Open forums have been scheduled for four finalists for the position of director at UNM’s Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO). An 11-member committee, in a national search that began in April, identified the four. The finalists include Francie Cordova, Art Gonzales, Nell Russell and José Ortal.
Among other duties, the UNM OEO director develops and implements comprehensive equal opportunity and affirmative action plans for the University and ensures UNM’s compliance with all local, state, and federal civil rights laws and regulations. The individual selected will succeed OEO Interim Director Theresa Ramos.
The dates, times and locations of their respective open forums include:
Francie Cordova, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2 to 3 p.m., Robert’s Room, Scholes Hall
Cordova attended undergraduate school at University of California-Santa Cruz and law school at UCLA. She was admitted to the California Bar in 1990 and worked as a public defender in Orange County, Calif. She returned to New Mexico in 1994 and worked as an assistant attorney general in the Civil Division representing boards, commissions and state agencies.
Gov. Bill Richardson appointed her as director of the New Mexico Human Rights Commission in 2003. She is active in several organizations including the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association, the United Leadership Council, the Martin Luther King Commission and the New Mexico EEO Council. Cordova was born and raised in Espanola, New Mexico
Art Gonzales, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2 to 3 p.m., Robert’s Room, Scholes Hall
Gonzales holds a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from the Robert O. Anderson Schools of Management, University of New Mexico. He also holds certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He currently is the benefits manager for the University of New Mexico’s Human Resource Department and previously was the employment manager for the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of New Mexico.
During his 27 years in the human resources field, he has served in various generalist and specialist roles including personnel officer, EEO specialist, staffing and affirmative action specialist, employee relations specialist, labor relations specialist, and compensation specialist. His human resources career has taken him all over the country and to Europe, where he was personnel director for a U.S. Air Force Base in Zaragoza, Spain.
Nell Russell, Thursday, August 11, 2 to 3 p.m., Robert’s Room, Scholes Hall
Russell is currently the director of Employment Practices and Affirmative Action at the University of Wyoming. She has held leadership positions in Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action within higher education for more than 30 years.
In 1975, Russell began her career at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., where she held the assistant, associate and director of Affirmative Action positions for almost six years.
During her eight-year tenure as director of Affirmative Action at Brown University, Russell had the additional responsibility of coordinating the requirements of a court ordered Consent Decree associated with hiring of women faculty. She spent nearly 14 years at the University of Akron, where she is credited for developing the first university-wide employee training in matters of sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination.
Prior to entering the higher education environment she held the position of assistant director of Affirmative Action for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Russell’s academic credentials include a B.S., M.S. and a certificate in Management Development.
José Ortal, Monday, August 15, 2 to 3 p.m., Santa Ana Room, Student Union Building
Ortal was born in Cuba and raised in Los Angeles. He earned a B.A. in History from the California State University, Long Beach, an M.A. in History from the University of California, Los Angeles and is currently ABD at the University of Miami (Fla.). His career has included stints with the city of Los Angeles as a management analyst and the City of Santa Monica as a labor compliance officer.
He also worked at the Cordoba Corporation as a contract compliance officer. Ortal is currently the director of Affirmative Action/Diversity/Equal Opportunity at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. He also serves as the director of Oregon Diversity Institute’s Board Chair and is a member of the Community College Moment Editorial Board and the Centro LatinoAmericano’s Board co-chair.
For more information contact Helen Gonzales or Eileen Sanchez at: (505) 277-2013.
Jamie Koch, president of the UNM Board of Regents, won the shot put at the World Masters Games held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada recently. The 10-day event featured 25,000 athletes ages 25 and older competing in more than 30 individual and team events, from badminton to weightlifting.
Contending against 13 other international competitors in the 70-74 age group, Koch, 70, won the shot put with a toss of 13.75 meters (45 feet, 1 inch). Germany's Peter Speckens was second at 13.56 meters (44-5 followed by Kenneth Tronstad from Napa, Calif., at 12.51 meters (41 feet).
It's been a good year for Koch, a Santa Fe native who played football and wrestled at UNM. His victory Edmonton was his 13th of 2005. Two weeks ago he won the shot put at the Summer National Senior Games in Pittsburgh, Pa., with a national masters' record heave of 44 feet, 9 inches.
Next up for Koch is the European Championships in Spain in late August.
Contact: Greg Remington, (505) 925-5520
Finishing a bachelors degree can open up tremendous job and life opportunities. On Thursday, August 11, the University of New Mexico will host an information session for non-traditional students interested in completing their degree through evening and weekend degree programs.
The information sessions will begin at 7 p.m. in rooms B and C of the Division of Continuing Education (1634 University Blvd. NE). Advisors will be on hand from a variety of departments, including arts and sciences, Anderson Schools of Management, education, engineering and architecture.
Interested students will also be able to speak with admissions and financial aid counselors. In addition, students will have the opportunity to fill out and turn in application and registration materials on the spot. Prospective students should call the Evening & Weekend Degree Programs office at 277-0896 to reserve a space.
Contact: Jenny Savage, (505) 277-1810
The University of New Mexico, through a grant from the Eurasia Foundation (EF), is helping faculty at Kazakhstan’s Eurasian National University (ENU) establish a two-year Master of Science degree in Environmental Management and Engineering (MSEME). The grant is funded primarily by a five-year commitment from the U.S. energy company AES with contributions from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Four UNM faculty, including Bruce Thomson and Tim J. Ward of Civil Engineering; Gregory Gleason of Political Science; and Michael E. Campana of the Water Resources Program and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, are spearheading the effort to establish the program.
