The UNM Board of Regents have agreed on changes to the Project Labor Agreement for construction of the new west wing of the University of New Mexico Hospital. The revisions are the result of a series of meetings among interest private contractors, union representatives and members of a special regents committee.
The modifications include:
* A statement that the project labor agreement does not set a precedent for future construction at the university;
* An expressed preference for hiring New Mexico residents;
* A specific provision that retirement benefits paid by non-union employees may be directed to their own employer’s retirement plans if applicable or to the employees themselves;
* An allowance for “core employees” who may be hired outside the PLA has been broadened from five per craft category to 20. Combined with call-by-name provisions already present in the various union contracts may result in a total workforce that could be in excess of 70 percent non-union employees selected by their contractor employers.
“These modifications represent a good faith effort on the part of the University to address the concerns of non-union contractors in a manner that retains the essential benefits of the project labor agreement,” said Regent Doug Brown.
The vote on the revisions was unanimous with regents Jack Fortner, Doug Brown, Andrea Cook, Mel Eaves, Sandra Begay-Campbell and Maria Griego-Raby voting for the agreement. Regent Jamie Koch attended the meeting, but abstained from the vote.
UNM President Louis Caldera announced members of the newly formed Capital Improvements Committee, which will be charged with looking at new construction procedures and processes at UNM. UNM Executive Vice President David Harris will chair the committee. Members represent both union and non-union contractors.
They include:
* Don Kawal, Klinger Construction
* Robin Hendrixson, Mechanical Concepts
* Linda Zemke, Gardner-Zemke Construction
* Dan Beaty, Beaty Construction
* Troy Beal, B&D Construction
* Kevin Yearout, Yearout Mechanical
* Mark Henderson, J.B. Henderson Construction
* Rick Beard, Rosendin Electric Inc.
Final approvals for construction of the hospital are still in process. The $225 million project will include a children’s hospital, a maternity center, an adult critical care center, emergency center, private patient rooms, a new entrance for the hospital and enhanced security. The project is expected to be complete in late 2007.
Contact: Susan Moczygemba-McKinsey, (505) 277-1989
Physics and Astronomy Professor Mansoor Sheik-Bahae's proposal, "Consortium for Laser Cooling in Solids," was selected to receive MURI funding out of a total of 116 full proposals.
The consortium will also include collaboration with the University of Arizona and Johns Hopkins University. UNM will receive the bulk of the grant, approximately $3.4 million, over the course of the five-year grant. The grant total’s nearly $4 million.
The consortium research project grew out of a collaboration with Los Alamos National Labs more than seven years ago. Laser cooling is the process of lowering the temperature of a solid by shining laser light on it. It can be used to cool infrared or gamma ray sensors to cryogenic temperatures to increase their sensitivity. Down the road the technique may be able to cool superconductor electronics.
“We have already succeeded in cooling ultrapure glasses and crystals,” said Sheik-Bahae. “No semiconductor has ever been cooled, but we think we are getting close. They have the potential to be cooled to much lower temperatures than glass.”
Sheik-Bahae said they use lasers to chill solids, with the potential of replacing current, cumbersome cooling methods that employ cryogens such as liquid nitrogen or mechanical pumps. Laser refrigerators would eliminate the noise, unreliability and limited life-span of cryogens and mechanical coolers. The ultimate goal is to achieve laser refrigeration in a semiconductor material and demonstrate its practical use.
Sandia and Los Alamos National Labs, the National Renewable Energy Lab and the Air Force Research Lab all got behind the project and promoted the topic to the DoD.
“They recognized the importance of the project,” said Sheik-Bahae. “As physicists and scientists, we like challenges. I think basic research, such as this, offers problems we like to solve with the added bonus that an important application is in sight.”
MURI is a program designed to address large multidisciplinary topic areas representing exceptional opportunities for future DoD applications and technology options. The awards will provide long-term support for research, graduate students and laboratory instrumentation development that supports specific science and engineering research themes vital to national defense.
The average award will be $1 million per year over a three-year period. Two additional years of funding will be possible as options to bring the total award to five years. Out-year funding is subject to satisfactory progress in the research and the availability of funding appropriations.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
The UNM College of Education has received nearly $900,000 from the New Mexico State Department of Education to increase the number of American Indian teachers and principals. Joseph Suina, College of Education associate professor and director of the Institute for American Indian Education, believes UNM is well prepared to train Native American educators.
Including Suina, a native of Cochiti Pueblo, eight College of Education faculty members are Native Americans.
“Native American teachers from the community tend to stay in the community,” said Suina. “If Indian teachers provide a role model by participating in the traditional community, and at the same time are a professional role model, they show students it’s possible to be of two worlds and do well.”
The three-year grant from the State Department of Education Indian Education Division will provide scholarships and support for American Indian students at UNM.
The Institute for American Indian Education was created late in 2003 in response to New Mexico’s critical need to improve academic achievement and reduce dropout rates of Native American students. UNM will work to better train all teachers who work with American Indian students. The institute will provide a forum for educators, scholars and tribal leaders to examine the critical education issues facing American Indian communities.
Through the grant, scholarships are being made available to Native Americans. Program participants must be under-graduate, post-bachelor or graduate degree students interested in teaching or administration at the elementary or secondary level.
Students receive tuition and fees, a textbook allowance, travel expenses and a $750 stipend each semester and are expected to complete the program in two consecutive years.
Students must be Native Americans intending to teach in New Mexico. Those pursuing a career in teaching must be within two years of graduation or possess a bachelor’s degree in another field. Those interested in obtaining an administrative license must be eligible to enter into the licensure program or the graduate program in administration.
Applications for the fall semester are being accepted through June 15. Students who are not able to apply before the deadline may request scholarship applications for fall semester, 2005. For additional information, contact Dr. Joseph Suina at 277-7781.
