Fall Issue of Research Frontiers in Print, on the Web

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Research Frontiers Fall 2009

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Readers can now find the fall issue of University of Arkansas Research Frontiers magazine online and read about research in organic fruit production, copyright law and the Internet, a virtual classical city and light rail.

“In addition to all the traditional material, the Research Frontiers Web site now includes a Twitter feed so that visitors can keep up with the most current research news and information that might be of interest,” said Melissa Lutz Blouin, director of science and research communications.

Two videos also accompany the feature stories: One offers a tour of virtual Pompeii, while the other talks about differences between a research orchard and a commercial farm.

In the cover feature article, horticulture researcher Curt Rom and his colleagues study the use of sustainable practices in the production of organic blackberries, raspberries and apples on a research farm. They hope to develop techniques that will serve commercial farmers and bring organic produce to the consumer’s table.

Also on the table: as the Internet has become the world’s largest copy machine, law professor Ned Snow outlines the struggle that individuals and corporations face trying to figure out how copyright law works in this medium. Snow argues that the current definition of fair use of materials inhibits freedom of expression on the Internet by creating a climate of fear.

Classics professor Dave Fredrick and his colleagues seek to create a different climate – they are using cutting-edge computer technology to re-create the Roman city of Pompeii, which was buried beneath the ashes of Mount Vesuvius in Italy in A.D. 79. By reconstructing the buildings, walls, doors and wall paintings in a virtual environment, Fredrick hopes that classical scholars will be able to learn more about how people lived in the ancient city.

As Fredrick envisions the past, another research group on campus is envisioning the future of transportation. Researchers at the University of Arkansas Community Design Center, led by Stephen Luoni, have created plans for light rail in Northwest Arkansas, along with a book that details the case for this transportation system.

The rest of the departments include Perspectives, where assistant professor Julia Kennefick talks about the Year of Astronomy, how we arrived at what we know today, and where researchers are turning next for new knowledge of the heavens – to black holes and dark matter. In Student Research, Honors College math major Jeff Gwaltney studied the geometry of lettuce and cabbage leaves and developed equations to describe them, as well as taking black and white photographs of the shapes and patterns they create. In Arts and Letters, English professor Mohja Kahf discusses stereotypes of Arab women and how writers and others can react to these stereotypes using a multifaceted approach. In UA Q&A, historian Jeannie Whayne and English professor David Joliffe give different answers to the question, “What is the difference between oral history and traditional written history?”

Book reviews include works by anthropology professor Kirstin C. Erickson, history professor Kathryn A. Sloan and Distinguished Professor of history Elliott West, as well as three books from the University of Arkansas Press.

Research briefs featured findings on caves offering climate clues; big businesses and national economies; teaching about social justice; Hindu law; extreme amps for outer space; and incentives for snitching producing false information.