ENU, located in the capital Astana, will enroll its first candidates in September 2005 and expects to graduate its first cohort in 2007. ENU hopes to graduate 20 students per year once the program is established.
“We were very impressed with the dedication and knowledge of the ENU faculty,” said Campana, project director. “Both AES and EF are committed to the MSEME’s success and we are enthused to be part of this program.”
AES sought to establish this program in part to support its operations in Kazakhstan, where it owns and operates power generation and distribution facilities. Dale Perry, AES General Manager in Kazakhstan, said that AES wants to help Kazakhstan produce “specialists who have a solid grasp of both the science and local operating conditions.”
Thomson, Gleason, and Campana recently returned from two weeks in Astana where they taught ENU faculty some of the subjects they will need to teach their students – environmental science and engineering, hydrology, and environmental management – and helped with curriculum development.
Seven ENU faculty will travel to UNM for two weeks in August to receive more training from Thomson, Economics Professor Janie Chermak, Civil Engineering Professor Julie Coonrod and Mark Cal of New Mexico Tech, all of whom will instruct in air quality and pollution.
UNM faculty will also help ENU faculty develop funded research projects to provide support for students and faculty alike and ensure the sustainability of the MSEME degree program.
Kazakhstan, one of the former Soviet republics, became independent in 1991. It is a vast (more than 1,000,000 square miles, about four times the size of Texas), sparsely populated (15,000,000 people) country with substantial energy (oil, gas and coal) and mineral resources.
The potential for environmental degradation from these operations as well as agricultural, waste-disposal and other land uses is significant. With UNM’s assistance, ENU’s MSEME graduates will help ensure that degradation is minimized and that Kazakhstan develops its resources wisely.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
Associate Provost for Curriculum and Instruction Amy Wohlert has been appointed interim dean of Graduate Studies for the 2005-06 academic year. She will add the position to her current duties, which will focus more closely on curriculum. Associate Provost Wynn M. Goering will take on some of Wohlert’s duties regarding undergraduate instruction.
Acting Provost Reed Dasenbrock says, “This looks like a good moment to take a careful look at graduate education at UNM and to consider if our current administrative structure is the right one.”
Dasenbrock is forming a task force to look at the structure of graduate education on campus. The task force will be charged with asking whether the Office of Graduate Studies has the right set of responsibilities and powers, whether those responsibilities should be increased or decreased, and whether it should be staffed in a different way. The task force will also be asked to look at the changes new software now being introduced at UNM will bring to handling graduate students, and to make suggestions if needed.
Buckner Creel, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Association will co-chair the task force along with a senior member of the faculty. That person has not yet been named. Dasenbrock says there will be representatives from key groups on campus appointed to the task force.
“I am confident that Interim Dean Wohlert will provide the Office of Graduate Studies with strong leadership over the next year, and I look forward to seeing what the task force recommends for the future,” says Dasenbrock. “Graduate education is a very important part of our mission, and we need to do everything we can to make sure that our graduate programs are as strong as we can make them.”
Wohlert says, “I look forward to working with the staff at the Office of Graduate Studies to serve our graduate students and programs. Supporting graduate education at UNM is an exciting task.”
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627
The University of New Mexico is hosting a Mexican Traditional Medicine Fair on Wednesday, July 27, from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. The event will feature curanderos, or Mexican folk healers, alternative medicine and demonstrations on how to use plants and herbs for medicinal purposes.
Vice President for Student Affairs Eliseo “Cheo” Torres will give a related lecture with Dr. Arturo Ornelas Lizardi, director of El Centro Desarrolo Humano hacia a la Comunidad in Cuernavaca in the Student Union Building theater from noon – 1 p.m.
Torres is the author of “Curandero: A Life in Mexican Folk Healing,” which describes his personal experiences and prominent figures in the tradition of curanderismo. The book also addresses common misconceptions regarding curanderismo and healing practices that are viable and prevalent in the Mexican-American community.
Torres is the only vice president of a U.S. university conducting research, writing, and teaching about Curanderismo. He leads a course for students who come from around the country titled, “Want to Know More About Curanderismo?” scheduled July 18-29. Torres’s healing herbs collection is on display at the Art Gallery upper level of the SUB through Aug. 14.
He has been collecting multi-cultural medicinal herbs and other folk objects for more than 20 years. The collection contains Medicinal Herbs, Native American Folk Medicine, Old Fashioned Remedies, African American Folk Medicine and Folk Beliefs from Around the World and Magical Potions.
UNM's Employee Health Promotion Program will offer participatory yoga for fitness and information regarding common interactions with herbal remedies and prescribed medications. http://ehpp.unm.edu
Local businesses will exhibit products, give demonstrations, pass out samples and provide information on different kinds of herbs and alternative medicine. Participants include Wild Oats, Whole Foods Market, Vitamin Cottage, La Montañita Co-op, The Herb Store and Herbs, Etc., from Santa Fe.
The fair is at UNM’s main campus on the Cornell Mall, east of the Student Union Building and is free and open to the public.
The UNM Student Affairs Office, UNM Tricentennial and Work + Life Committees sponsor the fair as part of UNM’s salute to the Albuquerque Tricentennial celebration.
Contact: Maya L. Oliver, (505) 277-1989 or Eleanor Sanchez, (505) 277-1813
The Center for Family & Community Partnerships in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico was awarded a grant for $2.3 million from the U.S. Department of Education to implement Project LEER, an Early Reading First program, in 2003.
