Welcome to the Archive site of the

First International Virtual Conference on Infectious Diseases of Animals

 Hosted by the National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA, USA

The First International Virtual Conference on Infectious Diseases of Animals was closed to active participation as of May 2, 1997.  At this time our plans are to leave the conference on line for a minimum of 15 years from the closing date as an archive for browsing and referencing purposes.  The Archive will be maintained at http://www.nadc.ars.usda.gov/virtconf.  If you provide links to the virtual conference, please link to this base site, not individual documents within the site.  We cannot guaranteee that links to every file will be maintained, only the link to this main site.

[ Enter Archive ]

On behalf of the Agricultural Research Service-United States Department of  Agriculture and the scientific research team of the National Animal Disease Center (NADC), it is my honor and pleasure to Welcome you to the First International Virtual Conference on Infectious Diseases of Animals. This Virtual Conference is the product of the imagination and creativity of Drs. Thad Stanton and Neil Jensen from the Center. From this germ of an idea, the enthusiasm, talents, knowledge, skills, and abilities of virtually the entire Staff of the NADC and other interested persons fleshed out and polished the product that will unfold before you. 

We are proud to sponsor this conference. We hope you come to share our vision that the Internet can provide universal access and participation, improving scientific endeavors and public awareness of science. We hope you find this a timely, functional, and professionally rewarding experience, comparable to a traditional scientific meeting but without the cost and stress of international travel. We anticipate that this conference will set the precedent for similar conferences, and encourage new methods and venues for the transfer of scientific information. 

I am proud to extend my personal thanks to you, the entire staff of the NADC.  This Conference reflects your enthusiasm, creativity, and professionalism. I convey my thanks and compliments as well to you, the participants--we wouldn’t have an International Conference without your scientific contributions and "attendance." 

Thomas E. Walton, DVM, PhD 
Director, National Animal Disease Center

Dedication:

Dr. Martin J. Van Der Maaten
                  1932-1996  

With great respect and affection we dedicate this conference to the memory of Dr. Martin J. Van Der Maaten. Dr. Van Der Maaten was employed for 29 years at the NADC, where he conducted research on viral diseases of cattle and graced his coworkers with his keen wit and playful sense of humor. He made major contributions to the study of bovine leukemia virus, bovine immunodeficiency virus, and bovine spumavirus. These contributions include the first isolation of these agents and/or the development of systems for their propagation in cell culture. He received worldwide recognition for his research efforts and was awarded the 1996 Excellence in Bovine Research Award from the AVMA. He is fondly remembered and greatly missed.