They came from more than 5,600 miles away, as the crow flies, to attend the University of New Mexico as part of a cooperative exchange program between UNM’s Anderson Schools of Management (ASM) and Fundaco Armando Alvares Penteado University (FAAP), a private university in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
ASM Professors Dwight Grant, Raul de Gouvea and Sul Kassicieh organize the program, which brings Brazilian EMBA students to study at UNM. Designed to give Brazilian students a U.S. business perspective, the program teaches and prepares students to work anywhere in the world.
Originally Grant, Gouvea and Kassicieh traveled to Sao Paulo, and have every year since 1998, to teach in the FAAP’s EMBA program. In 2001, the cooperative exchange was formed with two U.S. institutions including UNM. In 2002, FAAP officials decided to hold it exclusively with UNM.
“Sul, Dwight and Raul came in at the right moment and we made a good connection,” said Professor Tharcisio Souza Santos, director of FAAP’s MBA program. “We discussed the concepts of a good MBA program. Our objective was to design a world-class program and to prepare students to work anywhere in the world. During our talks, we felt many areas at UNM were closely related to FAAP. We felt we should have the program here and we’re very happy about it.”
From all indications, including those of participating students, the match between FAAP and UNM is ideal.
“For me, the best part of the program is the friendliness of the people,” said student Maria Heloisa Martini Quercetti, a marketing representative for Unido Quimica, a pharmaceutical company in Sao Paulo. “The culture is friendly and outgoing. UNM is great. I love all there is about it.”
“I decided to come back to FAAP to get my EMBA,” said Luis Fernando Pinto, sr. manager, RR Donnelley in Sao Paulo. “The experience has been really nice. I’ve been to Chicago and there’s a big difference. People in New Mexico are more friendly. The instructors make you feel at home. New Mexico seems to be different than most of the U.S. culture. The people are really different. I would suggest to people to come and spend a week here.
“Another thing is to read, discuss and learn a lot about how service is done or not in the U.S. It’s been a very good experience.”
Over the past three years, more than 100 Brazilian students have participated in the unique cooperative program. This year, 30 students took part in the exchange that consists of two seminars in Sao Paulo and four at UNM. Additionally, students have been able to take trips around New Mexico to learn about the culture including Cerrillos, Santa Fe, Madrid, and the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Grant feels there are two keys to the success of the program.
“First of all, each faculty member has to understand the differences between cultures and the strengths and weaknesses between students,” Grant said. “Second, it’s important to have up-to-date presentation of subjects, but also a warm ambiance or atmosphere. We feel we’re improving each year.”
Among the classes students take at UNM are: Organizational Behavior and Diversity with Professor Jackie Hood; Management of Services with Professor Steve Yourstone; Mergers and Acquisitions with Professor Dante Di Gregorio; and Electronic Commerce with Kassicieh.
“The difference is the environment,” said Santos. “Students can feel the interaction with instructors. They can meet teachers out of the program. At the other institution, there were no relations, no interactions. We don’t feel this is the case at UNM.”
Kassicieh thinks this is the type of program that can enhance UNM’s reputation as the gateway to Latin America.
“Latin America is developing economically and technologically and they need MBAs who can manage in this new world economy,” said Kassicieh. “UNM has a lot to offer in business and technology management.” He added that he hopes a new set of EMBA Brazilians will be here next July.
Contacts: Tori Hobbs, (505) 277-7114; Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
University of New Mexico Assistant Professor of Law Norman Bay is one of 25 educators from around the world invited to participate in a seminar on International Humanitarian Law in Geneva, Switzerland, Sept.13-18, sponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Designed especially for university professors who teach in the field of international law, the seminar will provide training on international rules that apply in situations of armed conflict. Topics include law applicable in international and internal armed conflicts, including historical development, types of conflicts, the law of Geneva, the law of the Hague, prisoners of war, occupation, humanitarian assistance, customary law, war crimes and responsibility.