LEER (Spanish for “to read”) is an acronym for “Learners Eager for Early Reading.” Prof. Polly Turner directs the project, among 30 projects funded initially in the United States.
The UNM project will hold its third Summer Institute from Aug. 1-5, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Rotunda, Science and Technology Building, 801 University Blvd. SE.
The institute serves teachers and assistants from 14 classrooms participating in LEER, administrators from APS and the city and other invited guests.
Sylvia Linan-Thompson from the University of Texas at Austin will present “Starting out Right: Activities for Language and Literacy in Preschool,” Aug. 2. She is co-investigator for three national research projects examining the development of English- and Spanish-speaking children.
Jim Stone, a teacher and researcher from La Mesa, Calif., who spent more than 25 years using research in language development, reading research and brain research to develop Animated Literacy Ô , will present an approach to beginning reading and writing instruction that incorporates, literature, storytelling, songs and manipulatives on Aug. 4.
The goal of the E arly Reading First project is to transform existing early education programs into centers of excellence that provide high-quality, early education to young children, especially those from low-income families. The overall purpose of the program is to prepare young children to enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive and foundational literacy skills to prevent later reading difficulties and ensure school success.
The ERF project is a partnership of the UNM Center for Family and Community Partnerships at the University of New Mexico, Even Start and Child Find programs for 3- and 4-year-olds in the Albuquerque Public Schools and Child Development Centers under the auspices of the City of Albuquerque.
For more information, contact Polly Turner, pturner@unm.edu, or 277-4135.
Contact: Laurie Mellas Ramirez, (505) 277-5915
Nancy Brown-Martinez just wanted an easier way for her students to haul the large rolls of architectural drawings up from the drawers tucked away in the third basement of Zimmerman Library up to the public reading rooms on the main floor.
Photo (l. to r.): Ray Waggerman, Ellen Evans-Colburn and Nancy Brown.
Her students Ellen Evans-Colburn, the Beatrice Chauvenet fellow at the Center for Southwest Research, and collections assistant Ray Waggerman spend much of their time working with library visitors who want to view architectural drawings and knew they needed a better way to handle the heavy materials.
When they used the ordinary book carts, the drawings kept rolling off. Evens-Colburn and Waggerman tried carrying the rolls, but they were so bulky one person could only carry one or two at a time.
Brown-Martinez, the reference coordinator and archivist at the Center for Southwest Research and Evans-Colburn scoured the library equipment catalogs without finding a solution. So Brown-Martinez started thinking about a cart with a roll trough top –like two uplifted arms- to hold the plans in place while they were being moved.
She went to the metal workers at the university physical plant and drew her idea. The metal workers mounted it on top of an old library cart, and Evans-Colburn and Waggerman began using it.
It proved perfect for rolling and loading large flat maps and artwork while searching for a particular piece at the bottom of the libraries wide flat drawers. It was also just the solution for moving a number of heavy architectural drawings up to the public reading rooms.
And yes, it did look just like a big empty metal taco shell, leading the architecture crew at the Center to instantly dub it the “Taco Cart.”
It worked so well, Brown-Martinez knew other libraries with the same sort of problems moving heavy architectural drawings would use their new gadget as well. She applied, and received a patent.
This brought her to the Science and Technology Corporation, a non-profit corporation chartered to license and market the intellectual property produced by university faculty and staff. STC surveyed the market, and couldn’t find a way to make the invention profitable to license, so they handed the responsibility for marketing the invention back to the would-be entrepreneurs.
Now Brown-Martinez is left with the dilemma of many entrepreneurs -- a good working product that solves the problem and no simple way to get it into the market place.
She has figured out a possible way to market the “Taco Cart.” She is striking out on her own, along with her husband, through his family business. They plan to fabricate the unit and offer it on the open market.
In the meantime, they keep finding new uses for the invention. Brown-Martinez, Evans-Colburn and Waggerman use it to process new collections and find the shape helps to preserve the roundness of the rolls of drawings they carry. It doesn’t flatten or reshape the rolls.
Brown-Martinez says, “The carts are perfect in every way. As more people know about them, they will find more ways to utilize them.”
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627
Joseph Alessi, principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic, will bring his annual International Trombone Seminar to the University of New Mexico July 31-Aug. 9. In addition to providing a rare opportunity for musicians to study with a master, the seminar brings free performances by first-class trombonists from around the world to Albuquerque.
“Since April of 2000, the University of New Mexico Wind Symphony has had an association with the principal trombone of the New York Philharmonic, Joseph Alessi,” UNM Director of Bands Eric Rombach-Kendall said. “Mr. Alessi has recorded two internationally distributed CDs with the UNM Wind Symphony, performed three concerts on our campus and has taught several master classes for our trombone students. In August, we will continue our association by hosting the 2005 Joseph Alessi International Trombone Seminar in the Department of Music.”
Participants in the 2005 seminar will include trombonists from the U.S. Marine Band, the Puerto Rico Symphony, Julliard, the Buffalo Philharmonic, Arizona State University, Baylor University, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Calgary Philharmonic, Henderson State College, the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Northwestern University, the Florida Orchestra and freelance artists.
Space is still available for auditors to attend all events and participate in individual lessons, trombone quartets and trombone choir. No audition is required for auditors. Applicants may register through the seminar website at http://www.alessiseminar.com or upon arrival at the seminar.
