Five members of the University of New Mexico community have been named to receive the 2005 International Excellence Award for outstanding contributions to international programs and education at UNM. The award ceremony is Wednesday, April 13, from 3-5 p.m. in Hodgin Hall, Bobo Room. The event is free and open to the public.
Professor Hillard Kaplan, anthropology, receives the award for groundbreaking interdisciplinary research in demography, health and nutrition, aging and indigenous studies and many other fields. Kaplan has worked in a number of countries including Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Botswana, South Africa and the United States to improve the lives of indigenous peoples.
Nitant Kenkre, professor of physics and astronomy and director of the Consortium of the Americas, will be honored for many years of work in international science education and research. As director of the Consortium of the Americas, a major program funded by the National Science Foundation, he promotes international collaboration among scientists in Latin America and the United States.
In the past three years the consortium has sponsored more than 18 international and interdisciplinary workshops throughout the Americas, and hosted more than 30 visiting international scholars at UNM, ranging from distinguished professors to graduate students.
Dr. Dale Alverson, professor of pediatrics and director of the Center for Telehealth, receives the award for his tireless work over many years developing new technological approaches to provide better medical care in underserved rural areas in New Mexico, Latin America, Australia and many other parts of the world. He is currently involved in a major project to bring clinical care and develop interdisciplinary research programs along the Rio Napo watershed in Ecuador, with a focus on such diverse issues as tropical diseases, environmental threats to public health, traditional native healing and use of telemedicine.
Marjorie Devon, director of the Tamarind Institute, will receive the award for her support of international art education. She has worked at the Tamarind Institute since 1978, and has been involved in exhibitions and symposia in countries as diverse as Ecuador, Cuba, Brazil, Japan, India, Botswana, Iceland, and Slovenia. She has brought many distinguished artists from dozens of countries to the Tamarind Institute to study printmaking and lithography.
The International Excellence Award in the student category will be presented to Cally Ingebritson, graduating senior in Latin American Studies and Spanish. In addition to an outstanding academic record, Ingebritson is being recognized for her community service activities, including involvement with grassroots organizations in Albuquerque, Juarez, and Chiapas, Mexico. Dr. Kimberly Gauderman, director of UNM Latin American Studies, said of Ingebritson, “She is truly an inspiring and energetic young woman who merges her intellectual interests with her commitment to social justice at the local, national and international levels.”
For more information contact Ken Carpenter, International Programs & Studies, 277-4032, or email carpenk@unm.edu.
Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920