The UNM College of Education is celebrating its 75th anniversary of educating New Mexico.
Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816
University of New Mexico women's golfer Kailin Downs (Bend, Ore.) has been named honorable mention All-America by the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) for the second consecutive year. Downs finished the season ranked No. 32 in the nation and set a UNM junior class record with a stroke average of 73.91. The Lobos tied for 15th at the NCAA Championships last week.
Downs was also named the recipient of the 2004 Edith Cummings Munson Golf Award. The honor is presented by the NGCA to an individual based on academic and athletic achievement during the 2003-04 season. Downs has a 3.82 cumulative grade-point-average at UNM. The University of New Mexico will receive $5,000 for its general scholarship fund in Downs' name. Downs is a two-time NGCA Scholar-Athlete.
A three-time all-Mountain West Conference performer, Downs will represent the United States at the 2004 U.S. vs Japan Collegiate Golf Championship July 13-16 in Chiba, Japan. She has set class scoring records all three seasons at New Mexico: freshman (74.9), sophomore (74.0) and junior (73.91).
Contact Greg S. Remington, (505) 925-5520
Mark Childs, assistant professor in the University of New Mexico’s School of Architecture and Planning, received a Fulbright to Cyprus for spring semester 2005.
Childs is the first faculty member from the school’s architecture program to receive a Fulbright.
Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the new European Union member countries as of May 2004.
“Half my time will be consulting with the University of Cyprus on the development of their new architecture department, and with the other half I will conduct research on Cypriot public spaces,” Childs said.
Childs, director of UNM’s Design Planning Assistance Center, is an expert on public places. His latest book, “Squares: A Public Place Design for Urbanists,” (UNM Press, December 2004) explores design implications of cars, electronic media, the natural environment, urban structures, public safety and public art.
“Cyprus has an incredibly rich and complex history with nearly 10,000 years of documented city building. I think there is a great deal to learn that will help my work at UNM and in New Mexico,” he said.
Childs, a registered architect in New Mexico and Washington, earned a bachelor’s in science and architecture from MIT, master’s in architecture at the University of Oregon and master’s in public administration from the University of Washington.
Camila A. Alire, dean of Library Services, has been elected vice president/president-elect of the Association of College and Research Libraries. She will assume the position of vice president in June and become president of the division in 2005.
The ACRL, which represents 12,000 librarians and interested people, is the largest division of the American Library Association.
As the first Hispanic president of the organization, she will focus on leadership development and advocate for better ways to develop a diverse academic library workforce.
“It’s important to UNM that our peers see this university as a strong, vital contributor to national academic organizations,” says Alire. “If I can increase our visibility in the world of academic and research libraries, the university will benefit in the long run.”
Contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627.
Several UNM faculty members are the recent recipients of departmental awards. The Gala Celebration of the 75th anniversary of the College of Education was the setting for the Travelstead Faculty Award, presented to Leroy I. Ortiz. Among those in attendance was Chester C. Travelstead, COE dean from 1956 – 1968, the namesake of the award.
Ortiz is an associate professor in the department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies and is the director of the Multicultural Education Center. He began his career as an elementary school teacher in Chinle, Ariz. In 1972 he became COE supervisor of student teaching with the department of elementary education. Ortiz is affectionately known as the “Senior Statesman” for the College of Education.
Hundreds of students, staff and faculty recently attended the annual School of Engineering celebration and luncheon awards ceremony. SOE Dean Joe Cecchi presented awards for faculty excellence in teaching and research. Awards were also given to outstanding staff and students.
The Senior Faculty Award for Teaching was presented to Peter Dorato, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. From 1976 to 1984, Dorato was chairman of the department. He is currently director of the School of Engineering Center for Intelligent Engineering Systems. In 2000, he was named a Gardner-Zemke professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department for his outstanding teaching.
Plamen Atanassov, professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, received the Junior Faculty Award for Teaching. Atanassov began at UNM in 1992, first as a senior research associate, then as a research assistant professor. Atanassov received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Last year he received the Junior Faculty award for Research.
The Senior Faculty Award for Research was given to Chaouki Abdallah. In 1988, Abdallah began with UNM in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department, where he is currently professor, associate chair and director of the graduate program. His research focuses on systems theory and he has been funded and published in the areas of control systems, signal processing, communications and computing.
Darko Stefanovic, assistant professor of Computer Science, received the Junior Faculty Award for Research. Stefanovic received his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts and began at UNM in 2000. He is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Career Award. His research has focused on memory management in programming languages, as well as on biochemical computing using DNA molecules.
School of Engineering staff awards were presented to Monica Fishel-Arvizu, Center for High Technology Materials, Outstanding Support Staff; Josie Gibson, Civil Engineering, Outstanding Administrative/Professional Staff and to Geoff Curtain, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering for Outstanding Technical/Research Staff.
The School of Engineering awards ceremony concluded with the unveiling of the 2004 formula-style race car, designed and built by Mechanical Engineering students for entry into an international competition.
Contact: Greg Johnston, 277-1816
Glenabah Martinez, Ph.D, assistant professor in the University of New Mexico College of Education, is among 12 educators recently selected to attend the prestigious Newberry Library's D'Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian History 2004 Lannan Summer Institute.
“Teaching American Indian Sovereignty” is the focus of the institute, set for May 31-June 11 at the D'Arcy McNickle Center in Chicago, Ill.
Martinez, who teaches in the College of Education's Division of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies and Native American Studies Department, will examine the treatment of sovereignty in curricular materials.
“Specifically, I am interested in analyzing the representation of sovereignty in curricular materials provided for educators who work with indigenous youth in high school and post-secondary settings,” Martinez said.
