FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - A new tradition is born as the University of Arkansas this week publishes the second annual issue of its undergraduate research journal Inquiry. The 2000 edition represented the first such journal ever produced by an institution of higher learning in the state of Arkansas.

"The University of Arkansas is an institution dedicated to serving this state. Part of that mission is to serve students - to offer them opportunities to develop their minds in such a way that prepares them to move ahead in their career aspirations or their graduate studies," said Murray Smart, University professor emeritus of architecture and editor of the journal. "Inquiry demonstrates that some of the nation’s best young scholars are receiving an outstanding education at the U of A."

Published by the University of Arkansas Teaching Academy, the 102-page journal originated from the belief that one function of good teaching is to encourage quality research and creative thinking among students. In addition, Inquiry helps fulfill Chancellor John A. White’s vision for the University of Arkansas - to become a student-centered research institution, serving Arkansas and the world.

With 4000 copies printed, the U of A plans to distribute Inquiry across the campus and throughout the state. Recipients include all UA faculty and administrators, honors students in every college, legislators and state officials, education editors and reporters, as well as high-achieving high school seniors.

The editorial board for Inquiry consists of 28 faculty members, representing disciplines throughout the University. This year, editors faced the challenge of culling 16 features from nearly 60 submitted manuscripts - all representing in-depth research and outstanding scholarship.

The result is a journal that extends the tradition of excellence set by Inquiry’s inaugural issue - featuring critical and creative scholarship from 16 of the University’s most accomplished undergraduate students. Topics range from photography to differential equations, from medical history to blackberry cultivation.

"In our first issue, the traditional research disciplines dominated the journal. This year, we were pleased to have a much wider spectrum of topics submitted, everything from arts to engineering," Smart said. "There was really a plethora of fine work to choose from."

Student researchers featured in the 2001 issue include:

• Phyllis Nichols of Fayetteville, worked with professor Joseph Candido of the English department to examine the politics of gender within Shakespeare’s plays, "The Merchant of Venice," "The Tempest," and "Othello."
• Rosario Nolasco of Fayetteville, worked with professor Kay Pritchett of foreign languages to study the Spanish novel "Nada" by Carmen Laforet. Using critical reading and a feminist approach to psychology, Nolasco explores the spiritual, moral, physical and emotional strengths of the novel’s teenage protagonist.
• Amjad S. Faur of Fayetteville, worked with professor Marilyn Nelson of the art department to create a portfolio of photographic portraits, using only the equipment and techniques available to photographers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
• Susan Walker of Rogers, Ark., worked with Joseph Candido of the English department to develop a theory that Shakespeare’s historical plays draw their imagery, idea and form from a body of Medieval dramatic chronicles known as the Corpus Christi plays.
• Tamara Rakestraw of Marion, Ark., and Amy Reynolds of Bella Vista, Ark., worked with anthropology professor Marcia-Anne Dobres to co-author a study on popular misconceptions about archeology and how those misconceptions trace back to misleading portrayals of the field in television and movies.
• Anna Terry of Fort Smith, Ark., worked with professor Mark Cory, director of European Studies, to produce a historical examination of public health in English and German cities. Terry’s project explains social and individual responses to disease within the context of Christian theology and the urban community from 1250-1450 AD.
• Jon Taylor of Sheridan, Ark., worked with professor William Schreckhise of political science to examine the political ramifications of the hotly-disputed Fayetteville tree ordinance and its impact on the local mayoral election.
• Michael Berumen of Fort Smith, Ark., worked with professor Raj Kilambi of biological sciences to study coral-feeding butterflyfish in two contrasting habitats to determine how availability of prey impacts foraging habits and territorial behavior.
• Erin Stone of Houston, worked with professor Jeffrey Ryan of political science to compare the differing political environments of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, particularly regarding their response to the women’s movement.
• Elizabeth Dunn of Douglasville, Ga., worked with professor Roger Koeppe of chemistry and biochemistry to experiment on the formation and function of transmembrane proteins in cells, which operate as channels between the inner environment of the cell and its external surroundings.
• Eric Miller of Pearcy, Ark., also worked with professor Roger Koeppe to develop the only chemically-defined model for investigating how cells use voltage to draw charged ions from the external environment across their cellular membranes.
• Laura Fields of Little Rock, worked with professor Loredana Lanzani of the math department to describe a category of unsolvable differential equations and assess the extent to which they may not be solvable. Such approximation gives scientists and mathematicians insight about the information hidden within these equations.
• Adam DeLisse of Richardson, Texas, worked with professor Janet Woodland of the math department, using computational calculations to explore the possibility of Wang tile configurations containing only six, seven or eight tiles. To date, the smallest known set contains 13 tiles.
• Eric Duquette of Jacksonville, Ark., worked with Wookwon Lee in the department of electrical engineering to propose a method of production for communication operation systems that will enable wireless communication to progress into its next generation - one with higher data transfer capacity that allows for simultaneous data, voice and video transmission.
• Dayanee Yazzetti of Mena, Ark., worked with professor John R. Clark of horticulture to estimate the appropriate chilling time necessary for numerous blackberry varieties to attain optimal bud break the following year.
• Jennifer Luks of Franksville, Wis., worked with Judy Brittenum, Mary Comstock and Mark Boyer of landscape architecture to assess the needs of a depressed residential community in Detroit and develop a plan for installing a series of parks within that community.