Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, John Stossel Interview Headline This Week’s “New Mexico in Focus”

This week, KNME-TV’s prime time news magazine, “New Mexico in Focus” explores the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder, what patriotism means, and shows a special interview with ABC News Anchor John Stossel. “New Mexico In Focus” will air on KNME-TV, channel 5, on Friday, July 4 at 7 p.m. and repeat on Sunday, July 6 at 6:30 a.m.

Jimmy Santiago Baca to Speak At UNM July 12

Jimmy Santiago Baca will speak on “The Power of Poetry on My Life” on Saturday, July 12 at 7 p.m. in Student Union Building ballroom A. Part of the Summer Sunset Lecture Series sponsored by University Libraries, the event is free and open to the public. Listen to an interview with Santiago Baca on UNM Live Jimmy Santiago Interview.

Photo: Jimmy Santiago Baca

UNM Faculty Receive Stemmler Grant

The UNM School of Medicine was selected by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to receive a Stemmler Grant for a project titled, “A Web-Based Program for the Deliberate Practice and Formative Assessment of Writing Patient Notes.” The project is collaboration between Teresita McCarty, associate professor of Psychiatry, and Jay Parkes, associate professor of Educational Psychology in the UNM College of Education.

UNM to Offer Ethics Program

A certificate program in health care ethics will be offered Fall 2008 at the University of New Mexico Institute for Ethics. This program is open to both professionals, i.e., lawyers, doctors, nurses and social workers, as well as non-professionals and those in the community who are interested in learning more about today’s ethical issues in health care, including research ethics, public health, and emergency preparedness, spirituality, kinship/family and conflicts of interests.

Galetti Tabbed as New Lobos Play-By-Play Announcer

Learfield Sports announced recently that Scott Galetti will serve as the Lobos play-by-play announcer for football and men’s basketball games effective Fall 2008. Lobo Sports Properties, a property of Learfield Sports and multimedia rights holder for the University of New Mexico Athletics, also will assume the University’s exclusive broadcast rights in the fall that will continue on Citadel-owned KKOB 770 AM.

Photo: Scott Galetti

Valencia Campus Students Receiving “Spear Phishing” Calls

Students at UNM Valencia Campus are receiving telephone-based “spear phishing” calls. Spear phishing attacks are an increasingly popular identity theft scam in which the attacker contacts the target (e.g., through e-mail, telephone, or text message) and tries to coax the target into divulging more sensitive personal identity or financial information.

Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity Attracts Student Interested in Machine Learning

Hunter Glanz is going to be a senior next year at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California but he’s spending his summer in Albuquerque at the UNM Department of Computer Science because he has an opportunity to work on a research problem with a mentor, computer science professor Terran Lane. The math and statistic major has taken on a challenging problem.

Census Undercount Impact, Elton John Richard Among Topics on This Week’s “New Mexico In Focus”

New Mexico is expected to lose an estimated $100 million in federal funding between 2000 and 2012, due to undercounting in the 2000 decennial census. This week, “New Mexico In Focus” examines the 2000 census undercount’s impact in New Mexico, especially on children in New Mexico, and what is being done to ensure a more accurate Census in 2010. “New Mexico In Focus” will air on KNME-TV, channel 5, on Friday, June 27 at 7 p.m. and repeat on Sunday, June 29 at 6:30 a.m.

New UNM Rome Program Flourishes in First Semester

International Programs and Studies recently completed a successful first semester of a new study abroad program in Rome, Italy when a strategic opportunity arose to establish ties with the prestigious International Wine Academy in Rome, Italy. UNM jumped at the chance to send students to study in the financial center of the Mediterranean and arguably the seat of Western civilization.

Pam Hurd-Knief to Lead UNM School of Engineering Development Office

Pam Hurd-Knief has been appointed as the senior director of Development for the University of New Mexico School of Engineering. Hurd-Knief has served in high-level development positions at UNM since 1999 and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in academic fundraising.