Martinez, who is Taos and Dine, grew up at Taos Pueblo. She taught high school social studies and developed curriculum for twelve years before joining the UNM faculty in 1995. Martinez earned a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2003. Current research includes a critical ethnography examining the experiences of indigenous Taos Pueblo youth in the Taos public schools.
The D'Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian History was founded in 1972. Among its goals is to improve the quality of written documentation about American Indians and assist American Indian tribal historians in their research.
In 2000, the Lannan Foundation awarded the center a grant to hold several summer institutes for teachers in tribal colleges and in American Indian studies programs. In 2004, the foundation renewed its commitment through 2006.
Contact: Laurie Mellas-Ramirez, (505) 277-5915
Carole Nagengast, UNM professor and chair of anthropology, will be a guest on In Focus on KNME TV, Friday, May 21 at 8:30 p.m. Nagengast will speak about the torture and human rights violations that have occurred in Iraq and the Middle East.
She is a long-time activist and former chair of the board of Amnesty International, USA. At UNM, Nagengast teaches a popular anthropology course on human rights.
Former President Jimmy Carter has endorsed a new book edited by Nagengast. “Human Rights, Power and Difference: The Scholar as an Activist” links human rights activism with academic cultural analysis.
“At the Carter Center, we have been committed to blending scholarship and action for more than 20 years. Texts like ‘Human Rights, Power and Difference’ offer indispensable analysis that will guide human rights scholars and activists for years to come,” said Carter.
Nagengast says the idea behind the book is to inspire other academic researchers to investigate and teach about human rights. “Moral indignation, important as it is, is not enough,” she said. “We believe that along with it and the legal, social and political points of view that accompany human rights discourse, we also need to apply meticulous methodologies and a cultural analysis. Our goal is to give a human face to the issues of human rights by providing case studies from around the world.”
Kate Nelson, managing editor of the Albuquerque Tribune, hosts In Focus on KNME TV. The program will be rerun Sunday, May 23 at 9 a.m.
Contact: Greg Johnston, UNM Public Affairs, 277-1816
In an attempt to assist various departments at the University of New Mexico, the Anderson Schools of Management (ASM) today donated more than 55 computers and monitors to various entities across campus which will help bring the departments who received the up-to-speed equipment in-line with the university’s new Project LINK finance system.
Project LINK is UNM's 5-7 year project to replace its current legacy administrative systems (Finance, Student/Academic, Student Financial Aid, HR/Payroll, Alumni/Development) with new integrated, web-based systems.
“We understood there were units across campus that are unable to upgrade their computers to operate and interface with the university’s new Banner finance system,” said Ken Baker, associate dean at ASM. “We thought let’s be a good university citizen and donate the equipment to those departments that are unable to obtain the equipment necessary to interface with the Banner system.”
“These computers meet minimum specifications that CIRT posted for Banner applications,” said Fred Youberg, coordinator, Project LINK. “The Anderson Schools are providing a big service to the campus through these donations,” Youberg said.
“As a whole, it was a good thing for the university. The magnitude and response was overwhelming. We had about 100 people who came by to pick up a computer. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to help them all,” Baker added.
Baker said that usually computers are gutted of the components of value – hard drives, disk drives and memory – and then sent to surplus.
“There is nothing of use left. We chose to keep these intact and make them available across campus. We wanted to make them available because the goodwill is more valuable than the money we could get out of them,” Baker added.
William Szaroletta from the Development Office commended the Anderson Schools for their largesse. “This is unbelievable. We are very fortunate the Anderson Schools chose to donate these computers to others on campus.”
The third-generation computers donated were Pentium III systems with 19-inch monitors, 55 of which were Dell systems. They are equipped with 450-800 megahertz chips said Baker.
For more information on Project LINK visit: http://link.unm.edu/
Contacts: Steve Carr (505) 277-1821; Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920
Linda Bahm has been appointed to be the new director of the University Art Museum. She has worked as interim director since 2001, and associate director since 1985. Baum's first major project will be to seek professional accreditation for the 40 year old museum. She also wants to increase the professional staff, and develop greater collaboration with all departments within the university.
“There is an excitement to doing exhibits,” says Bahm. “You do research, have opening nights, and you have a chance to learn how people collect. The stories are fascinating.”
The University Art Museum began as a gallery and project to support fine arts and photography classes. It now owns a collection of 31-thousand objects, most of them works on paper. The photography collection is internationally recognized. The museum is also the repository of the Tamarind Institute archives.
Bahm says she will continue to try to expand the Latin American and Native American collections, and the painting and sculpture collections. In addition to providing exhibit space for the university art collection, the museum functions as a training ground for museum professionals to teach the conservation of collections.
Contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627
Back by popular demand, Celebra la Ciencia, a nationwide project organized by the Self Reliance Foundation and funded by the National Science Foundation, brings an afternoon of fun, physics, natural wonders and experimentation to budding astronomers, physicists, naturalists and engineers of the Albuquerque community. On Saturday, May 22, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., join Celebra la Ciencia at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (NMMNHS), 1801 Mountain Rd. NW. The museum will be open all day with no admission fee required.
"UNM has been a major contributor to the efforts of the Celebra la Ciencia coalition, which hosts family festivals with a focus on science. The coalition that plans these family days in Albuquerque includes all the major local science institutions. This coalition has served as a national model for other Celebra la Ciencia locations, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington D.C.," said Maddie Correa Zeigler, from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science who serves as the Celebra La Ciencia project coordinator.
UNM participants in the festival of family-friendly bilingual science activities and experiments held between noon and 4 p.m. include the Chemistry Department, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Diversity Programs in the School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Health Sciences Center's Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, Maxwell Museum, Recruitment Services and the Family Development Program's Weimagination Center.
