Conversations with many of our faculty since I was appointed Florida State University's chief research office have driven home the point they are engaged in remarkable research. Though it's impossible today to know what the ultimate effects of this or any other university research will be, it is certain that society will reap the benefits for many years to come.

We're all aware of the many research breakthroughs that have affected out lives and our standard of living. From the treatment of disease to healthier children, from better understanding our marine environment to revolutionary changes in transportation - all are the pronounced beneficiaries of university research.

At FSU, just in the past few years our scientist have pioneered technologies that can enable physicians to more accurately study the human brain, improve the quality of life for cancer patients, and-through music - shorten the time premature infants spend in neonatal units.

Despite these gains, it remains one of the prime responsibilities of university faculty and staff to convince a skeptical and cost-conscious public about the importance of continuing campus-based research. This is not an easy task, nor one that all of us do equally well. But it must be done if we expect to sustain the support of those who allocate resources and influence public opinion.

For the past 30 years Research in Review magazine has done an excellent job of conveying to FSU alumni and friends, key decision-makers and opinion leaders, other universities' faculty, business leaders and representatives of the media both the breadth and depth of research at Florida State University. Now, in this highly competitive marketplace, it's time we told an even broader audience about the important work under way at this university.

Surveys by the National Science Foundation show that although Americans may not know details about basic scientific or technological principles, they are, nonetheless, highly interested in science and technology. A new study by Research!America, a non-profit organization that promotes the importance of scientific and medical research to Americans, found that 90 percent of Floridians believe that university research is important to Florida's economy. These results suggest some progress, but we have miles to go before our job is complete.

We're excited about our mission in promoting FSU research and scholarship and by the prospects of stepping up these efforts in the coming months. More people soon will know the secret of our success - our talented faculty. We're proud of the important work they do here at FSU, and we think the nation should know about it as well.