S-STEM Scholar Jeannetta Ochoa's Blog

     This week I focused on creating an academic page for the biotech site. I first had to research some of the sites that the team had noted as being sites they like, and then I had to look into my notes to see what the team was hoping to portray on the page itself. In my notes I had written down that the team had wanted to highlight the biotechnology program at GCC, have descriptions of some of the courses included in the curriculum, and contain information on how to register for classes. I searched the Maricopa Community College site, and the Glendale Community College Site for the biotechnology program. I had originally thought to create the academic page using filler text, but I found that it was difficult to decipher what type of information should be placed in the filler text area. That is to say, I have used filler text on other pages of the site, but, for instance, the heading would read, "Project 1," and it would be followed by the filler text. Those headings ma...

       This week I shifted my focus back to the website. When I had a meeting with the some of the lab team there was discussion of creating a new logo and also modifying the site to better suit the lab's wants and needs. Having taken a stab on creating a logo last week and submitting my results, I can now move back to to the site. During the previous meeting with the lab team I was able to get a deeper understanding of what the site's purpose is. From my understanding the site is to be a sort-of biotechnology hub for GCC. Students can visit the site to learn more about what the biotechnology program at GCC can offer, what they can expect from the program, the curriculum for a degree in biotechnology and description of classes, and it will also allow students to see the projects their fellow peers are working on. The latter focus (i.e. student research projects) will serve a few purposes. For one it will let potential students see that biotechnology is not as far rea...

       I presented my site to the team this week to get feedback on the site. We went over some general details, such as color scheme, layout, and site name, then moved onto discussing what features should be included on the site, additional pages to add, aim of the site, and items that still need work. The meeting was helpful in that we were able to define what the purpose of the site should be, which of course will effect what needs to be on the site (versus what we want on the site). I was also able to gain insight on the design details they liked and the details they did not. I enjoyed the critiques and suggestions because it mimics what I will face building sites for clients in the future. It highlighted the important balance between producing a site that a client is happy with, and, on my end, creating a site that serves the overarching goal of the site.       At the conclusion of the meeting I was able to make a list of the items I needed t...

     This week I worked on two more pages for the biotechnology website. I tackled the "Projects" page first. This particular page will incorporate two subpages, one will be for past projects, and the other for current projects. Originally I thought to add current and past projects to the same page. I experimented with utilizing collapsible groups in this regard, but the result looked clunky and would not allow for both media and text to be displayed. I created the landing page for "Projects" using container boxes that had room for media and text. There are two main containers on this page, one mentions current and the other past projects. Both have the same format and layout, however, to create a more dramatic effect I placed the image of each container on opposite sides of each other. The two sections on this page contain buttons that link to the subpages, and the nav bar also contains reference to them. With "Project" landing page done I moved onto the ...

     I took a detour this week from my previous journey regarding creating desktop application. I was asked by the biology lab to attempt to create a webpage for the ongoings of the class. I was given the general idea of the site. The site was to provide information on the research being conducted in the lab, publications, posters, students (past and present). The chosen color palette was to be the classic GCC colors (red, black, and white). Further constraints of the project indicated that the site must be created using Google Sites.       I have never worked with Google Sites to create a website, so I completed some research prior to getting started in order to find out what were its capabilities as a web developer tool and possible limitations. From my research I found that Google Sites first emerged in 2008 and introduced a way for user to create a website that did not require the use or knowledge of CSS or HTML The web development tool offers an e...

     I found a beginner's coding challenge that asked the coder to create an application with a Graphical User Interface (GUI). The challenge stipulated that the user should initially see a photo of the constellation of Orion. The application should contain a button, that when clicked will display the names of each of the stars in that constellation. There should be a second button that when clicked hides the names of the constellation. Finally, a button to exit the application should also be available.       I began by doing some  research on how to best tackle a coding problem such as this. I found that best way to start would be in the laying out the controls I would need in the Windows Design Form. By beginning the challenge in this manner I can make sure to incorporate all the bits I would need the user to see and be able to interact with. Based on the challenge requirements I know I would need to implement label controls, button controls, an...