As part of our ACS Technology Fellowship, we proposed to develop a web site devoted to popular culture references to HIV/AIDS, for use in the classroom and by the general public. In this interim progress report, we report on the status of this web site, our plans for its completion, and our initial responses from students who have viewed the site. We also discuss our plans for the completion of this site.

During the summer and fall of 2003, we compiled artistic images, video clips from popular movies and television programs, and sound clips from popular recording artists that referenced HIV/AIDS. Additionally, we developed short biographies of the artists or descriptions of the movies/television programs. For sound and video clips, short segments that fall within the accepted copyright "fair use" standards were selected. For artistic images, copyright permissions were obtained from the artists or their estates.

With the help of the Instructional Technology staff at Davidson College, we digitized these materials and developed a web site that displays these images and sound and video clips within the context of a timeline of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. When a particular year on the timeline initially is selected, a brief description of a major HIV/AIDS scientific advance associated with that time period appears on screen. Additionally, menus listing the popular culture materials associated with that time frame also are active. Users then can view specific selections. As the image or clip is being displayed, the biography of the artist or description of the material also is displayed. Embedded within these descriptions are links to outside web sites that provide additional information.

With this format, it is our hope that people will be able to get a better sense of how our scientific understanding of HIV/AIDS has progressed over the past two decades and how the artistic and entertainment communities have responded to this pandemic. In conjunction with this project, we have published an article that examines the pedagogical uses of artistic images to teach students about HIV/AIDS:

"The visual art of HIV/AIDS: An interdisciplinary approach to teaching about HIV/AIDS." Wessner and McDonald (2003). Bioscene: Journal of College Biology Teaching 29:15-21 (http://www.acube.org/volume_29/v29-1p15-21.pdf).

To determine the effectiveness of this web site, we asked students in both introductory biology courses and upper level biology courses to view the site and provide us with their feedback. Generally, these student evaluations were very positive. Most students thought the site was easy to navigate and it increased their interest in HIV/AIDS and the popular culture references to this pandemic.

A number of students commented that an increased scientific content would be helpful. These students thought it would be useful if a more detailed explanation of the scientific advances associated with different years on the timeline were provided.

In response to student comments, we will include on the site a menu that provides newspaper headlines from the different years and a menu that provides more complete information about the scientific advances. These entrees will provide references to the articles and include links to the actual articles, if possible. Additionally, we are continually collecting and adding new resources.

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/projects/hiv/AIDS/mainindex.htm