“Given the troubled times in which we live, international humanitarian law, which includes the Geneva Conventions, has become more important and relevant than ever,” Bay said. “This body of law helps ensure that basic norms of decency are observed during times of armed conflict and needless suffering averted. It helps protect combatants, prisoners of war and civilians alike.
“Through the seminar, I hope to gain insights into international humanitarian law that I'm able to share with students at the UNM School of Law. As a scholarship matter, I'm also interested in exploring the ways in which international criminal law can help further fundamental values of international humanitarian law, namely, upholding human dignity, protecting individuals from arbitrary treatment and ending the culture of impunity so that the worst offenders known to the world are held accountable for their conduct.”
Bay joined the UNM School of Law faculty in 2002 after a distinguished career in public service. In 2000, President Bill Clinton appointed Bay U.S. Attorney. During his U.S. Justice Department career he was detailed to the Treasury Department as special assistant to the Inspector General and taught at the Justice Department's National Advocacy Center.
His courses include criminal law, international law, legislative and administrative processes and professional responsibility.
Contact: Laurie Mellas Ramirez (505) 277-5915
Professor Juan Carlos Ramirez from the Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico will present a talk at Zimmerman Library in the Herzstein Room on Friday, July 30, at 3 p.m. The talk, “Running Masculinities: Power and Resistance in the Relationships between Men and Women,” will be followed by a reception. Ramirez’ talk will be presented in English, but will include some testimonial texts in Spanish that will be distributed to the audience. He will answer questions in both English and Spanish.
Ramirez is also a medical doctor in public health and his areas of interest include women’s health, gender and health, gender and violence and mortality and health policy. His research project deals with the problem of gender violence and concepts of masculinity, using a theoretical framework that combines sociological and clinical methodologies.
He is interested in building a network among institutions that take action on health services, education law and justice in this area.
This is the second of four visiting scholars the Latin American and Iberian Institute (LAII) and the University Libraries Division of Iberian and Latin American Resources and Services (DILARES) is sponsoring this summer, as part of an effort to promote scholarly use of the university’s Latin American collections.
For more information about the visiting scholars program contact: Vickie Madrid Nelson at LAII, (505) 277-2961 or Carolyn Mountain at DILARES, (505) 277-0818.
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627
The Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies and the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology invite you to celebrate VSA Arts of New Mexico, Sat. July 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Maxwell Museum and adjacent Hibben Center on the UNM campus. VSA Arts is creating a society where people with disabilities can participate in, learn through and enjoy the arts. The North Fourth Street Art Center, operated by VSA Arts of New Mexico, nurtures and celebrates the creative spirit of people of all abilities.
VSA Arts of New Mexico – North Fourth Street Art Center will give a poetry reading and art demonstrations, provide family activities, and show performance videos. Handmade arts & crafts - including framed art, handmade gift-wrap, jewelry, hand dyed silk scarves and much more - will be for sale. Refreshments will be served.
The event is free as is the parking. This event is sponsored in part by the City of Albuquerque Urban Enhancement Trust Fund.
A recent partnership between VSA Arts of New Mexico and the Ortiz Center includes educational programming at the museum, visits to collections, as well as the participation of Maxwell Museum staff at the North Fourth Street Art Center in Albuquerque. On-going collaborations will include the development of an exhibition with Native American people who have disabilities (Fall 2005).
Contact: Greg Johnston (505) 277-1816; Kathryn Klein, (505) 277-1936
Jenny Tobin, a UNM graduate student in Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, presented research findings recently on the topic of nuclear safety. Her presentation was featured at the Institute for Nuclear Materials Management’s 45th Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla.
“Nuclear Reactions: A Summary,” authored by Tobin, is a compilation of a number of surveys done statewide and nationally for the UNM’s Institute for Public Policy. Analyses were done over a period of ten years to assess how the perception of risk varies regarding nuclear material transportation and storage.
Tobin summarized how national and regional populations, specifically in areas of nuclear activity such as WIPP and Yucca Mountain, feel about safety measures developed and enforced by the nuclear industry. Findings showed that attention to safety and commitment to education has the greatest impact on the level of trust the population placed in the industry. Federal research funding is directly linked to popular support, so the nuclear energy industry must adequately identify and address public concerns about risk.