“We are very excited that Mr. Alessi has chosen UNM for the site of his 2005 seminar and these concerts are a very valuable resource for our music community,” Rombach-Kendall said.
The following free concerts are open to the public:
Aug. 1, 7:30 p.m., Keller Hall: Joseph Alessi Solo Recital.
Aug. 5, 8 p.m., Popejoy Hall: Trombone Concerto Concert. Featuring soloists from the Buffalo Philharmonic, Florida Orchestra, US Marine Band, and Joseph Alessi accompanied by the UNM Wind Symphony.
Aug. 6, 8 p.m., Keller Hall: Solos and Quartets Recital.
Aug. 7, 3 p.m., St. Paul Lutheran: Solos, Quartets, and Trombone. Choir Concert.
Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-5813
The Tricentennial Committee is proud to present the third installment in the "All Roads Lead to Albuquerque: A Tricentennial Colloquium Series," on Saturday, July 30 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Student Union Building Ballroom C on the University of New Mexico campus. This event is free and open to the public.
“This third colloquium celebrates the U.S. Territorial and Statehood eras with a cultural presentation, images, photographs a book exhibit, as well as historical lectures on "Modern Highways and Byways," said Dr. Joseph Sanchez, chair, Albuquerque Tricentennial Strategic Planning Task Force and colloquium organizer.
The speakers for "Modern Highways and Byways," are:
Sam Montoya, President, NM Carriage Association, "Stagecoaches, Buckboards, and Wagons: The Early Anglo-American Period"
Laurel Wallace, Cultural Resources Analyst, Environmental Design Bureau, NM Department of Transportation, "Before the Big I: El Camino Real Highway"
Dr. Art Gómez, Historian, National Park Service, "That Ribbon of Highways: Route 66 and Regional Identity in New Mexico"
Jennifer Riordan, Citibank, "Interstates, Freeways, and Life in the Fast Lane: The Big I Monday Morning Blues"
Laurie Frantz, State Scenic Byways Coordinator, NM Department of Transportation, "Corrales Road: Maintaining an Agricultural Road in an Urban Setting"
"All Roads Lead to Albuquerque" is a series of monthly educational colloquia that highlight our city's 300-year history and inspire a renewed pride in New Mexico's multicultural history. Each colloquium is a free half-day special event featuring four to five speakers who, under the overall theme of transportation, will explore the history of Albuquerque throughout the five eras: Native American, Spanish Colonial, Mexican Republic, U.S. Territorial and Statehood.
These community events for all age groups will also feature images, photographs, slides, etc., as well as a book exhibit and a cultural event presentation.
The office of the UNM Student Affairs, Dr. Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, vice president, is hosting the “Modern Highways and Byways” All Roads installment.
Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920
The STEM Education Outreach Programs will conduct its 2nd annual ‘TASTE’ of Science camp July 18-22 on UNM’s main campus. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) is an outreach program at UNM that also coordinates the Northwest New Mexico Regional Science Fair and the Central New Mexico Region Science Olympiad.
The ‘TASTE’ (Teacher and Students Teaching Eachother) of Science Camp is a unique camp designed to bring students and teachers together in a fun and creative environment where they are able to learn and explore the world of science away from the conventions of the classroom. A variety of workshops are held throughout the weeklong camp.
Teachers benefit from the professional development including workshops on developing creative and fun ways to meet the new Earth/Space Science State Standards and Benchmarks, which includes building inquiry-based research and other activities into curriculums.
Teachers are also instructed on how to write successful classroom grants and will receive a stipend upon successful completion of the camp, while students get to participate in many great earth and science activities, and field trips to check out archaeology and space science in the real world.
Contact Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
Bill Dunmire’s book, “Gardens of New Spain: How Mediterranean Plants and Foods Changed America” is the basis of his illustrated talk on Tuesday, July 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Willard Reading Room of Zimmerman Library. Dunmire will discuss how plants and foods made their way from Spain to the Southwest, and how Native Americans integrated the new crops and foods into their own cultures.
In his book, he details the history of various foods and shows how they were integrated first into the diet of people in the Iberian Peninsula, and then traveled to the new world with Spanish explorers. He will also explain how contemporary menus connect back to foods first put together in Hispanic colonial times.
Dunmire spent 28 years with the National Park Service, retiring as Superintendent of Carlsbad Caverns and the Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. He is currently a full-time writer, lecturer, and professional photographer, with recent research trips to Spain, Mexico and throughout the Southwest.
The lecture is sponsored by the University Libraries Division of Iberian and Latin American Resources and the Center for Southwest Research.
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627
University of New Mexico – Gallup branch students Cecilia Johnson and Mervyn Tilden completed the Fifth Annual American Indian Journalism Institute in Vermillion, S.D. in June. They were among 23 Native American students of 100 nominees accepted to the institute.
The Freedom Forum and University of South Dakota sponsor the institute, held at the Al Neuharth Media Center since 2000. “AIJI promotes journalism opportunities for Native Americans because they are the most underrepresented group in the industry,” ANMC Executive Director Jack Marsh said. “At last count there was only 295 natives among the 54,000 journalists working at daily newspapers.”
The prestigious and highly competitive program, also known by AIJI students as “journalism boot camp,” immerses students in reporting, writing, photojournalism, ethics and professional standards through classes and practical experience. Students who complete the program receive college credit and a $500 scholarship.
Students at the institute came from 10 states and 20 tribes. Navajos were the largest group represented with five students, including Johnson and Tilden, both from Church Rock, New Mexico.
Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-5813
School of Law web developers strive to improve accessibility for people with disabilities
The University of New Mexico Law Library website is one of only four law library sites in the nation out of 180 tested that pass coding standards, Steven Perkins reported in a presentation at the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) conference on June 10. Though Perkins’ presentation focused on law libraries, the entire UNM School of Law website meets W3C standards.
UNM School of Law Assistant Dean for Information Technology Cyndi Dean and Web Programmer Gabe Chavez followed Perkins with a presentation on their efforts to develop the School of Law website and tips on making websites more accessible. Chavez, a senior at UNM majoring in computer science, and Dean are part of a team led by School of Law Web Designer Janet Roupas, which has been revising the website over the past year and a half to improve accessibility, simplify navigation and maintain an attractive website.
“More and more, we’re pointing students to the web as the source of information,” Dean said. Increased use of the web to supplement traditional instruction heightens the need for accessibility.
Roupas notes that the School of Law site will be useful to others in the field. “Web designers should be able to view our source code and extrapolate coding methods,” she said.
In addition to the educational benefits of web accessibility, universities may lose funding if they fail to comply with state and federal laws, such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1986 section 508 regulating government agencies.
Perkins, the coordinator of reference services for the University of Houston libraries, reviewed 180 law library websites for compliance on three levels. The criteria measure general accessibility and accessibility for people with disabilities.
The first two levels identify whether the websites meet coding standards for HTML or XHTML and CSS. Websites that fail to meet these standards may not be accessible on all browsers. “Most large university websites and library websites do not comply,” Perkins said.
If these basic standards are met, the websites are evaluated on a third set of issues affecting accessibility. For example, navigation lists can bog down access on text browsers, which make the web accessible to blind users, forcing the user to listen to lengthy lists of links before reaching the page content. Programming a “skip navigation” function enables the user to access content before navigation. Other factors on the checklist include the number of errors on the page and whether a text-only version is available.
Chavez said that the UNM School of Law website has “met and exceeded level one and two” and is about halfway through the level three checklist. A number of people and organizations assisted in making the website more accessible, including the Alamogordo School for the Blind, UNM Accessibility Services, UNM law students, the National Federation of the Blind and the N.M. Commission for the Blind.
***
CALI is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit consortium of law schools that researches and develops computer-mediated legal instruction and supports institutions and individuals using technology in legal education. The accessible website presentation can be viewed at: mms://broadcast.cali.org/conf05/conf05frc401030.wmv.
Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-5813
The Museum of Contemporary Art | Denver 2005 Film Biennial includes works by three University of New Mexico artists. Twelve films were selected featuring short narrative, documentary and experimental works that expand the boundaries of traditional visual communications through artistic sensibilities and personal style.
Image: stills from Gronk's BrainFlame
This year's biennial includes “Gronk's BrainFlame,” animated by UNM Arts Technology Center's Hue Walker with students in the Digital Pueblo Program; “The Burning Light of Dark” from Karen Hipscher, a student in the UNM Media Arts Department; and a piece by acclaimed Media Arts Instructor Bryan Konefsky.
“This is another great example of both the quality and breadth of work coming out of UNM to appear on the national stage,” said ATC coordinator Eric Whitmore. “Gronk's BrainFlame” is a flatscreen version of an animated piece Walker developed with Los Angeles-based artist Gronk. The original dome piece premieres July 15 at the LodeStar Theater as part of this year's DomeFest and will also appear at this year's SIGGRAPH. Gronk's work can also be seen in shows at the National Hispanic Cultural Center and in the Santa Fe Opera's Ainadamar.
MCA will screen the twelve film finalists July 23 at 1 p.m. at the Starz Film Center in Denver. MCA will host a reception for film makers and jurors immediately afterwards and announce the three top award-winning films selected by Josh Siegel, assistant curator, Film & Media, Museum of Modern Art.
For more information about MCA's Biennial BLOW OUT: Beyond Comfort! Beyond Representation! visit: http://www.mcartdenver.org or call 303-298-7554 ext. 206.
For more information about Gronk's BrainFlame, please contact Melody Mock at 505-277-8077 or visit: http://atc.unm.edu.
Contact: Eric Whitmore, (505) 277-2253
Festival on art, science and production for immersive digital theater comes to LodeStar Astronomy Center
Imagine art, nature, science data, computer code and experimental digital works filling your eyes, ears and mind through a 5,000 square-foot immersive digital dome screen. Imagine these works coming from around the world and from a diversity of people from master artists to leading scientists to college students. What you’re imagining is DomeFest, the international festival for digital dome theaters and planetariums produced and hosted by the LodeStar Astronomy Center at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science.
The festival runs July 16-17 and includes a juried show of the best and boldest immersive experiences from the arts, sciences, entertainment and educational programs.
The 40-minute show includes 15 pieces created in Italy, Germany, Australia, and around the U.S., including four from New Mexico. The festival will also include two world premieres of new shows, a special screening of another show, and talks. This is the third annual DomeFest and visitors are expected from Europe, Australia, Canada and around the U.S.
Immediately preceding DomeFest, on July 15, will be the world premiere of Gronk’s BrainFlame, a 14-minute immersive art piece created by Los Angeles-based master artist Gronk and the University of New Mexico’s Digital Pueblo Project.
There are two tracks to the festival: Special premieres and talks for registered DomeFest participants and public screenings. Registered festival participants will have access to all the premieres, talks and special screenings. Registration is available at: DomeFest 2005.
