DEAN'S MESSAGE

WLECOME TO INVENTIO, the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus's magazine of research and creative activity. The main purpose of Inventio, derived from a Latin word meaning "finding" or "discovery," is to disseminate the research and creative endeavors of our professors, researchers, and students. This multidisciplinary magazine is oriented toward the general public and professionals who are avid learners of the latest advances in the social sciences, natural sciences, arts, humanities, architecture, and education, including the traditional forms of knowledge and their new manifestations.

In this first issue, you will find articles on various topics, plus opinions, biographical sketches, and abstracts of recent publications. In "The University and Río Piedras: Partners for Raising the Quality of Life" you will learn about the joint efforts of the Río Piedras Campus and its external community to renovate the urban area and to achieve a sustainable development for the benefit of everyone. "Enormous Potential for Shrinking Technology" expounds on the potential applications of the fascinating research on nanomaterials. In "Project Atlantea: From Chrysalis to Butterfly" we outline several of the projects in which our researchers, in collaboration with researchers at other institutions in Puerto Rico and abroad, study and analyze the social problems of the Caribbean region, delving into the surprising cultural diversity of one of the world's smallest regions.

We have enjoyed producing this first issue and have learned a great deal about the daily work of our campus community. We hope that our readers appreciate the contribution of the Río Piedras Campus to the creation of knowledge, the impact of our research and creative activities in the students' intellectual development, and the potential benefits of this new knowledge to our society. We trust that Inventio will serve to stimulate and produce much fruitful collaborations between our university community and the outside community, the government, and the private sector.

We would like to know your impressions of Inventio. Please contact us by e-mail at inventio@degi.rrp.upr.edu or by phone at 787-764-0000, ext. 2515.

Ana R. Guadalupe, Ph.D.

Dean
Deans for Graduates-Studies and Research