This summer Tobin is participating in the New Mexico Fellows Program with the Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department. The program introduces advanced college and graduate students to public service and state government.
Tobin is working on her master’s thesis, tentatively titled “Comparison of Generation IV Reactor Fuel Cycles with Respect to Potential Proliferation Risks.”
Tobin earned bachelor degrees in physics and chemistry from Albion College in Michigan. She is currently a contributor to a new exhibit on nuclear energy at the National Atomic Museum, where she also volunteers.
Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816
The Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico today voted unanimously to award the construction contract for the UNM Children’s Hospital and Critical Care Pavilion project to a joint venture between Jaynes Corporation of Albuquerque and JE Dunn Construction of Kansas City, Missouri. The companies submitted a low net bid of $129,355,500.
The Children’s Hospital and Critical Care Pavilion is a 486,000, six-floor clinical space facility including the UNM Children’s Hospital, maternity center, adult critical care center and more. Construction will take approximately 36 months from groundbreaking to completion.
UNM Children’s Hospital serves more than 50,000 New Mexico children every year. The hospital offers the most comprehensive care for children, available in New Mexico, and has the highest level of intensive care for children suffering from an illness or injury. Pediatric physicians specialize in many areas, including pediatric surgery, neonatology, oncology, cardiology, pulmonary and much more.
The UNM HSC provides added value to health care through leadership in providing innovative, collaborative education; advancing frontiers of science through research critical to the future of health care; delivering health care services that are at the forefront of science; and facilitating partnerships with public and private biomedical and health enterprises. For more information on the UNM Health Sciences Center, visit http://hsc.unm.edu.
Contact: Sam Giammo, (505) 272-3322
Yuridia Nagely Espino Cambray from Cuernavaca, and Olivia Resenos from Mexico City do role-playing as part of an intensive English language course on campus this month. The high school students are part of a group that is spending three weeks on the UNM campus to learn about specialized areas of study and campus life in the United States.
UNM routinely recruits Mexican students who are interested in taking undergraduate courses in the United States as part of a bridge student program. These students are part of a larger group of nearly two dozen students from various cities in Mexico.
Vice President for Student Affairs, Eliseo “Cheo” Torres says it is easier for undergraduate students to learn English than for graduate students. “Why not start when they are young?” he asks. “We’re investing in the future by working with young people.”
The study course is 21 days of cultural, social and academic activities on campus each summer.
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627
NASA recently selected a proposal involving researchers at the University of New Mexico as a candidate for the next mission in the agency’s New Frontiers Program. The mission, “Moonrise: Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return Mission,” is led by Michael Duke from the Colorado School of Mines. UNM Professors James Papike and Barbara Cohen from the Institute of Meteoritics (IoM) are co-investigators on the proposal.
The proposal includes landing two robots on the moon’s surface near the south pole and return with more than two kilograms (about five pounds) of lunar materials from a region of the moon’s surface believed to harbor materials from the moon’s mantle. It was selected along with a proposal to study Jupiter’s deep atmosphere.
In the three decades since the U.S.’s Apollo and the USSR’s Luna missions returned lunar rocks to earth, scientists have found them an invaluable scientific resource. Lunar rocks are key to understanding the early history of planet formation and bombardment, because the surface of the moon is not recycled or weathered like the earth’s crust.
Papike has been studying lunar rocks since 1969 and was in mission control during the Apollo 14, 15, 16 and 17 missions. Cohen is interested in unraveling the bombardment history of the earth-moon system, and has done so by studying ages of lunar meteorites, random samples of the lunar surface.
The moon is also home to one of the two largest and oldest impact craters within the inner planets of the solar system. The crater, named South Pole-Aitken basin, is more than 2000 kilometers wide and blew out rocks from very deep in the lunar interior. Cohen would work on samples from this location to tell the story of how very large impacts, early in planetary history, affected the moon and its nearest neighbor, earth. This large crater is also a window into the moon’s mantle, providing pieces of the moon’s interior from kilometers deeper than any drill could penetrate.