In addition to engaging children in a variety of hands-on, informal science activities, Celebra la Ciencia's coalition of museums and educational institutions will also be distributing giveaways throughout the event and families can enjoy free planetarium shows at 10 a.m., noon, 2 and 4 p.m. In addition, there will be free admission to the DynaTheater for “A Rainforest Adventure, Bugs!” showing at 10 a.m., noon, and 1, 2, 3 and 5 p.m. and “Ocean Oasis” showing at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Celebra la Ciencia's will fund the day's events to generate greater interest in the sciences.
The LodeStar Astronomy Center, a community outreach project of UNM located inside the NMMNHS, will also present free double-feature planetarium shows in Spanish at 10 a.m., 12 noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. The double feature will be "Infinity Express", produced for the Smithsonian Institution, and "The Search for Life: Are We Alone?", produced by the Hayden Planetarium.
The Center will also debut its new Spanish-language guide to its astronomy exhibits, which has been developed by UNM LodeStar student employee, Emmanuel Flores. Beginning on May 22, the guide will be available to all Spanish-speaking visitors who come to LodeStar.
“All organizations involved in the Celebra la Ciencia initiative are committed to reaching out to children and families from our many communities to provide them a glimpse of how much fun science can be and inform them of ongoing opportunities for science-learning experiences,” said Zeigler.
In addition to activities provided by the University of New Mexico the Albuquerque event will include activities from the NM Museum of Natural History & Science, Lodestar Astronomy Center, Explora Science Center and Children's Museum, National Atomic Museum, Albuquerque BioPark, Rio Grande Nature Center, Balloon Explorium, and the University of New Mexico.
For additional information on Celebra la Ciencia and activities for children, visit the program website at www.celebralaciencia.org and www.Nmnaturalhistory.org
Contacts: Lawrence Roybal, (505) 277-1804; Eleanor Sanchez, (505) 277-1813
The Maxwell Museum of Anthropology will host a free event, “The Disappearance of Amelia Earhart: An Archaeological Search for the Solution to a Historical Mystery,” Tuesday, May 18 at 7 p.m. The event will be held in the Hibben Center Auditorium, located across from the main entrance of the Maxwell Museum.
For the last 15 years, The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), the world's leading aviation archaeology foundation, has been investigating the possibility that Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, landed on the remote, uninhabited island of Nikumaroro and survived there for a time before expiring.
Thomas K. King, Ph.D., Project Archaeologist for TIGHAR's Amelia Earhart Search Project and co-author of Amelia Earhart's Shoes, an account of TIGHAR's study from 1989 through 2000, will present an illustrated lecture and discussion outlining the latest archaeological findings on the efforts to solve the mystery of Earhart's disappearance.
For more information contact Dave Phillips at: (505) 277-9229.
Brenna Clani, a second-year student at the School of Law, has been elected to the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Student Division's Board of Governors. Clani will represent law schools in the division's Fifteenth Circuit, which includes all ABA-approved law schools in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Clani, of Gallup, N.M., will also serve as chair of the division's programming committee. A graduate of Stanford University, Clani is vice president of UNM's Native American Law Student Association and tutors first-year students. Her goals for the Fifteenth Circuit in the coming year include improving communication among distant law schools, increasing membership and taking action on the diversity plan.
The American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional association in the world with more than 400,000 members. The student division is the second largest in the ABA, with more than 50,000 members from ABA-approved law schools.
More information about the ABA Law Student Division, including leadership opportunities for students, can be found at: www.abanet.org/lsd.
Contact: Laurie Mellas-Ramierez, (505) 277-5915
Amy Wohlert has been appointed interim Associate Provost of Academic Affairs at the University of New Mexico. She is currently serving as the chair of the Speech and Hearing Sciences Department, said Provost Brian L. Foster. Wohlert will replace Nancy Uscher, who is leaving to take the position of Provost of the California Institute of Arts.
Wohlert will assume her new post on June 1. She will be working on curriculum and student matters and will have a major role in the Core Curriculum Task Force that has been established to re-examine the core curriculum at the university.
“Amy Wohlert has been a very successful chair of a complex department that has significant interaction with our community,” says Deputy Provost of Academic Affairs Richard Holder. “She brings to our office a perspective that is both academic and professional in nature and this is a perspective that is much needed as we move forward to consider important curriculum and student issues in the next few years.”
“I am very excited to have a position that will allow me to participate in the initiatives that address the quality of instruction at UNM. We are all fundamentally concerned with education so I am looking forward to many interesting collaborations,” says Wohlert.
Wohlert has been at UNM since 2000 when she was hired as a professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Previous positions included stints at Purdue University in the Department of Audiology and Speech Sciences as an associate professor (1998-2000) and as an assistant professor (1992-98). She began her academic career at Ohio State University as an assistant professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Science (1989-1992).
Wohlert received her Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1989, and her master’s (1980) and bachelor’s (1978) degrees from UNM. Previously she practiced as a speech pathologist in school, hospital and private settings.
Contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627
UNM’s Department of Human Resources held its Annual Service Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 12, in the Ballroom of the Student Union Building. President Louis Caldera recognized more than 300 employees who had reached the milestones of 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years in 2003.
Employees were awarded various gifts depending on the number of years of service they have provided the university. A total of 25 employees with 30 or more years of service headed the list of awardees who have devoted their professional careers to UNM.
