I am delighted to present the inaugural issue of UNLV Fusion. I hope that our new research magazine offers you a glimpse of the dynamic university that we have become. UNLV is increasingly acknowledged as a premier metropolitan research university, and I am pleased to see that recognition of our achievements in the critical area of research will be enhanced further by this publication.
Research at UNLV is certainly one of our greatest success stories, and there are many others as well. Allow me to share with you a few of our points of pride:
• We now serve more than 27,000 students – 5,500 of whom are graduate/professional students. We offer more than 220 degree programs, including 34 doctoral and professional degrees.
• UNLV received more than $73 million in external funding in 2004 with nearly $47 million supporting research. The quality of research by faculty and students is being recognized nationally through extensive publication in top-tier journals.
• UNLV is committed to a process of community engagement through which the university’s research, creative activity, and outreach are catalysts for change and enhanced quality of life in Nevada.
• UNLV is located in Las Vegas, a vital, rapidly growing city with a style all its own and ever-increasing interests in cultural and economic diversification.
As UNLV approaches its 50th anniversary in 2007, I am gratified to note that we have made incredible strides in advancing our research agenda. As you read the first issue of this publication, I am certain you will experience an appreciation for the highly regarded work that our faculty, staff , and students are doing in a variety of disciplines. UNLV Fusion represents an important milestone in the life of UNLV; it will provide an effective forum for the discussion of the ongoing creative and scholarly endeavors being pursued here. We are proud to share them with you.
Dr. Carol C. Harter, President, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
It is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you the first issue of UNLV’s new research magazine, UNLV Fusion. We are eager to share the important research, scholarship, and creative activity being performed at our institution. UNLV is committed to becoming a premier, metropolitan research university; thus, we believe it is critical to provide a greater understanding of the work being done here because it attests to the academic success of our institution. It is my hope that UNLV Fusion helps to spread the word of that success.
As we approached the creation of this new venue for showcasing UNLV’s research, scholarship, and creative activity, one of our first challenges was to select the most appropriate magazine title. Although the scientific term “fusion” refers to the generation of energy through “nuclear fusion” (the power of the sun), it is from the perhaps less technical usage that our magazine title is derived. Defined as “a coming together, or fusing,” “fusion” here represents the process of collaboration, integration, adaptation, connection, and unification. Whether used in contemporary references to music, cooking, or marketing (or any number of other contexts), the term reflects the process of combining the best components from a variety of sources to produce an improved or enriched product, concept, or value. I believe it is a wonderful metaphor for the process of discovery through research.
Thus, it is the intent of UNLV Fusion to illustrate how the blending of various forms of research and creative expression from the diverse academic experience of UNLV students and faculty strengthens, improves, and transforms our local, state, and national community. I sincerely hope that you enjoy the first issue of UNLV Fusion … and draw from it a greater sense of the compelling research and intellectual activity that is making UNLV the respected institution it is today.