Papike, along with IoM collaborators Chip Shearer and Lars Borg, would use these samples to understand how and when the moon formed, melted and cooled.
“These two outstanding proposals were judged to be the best science value among the seven submitted to NASA in 2004,” said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for space science at NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
The Moonrise proposal will now receive $1.2 million to conduct a seven-month feasibility study. NASA intends to select one of the mission proposals for full development as the second New Frontiers mission by May 2005 with a mission cost cap of $700 million.
If selected, the Moonrise mission would launch in 2009 and return samples in 2010. The IoM would be among the first institutions to receive samples for study. Papike and Cohen, along with Shearer and Borg, would have the first crack at learning about the moon’s mantle and largest crater.
Contacts: James Papike, (505) 277-1646; Barbara Cohen, (505) 277-3345; or Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
Felix Manuel Burgos, professor from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, is the first of four scholarly researchers scheduled to visit the University of New Mexico campus this summer to use the Latin American collections at University Libraries.
He will speak about his work in a talk, “Chronicles of Foreign Travelers in the Amazon Basin 1850-1930,” at a reception on Wednesday, July 28 at 3:30 p.m. in the Herzstein Room of Zimmerman Library. The talk will be in Spanish and a reception will follow.
Also visiting UNM this summer, are Juan Carlos Ramirez Rodriguez, M.D., from Universidad de Guadalajara, Amy Sellin from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo. and Anita Bravo from the University of Illinois-Urbana.
The Latin American and Iberian Institute (LAII) and the University Libraries Division of Iberian and Latin American Resources and Services (DILARES) are sponsoring the visiting researchers as part of an effort to promote scholarly use of the university’s Latin American collections.
For more information about the visiting scholars program contact Vickie Madrid Nelson at LAII, (505) 277-2961 or Carolyn Mountain, at DILARES (505) 277-0818.
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627
The LodeStar Astronomy Center and The Albuquerque Astronomical Society (TAAS) are presenting and co-hosting the 3rd annual “Astro-Images of New Mexico: Portraits from the Foothills of Space” astrophotography contest and exhibition. The contest invites amateur photographers to submit their celestial images for an exhibition celebrating the beauty of New Mexico’s skies.
Images submitted for consideration must have been created in New Mexico. The four submission categories are: Land and Sky; Plate/Film/Digital; CCD (very light-sensitive digital imaging); and a new category this year, Photo Illustration. The contest deadline is August 31, 2004.
Up to 50 works will be selected for display at the LodeStar Astronomy Center, located in the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. The exhibition will hang from October 2004 through February 2005.
Prizes will be awarded for Best of Show, and first and second place winners in each of the four categories. Winners will be announced at the TAAS monthly lecture on Saturday, October 2, at LodeStar.
Images chosen for exhibition and recognition will be selected by blind judging. The panel of five judges includes:
David Nelson Blair - past president of TAAS. An avid amateur astronomer and film photographer, he first photographed the stars in 1970.
John Fleck - science writer for The Albuquerque Journal. He has written prolifically about all aspects of science, from dinosaurs to black holes, supercomputers to supernovae.
Kirk Gittings - widely published and exhibited architectural photographer. His book “Chaco Body” with poet V.B. Price was critically acclaimed as a major contribution to regional art.
Laurel Ladwig - planetarium manager for LodeStar. She has interpreted the night sky for children and adults since 1982 in observatories and planetaria from Texas to New Mexico.
Gordon Pegue - past observatory director for TAAS. He has extensive knowledge of thousands of celestial objects, through visual observation and CCD imaging.
Business sponsors of the contest and exhibition are AP-T Camera Repair, Camera & Darkroom, Forms Plus, Kurt’s Camera Corral, and TJ’s Camera & 1 Hour Photo.
