Not many people know that I originally wanted a career in illustration. In fact I wanted to be a biological illustrator. My father was a world renowned marine biologist and researcher. A brilliant man with absolutely terrible organizational skills. In his later years he suffered from Parkinsons yet struggled to continue his research with a number of associates up until his last year at which point he was no longer able to type into a computer. At this point he lost his website and 45 years of research with it. In an attempt to save his research I worked with him and his close associates to find and resurrect his old site and transfer hundreds of pages of information onto a new site. The new site is still a work in progress as we are continuing to add new information and update existing specimens and descriptions.
One of the issues many scientists struggle with is engaging non-scientists. Researchers are very particular about ensuring that the information put forward is scientifically correct and this can often result in language that is hard for the average person to follow and, frankly, a rather dry presentation. One idea I implemented was the “Curious Facts” page which includes information on the first carnivorous sponge (which my father helped identify), a sponge that may have cancer curative properties, and another that is a traditional Japanese wedding gift.
We are at over 400 pages with more research coming in. It is quite a feat, especially given that it is being updated and run on our own dime and time.