, and wrote a paper. I submitted my work to Dr. Shawn, but I advised him that I would be unable to go to Philadelphia to present the paper personally. He was kind enough to offer my paper “LED Fluorescence Microscopy” in a poster session.
Shortly thereafter, I started thinking about the number of pictures I had accumulated and the lessons I had learned about fluorescence microscopy. Well, the next thing I knew, I was working away on a web site devoted to my experiments in science-at least experiments performed from that point on. At first, I naively thought that I could hire a professional, skilled in the creation of web sites, to help me. After some thought, I realized that all the work involved in setting up the web site that I envisioned, including editing and rewrites, placement of multiple photographs and videos, more editing and rewrites, and so on, would quickly become prohibitively expensive. I knew that I needed to learn how to set up a web site. I took an online course and diligently studied books and manuals. In January 2003, www.viewsfromscience.com made its debut. I have literally spent thousands of hours working on the site. That does not include the time allotted for experiments. But I'll get back to this shocking revelation later.
Figure 1. Ely Silk's home page at www.viewsfromscience.com.
So, my web site began with a section dealing with LED Fluorescence. I also included several of my experiments with bioluminescence. Next I added a section covering my work with Microcrystals grown in the vapor state on a microscope stage. This technique permitted me to generate a miniature snow storm under my microscope lens that I could photograph in comfort. Remembering what first got me really interested in science, I produced a section dealing with Radioluminescence and highlighted Sir William Crookes' development of the spinthariscope.
The work continued. I followed up with some experiments involving the production of Quantum Dots, which is a natural accompaniment to LED fluorescence microscopy. Chaos theory has long been an interest of mine, so in went a section dealing with my experiments with Chaos . In the course of performing various experiments, I had developed some techniques dealing with interferometry, reflectometry, and the potential of diatoms as photonic crystals. And so, the Special Methods section was born. In presenting subject matter to different audiences, I thought it would be nice to introduce animation to take us all to other worlds. My section on CYBER SPACE Travel was created. (Animation is not easy, but it sure is fun!) Most recently, I realized that a number of different videos I had made in areas such as quantum physics, ball lightning, and cyclosis also needed a home. Accordingly, I have just set up a Gallery section for them. Finally, to give credit where credit is due and to acknowledge valuable web sites, there is a References section as well. This section also includes books and other sources I refer to throughout my site that could prove beneficial to my visitors. A link to SAS has been there since day one!
Maintaining a Web Site
In the four years that I have been working on Views From Science.com , I have never had to ask myself, “What should I do today?” Owning and updating a web site is a job. To do it right is a full-time job. This helps explain the thousands of hours of work mentioned earlier. If you create your own web site, like me, you will find yourself constantly thinking about what you wrote. How could you have restated it even better? What pictures should you have included to clarify matters? And, of course, what's next?
For me, the toughest and most onerous part of performing experiments is maintaining the lab notebook. What a chore! I find that running a Web site covering my experiments forces me to keep records, even if only photographic. Now when an experiment is completed, I willingly sit in front of my PC to type in details. The most pertinent of these details make it to the site. Having a Web site gives me a chance to share my activities and ideas with other like-minded individuals who might benefit and share as well. I hope that other amateur scientists will follow suit. After all, the original purpose of the Internet was to provide a venue for scientists worldwide to share information. It's high time for amateur scientists to contribute their work and share their passion for science! This brings me to another point.
Visitor Feedback
As of this writing, my web site gets approximately 100 visitors per day. But do they ever write me? Most don't. Occasionally, however, someone does and this makes it all worthwhile. For example, recently a student of biomedical engineering in Vienna, Austria, wrote asking for permission to use information from my Quantum Dots section. He promised that my site would be acknowledged in his paper. A scientist at a cancer research institute in Massachusetts needed some technical advice on mounting high-intensity LEDs for fluorescence endoscopy work he's doing. Another scientist at an astrophysical institute in France doing research on very low-temperature synthetic sapphire asked for additional details on my work in IR fluorescence and the ruby synthesis discussed on one of my web pages. An instructor in Israel, restricted by budgetary concerns, asked for more details on my FluorEVER LED fluorescence microscope with the intent of building one for his research facility. A missionary doctor based in Haiti asked for similar information.
A chemist at a university in Auckland Park, South Africa, asked for permission to use one of my photos dealing with the use of DFO in fingerprint identification. A researcher from Britain who works with fluorescence microscopy advised me that by using my LED fluorescence technique he was able to measure calcium in living perfused cells. A number of great web sites have written about and/or linked to my site and vice versa. Every now and then, I come across a Web site or an online forum that references some of my work.
The purpose of telling you all this is to let you know that a lack of response from people accessing your web site is not the end of the world. Don't allow yourself to become discouraged. If you make the effort to set up a decent site to broadcast your work, there will be people out there who will listen and learn from it.
Seven Web Site Pointers
I would like to leave you with seven pointers that I have picked up while attempting to create a “decent” web site.
• GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. This is actually more important than the content of your site. It's even more important than correct grammar and spelling. If you uncover information important enough to be included on your site, tell everyone where you got it from. If you have a section for references, highlight the acknowledgments in there as well. You certainly would appreciate the courtesy, and so will the person you acknowledge. Intellectual property is the dearest property of all.
• SANITY CHECK YOUR WRITING. What may seem to you to be Shakespearean prose may be vague mutterings to someone else. Let another person read your work before posting it on your web site. My wife Joanie is my sounding board. If something doesn't sound right to her, she suggests a fix.
• KEEP A GRAMMAR BOOK HANDY. Read and reread your text. Look for grammatical errors. If you are unsure whether to put quotation marks before or after a period, look it up.
• CHECK YOUR SPELLING. Even if you are a jolly good speller, keep a dictionary handy. Word processors have built-in spell checking routines. Use them liberally. But even the best spell checkers can't catch everything and will question some words. You'd be surprized how eazily typoz sneek inn!
• UPDATE YOUR WEB SITE. To me, nothing is more of a turnoff than landing on a web site that hasn't been updated since 1993. If you are writing about the history of 17th century science, this may be acceptable. Otherwise, update the body of your text as needed. Be sure to regularly revise the statement on your page that indicates when you last updated.
• CHECK YOUR LINKS. It's amazing how many pages on the Web that are as current as today's news have broken links. That's a real turnoff.
• ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE. You are communicating your interests, your work, and your results to kindred spirits all over the world. What an incredible opportunity for you and for them!
Some Final Thoughts
Since developing a web site takes dedication, patience, and commitment, it's extremely helpful to have someone who will constantly give you encouragement. I'm very fortunate that Joanie supports me all the way--as she always has.
There are nine sections on my web site with 29 pages in all. Joanie and I look forward to you visiting us. Just as importantly, we look forward to visiting you!
One final thought: I hope that this article will help convince you that creating a web site can be a wonderful and rewarding experience. It's truly amazing how much you will learn! However, it's much harder to predict all the ways that your work will benefit others and what benefits will rebound to you. So, with all this in mind, when Forrest Mims recently invited me to write about my experiences being on the Web, I very happily said, “Sure!”
Readers, please join Ely and share your web site with your fellow amateur scientists. Send an e-mail about your site, and you'll be sent some basic guidelines. Editor. 
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