Entries must be postmarked or hand-delivered, by August 31, to Karen Keese, LodeStar Astronomy Center, 1801 Mountain Road N.W., Albuquerque N.M. 87104. Hand-carried entries will also be accepted and may be delivered to the security desk at the Museum of Natural History & Science, 1801 Mountain Road NW.
Contest rules and entry forms are available at and www.taas.org/astroimages.html.
Contacts: Karen Keese, (505) 841-5972 or Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
The Management of Technology Center at the Anderson Schools of Management (ASM) was recognized as one of the top 10 United States-based, and top 50 global centers of research in the area of Management of Technology by the International Association For Management of Technology (IAMOT).
Institutional rankings were based on more than 15 quantitative research metrics. UNM was ranked No. 6 in the United States, behind Stanford and ahead of Harvard.
“New Mexico has long been rich in technology research,” said Steve Walsh, associate professor, Finance, International and Technology Management. “Now the Anderson Schools of Management joins this fine tradition by being rich in technology commercialization research.
"The Management of Technology Center and Technology Entrepreneurship Program are proud to be part of the foundation of the university’s economic development focus,” he added.
“As our mission involves the support and recognition of the Management of Technology, the International Association for the Management of Technology would like to recognize the University of New Mexico for the important role its currently playing in the Management of Technology,” said Tarek Khalil, president, IAMOT. “UNM’s research efforts in the fields of technology commercialization, innovation and entrepreneurship has greatly progressed in the field.”
The top 50 schools worldwide will be recognized at the 14th International Conference on Management of Technology in Vienna, Austria in May 2005.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
Debra Yoshimura, CPA, has been appointed as the new director of internal audit as UNM President Louis Caldera continues to build his senior management team. The director of internal audit at UNM is responsible for examining the records and operations of the university and its contractors. She will report jointly to President Caldera and the Board of Regents.
Yoshimura most recently has been director of internal audit at the City of Albuquerque where she has worked since 1987.
“As the university educational, research and public service programs continue to grow, it is critical to have an auditor who can create and implement a comprehensive, pro-active, risk-based internal audit program. Debra brings the experience, leadership skills, and strong professional approach needed to lead this program,” said Caldera.
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627.
The New Mexico Recycling Coalition has awarded UNM the “Best Post Secondary School Recycling School of the Year” title for 2004. The university was recognized for improving the quality of recycling in the state.
Resource Conservation Manager Linda McCormick says, “Since recycling became part of SHEA (Safety, Health & Environmental Affairs) in August 2003, the types and quantities of materials UNM recycles has been expanded dramatically. Recycling is really an exciting place to be working now.”
UNM currently recycles white paper, cardboard, colored paper, CD’s, floppy disks, photographic film, alkaline batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, cotton towels, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, wooden pallets, used motor oil, used antifreeze, plastic bags, empty plastic chemical bottles, phone books, aluminum cans, printer cartridges, Styrofoam and 3-ring binders.
In addition, UNM composts grass clippings and tree trimmings from campus lawns and golf courses.
For more information about how to recycle at UNM, contact McCormick at 277-9511 or lindamce@unm.edu
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627
Experience "The Baghdad Project," a multimedia presentation featuring 100 photographs and personal stories of Iraqi citizens told in their own words at UNM's Woodward Hall, rm. 101, on Saturday, July 17 from 7-9 p.m. The visual and audio portraits offer a different depiction of the Iraqi people than seen in the electronic media, exploring what they think about Americans, their dreams for themselves and hopes for the future.
The project, presented by journalist Zelie Pollon and photographer Laurent Gaunt, has shown to packed crowds in northern New Mexico, Utah, San Diego and Washington D.C.
The event is sponsored by the UNM Political Science Department. A $5-10 donation is requested at the door.
For information, visit www.BaghdadProject.com or call Zelie Pollon, 505-983-1518.
Carlos Rey Romero is the new director of Government Relations for the University of New Mexico. He will be handling legislative matters for UNM on both the state and federal levels. President Louis Caldera says “We are delighted to have someone of Carlos’ talent working to have UNM reach its full potential.”
