Armed with laptops and divided into six two-person crews, University of New Mexico engineering students are examining over 7,500 miles of pavement in the northern part of New Mexico. The Department of Transportation has hired them, along with New Mexico State University students who will be examining the southern part of the state, to inspect the state’s roads and evaluate conditions.
Photo: UNM School of Engineering students Tom Hackett (l.) and Carson Lee inspect highways in northern New Mexico.
Ray Waggerman, a graduate student who manages the project, says this program benefits both the state and the university.
“This program frees up the DOT to allocate their workforce in a more productive manner while providing valuable work experience to the engineering students,” said Waggerman.
“We are gaining field experience with the Department of Transportation,” said Carson Lee, a civil engineering student at UNM who is working in the northwest quadrant of the state. “We are committed and serious about this field. They give us goals and we get them done.”
The students’ role is to examine, in detail, the condition of New Mexico roads by inspecting one-tenth of every mile. The students were trained in discerning eight types of pavement distresses in the roads, such as patch conditions, bleeding, rutting and types of cracking. Through August 18, they record their findings, which are later entered into a data base that Waggerman monitors from a central location at the UNM campus. Waggerman then sends the information to Santa Fe for the DOT to evaluate.
“The students are finishing one year’s worth of work in 13 weeks,” said Waggerman.
The students were selected through an intensive interview process. They had to be disciplined and dependable, as they would spend four days of each week on the road being their own boss, while accomplishing the job within the allotted time. But those hired, conveyed more than just responsibility and intelligence.
“The students expressed that they wanted to help the state,” said Waggerman.
Media Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Center for Biomedical Engineering will receive a $2,537,500 grant from the National Science Foundation over the next five years to fund a research and educational partnership with Harvard University, Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI).
The project, funded by NSF's program on Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials, will focus on a multidisciplinary area of materials technology: biomaterials, which are synthetic and natural, solid and sometimes liquid, and used in medical devices or in contact with biological systems.
“This connection will allow us to efficiently use biomaterials technologies to motivate minority students to pursue research careers,” said Professor Gabriel López, principal investigator and director of the Center for Biomedical Engineering at UNM. “This partnership will help us bring a world-class biomaterials research and education program to New Mexico.”
Biomaterials represent a huge and rapidly growing economic component of the health care system, estimated at over $100 billion per year worldwide. They also provide an important opportunity for students from under-represented groups to pursue materials research careers.
“We anticipate working closely with minority-focused science and engineering organizations to both expand outreach activities and recruit talented students from APS and SIPI to participate in our research programs,” said Joseph L. Cecchi, dean of the UNM School of Engineering.
The focus will be on developing new materials technologies for three areas of medicine that are especially problematic in minority populations: infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Talented students will be recruited from APS, a school district with a large minority population; SIPI, a tribal college with an emphasis in science, technology, engineering and math education; and UNM, a Hispanic-serving research university.
Harvard professors will come to UNM to set up collaborations and do research. In each research project, teams will be assembled to maximize research and training efforts, while taking full advantage of the spectrum of state-of-the-art facilities available at Harvard and UNM.
During the summer, UNM undergraduates will do research at Harvard. Students will benefit from this partnership with Harvard by gaining access to team-based research experiences, new course offerings, networks of research professionals, professional development resources, and community outreach experience. This combination of activities is designed to encourage UNM students to strive for the highest level of research and educational careers, especially in academia.
Media Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Professor James Brown can add yet another impressive honor to an already lengthy list of noteworthy accomplishments. Brown, a Distinguished Professor of Biology, was recently elected an Honorary Member of the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM), the highest honor conferred by the Society in recognition of distinguished contributions to the science of mammalogy.
Photo: Distinguished Professor of Biology James Brown
With nearly 3,100 members worldwide, the American Society of Mammalogists is the largest and oldest professional society dedicated to the study and conservation of mammals. Brown becomes only the 82nd person in its 88-year history to be recognized as an Honorary Member.
A long-time member and contributor to the ASM, Brown served as society president from 1990-92. He also received ASM’s C. Hart Merriam Award for Research in 1989. He has been widely recognized for his achievements, receiving numerous prestigious awards from other societies that culminated with his election to the National Academy of Sciences last year.
Brown has had an enormous impact in the field, beginning with his roots in physiological ecology, and also in evolutionary and community ecology, with his long-term studies in Portal, Ariz. that began in the late 1970s. These ongoing studies have focused on the interactions among weather, desert rodents, ants and plants, providing a new understanding of long-term dynamics in biotic communities. Brown is known as the ‘father of macroecology,’ an approach that has resulted in a mechanistic hypothesis relating body size to energetics and resource use.
