HES Web Site: Specialists build home in cyberspace

Specialists build home in cyberspace

In offices across the state, specialists in Human Environmental Sciences Extension reach out to Missourians everyday. Now they can do the same in cyberspace.

By pointing browsers to http://outreach.missouri.edu/hes/ web users can tap into HES Extension's virtual office. Building a site on the World Wide Web was a natural extension of existing HES outreach efforts, says Barb Froke, dean of HES Extension. Information and resources compiled by specialists are available to web users - from Missouri and beyond - anytime.

"That's our goal: To put people in touch with the information and resources they need, whether it's financial information for home-based businesses or a checklist for finding quality child care," says Froke.

The web site, designed by HES illustrator Jeanne Bintzer, is organized with two audiences in mind: the general public and extension colleagues. Information is presented by topic for the general public and academic department for extension specialists.

Each segment includes helpful resources and links to compatible web sites. Guide sheets are also being posted. In the site's "People" section, web users can put a face to the information, where specialists' photos and contact information are posted. The site is like a cyberspace snapshot of the department. The topics and resources offered are:

Individual and family well being

Keeping with HES Extension's goal to promote optimum physical, social and emotional health for all individuals and families, this section puts users in touch with information across the life span such as parenting, family relations, resource management, and health care.
Money matters

Here consumers find unbiased information and referrals related to all areas of personal and family finance. The section also contains tools to help consumers make better decisions and manage their resources more effectively.
Food and nutrition

This section helps consumers improve their health and quality of life by showing them how to select nutritious foods and adopt healthy habits. From cholesterol to chromium, salmonella to supplements, this section helps consumers make healthy choices.
Textile and apparel industry

The Missouri Textile and Apparel Center serves the textile, apparel and sewn products industry by providing specific expertise and counseling, information and resources, and referrals.
Small business

Here people are guided through the process of starting, continuing or expanding a home-based business.

We are excited at the prospect of using cyberspace to support our regional specialists and other interested persons with information and resources available from our College. And, we invite your suggestions for making this resource better and better as it evolves.

Site Administrator
Jeanne Bintzer
bintzerj@ext.missouri.edu

University Extension does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, disability, status as
disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era, or sexual orientation.
For more information call Human Resource Services at (314) 882-4265
or U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights.

For ADA accommodations, contact ADA project Director,
Jim de Jong, 4816 Santana, Columbia, MO 65203, 1-800-949-4232.