There will also be public screenings of each show. With the exception of Gronk’s BrainFlame, these are offered on a ‘pay as you can’ basis, with suggested donation of $8 for the Juried Show and $5 for the other DomeFest screenings. Gronk’s BrainFlame is free but requires a reservation by logging on at: http://artslab.unm.edu/rsvp.html
The festival will continue each Friday night until Sept. 9 with screenings of the 2005 Juried Show and Gronk’s BrainFlame as a double feature at LodeStar.
LodeStar is a world-leader in immersive digital theater production and education. LodeStar is a University of New Mexico project located at and operated in partnership with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. DomeFest is produced with the support of UNM’s Art, Research, Technology & Science Laboratory (ARTS Lab).
For more information contact David Beining, DomeFest chair / LodeStar director at: (505) 362-2614.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
David Brugge, pioneer in creating the field of Southwest Studies, is being honored by the Navajo Nation in a reception on Friday, July 15, at 1 p.m. in the Willard Room in the University of New Mexico’s Zimmerman Library. Brugge received an honorary doctorate from the University of New Mexico this spring.
Arvin Trujillo, director of the Division of Natural Resources for the Navajo Nation, will present Brugge with a letter from the Navajo Nation in recognition of Brugge’s contributions.
Jennifer Denetdale, UNM assistant professor of history, spearheaded the effort. “His archeological, historical and archival work resulted in an incredibly valuable database and was central to the Navajo/Hopi land dispute,” she said. One publication he produced from that research was, “The Navajo-Hopi land dispute: an American tragedy.”
Denetdale, UNM’s first Navajo Ph.D. faculty in the Department of History, recalled that when she was a graduate student at Northern Arizona University, she queried Brugge about an article she’d read.
“He sent me four pages of handwritten notes detailing points he wanted to make. He is very generous with his support, guidance and advice,” she said.
Others who have contributed to honoring Brugge are Richard Begay, former deputy director of the Navajo Nation Natural Resources Division; June-el Piper, technical publications editor, Navajo Nation, and Navajo Studies conference board members Lloyd Lee and Roseann Willink.
Brugge has more than 150 publications to his credit, including, “Navajos in the Catholic Church records of New Mexico, 1694-1875.”
“He tabulated all baptisms of the Navajo and native people as they were recorded in church records because the first thing Hispanic families did with natives brought into their families was baptize them. It is an indication of captivity,” Denetdale said.
Among invited guests are UNM President Louis Caldera, New Mexico State Historian Estevan Raul-Galvez; New Mexico Senator Leonard Tsosie; and UNM Professor Emeritus of Linguistics Robert Young.
Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920
Institute offers opportunity to enhance teaching of literature and creative writing
This summer the University of New Mexico’s Taos Summer Writers’ Conference, recently named one of “10 great places to get write with the word” by USA Today, will offer New Mexico middle and high school teachers a weekend of workshops designed to enhance the teaching of literature and creative writing. The weekend culminates with a keynote address by internationally acclaimed poet and Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts Dana Gioia.
Photo: Dana Gioia will give the keynote address for the Taos Summer Teachers' Institute.
The Taos Summer Teachers’ Institute, a new addition to the Writers’ Conference, is scheduled July 16-17 at the Sagebrush Inn in Taos. The UNM Arts & Sciences Teachers’ Institute is sponsoring 50 middle and high school teachers from throughout New Mexico to attend the conference, including participation in all general sessions and three workshops, accommodations and some meals. Gioia’s address, scheduled July 17 at 5 p.m. in the Sagebrush Inn Conference Center, is free and open to the public.
Best known for “Can Poetry Matter?” his controversial essay on the role of poetry in contemporary culture, Gioia has a longstanding commitment to promoting poetry and the arts. Since becoming the ninth Chair of the NEA in February 2003, he has initiated several programs designed to heighten appreciation of the arts among young students. At the Institute, he will present on the NEA’s poetry recitation initiative. Gioia’s collection of poems, Interrogations at Noon, one of three full-length books of poetry, won the 2002 American Book Award. He also has edited several anthologies and translates poetry from Latin, Italian, German and Romanian.
“The participation of Dana Gioia and the National Endowment for the Arts raises this program to an event of national stature,” said Sharon Oard Warner, director of the creative writing program in UNM’s Department of English and founder of the Taos Summer Writers’ Conference. UNM Provost Reed Dasenbrock will introduce Gioia.
During the Institute, teachers will learn creative ways to engage students and foster a love of literature and writing. Workshops will represent a wide range of writing interests and strategies for teaching, including: “Teaching Poetry Creatively” with Diane Thiel, “Let Your Students Rant!” with Susan Erickson, “American Indian Literature in the Classroom” with Patricia Clark Smith, “Using Historical Fiction in the Classroom” with Carolyn Meyer, “Bringing Shakespeare to Life” with David Richard Jones, and “Teaching Writing in Difficult Times” with Don Zancanella.
In addition, the weekend will offer teachers a chance to converse with others in the profession about the challenges and rewards of the classroom. Textbook representatives and publishers will exhibit selected texts and teaching resources.
Registration is closed for the Taos Summer Teachers’ Institute. Gioia’s keynote address is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Sharon Oard Warner at 277-6248, Doug Earick at 266-2070, or email Graduate Assistant Carson Bennett at taosconf@unm.edu.