Romero has served as financial advisor and governmental relations director for the New Mexico Finance Authority for the past three years. He received his undergraduate degree from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and a master’s degree in business from New Mexico Highlands University.
The Espanola native was active in student government and was elected president of Associated Students of New Mexico from 1997-1999. Romero has also taught economics as an adjunct professor at Highlands University and at the Armand Hammer United World College.
Contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627
Art St. George, manager of Advanced Communication Technologies at UNM’s Computer and Information Resources and Technology, has been appointed to the EDUCAUSE Committee on Evolving Technologies for a three-year term.
EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology.
The committee plays an important role in identifying leading edge and experimental technologies expected to make a real difference in higher education. Members share information regarding these developments with members of EDUCAUSE as well as the higher education community.
Members are generally are responsible for technology development and implementation on their campuses and have a breadth of knowledge about the application of technologies.
Membership is open to institutions of higher education, corporations serving the higher education information technology market and other related associations and organizations. EDUCAUSE helps those who lead, manage and use information resources to shape strategic decisions at every level. For more information, visit http://www.educause.edu/.
Contact: Laurie Mellas-Ramirez, (505) 277-5915
John D. Gates, acting associate director and visiting lecturer in the University of New Mexico Native American Studies department, has been awarded a Fulbright Senior Scholar grant to lecture and research at the University of Bonn, North American Studies Program, Bonn, Germany during the 2004-2005 academic year.
The United States Department of State and J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced the award.
Gates will teach two classes during the fall and spring terms, lecturing in federal Indian law, Native American Studies and international Indigenous human rights. In the spring, he teaches an online course “Native Americans and Germans: the Politics of Nationalism and Identity” offered through WebCT.
His research will focus on Native Americans’ and Germans’ varied conceptions of nationalism, identity and self-determination leading into the 21st century.
Gates is one of approximately 800 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad to some 140 countries this academic year through the Fulbright Scholar Program. Established in 1946, the program’s purpose is to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries.
The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange activity, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Recipients of Fulbright Scholar awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement and because they have demonstrated extraordinary leadership potential in their fields.
Contact: Laurie Mellas-Ramirez, (505) 277-5915
Researchers at the University of New Mexico and Duke University have discovered that, in contrast to prevailing assumptions, the immune system of an invertebrate animal - in their particular study a freshwater snail - has the ability to generate a diverse repertoire of defense molecules, despite lacking the lymphocytes that produce diverse antibodies and T-cell receptors found in vertebrates.
UNM researchers Si-Ming Zhang, Coen Adema and Eric Loker, and Duke’s Thomas Kepler recently announced the discovery based on several years of research. Their findings have been published in the latest edition of Science.
“It’s an exciting time for us, and in general for the field of comparative immunology because similar kinds of discoveries are coming to light in other organisms. Just this week the lead article in Nature was about a unique mechanism of immune diversification in lamprey eels” said Loker, chair of the Biology department and principal investigator for the project funded through a five-year, $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. “It was a coming together of minds - parasitologists, comparative immunologists and computational biologists - that led us to realize that snails produce defense molecules with a remarkably high level of diversification.”
The active diversification of defense genes has always been regarded as a characteristic separating vertebrate – including human - immune systems from invertebrates, explained Loker. Vertebrate immune systems are complex in part because of the active diversification of antibodies and T-cell receptors, but invertebrates lack those components, and their immune systems were thought to be correspondingly primitive.
Loker’s group studies the freshwater snail Biomphalaria glabrata, because of the role this snail plays in transmitting parasites that cause schistosomiasis in tropical regions, especially Brazil. Schistosome worms still infect 200 million people in underdeveloped countries. The cycle of infection begins when an infected human, often a child, excretes schistosome eggs into a freshwater pond or stream. The eggs hatch and release a larval stage that then infects B. glabrata snails. After about a month, thousands of cercariae begin to emerge from the infected snail and will penetrate the skin of a person bathing in the water. The parasites then mature into adult worms, with infection eventually damaging many vital organs in the body.
