I attended a VanJS meetup tonight and had the privilege to see Dave Shea (CSS Zen Garden) talk about Canvas.

Canvas allows you to draw shapes and other 2-D elements on the web page using the HTML5 canvas element and JavaScript.

He gave some really cool demos and I’m pumped to start experimenting! As Dave mentioned, the technique still has a long way to go but Canvas will be a great tool for web developers.

Image: Website design Mockup (Click thumbnail to enlarge)

The Canadian Network for International Surgery (CNIS) provides surgical and obstetrical training to African health care practitioners helping them prevent deaths from injury which kills more Africans than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

I have been a volunteer web designer with the CNIS for more than a half a year.  Recently, they launched a new website which aims to increase awareness about the organization in Canada.  The website has a modern look and incorporates many interactive features.

I helped out with a number of stages in the re-design process including:

• Website Design (see mockup image)
• Customizing the XHTML/CSS in the Wordpress theme
• Designing and programming the sidebar menu
• Transferring content from the old site
• Fixing cross-browser layout issues

Image: © Dr. Howard Young

I just finished creating a website for the Howard Young Lab at the University of Alberta, Department of Biochemistry.

Dr. Young uses biophysical techniques such as electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography to study calcium transport in the heart.  The techniques produce very attractive images, some of which are highlighted in the website.

For more information visit the lab website or the portfolio page.