35 Years of Service
Colston Chandler
Susan L. Dellinger
R. Philip Eaton
Daniel Finley
James David Ligon
Johnny A. Padilla
Andrzej Pastuszyn
Noel Harvey Pugach
Edward A. Walters
30 Years of Service
Arthur D. Bankhurst
Dodd Harvey Bogart
Mary Jo Campbell
Joseph E. Champoux
Robert D. Cipoletti
Patsy Louise Duphorne
Tobias Duran
Jeffery W. Froehlich
Dick R. Garcia
Karl G. Hinterbichler
Clifford Martinez
Herbert E. Nuttall
Peter Karl Pabisch
Prescilla J. Sanchez
Sharon L. Scaltrito
Arthur W. St George
25 Years of Service
Edward Stanley Angel
James A. Boyd
Michael B. Browde
Scott W. Burchiel
Andrew John Burgess
H. Stuart Burness
Gary W. Cooper
Susan E. Davies
Marjorie Lynn Devon
James W. Ellis
Guillermina Engelbrecht
Michael Gallegos
Raymond A. Garcia
Nora Lupe Garviso
Florence Gonzales
Mina Jane Grothey
David Van Holtby
Thomas O’neal Hunter
Barbara Ann Jacques
Natasha Kolchevska
Juliette Lagasse-Martinez
Mary Rachel Lopez
Jean R. Lowe
George F. Luger
Gloria Manzanares
Antonio Marquez
Philip Alan May
Stewart P. Mennin
Ray Mora
Shiame Okunor
Gale Ann Owings
Steve Parra
Gregory R. Peterson
Nancy J. Pistorius
Margaret Romero
Linda C. Saland
Mike A. Sanchez
Robert S. Santley
Anne Schaefer
Rebecca D. Schnelker
Lawrence J. Schuster
Richard M. Smith
Bruce M. Thomson
John A. Trotter
20 Years of Service
Patrick J. Abbott
Edwina Abeita
Debra J. Abram
Theresa D. Anderson
Babette L. Baker
Sandra E. Barnard
James E. Beaudry
Ralph M. Becker
Filomena Blackman
Kerry P. Blecha
Anita Patrice Boyd
Alton Brewer
M. Lourdes Brito
Patsie M. Buza
James M. Carson
Richard Carl Chapman
Cathy M. Chavez
Charlene A. Chavez
I-Ming Chen
Deborah Cole
Patricia M. Cortez
Jean L. Delacour
Eustacio Duran
Philip J. Duryea
Nader Dabir Ebrahimi
Paul J. Edwards
Charlie R. Gallegos
Linda Geha
Timothy Goldsmith
Roberto Gomez
Robert H. Greenlee
G. Emlen Hall
Michael J. Hammes
Lee R. Hammond III
Delores E. Hayes
Linda Heitkamp
Catherine R. Hernandez
Ava M. Kargacin
Kevin J. Kargacin
Robert W. Katz
Mary Kee
Carolyn Heimbuck King
Debby Knotts
Louise Lamphere
Larry R. Lenke
Sylvia A. Lopez
Pamela Losinski
John S. Lutz
Maria De Jesus Malczynski
Aroop Mangalik
Sally Marez
Alfred D. Mathewson
Gregory J. Mertz
Denise Mills
Susan Minter
Sandra Mirabal
Mary Sylvia Montoya
Cynthia S. Nicholson
Armin Darrell Noble
Diana Eleanor Northup
Maryanne O’Meara
Janet M. Oliver
Bruce Joel Perlman
Thomas Peterson
William L. Pinnell
Leonard H. Pollard
Maryhelen E. Pridham
Greg S. Remington
James O. Rogers
Jesus Ruiz
Jean M. Russell
Frank R. Sandoval
Daniel D. Savage II
Edward C. Seagle
Helene B. Silverblatt
Melody Sue Smith
Martha Suiter
Paul Joseph Suozzi
Deborah K. Suttie
Patricia A. Trainor
William M. Trujillo
Marilyn Tyler
Luis A. Vargas
Mirabdollah Venus
Mitzi Ann Vigil
Jorge A. Wernly
Danny G. Zamora
For a list of 15 year recipients, visit http://www.unm.edu/~hr/whatsnew/.
Denise Chávez, New Mexico author, actress, director and teacher, will receive an honorary doctor of letters degree and deliver the commencement address at the University of New Mexico spring 2004 commencement ceremony set for Saturday, May 15 at 9 a.m. in University Arena.
Edward Lewis, co-founder and CEO of Essence Communications Partners, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters, and Stewart Udall, political figure, activist and scholar, will be honored with an honorary doctor of laws degree.
Convocation ceremonies will be held at the individual departments and colleges following the ceremony and throughout the preceding day. Governor Bill Richardson is guest speaker for the UNM School of Law convocation on Saturday at 1 p.m.
At commencement, UNM President Louis Caldera will confer a projected total of 2,797 degrees upon UNM main campus graduates. Of the total, the breakdown is as follows: 1,907 bachelor's degrees, 561 master's degrees, 95 doctorates, 88 juris doctorates, three graduate certificates, 69 medical doctorates, 70 pharmacy doctorates and four education specialists.
President Caldera will greet the Commencement audience and will award honorary degrees to Chavez, Udall and Lewis prior to Chavez delivering the commencement address.
Provost Brian Foster will recognize honors graduates before awarding the Tom L. Popejoy Dissertation Prize to Francois Gelineau for his dissertation “Economic Voting in Volatile Contexts: National and Subnational Politics in Latin America.”
UNM's Alumni Association will hold an open house for graduating seniors Monday – Friday, May 10-14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Hodgin Hall.
UNM's honorary degree recipients
Denise Chávez
Chávez captures and gives a voice to the people, landscape and distinctive language of the Southwest borderlands. Often her characters live on the edges of society, struggling to understand their personal identity, cultural heritage and place in the community.
Chávez is the author of more than twenty plays – her best known include Plaza (1984) and Women in the State of Grace (1989) – as well as three books of prose fiction, poems and a story for children. Her fiction includes a prize-winning collection of short stories Last of the Menu Girls (1986); and two novels, Face of an Angel (1994) and Loving Pedro Infante (2001), both published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, New York.
