The Web's Why Files Become A Permanent UW Fixture

Article originally published in July, 1998

MADISON - The Why Files, a popular and critically acclaimed web site that explores the science behind the news, has a new home.

Beginning July 1, The Why Files will be a part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School, spinning off from the National Institute for Science Outreach (NISE), a National Science Foundation-funded think tank where it was founded and that has been its home for the past two-and-a-half years.

First published on the World Wide Web in February of 1996 (at http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu), The Why Files blazed an early path to web popularity by providing cogent, accurate and often droll explanations of the science and technology that underlie the news of the day. From the how-to of cloning to the hidden secrets of mosquitoes, The Why Files has successfully made science more available to the public through in-depth but accessible articles about science and how it affects everyday life, said Susan Trebach, one of the developers of The Why Files and the project's team leader .

Virginia Hinshaw, dean of the UW-Madison Graduate School, said the move will have no effect on the way The Why Files is produced or its content. While produced at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Why Files covers science globally, seeking sources of information and stories wherever the news of the day occurs.

"Understanding science is critical for people in their everyday lives," said Hinshaw. "It is particularly important to convey information about science in an exciting, accurate and clear manner and that is precisely what The Why Files does."

The Why Files format consists of alternating weekly features that key off developments that make headlines. Features are cataloged in an easily searchable archive and are regularly updated to keep pace with new developments in science. The site also offers a Cool Science Image feature and gallery with pictures obtained from the front lines of science, images infrequently or rarely seen in traditional popular media such as newspapers and television.

In its short life on the web, The Why Files has won more than a score of web awards and citations. It has received critical praise in more than 50 print and electronic publications, including The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report , the Chicago Tribune, HotWired, CNN, Popular Science and the Washington Post Online. It has consistently been ranked as one of the best sites on the web by PC Magazine, PC World and others.

One of the first visible projects of the NISE, The Why Files was developed nearly three years ago to test the new medium of the World Wide Web as a vehicle for providing the public with greater access to the world of science and technology.

An important part of the project, and one that will remain under the auspices of NISE, is a program of research that seeks to determine the effectiveness of the web, and The Why Files in particular, as a way to better acquaint the public with issues of science and technology. Directed by UW-Madison journalism Professor Sharon Dunwoody, an internationally recognized authority on science communication, and colleague William Eveland, the study of The Why Files has helped break new ground on how people use the web to learn about science.

Andrew Porter, co-director of NISE, said The Why Files has been a remarkably successful project, and that its new relationship with the UW-Madison Graduate School will enable it to continue to help shape the way science is presented in a communications medium still in its infancy.

"Clearly, The Why Files have proven to be the right idea at the right time, and after three years of development and implementation within the NISE, The Why Files has established itself as an important science Outreach mechanism," Porter said.