Meet some of the researchers at UNLV who are conducting nationally recognized work studying space and the mysteries of the cosmos.

While drought conditions in the West continue to produce record drops in water levels at Lake Mead, a rising tide of research at UNLV seeks to address some of the region’s most pressing water issues.

UNLV faculty demonstrate that research is actually the mother of invention – although necessity certainly got them thinking.

The work of one UNLV master’s student and her supervisor on the psychological and social consequences of gastric bypass surgery led them to compile their findings in a new book, which explores the reasons why patients undergo the procedure and the varied ways that the dramatic weight loss changes their lives.

A new book by the director of the UNLV Center for Gaming Research takes the reader through gambling’s historic timeline, from the earliest origins of using bones for dice up to the development of the high-tech resort casinos of today.

Director of the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies Ardyth Broadrick Sohn has written a book about her time in Huntsville, Texas, examining how the community’s culture and industry are shaped by the local prison facility and legal executions performed there.

Many Renaissance plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries are highly regarded today, but UNLV English professor Charles Whitney researched historical documents to uncover what audience members of the time period thought of the dramatic performances.

History professor Eugene Moehring is a respected scholar on urban history issues and the West. But the Harry Reid Silver State Research Award recipient says the students are still the most important part of the research equation.

Increasing the number of graduates is still a priority, but UNLV’s School of Nursing also seeks to build its research and enhance understanding of the endeavor.

Tiny quagga mussels are clogging water pipelines, attaching to boats and lake structures, and causing big problems at Lake Mead.

Programs in the UNLV College of Education and William S. Boyd School of Law have earned rankings from the annual national survey of universities.

UNLV President Dr. Neal J. Smatresk and Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate College Dr. Ron Smith welcome readers to the Fall 2009 issue of Innovation.