Widely regarded as among the most important Hispanic-American writers in the United States today, Chávez was born and raised in Las Cruces, she earned her BA in English from New Mexico State University, MFA from Trinity University, San Antonio; and M.A. in creative writing from UNM. She currently lives in her hometown where she directs the Cultural Center of Mesilla.
Edward Lewis
As co-founder, publisher, chairman and CEO of Essence Communications Partners, the career of UNM alumnus Ed Lewis is one of the great entrepreneurial success stories of the last half-century.
A New York City native, Lewis was recruited to UNM to play football. But he shined off the field – earning his BA in 1963 and MA in 1965, both in political science.
In 1979, as a management trainee armed with little but a business plan and a loan, Lewis and partner Clarence O. Smith started a lifestyle publication for African American women, ESSENCE Magazine. The two men grew the single publication into one of the country's largest African American-owned multimedia organizations.
Lewis is a passionate advocate of civil rights and community involvement. He gives both time and money to UNM and served two four-year terms on the UNM Foundation Board, 1992-2000.
Stewart Udall
Political figure, citizen activist and scholar of culture and history in the American Southwest, Stewart Udall has served our region for decades in innumerable ways – from environmental stewardship to the defense of Native American miners who are victims of radiation. His eight books stand as testament to the region's land, history and people.
He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, seeing combat duty in Italy. He obtained a law degree from the University of Arizona in 1948 and then opened a law practice in Tucson.
Elected to the U.S. Congress in 1954 from the 2 nd District of Arizona, shortly after his fourth term, Udall was appointed by U.S. President John F. Kennedy to serve as the 37 th secretary of the Interior, a cabinet position he held for eight years during the Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson administrations. Charged with developing and protecting our nation's natural resources, he initiated ideas and programs that helped bring the ecological evolution to fruition.
In the late 1970s, he took up the cause of Navajo uranium miners and “downwinders” in the Southwest who suffered from cancer attributable to radiation exposure from the Nevada nuclear test site. Rebuffed by the courts, he persevered and played a pivotal role in convincing congress to pass the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act in 1990.
For more information and a complete list of convocations visit http://www.unm.edu/~commence.
Contact: Laurie Mellas-Ramirez, (505) 277 5915
The LodeStar Astronomy Center announces the premiere of a profoundly beautiful full-dome planetarium feature, “The Search for Life: Are We Alone?” This $3 million production was created by the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
The LodeStar planetarium, which houses the largest theater screen in New Mexico, is the only place in the world outside of the Hayden Planetarium where “The Search for Life” can be experienced. The production was customized for LodeStar’s domed theater by the Hayden’s production team.
“LodeStar partnered with New York in a win-win agreement. We supported redesigning the show (three weeks of very long, very late hours in the LodeStar dome) for lease to theaters like ours in exchange for first rights to screen it and a leasing agreement that works with our budget. It was a tremendous amount of work, but the fruits are worth it—we’ve brought the best space show ever made to our community and it’s designed specifically for our theater,” said David Beining, LodeStar director.
Opening weekend at LodeStar is Saturday-Sunday, May 15-16, and “The Search for Life” will play in all planetarium time slots: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. During opening weekend, all planetarium tickets will be half price: $3 adults, $2 seniors, $1 children. Admission includes access to interactive displays in the gallery of exhibits and the StarWorks astronomy store, and on Sunday, the observatory also, for safe telescope viewing of sunspots and solar flares.
“The Search for Life” is a 24-minute exploration of the tantalizing possibility of life beyond Earth. It was written by Ann Druyan and Steven Soter, the co-authors of the groundbreaking PBS series “Cosmos,” and narrated by Academy Award-nominated actor Harrison Ford.
The program reveals that life on Earth can thrive in environments previously thought hostile and inhospitable, that there are innumerable planets outside our solar system, and that the processes that produced the Sun and the Earth are the same processes that continue to generate stars and planets throughout the Milky Way. This provocative new view of our galaxy is transforming human perceptions about what, or who, may be “out there.”
Throughout the program, the audience is wrapped in exhilarating, three-dimensional visuals based on current scientific research and discoveries, as well as actual imaging data from NASA missions. From the depths of the ocean to the depths of the cosmos, the painstakingly rendered environments transport the audience, and the immersive techniques used provide a realistic sense of motion.
Viewers lift off into space on a soaring expedition to search for evidence of life. Journeying through the solar system, they walk on the surface of Mars, float next to Jupiter’s frozen-crusted moon Europa, and head farther out into the Milky Way in search of other planetary systems, all in breathtaking 3-D surround visualization. In a particularly complex, vibrant sequence, viewers enter a cloud of interstellar gas and witness the turbulent birth of our solar system.
The note-perfect score was written by renowned film and television composer Stephen Endelman, and it masterfully complements the program’s contemplative yet uplifting themes. The narration of popular leading man Harrison Ford is the voice of Everyman, taking the audience along on his
journey of discovery and asking the expansive questions that humankind has pondered for centuries: “Are there other worlds like ours?”, “Do any of them have life?”, “Can life exist anywhere?”
LodeStar’s presentation of “The Search for Life: Are We Alone?” is made possible by generous support from Cimarron Health Plan, a long-time benefactor of LodeStar’s mission of astronomy education.
The planetarium pre-show that accompanies “The Search for Life” is “Mars Future Frontiers,” a 22-minute production of the Science Museum of Minnesota that has been enhanced and re-formatted for LodeStar’s domed theater. It covers NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission, from pre-launch to
the thrilling, successful landing of both rovers on the surface of Mars.
Shot entirely in high-definition, the program is intercut with gripping NASA simulations of the high-velocity entry into the Martian atmosphere, the mission-critical landing sequence, and the rover’s emergence from the landing capsule. However, this behind-the-scenes story of the mission focuses on the human element-the mission scientists and engineers, their family members, their excitement and pride at launch, their building tension and, ultimately, their jubilation on landing. It is a moving tribute to the space program and the talented people who make space missions possible.