Contacts: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920 or Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-5813
For the fifth consecutive year, students in UNM’s Master’s of Water Resources (MWR) capstone field problems course traveled to Honduras to help build a water system for the residents of Brisas de Rio Negro, a village in northwestern Honduras near the Guatemala border.
Photo: Water Resources Program Director Michael Campana.
Students Alyssa Neir, Geoff Klise, Tara Putney, Mariana Padilla, Shannon Duran-Dinwiddie, Andrew Robertson, Mark Mendenhall, Christian LeJeune, Leeanna Torres, and Julie Arvidson joined instructor Dr. Michael E. Campana, director of the Water Resources Program (WRP), for almost three weeks in the Latin American country during June.
Erin Carroll, Campana’s Earth and Planetary Sciences master’s student and MWR student Chris Casey, a member of the 2004 team, also participated. Casey will spend all summer in Honduras assessing the previous years’ projects as part of her master’s research.
Students worked side-by-side with villagers to build a gravity flow system to supply potable water to about 30 homes in the village of 200 people. During their stay, students helped construct a small concrete dam, a 5,000-gallon ferroconcrete storage tank and laid the main water line from the tank to the houses.
“We accomplished more than previous classes did,” said Campana, who estimated that 70 percent of the project was completed when they departed. “The reasons for the high completion percentage were a smaller, more compact village and better weather (less rain) than on previous trips.”
As in past years, the students worked hard and impressed the villagers with their diligence and industriousness.
“The villagers know what we have in the United States and that we give up a lot of comforts when we visit them. They are very appreciative,” said Campana, who says that he never ceases to marvel at the work of the students. One villager couldn’t thank Campana and the students enough, and cried when he said that he and his family would never forget the visit.
The water systems work is a joint project among UNM’s WRP, Hondurans Alex del Cid Vásquez (who designs the systems and organizes the villagers) and Rolando López, and SANAA (Servício Autónomo Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados), the Honduran government agency responsible for rural systems.
The students’ work did not end with their return to the states. They are now working on a journal article, a proposal to expand the project and seek more funding, and PowerPoint presentations.
“Their proposal will form the basis of a submission to a foundation”, Campana said. “We have no more funds for future years, and we believe this is a program worth continuing.”
Private donors, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Intel Foundation funded this year’s trip.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
UNM Hospital is now accepting applications for the Jeff Apodaca Celebration of Life Scholarship, awarded to two college-bound New Mexico students who have been treated for cancer at UNM Hospitals.
The $5, 000 scholarship, used for college tuition and books, is awarded annually at the Jeff Apodaca “Celebration of Life” gala fundraiser benefiting UNM Children’s Hospital. This year, the fundraiser is being held August 27 at the National Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Twenty-seven years ago at the age of 17, Jeff Apodaca won the battle against a rare and malignant form of soft muscle sarcoma with the help of UNM Children’s Hospital. Believing in the bright future and resilience of children, Apodaca and his family now sponsor the annual fundraiser.
In order to be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be attending a four-year New Mexico school of higher education, provide proof of treatment for cancer at UNM Hospitals, be a New Mexico resident and meet the entrance requirements for their school of choice. The winner must also be able to attend the “Celebration of Life” gala fundraiser.
Applications can be obtained via fax at (505) 277-5687, by email request sent to Colharris@salud.unm.edu, or by downloading an application from the Children’s Hospital website, http://hospitals.unm.edu/FundsForKids/Index.shtml. All applications must be submitted by August 8, 2005.
Contacts: Sam Giammo, (505) 272-3682 or Jenny Savage, (505) 272-3690
The University of New Mexico’s Native American Studies, in conjunction with the College of Fine Arts Department of Music, will present an evening of Native American music and thoughtful discussion by internationally recognized composers Louis Ballard and Raven Chacon. The event, free and open to the public, will be held Wednesday, July 27 at 7 p.m. in Keller Hall in the UNM Center for the Arts and part of Albuquerque’s Tricentennial celebration.
Photo: Composer Louis Ballard.
Ballard and Chacon will speak about their creative work and educational endeavors and address the ways in which Native American music has been defined and redefined by composers throughout history. Ballard and Chacon will also play selections from their own compositions. “Native American music is often overlooked and I feel the work of both composers is significant,” said Maria Williams, assistant professor of Music and Native American Studies at UNM.
Ballard (Quapaw/Cherokee) has a background in traditional Native American music as well as formal training in music from both Oklahoma University and Tulsa University. His works have been performed throughout the U.S. and Europe and his talent in composition has garnered commissions from orchestras and ballet companies. Ballard is also recognized for his efforts to provide music educators with the tools necessary to teach Native American music in the classroom. His compilation Native American Indian Songs, has been called “An American Classic.”
Chacon (Navajo), an emerging talent in experimental music originally from a Navajo reservation in Chinle, Ariz., is also one of the few American Indian composers in the world today. At a young age, Chacon has already shared his many recordings for classical and electronic instruments at performances and exhibits across the country. Much of his music involves homemade microphones and instruments to provide a noise environment in a live or installed performance.
Chacon’s all-chamber music disc, Beesh Naalnishi, was self-released in 2004 and has been distributed by many different labels and collectives. Locally, Chacon’s album can be purchased at Natural Sound. “I believe we are in the beginning stages of a Native art Renaissance,” Chacon said.
Contacts: Jenny Savage, (505) 277-1989 or Laurie Mellas Ramirez, (505) 277-5915
Two exhibits, showcasing traditional and non-traditional photography, grace the walls at the University of New Mexico Art Museum. The shows are organized to coincide with PhotoArts ABQ, a citywide presentation of photography, scheduled to open on July 15.
