Abstract
In keeping with the theme of the bringing the latest in developments and technology to the practitioners of laboratory automation, the International Conference on Laboratory Automation and Robotics as applied to Analytical Chemistry and Clinical Medicine (ICAR'96) developed a presence on the Internet through a WWW or web site. The conference web site proved to be immensely popular and was accessed by scientists throughout the world.
An added benefit was that the site was updated often and the latest information on the conference was always only a mouse click away. The web site was developed over a period of five months and was reviewed by the scientific committee and several other scientists who had Internet access prior to going on-line in September, 1995. Various web pages featured the ICAR'96 sponsors and exhibitors as well as the full technical program. The conference program as well as the abstracts of all the podium and poster presentations were available on line. These pages proved to be very popular and were downloaded often.
Marc Feiglin is acknowledged as being the first person to register on-line at ICAR '96.
A newly introduced feature of the web site was the ability to register for the conference and short courses on-line. A form was displayed allowing the registrant to enter the same information requested in the call for papers and the preliminary conference brochure. A confirmatory response was generated with a greeting, short course selection, and information on hotel reservations. Forty three conference attendees registered on line using the system. The first person to register on-line, Marc Feiglin, of Merck & Company, Rahway, NT was recognized at the gala dinner evening at ICAR'96.
As of the week of the conference, 685 scientists in 30 countries accessed the web site. The majority of the users were from the US, but significant activity was seen from Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, and Sweden. Scientists from countries around the globe from as far away as Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and the UK also visited the conference pages.
ICAR'96 has demonstrated the power of this new technology and it has been enthusiastically accepted. Many other conference organizers have looked at the ICAR'96 web pages and are planning to launch similar sites of their own. Web site plans for the next year's conference, now named
Some of the new Internet technologies just now being introduced will be incorporated. The existing web site has been modified and will remain active throughout the year to make available links to our exhibitors and sponsors as well as the full technical program and all abstracts.
Add Your Name to the Lab Automation '97 Mailing List via the World Wide Web!
The beginning of a web site for
By following the link to
A hypertext link to the January 16–20, 1996 ICAR'96 conference web site has been kept active. The ICAR'96 technical program, all submitted podium and poster abstracts, short course information, as well the entire exhibitor and attendee list are available and continue to be popular documents.
Other conference organizers have been frequent visitors to our site and have plans for their own, confirming
Tony Beugelsdijk