Contact: Michael Padilla, 277-1816

November 26, 2001 GALLUP HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE PURSUES ENGINEERING DEGREE AT UNM Bayo Falase, a 2001 graduate of Gallup High School, wants to become a nuclear engineer. His interest in studying alternative energy sources led him to the University of New Mexico. "Work that nuclear engineers do can one day provide a clean source of power that will not affect the environment as adversely as burning coal does," said Falase. Nuclear engineering is an ever-changing field that experiences advances in technology daily, he said. "Keeping up and adapting to these changes will not only be challenging, but exciting. That's the primary reason why I chose this field," he said. He chose UNM because of its strong emphasis on research. "UNM's close relationships and partnerships with advanced technology companies such as Lockheed Martin and Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories give students the encouragement needed to succeed," he said. "It's great motivation knowing that there are people out there looking for UNM graduates." His father, Ekundayo, and his mother Oladapo, motivated him to attend college. He said his father has always been a strong influence. "He has been a good role model to me all of my life," he said. "He always said life was a challenge." Originally from Ibadan, Nigeria, he moved to Gallup when he was 14. His father, a doctor, moved from Nigeria to Pennsylvania in 1988 on a scholarship. They then moved to Roanoke, Va., for his father's residency program and then to Richmond, Va., for a fellowship program in nephrology. They moved to Gallup because his dad wanted to work on diabetes cases in New Mexico. Challenges Falase has encountered at UNM include the change in pace. "The biggest challenge has been transition from a home setting to a college setting. Everything isn't as structured as it was at home," he said. He is anxious to get his degree but said he is willing to work hard to achieve his goal. "The classes are hard, but the payoff in the end will be worth it," he said. "Engineers get to play around with very cool stuff, and they get paid for it, too." ###

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