Photo: Eliot Porter, Untitled (Fallen aspen leaves, New Mexico) 1951
“Looking Back at the Present – Photography and New Media,” contains the work of faculty who have taught at UNM since the 1960s and new work by MFA photography graduate students. Tom Barrow, Betty Hahn, Wayne R. Lazorik, and Anne Noggle represent work done by former faculty. Current faculty work on display is by Miguel Gandert, Patrick Nagatani, Joyce Neimanas, Joceyln Nevel, Adrienne Slinger and Jim Stone. Several other artists are included.
A description of the exhibit credits the distinguished UNM core faculty who explored making images along different artistic paths. Their imagery covered traditional black and white photography, the documentary genre, autobiographical issues, portraiture, ideas of feminism and popular culture, color photography and conceptual work.
As evidence of faculty accomplishments, UNM continues to rank among the top graduate programs in the country for the study of photography. It is believed that the diversity of creative approaches among the photography faculty has always been, and remains one of the strengths of the artists teaching at UNM.
“Eliot Porter’s Natural World,” includes elegant dye-transfer prints by one of the world’s masters of landscape and nature photography. His work has had tremendous influence on the genre. Porter was a pioneer in color techniques, especially the dye-transfer process that he perfected to photograph birds more accurately. The nearly extinct elaborate technique is noted for its permanence and color fidelity.
In 1939, Porter’s images were included in the first exhibition by the Department of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Photo historian and former UNM faculty member Beaumont Newhall curated the show. The same year, Porter and his wife moved to Santa Fe, where he lived and worked until his death in 1990 at the age of 89.
Porter’s view of nature is both intimate and private while also being accessible to a large audience. Environmental concerns would be a lifelong concern for Porter and his work was frequently used in support of these issues. All Porter photos on display are from the University Art Museum extensive collection.
A reception for both exhibits will be Friday, July 15 from 5 – 7 p.m. Exhibits are scheduled through September 25. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday evenings, 5 to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. and during most events at Popejoy Hall.
Contact: Michael Certo, (505) 277-7312
This 1979 offset lithograph created by José Ramón Sánchez for the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (Workers’ Socialist Party of Spain) is a sample from the political posters featured in the “Art of Democracy: Fifty Years of Spain’s Political Posters (1930-1980s),” an exhibit opening on July 15, 2005 in the Center for Southwest Research in Zimmerman Library on the UNM main campus.
Presenting a visual narrative of Spain’s political history from their civil war (1936-39) to a new era in the 1970s and 1980s, the exhibition marks the 30th anniversary of Spain’s return to democracy in 1975.
An opening reception at 6:30 p.m. will be followed by a lecture at 7 p.m. by David Holtby, visiting scholar at the Center for Regional Studies and co-curator of the exhibit.
Holtby says, “By using bright colors and depicting diverse groups in society, José Ramón Sánchez powerfully suggests a vibrant and hopeful future for all Spaniards.”
To CSWR director Mike Kelly, “This exhibition offers an engaging lesson in the twentieth century political history of Spain. Students, faculty, and the general public will not want to miss it.”
Material for the exhibit is drawn from the center’s Spanish Civil War Collection, acquired from David Gordon in 1977. Gordon was a volunteer with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade who fought for republican Spain against the fascist forces of Francisco Franco.
Teresa Eckmann, a post-doctoral research scholar at the Center for Southwest Research co-curated the exhibit. She has been cataloging and researching the Sam L. Slick collection since 2001.
Slick, a former Spanish professor at the University of Southern Mississippi who collected political posters, views them as a key documentary source for interpreting Iberian and Latin American social and political reality.
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627
Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute, will present "Mind in the Making: The Science of Early Learning, a free public lecture at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July14 at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Dyna Theater.
The lecture is part of a the first "Mind in the Making Summer Institute". That weeklong conference in cooperation with the Families and Work Institute in New York City will take place July 11 -15 at the Embassy Suites in Albuquerque.
Galinsky heads a Manhattan-based non-profit organization that conducts research on the changing family, changing workforce and changing community.
She is the author of more than 25 books and reports including, “Ask the Children: The Breakthrough Study That Reveals How to Succeed at Work and Parenting.”
A leading authority on work and family issues, Galinsky was a presenter at the 2000 White House Conference on Teenagers. She is the recipient of the 2004 Distinguished Achievement Award from Vassar College.
She appears regularly in the media including The Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20, Nightline and Oprah.
Joining Galinsky as a presenter at the summer institute will be Nina Sazer O’Donnell, vice president of Child, Family and Community Programs at the Families and Work Institute.
Sazer O’Donnell has conducted research and authored several books on engaging business in early learning and public engagement. She has a diverse background in childhood policy, philanthropy, communications and community outreach.
New Mexico First Lady Barbara Richardson, honorary chair of the Mind In the Making Summer Institute, will provide opening remarks at the community learning forum luncheon on July 12.
An early learning policy roundtable will be led by the UNM Family Development Program and co-hosted by Lt/ Governor Diane Denish on July 15.
The institute will bring together leadership teams and policy makers from six national field sites to discuss lessons learned and strategies for national dissemination. For information about the Mind In The Making Summer Institute, call 277-6943.
The Family Development Program was founded in 1985 as an educational outreach project of the UNM College of Education. Its mission is to improve early childhood education by helping families and teachers help their children in school.
Contact: Greg Johnston (505) 277-1816