Photo: Pam Hurd-Knief

New Mexico Hispanic Youth Symposium Set for July

One hundred Hispanic and Native American high school students will gather on UNM’s campus July 9-17, 2008 for the first New Mexico Hispanic Youth Symposium. New Mexico Lt. Governor Diane Denish and Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce CEO Alex O. Romero will co-chair the symposium, which is being hosted by the Hispanic College Fund and New Mexico Math Engineering Science Achievement.

Employees Invited to Discover Play, Enhanced Learning

Everyone needs to play! UNM’s Staff Council Work+Life Committee is sponsoring “Learning Together through Play,” a free, hands-on workshop for staff, faculty and students on Thursday, July 24, from noon to 1 p.m. in the SUB Lobo rooms A&B. Light refreshments will be provided.

NSF Awards UNM Mathematics and Statistics $750,000 Grant

Grant to help build community of mathematicians in Southwest

The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of New Mexico Department of Mathematics and Statistics a three-year, $750,000 grant titled, "Attracting, Motivating and Preparing Mathematics Students in the Southwest by Building an Energetic Community."

Photo: Professor Cristina Pereyra

Mind Research Network Presents Lecture on Magnetic Resonance Methods

Professor of Radiology at Columbia University and Director of Mind Research (MR), Columbia University Medical Center Truman R. Brown will present a lecture titled “Magnetic Resonance Methods for Probing Brain Metabolism and Function.” The lecture will be hosted by the Mind Research Network (MRN) on Thursday, June 26 at 12 p.m., in the MRN large conference room at 1101 Yale Blvd., N.E.

UNM International Studies Program Opens in Germany

Two groups of UNM students will be participating in an international studies program based at Schloss Dyck Castle in Germany. A group of landscape architecture students are in Germany now studying the extensive formal landscaping at the castle.

UNM Hospital Ranks 3rd in Nation in Providing Conservative Care

The University of New Mexico Hospital is ranked third in the nation by Consumer Reports in providing conservative patient care in a study of more than 4.7 million Medicare patients at more than 2,800 hospitals. The report is based on a study conducted by Dartmouth Medical School from 2001-2005 and says that treating patients conservatively results in patients spending fewer days in the hospital, fewer days in an intensive care unit, and with fewer physician visits with more of an emphasis on primary care.

UNM-Gallup Prof’s Book Studies Navajo Weavers

Teresa Wilkins was fascinated with weaving from childhood. Born in rural North Carolina, where textiles were a major industry, she picked up scraps of material from her grandfather’s mill and wove them on a small loom. That youthful interest would eventually inspire her to focus on textiles while she earned a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. From there, she would embark on a course of research, writing and teaching that would lead her into the heart of the weaving world on the Navajo Nation.

NM Consortium Director Moving to University of Missouri to Become Vice Chancellor for Research

University of Missouri Provost Brian Foster has announced that UNM professor Robert Duncan has been appointed as vice chancellor for research at MU, effective Sept. 1. Currently, Duncan is the chief operating officer of the New Mexico Consortium, an organization that uses the strengths of New Mexico's research universities to build scientific connections around the world. He is also founding director of the Institute for Advanced Studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Photo: Robert Duncan

UNM Rolls Out Next Phase of Energy Conservation Program

This summer, the University of New Mexico will start the next phase of an aggressive energy conservation program that is expected to reduce the university’s overall energy bill. The university has already retrofitted certain buildings on campus to make them more energy efficient. While those efforts continue, the goal for the summer is to get UNM’s staff and faculty on board and remind them of simple energy conservation tips they can use on a daily basis.

"Friendly Robots” Featured at Latest KNME-TV Science Café Event

What would it be like to build the first robot that could interact with people? Learn about robots that might someday communicate with people at KNME’s Science Café on Saturday, June 21, from 10 a.m.-noon at the Explora Museum, 1701 Mountain Road in Albuquerque’s Old Town.

