As Arizona's land-grant public university, The University of Arizona has an explicit mission to improve the lives of our citizens by connecting our work with public needs. We are changing the way we share Report on Research stories, in an effort to extend the reach of The University of Arizona's research beyond the readership that receives direct mailings of the Report.

Beginning with this issue, we will disseminate research results of particular interest to the community beyond the range of costly mailing. We have changed the published Report to a shorter "news capsule" format that will be circulated as the old Report was, and we now will use this new Web site to share the full stories behind the summaries in various convenient formats and to provide opportunities for you to be in touch with resources and researchers.

The stories in the current edition of the Report on Research are particularly timely, potentially affecting the quality of life of Arizonans and many others worldwide. From critical issues, such as water sustainability, healthy forests, responsible land management, and bone health in women, to a more personal story about resources available to a grandmother raising her granddaughter, to news of prototype glasses with built-in auto-focus, these stories offer a broad perspective on research at The University of Arizona.

As technology continues to change, we will take advantage of available communication tools, so that you can learn readily how our faculty and students are supporting society's needs, especially those most important to Arizonans. We hope you will enjoy our new format!


Leslie P. Tolbert
Vice President for Research, Graduate Studies, and Economic Development