NEW FEATURES LAUNCHED ON EUREKALERT!

In early 2004, AAAS is launching several new features on EurekAlert!

Disease in the developing world in-context module

The goal of this new module is to facilitate media coverage of the complex health issues that affect the developing world. The module will provide reporters with background information about basic disease issues, as well as timely content about emerging problems. Content will be provided by the more than 500 organizations that currently contribute to EurekAlert! and will include a glossary of key terms, links to relevant resources (peer-reviewed articles and stories in the popular media), experts, press releases, and other resources (www.eurekalert.org/disease).

Marine science portal

The portal will serve as the first centralized, online source for marine-science news that crosses institutional and topical barriers. It will offer up-to-date marine-science information from the 500+ universities, research institutes, and other organizations. The portal’s content will include press releases, experts, downloadable graphics, videos, and other resources. The portal’s aim is to facilitate media coverage of marine-science stories. By visiting the portal, a reporter will be able to find out about an embargoed or breaking story, access experts to interview about the research findings, and instantly find links to Web resources pertaining to the research. The portal was created in response to the substantial interest in marine science shown by EurekAlert!’s user base. In fact, news related to marine science is consistently among the most read and downloaded information on the site (www.eurekalert.org/marinescience).

Multilanguage portal

This portal will serve the 2,000+ international reporters and hundreds of thousands of public users from outside of the United States who visit EurekAlert!. By facilitating access to translated content, the portal will influence the communication of science on a global scale. The Multi-Language Portal will feature experts fluent in languages other than English and non-English press releases. Multilanguage content will be grouped into several language portals, making it easy for users to locate information in their native languages (www.eurekalert.org/language).

For more information contact Cathy O’Malley at comalley@aaas.org or 202-326-6213.

The Disease in the Developing World In-Context Module and Multi-Language Portal are being funded by the William T. Golden Endowment Fund for Program Innovation. The Marine Science Portal is being funded by The G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation. NASW members Jim Cornell and Dennis Meredith served as advisors on these projects.

EurekAlert! was created in 1996 by AAAS as an online forum through which research organizations could disseminate information to reporters. Today, EurekAlert! serves more than 4,500 science reporters from 50 countries around the globe. More than half of registered reporters live outside of the U.S.

#