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Maarten Drost, DVM

(ISU '62), Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida, Diplomate in the American College of Theriogenologists (specialists in veterinary reproduction), Project Director


The Drost Project Visual Guides began as a collection of images compiled by Dr. Maarten Drost over a period of 30+ years as a Theriogenologist on the faculties of the University of California Davis and the University of Florida, as well as Utrecht University in The Netherlands and Colorado State University during sabbatical leaves. The foundation for this image atlas was laid during his stint as a visiting professor to Cornell University during the 1972/73 academic year, with numerous slides provided from the teaching collections of Dr. Stephen J. Roberts and Dr. Kenneth McEntee. Images subsequently added have been generously contributed by friends, colleagues, and users of the Visual Guides. The images are categorized by subject and topic, and each is given a title and a caption, and the original source of the image is acknowledged and referenced.

Dr. Maarten Drost is the Director of the Project and acts as Chief Editor and Ambassador. He oversees the Project and has final say on content and future direction of the Visual Guides. He also presents the Project at academic and professional meetings and associations.

He is a founding father of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida, which graduated its first class in 1980. Dr. Maarten Drost started the Department of Reproduction at that time, hired five species specialists and developed the curriculum in Theriogenology.

In addition, Dr. Maarten Drost has taught reproductive management courses in the Department of Animal Sciences of the College of Agriculture at the University of Florida since 1978. His research has focused on the initiation of parturition in ruminants, and on embryo transfer in cattle and in water buffalo.

Dr. Maarten Drost has a global reputation and has taught workshops on obstetrical management and reproductive technology in many countries around the world, including Bulgaria, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Argentina, and Venezuela.


Deborah Gwen Cornwell, PhD

(UF '89), Technical Administrator


Dr. Gwen Cornwell is the Technical Administrator for The Drost Project and is responsible for the technical development and management of the Project databases, software, publications, Visual Guides, and computer services.

She received her Doctorate in Reproductive Physiology (beef cattle) from the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Florida. Over the years she has acquired an extensive array of experience and technological expertise in most aspects of computers, servers, and computer networks. Dr. Gwen Cornwell also developed diverse and comprehensive expertise in data acquisition and database development for information access.

Along with Dr. Maarten Drost, she planned and developed the process, software, and interface used to produce The Drost Project Visual Guides. Dr. Gwen Cornwell, with other programmers, has recently added the new remote management and development application for the Visual Guides and is working on development and deployment of Spanish translation of the guides.

She is also the owner of a small information technology company and acts as a private consultant for The Drost Project.


Sid Sachs, programmer

Dacing Tree, Inc
Dacing Tree


The Drost Project Visual Guides were designed to be modular from the onset. The image, annotation, and reference information is collected and compiled in a custom designed PC based program (Visual Guide Developer). Once the information is entered (at a particular point in time, since a Visual Guide is never, in reality, complete) the Visual Guide Developer is used to generate a complete and functional Guide that works in concert with the familiar circular (Flash) menu on the left of each Visual Guide.

Sid Sachs wrote the entire program for the PC based Visual Guide Developer. This application has worked extremely well for us as long as all of the editorial content was generated and edited locally. More recently, as The Drost Project has expanded, more and more images and content are contributed by users and colleagues from around the country and the world. It has become necessary to create a method for these contributors to access the database used to generate the Visual Guides. Sid Sachs developed a completely Web based Drost Project Administration program from which we can manage The Drost Project and generate the Visual Guides locally, while allowing our contributors to input their expertise and knowledge from around the world. He is currently working on enhancement to the Drost Project Administration program to facilitate Spanish translation of the guides.


Steve Kobb and Chad Greene, Web designers and programmers

Big Media Studios, Inc.
Big Media Studios


Since 1995, Big Media Studios has provided exciting and effective solutions for companies such as the University of Florida, Shands Teaching Hospital at UF, Gainesville Regional Airport, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Hero, and Medical Place.

Steven M. Kobb has over 20 years of management and software engineering experience, and currently is President and owner of Big Media Studios. Steven Kobb has a broad range of experience as a database and application developer, video production writer and director, multimedia developer, medical software and database developer, and entrepreneur. His experience prior to establishing Big Media Studios includes eight years of managing clinical laboratories and five years of supervising research efforts and publishing research articles in a leukemia research lab. This singular combination of clinical, scientific, technical, business, and marketing expertise gives Mr. Kobb a unique insight into every aspect of software and media development in a scientific setting.

Chad Greene is the Art Director for Big Media Studios. As such he oversees all creative design created at Big Media Studios. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Electronic Media from UF in 1996, and from The School of Communication Arts in Raleigh, NC, in 1997. Every work of Chad’s that has been submitted for an award has won, including five recent ADDY awards. His art speaks for itself.

Steve and Chad together programmed the dynamic circular menu (Flash) interface and designed the Drost Project logo, web site, and promotional materials.


Duane Bray, Designer

Duane Bray created the original design for the distinctive circular menu used in each of The Drost Project Visual Guides.