“Our original motivation was to learn more about the snail and how it defends itself from schistosome infection and how to stop the spread of the parasites,” said Loker. “No one fully understands how snails protect themselves from any pathogen or parasite.”
The researchers found that the snails possess in their blood a diverse family of proteins known as fibrinogen-related proteins, or FREPs. FREPs are unusual molecules in having at one end stretches of amino acids distantly related to those found in antibodies and at the other end, a region related to fibrinogen, the protein involved in blood clotting. FREPs increase in abundance following infection of snails and can bind to the surface of schistosome parasites. Molecules comparable to FREPs have not yet been found in other animals.
Further study of FREPs, even when retrieved from one snail, kept revealing more and more different sequences, something that was unexpected and not observed in other non-FREP control genes. The FREPs found in one snail were also found to be quite different from those of another. The variant FREP sequences were inferred to be derived from a small set of nine source sequences by point mutation and recombinatorial processes.
“It took about three years to figure out that the FREP sequences were being diversified in this unusual way,” said Adema, who has played an important role in revealing the original structure of FREPs and their puzzling variability. “We found patterns in our data sets indicating that a relatively simple organism like the snail was able to diversify molecules in a way likely to benefit its immune system. We turned to bio-informatics to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of diversification.”
The project has generated more than 1,000 DNA sequences, which is where the computational aspect of the research has been vitally important to the findings.
Kepler’s contribution to the study was to use his expertise in DNA sequence analysis to recognize patterns in the mass of sequence data that had been generated. “It was clear that the genes in the dataset, though different, were closely related,” said Kepler. He devised a statistical technique for inferring the relationship among the genes and it produced a set of “very likely” reconstructions of their history. All of the reconstructed histories that were at all plausible showed a pattern: genes were swapping pieces of themselves back and forth.
To further test the implications of their findings, the group is now using a technique known as RNAi or RNA interference to knockout FREP genes.
“Our findings with RNAi are still preliminary, but we have indications that the technique is working,” said Zhang, the lead author on the Science paper. Zhang, who has been supported by UNM’s Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology (CETI), which is funded through the NIH COBRE program, notes, “We know diversification is occurring, but understand little about the mechanism or the importance of diversification to the snail’s survival. We’re using RNAi to begin to understand more about the functions of diversified FREPs.”
In the wake of this discovery made in snails, research by other groups that is now coming to light indicates that snails aren’t the only invertebrates with this ability. Sea urchins, shrimp and other species are showing signs of diversification, but using apparently different mechanisms.
“Invertebrates have much more capability for diversification than we gave them credit for,” said Adema. “Their innate defenses are more sophisticated and complicated than originally thought.”
“Our findings are changing our view of both innate and invertebrate immunity,” added Loker. “Invertebrates can do much more than anyone originally thought. We are grateful to the NIH for giving us the time to bring our research to fruition.”
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
The UNM Staff Council has established a new, weeklong event titled, “Celebrating UNM Staff Week,” to be held on campus July 19-24. The opening event features an art exhibition and reception highlighting the diverse artistic talents of UNM staff. Submissions range from mixed media, sculpture, pen and ink, photography and tinwork.
The kickoff event will be held Monday, July 19, from 4 to 6 p.m., in rm. 105 at Masley Gallery located in Travelstead Hall at the College of Education. Welcoming remarks by Raqui Martinez of the Rewards and Recognition Commitee will begin at 4:30 p.m. It will be co-hosted by the Human Resources Department and the Staff Council’s Rewards and Recognition Committee.
The art exhibition will continue throughout the week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with gallery sitters from the UNM Retiree Association. Visitors will have the opportunity to select the “Viewer’s Favorite” with prizes to be awarded at the show’s closing on July 23.
The idea for the celebration of UNM staff week and art exhibition was hatched from a brainstorming session between newly elected Staff Council President Steve Borbas and Administrative Assistant Karin Retskin. The idea was to implement an event celebrating staff and highlighting the work of the Staff Council.