The LodeStar Astronomy Center is a University of New Mexico project in partnership with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science.
LodeStar is located at 1801 Mountain Road NW, in Old Town Albuquerque, and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information or group reservations, call 505-841-5955 or visit www.lodestar.unm.edu.
NOTE TO CALENDAR EDITORS: Beginning on May 17, “The Search for Life: Are We Alone?” will play daily in the LodeStar planetarium at 12 noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m., replacing “Infinity Express.” LodeStar’s live star show, “Enchanted Skies,” will play daily at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Ticket prices are $6 adults, $5 seniors, $3 children.
LodeStar Contacts: David Beining, (505) 841-5985
Karen Keese, (505) 841-5972
UNM Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
UNM Research Professor Art Guenther has just completed his work on a National Academy panel to put together management criteria for Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories. The panel's report is expected to be released within the next few weeks. The National Academies are chartered by Congress as a private, nonprofit, non-governmental organization to advise the government and the nation on scientific and technological matters.
The panel was asked to identify key management principles to ensure high scientific quality in programs and activities at the two laboratories. A special issue of concern is how to assure the two laboratories, which have primary responsibility for the U.S. nuclear weapons programs , can preserve a strong research capability .
“We are particularly interested in ways the laboratories can maintain the most competitive work force possible,” says Guenther . “This is an important issue to people in northern New Mexico where the Los Alamos National Laboratory is constantly searching for qualified scientists.”
Guenther is a research professor in optics with the Center for High Technology Materials . He has served as Chief Scientist of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base, Chief Scientist for Advanced Defense Technology at Los Alamos National Laboratory, as Scientific Adviser for Laboratory Development at Sandia National Laboratories, and has been a science adviser to three governors.
One of the criteria listed in the scope of work for the panel is a mandate to look at the trends in management of scientific activities at other relevant federal research and development organizations.
Every five years the U.S. Department of Energy is required to review the management of each major research facility. The department is expected to release a Request for Proposals for management of Los Alamos National Laboratory later this year.
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627
The University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning recently learned that a proposed graduate certificate program in town design got final state approval. Mark Childs, director, Design Planning Assistance Center (DPAC) within the School, led the initiative.
“I am delighted, of course, with the unanimous vote by the State Board of Finance," says Roger Schluntz, dean. The endorsement of both Gov. Bill Richardson and the Lt. Gov. Diane Denish underscores my own sense that this is a very important initiative and undertaking for the School of Architecture and Planning."
“The certificate program will position UNM to engage student interests from related disciplines in this field, while directly addressing a critical need of New Mexico and this region,” Schluntz said.
Childs and DPAC students have worked to improve parts of many New Mexico communities including Artesia, Laguna, Socorro, Dona Ana, Aztec and Clovis.
“Of all states, New Mexico has the highest percentage of its population in small towns,” Childs said.
Childs said the certificate in town design gives students the foundation to think critically about approaches to designing emerging districts, towns and cities.
Some questions students will address include: What does it take to create a great town, a place that in and of itself gives life, dignity, joy and beauty? What aspects of physical design support creating vital public squares, plazas and other civic spaces? Can public art be an integral part of the urban design of these places? How do the common areas reflect the town's character?
Other points of concern include a town's infrastructure, streets, platting patterns, building types and utility structures and how they influence architecture and the character of place.
An advantage of the certificate program is the opportunity to understand the relationship between design professionals and other “building participants,” or owners, users and citizens, Childs said.
“The course of study shows students how these people shape, constrain and inform design. We will look at how cities emerge from design and dialog over time and how this influences the role of designer, planner or other urbanist,” Childs said. A long-term proponent of engaging communities in the design of their towns, Childs views this course of study as a way of providing greater expertise within communities.
“New Mexico provides a variety of settlement and district types to study and work with including Native American Pueblos, strip malls, Spanish Colonial settlements, streetcar suburbs, gated communities, acequia villages, ghost mining towns, colonias and communes. All provide rich opportunities for research. New Mexico also offers distinctive interactions between the natural and built environment, embodying both extractive settlements and centuries-old renewable resource based settlements,” Childs said.
Childs said that students in the program will learn how to improve the quality of life in settlements through the physical design of cities, towns and their various pieces.
“A course will be offered this fall is in town design and public health. We need to make the connection between physical exercise and the urban form,” he said.
Other courses include Civic Places and Public Art; Politics and the City; Urban Design Theory; Infrastructure Design and Planning; and the DPAC studio.
For more information, contact Childs at mchilds@unm.edu, or 505-277-5059.
Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920
There are probably much better places to spend 40 days than searching for meteorites in the frozen, wind blown tundra of Antarctica. But for Research Assistant Professor Barbara Cohen in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences it was the opportunity of a lifetime.
As part of the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET) program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA, Cohen was one of 10 researchers selected to participate in the latest expedition this winter (summer in Antarctica).
Antarctica is a hot bed of meteorites. More than 25,000 have been collected under the ANSMET program, which began in 1976 when the NSF provided support for a meteorite expedition led by researcher Bill Cassidy. Cohen’s group found more than 1,300 meteorites on their trip.
Once found, the meteorites, which are generally less than one centimeter on a side, are kept frozen and put on a boat to California, then trucked to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston where they are opened up under nitrogen. The meteorites are then unpacked and stored in nitrogen because it displaces water and oxygen in the atmosphere.
The meteorites then go to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. where a team of scientists classify the meteorites and send them back to Johnson Space Center for curation and dissemination to the research community.