Search for UNM Vice President of Research to be Rescheduled

This past spring, the University of New Mexico launched a search for Vice President for Research. However, after the appointment of Julia Fulghum as interim Vice President for Research, Provost-designate Suzanne Trager Ortega, with the concurrence of President David J. Schmidly, decided to suspend the search in order to become familiar with the issues facing the research office.

Photo: Interim Vice President for Research Julia Fulghum

Schaefer Teaches Cross-Border Issues Program in Mexico

Immigration focus of summer program

Richard Schaefer, associate professor, Communication & Journalism, is in Mexico for the first UNM summer school session with the Cross-Border Issues Group, a class designed to give undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to explore immigration in depth and in Spanish.

Photo: UNM journalism students Christina Lovato, front in pink, Jennifer Vieth, next to Lovato, and Maggie Ybarra, behind the camera, interview Marciella Mora, a former undocumented worker in the U.S. Mora shared her story with the students.

“New Mexico in Focus” Features Author Michael Benanay, Political Fight for 2008 Latino Vote

Michael Benanay, author of “Joshua and Isadora: A True Tale of Loss and Love in the Holocaust” which was published to coincide with the 60th Anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel, joins David Alire Garcia for an interview and discussion of his book and the grandparents whom inspired it on this week’s “New Mexico in Focus,” airing on KNME-TV, channel 5, at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 20. The episode will repeat on Sunday, June 22 at 6:30 a.m.

Tune In to UNM Live Online

Welcome to the multimedia UNM experience. UNM Live is an ongoing series of online interviews, discussions and lectures developed by the University Communication and Marketing Department (UCAM). It’s available to listeners through iTunes, RSS feeds or on the UNM Live Web site at UNMlive.

Photo: Jon Boltz, Media Technology Services videographer, preps for a Weekend Wonk recording.

St. Pierre Supports Student Veterans

Starting college can be a life-changing experience. Many students at UNM face the additional challenge of adjusting to civilian life after serving in the military. As Veteran Affairs certifying official in the Office of the Registrar, Lee St. Pierre verifies that students meet the requirements for veterans’ financial aid benefits – and helps them understand how to get through the process. There are currently about 555 student veterans using benefits.

Photo: Lee St. Pierre

Get Fit This Summer with EHPP

Summertime encourages us to be more active and refine our wellness goals.
The Employee Health Promotion Program, a Human Resources benefits program, is available to staff and faculty and provides support this summer with the following services. Visit hr.unm.edu and see the menu under EHPP for more information.

Catastrophic Leave: Past, Present, Future

The catastrophic leave program will soon be revised to better serve eligible staff requests. The program, first implemented in 1993, was intended to provide salary and benefits continuation for eligible staff members who have exhausted all paid leave due to personal or immediate family catastrophic illness or injury.

UNM New Employee Orientation 2.0 Coming July 7

Studies have shown that new employees are more likely to stay with an organization if the on boarding process is one that is effortless, effective, and engaging. In order to ensure this process is smooth for new UNM employees, we have revamped orientation to be more comprehensive, have more information that new employees want to know, and have more time for questions.

Parents of High School Students Invited to Live, Learn at UNM July 18-19

Parents of high school students have an opportunity to immerse themselves in a college experience through a new, free program offered at the University of New Mexico. Parents will live and dine on campus and attend casual, informative sessions during the two-day, one night program held Friday, July 18, and Saturday, July 19.

Recent UNM Graduate Dies in Spain

Former University of New Mexico student and May 2008 graduate John Smeltzer passed away Friday in Barcelona, Spain following a heart attack. Smeltzer was in Spain and traveling abroad following a faculty-led program that ended May 25. A native of Chicago and an adopted New Mexican, Smeltzer is the son of Mera Wolf. He was a graduate of Albuquerque’s Highland High School. At UNM, he earned his Bachelor’s of Art in Political Science, French, Spanish and European Studies, with a minor in Economics.

Photo: John Smeltzer