Research centre websites by CookandKaye
bringing researchers together
Research centre websites have a challenging role to perform, bringing research scientists together from different disciplines, often from different organisations, and commonly from different countries.
We work with our clients to develop and maintain a focus on the core objectives of the group, and can assist in preparing copy and background prospectuses for the research work being undertaken.
We can build in fully featured content management systems, add bespoke components as required, and offer an ongoing maintenance and support service.
Sheffield Centre for Electron Beam Lithography
The Sheffield Centre for Electron Beam Lithography enables research groups and small companies to build nanostructures, nanoelectronic devices and optical gratings.
Design work included the site, with a characteristic banner which appears to be cut by a lithography tool and the logo, which is based on a diffraction grating. All site pages feature a full screen background image, an electron micrograph of one of the Centre's nanostructures (requires HTML5 - older Internet Explorer browsers will see a plain grey background).
The home page has a simple Javascripted marquee looping through the main offerings of the Centre to bring content to the visitor. This is driven by a custom plugin, so that all parts of the site cna be readily updated by the client.
The site design is flexible, with elements being re-ordered on the narrow screens of smart-phones to make it more accessible on these platforms.
Sheffield Solar Farm
The Sheffield Solar Farm website is designed to provide information for the public and policy makers on the use of photovoltaic cells in the UK. The first stage of the site includes a simple graphical meter showing live solar irradiance and photovoltaic outputs, and graphs detailing output over the last 24 hours.
The Solar Farm was opened officially by the leader of the Liberal Democrat Party Nick Clegg MP on 20th August 2010.
The Polymer Centre
The Polymer Centre is a high profile research centre, drawing its staff from within the University of Sheffield. It provides research, technical and training facilities to industry, but also acts as a shop window for research degrees at the University.
We have been active in developemnt of this website since its inception, when we interviewed members for the original site content (material that also formed the basis for the Centre's first prospectus)! The current design (2008) was by Eleven, which we translated into HTML. We also installed a staff database and news section based on the popular WordPress package. We are active in ongoing maintenance and development of the Polymer Centre website.
The Centre for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (CBTE)
The Centre for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (CBTE) draws on expertise in Engineering, Science and Medical faculties at the University of Sheffield to tackle problems in this complex area of applied science. We were active in researching content for the site, as well as in the final design.
The basic design remained unchanged between 2002 and 2010. We have researched and developed a number of new sections since that time, however, including an extended research section (with a major update in 2006).
In 2010 we re-built the site in the popular WordPress content management system. The new site gives CBTE staff the ability to edit content and easily add news and seminar information.
POLYFILM
PolyFilm is a European Community-funded Framework 6 Research Training Network, which has the aim of studying the properties of confined polymer films.
This site was built using the existing PolyFilm site template, which has a separate menu which floats to the right of the main page. The page background is taken from an Electron micrograph of a confined polymer film surface, while the EC Framework 6 logo is enclosed in an image of the same film peeling (or 'dewetting') from a substrate.
OMEC
The Organic Materials in Electronics Consortium represents a number of Universities around the UK engaged in the development of the next generation of optical and electronic materials.
First designed in 2002, the site is still very effective, so in 2009 only some small layout changes were required. Behind the scenes, however, we rebuilt the site in WordPress, which will allow our client to easily update and manage the site in future.
The WordPress installation also feeds news items to two other sites our client is engaged with, helping to disseminate research news quickly and effectively.
LigBank
LigBank - the European Lignd Bank ran between 2004 and 2011. It was an initiative by the European Commission to bring researchers from across Europe together. The site allowed information and new designer chemicals to be traded quickly across the sub-continent. The site enabled members to search for chemicals with the desired characteristics, and order samples for further testing and evaluation.
While the site was highly praised, it prove to be very difficult to physically ship research chemicals by commercial carriers, even though this was nominally permitted under the international 'accepted quantities' legislation.
Macro Group
The Macro Group UK is a joint special interest group of the joint interest group between the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Society of Chemical Industry. It brings industrialists and researchers with an interest in polymers together.
Contact us for more details