Borbas and Retskin said they already knew of the many “hidden” artistic talents of co-workers and that finding staff to participate would be easy. The biggest challenge they thought was finding gallery space on campus for such an ambitious adventure.
Linney Wix, program coordinator for the Art Education Department was contacted and very supportive of the idea. “The summertime is slow for the gallery and the idea of an exhibition highlighting the artistic talents of staff was very appealing,” she said.
“The size and scope of this year’s show is only limited by the size of the gallery,” added Retskin. “We have wall space for 30-40 submissions and pedestal space for about five pieces.”
Other events for the celebratory week include free books from staff for staff in Ballroom A at the Student Union Building, Wednesday, July 21, from noon to 2 p.m. The UNM Bookstore is offering discount coupons to staff for bookstore purchases as well as bags for the free books. The remainder of the books will be donated to The Friends Shop, a used book resale shop located in Zimmerman Library.
On Thursday, July 22, the Employee Health Promotion Program will give away free smoothies in the kitchen located in Johnson Gym from noon to 1 p.m.
Anne Mayer, from Employee and Organizational Development will be the guest speaker at a presentation at Continuing Education on Friday, July 23 in Banquet Room C, at 12:15 p.m. She will be discussing the balancing Work + Life issues. Parking and Transportation Services will provide special shuttle transportation to staff on both main and north campuses for the presentation.
The week will culminate with the 12th Annual UNM Staff Picnic at the Rio Grande Zoo on Saturday, July 24, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are still available for $3 each and can be purchased at the UNM ticket offices at the Pit, the Bookstore, the cashier’s offices at the branch campuses and the cashier’s office in Basic Medical Sciences Building on North Campus. Children 2 and under are free.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
Richard W. Etulain, UNM professor emeritus of history, recently returned from a short-term Fulbright teaching award in Ukraine. As a senior specialist in the Fulbright Program, Etulain provided an overview of United States history and literature for advanced English Language students at the Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University in eastern Ukraine.
In addition to his more than 20 lectures in American studies, Etulain met with numerous student and teaching groups to discuss recent events in the US.
Etulain, the author or editor of more than 40 books, is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar of American cultural history, especially that related to the American West.
While at UNM he edited the "New Mexico Historical Review" and directed the Center for the American West in the UNM History Department.
Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920
University of New Mexico biology doctoral student Jacob Goheen was named a recipient of the Albert R. and Alma Schadle Fellowship in Mammalogy by the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) at its 84th annual meeting recently.
The fellowship, provided annually by the Albert R. and Alma Shadle Endowment Fund and made by the Buffalo Foundation at the recommendation of the Grants-in-Aid Committee of ASM, is intended to promote a professional career in mammalogy by allowing the recipient greater freedom to pursue research. Goheen was selected from a pool of 19 candidates. The award is approximately $4,000.
A second-year doctoral student, Goheen has 12 peer-reviewed publications in top journals in the field of ecology, four currently in review and has 17 presentations or seminars to his credit.
“Jake shows all the signs of being every bit as good, not only as the best of our current graduate students, but also as the best of my former students who now hold prestigious positions in academia, conservation and government agencies,” said UNM Distinguished Professor James H. Brown, Goheen’s advisor.
“As a member of the selection committee for this award, I, and everyone else present was not only awed by his accomplishments that far exceed the norm for finishing doctoral students, we were quite frankly scared to see someone so young producing at such a rate and such high quality,” said Iowa State Professor Brent Danielson. “He is truly exceptional as a scientist as measured at any level.”
Goheen is currently in Kenya working on a unique experimental system to understand how large mammals such as elephants, zebras and antelope interact with many small rodents to shape the vegetation and landscapes of the grasslands and savannahs famous in Africa.
The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was established in 1919 for the purpose of promoting interest in the study of mammals. In addition to being among the most charismatic of animals, mammals are important in many disciplines from paleontology to ecology and evolution. The ASM is currently composed of more than 4,500 members, many of whom are professional scientists.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821