Cohen’s research team hopes that among the 1,300 meteorites they found, some might turn out to be lunar or Martian meteorites, although they won’t know the outcome until later this summer.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has endorsed a new book on human rights activism edited by Carole Nagengast, University of New Mexico chair and professor of anthropology. “Human Rights, Power and Difference: The Scholar as an Activist,” is a book that links human rights activism with academic cultural analysis.
Carter is a world leader in advocating for human rights. In a statement of support, he said, “At the Carter Center, we have been committed to blending scholarship and action for more than 20 years. Texts like ‘Human Rights, Power and Difference' offer indispensable analysis that will guide human rights scholars and activists for years to come.”
Nagengast is a former chair of the board of directors of Amnesty International, USA. She came up with the idea of the book to inspire other academic researchers to investigate and teach about human rights. At UNM, Nagengast teaches a popular anthropology course on human rights. She is a long-time activist who combines her academic and human rights pursuits.
“Moral indignation, important as it is, is not enough,” said Nagengast. “We believe that along with it and the legal, social and political points of view that accompany human rights discourse, we also need to apply meticulous methodologies and a cultural analysis. Our goal is to give a human face to the issues of human rights by providing case studies from around the world.”
Composed of original writings by anthropologists and human rights researchers, the book emphasizes diverse approaches to social sciences to better understand human rights issues. Nagengast wrote an article dealing with cultural relativity and women's rights and wrote the book's introduction and conclusion.
Co-editor of the book is Carlos G. Vélez-Ibánez, director of anthropology at the University of California Riverside. The book is published by the Society for Applied Anthropology as part of its Monograph Series.
Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816
The White House has awarded eight institutions and nine individuals, including UNM Biology Professor Maggie Werner-Washburne, with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). This Presidential Award recognizes individuals and organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to mentoring students and increasing the participation of minorities, women and disabled students in science, mathematics and engineering.
The ceremony was held May 6 at the White House Eisenhower Executive Office Building and was presided over by John H. Marburger, science advisor to the President and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
For 15 years, Werner-Washburne has mentored large numbers of ethnic minority students. Her hands-on approach to mentoring reaches far beyond her department to K-12 to university and government professionals and across disciplines including biology, mathematics, computer sciences, and mechanical and chemical engineering.
The annual award, administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF), includes a $10,000 grant and a Presidential commemorative certificate. The PAESMEM program seeks to identify outstanding mentoring efforts and programs designed to enhance the participation of groups underrepresented in science, mathematics and engineering. The awardees will serve as models to their colleagues and will be leaders in the national effort to more fully develop the nation's human resources in science, mathematics and engineering.
In the eight years the awards have been made, 78 individuals and 62 institutions have been recognized. Recipients of this year's individual awards include a range of professionals from biology and chemical engineering to computer science and medicine. Their innovative approaches include comprehensive programs and enrichment activities for K-12 students to initiatives aimed at reaching a continuum of students from early childhood through undergraduates, using such community resources as schools and churches.
A complete listing of individual and institutional awardees can be found at: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/newsroom/pressrel.cfm
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
Students and faculty from the Design Planning Assistance Center (DPAC) in the University of New Mexico's School of Architecture and Planning returned to Santa Rosa this week to present the “Santa Rosa Community Visioning Plan" at the high school auditorium.
“This community session is a follow-up to a similar meeting we held in Santa Rosa in March,” said José Zelaya, visiting instructor, architecture. At that session, students presented their ideas for Blue Hole improvements, suggested uses for the Ilfeld building and design ideas for the courthouse square. They then opened the meeting to public comment and took those ideas back to the studio.
“We also had a session with Guadalupe County representatives because they own the courthouse square. We had suggested using the old courthouse for a museum, but it is their desire to restore the old building to use as the courthouse,” Zelaya said.
Zelaya said the goal is to renovate the old courthouse and the annex and turn the annex into a judicial center.
The group is a collaboration of architecture and landscape architecture graduate students and faculty, including Zelaya, and Alf Simon, director of landscape architecture. The group has been working in conjunction with Guadalupe County and Santa Rosa city officials during the spring semester in a visioning plan for the revitalization of downtown Santa Rosa, the redesign of the courthouse square, urban infill projects and implementing a design code.
The visioning plan also addresses improvements and a long-term plan for the Blue Hole area, including amenities for scuba divers, hikers and others.
DPAC, recipient of an Award of Distinction for the Rocky Mountain West Region of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), has worked on more than 900 projects throughout New Mexico for low-income families, disadvantaged groups, neighborhood associations, Native American communities, social service organizations and others.
Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920
William H. Lash, assistant secretary of Commerce and Market Access and Compliance will give a presentation to a seminar class in the Economics Department at the University of New Mexico on Wednesday, May 5, at 1:30 p.m. in the Social Sciences building, room 1052. Lash will speak on international trade and his work around the world in the area of business and finance.
Lash and his team work to ensure that foreign governments fully comply with the more than 250 trade agreements the United States has signed. He is particularly committed to the protection of U.S. investments and intellectual property rights and aggressively engages in the solving of commercial disputes involving foreign governments.
Lash also chairs the Department’s Iraq and Afghanistan Reconstruction Task Forces, which provide information and resources to businesses interested in participating in reconstruction efforts and commerce in these two countries. He also serves as the United States Economic Commissioner to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Prior to entering government service, he was professor of Law at George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, Va. His areas of teaching and research included international business transactions, international environmental law, regulation of foreign trade, corporate acquisitions and mergers, and corporate finance.
He has served as Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of American Business at Washington University, on the Board of Advisors for the CATO Institute for Trade Policy Studies and as an Adjunct Fellow at Citizens for a Sound Economy. In addition, he has served on the board of directors of publicly traded and privately held corporations. Lash has been the director of several nonprofit corporations and has served as a legal analyst for nearly every major television network in the country.
Contact: Steve Carr (505) 277-1821