Additionally, Brown has spent considerable time as a mentor with 50 Ph.D. students and 23 post docs, many of whom have gone on to become significant contributors themselves. His former students note that he is “simply inspiring as a mentor, colleague and friend.”
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
For the 10th consecutive year, at-risk students from high schools in Los Angeles County in California traveled to the University of New Mexico in July to take part in a preparatory program designed to channel students into higher education.
The brainchild of LA Works CEO/founder Sal Velasquez and UNM Vice President for Student Affairs Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, the program has been “phenomenally successful in promoting post-secondary education among students who otherwise might not give a thought to going to college,” Velasquez said.
Students arrived at UNM July 17 and will graduate from the program on Friday, July 28. A ceremony will be held in the Student Union building, ballroom A, from 3-5 p.m. Torres, Velasquez, LA Works board members and graduates will speak. The ceremony will feature a video and PowerPoint presentation about the two-week residency, which offers a first hand look at college life, academic courses in English and Math, and work experience in various academic and administrative departments at UNM.
Some 78 percent of all L.A. County area high school students who attended the program since its inception in 1997 went on to attend colleges and universities – including three who currently attend UNM. In addition, Valasquez notes, “an unexpected side-benefit has been that a whopping 99 percent of attendees go on to graduate from high school.”
Velasquez adds perspective to this statistic, pointing out that students in high schools and districts from which LA Works recruits attendees drop out at a rate of 30 percent.
“What we have created in this program, rather unexpectedly, is a high school retention program,” Velasquez said. “In most cases these students have probably not thought about going to college before becoming part of the LA Works program.”
During the course of a year students in the program also receive leadership training, tutoring/mentoring, college course credit, career counseling, community service opportunities, and take part in various cultural excursions.
Each year, 50 students come to the UNM, a program funded largely through the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.
“Imagine how many more students could benefit from programs like this one,” said Torres, who met Velasquez at an educational conference in New Mexico in 1996, where together they conceived the idea of the UNM-LA Works residency. “If we had the will and the funding to do more of this kind of thing everywhere, we would have higher rates of graduation from high school, and many more students from low-income, first generation college backgrounds could realize the dream of higher education."
The program at New Mexico is administered under the auspices of the Division of Student Affairs in the Office of Special Programs under director Tim Gutierrez and program manager Mandie Pritchard. Velasquez and Angelica Garcia, coordinator of the College Prep Program in the Los Angeles area, lead the Los Angeles County portion of the program.
For more information about the LA Works program, contact Sal Velasquez, LA Works, at 626-233-1788; or Mandie Pritchard, UNM Special Programs, 505-249-7465.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Public Television Station KNME-TV, Channel 5, presents a varied and dynamic lineup for its summer pledge drive, Saturday, Aug. 5 – Sunday, Aug. 20, with new programs and the return of old favorites.
Cooking classes and cooking spoof, health/ fitness/personal wellness and development shows, music performances featuring classic, rock, Celtic and country, as well as programs new to KNME are all part of this exciting August lineup.
Cooking programs teach barbecuing, healthful cooking, Mexican cooking and even cooking show spoofs – Posh Nosh.
Health/ fitness/personal wellness and development programs include healthy aging, dance and Tai Chi, along with inspirational programs to help viewers learn time and money management.
Featured in new programming will be Great Scenic Railway Journeys: Celebrating 175 Years Of The American Railroad and Dynamite, Whiskey And Wood--Connecticut River Log Drives.
Rock music programming includes soft, classic and hard rock legends The Who, Pink Floyd, John Fogerty, Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jim Croce, Robert Plant, Grateful Dead and the Concert For Bangladesh.
Country music programming features classic favorites Chet Atkins, Marty Robbins, and also Grand Ole Opry's Vintage Classics, hosted by Vince Gill, and featuring Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Marty Robbins and Tammy Wynette.
For full listings, please visit KNME-TV.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1218; e-mail: etodd@knme.org
The UNM e-mail channel located at my.unm.edu, on the UNM portal, will be moved to its own tab on Friday, July 28, for technology-based performance reasons. The decision to move the e-mail channel to a new tab was made by Information Technology Services (ITS), in conjunction with the Banner Steering Committee, to provide stable portal operation and access.
UNM, and other universities that use the Luminis portal application with SCT Banner, have experienced and recorded recurring portal performance problems in recent months related to how SCT e-mail and Luminis work together. With this in mind, ITS is moving the e-mail channel until SCT resolves the performance issue. A notice on the portal main page will direct you to the new e-mail location.
Contact the ITS Support Center at 277-4848 or visit: Fast Info for more information.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Dr. Catherine M. "Kate" O'Neill, the new interim executive director at UNM-Taos, is also the first University of New Mexico-Taos branch faculty member to be tenured and granted the rank of associate professor, announced UNM Provost Reed Dasenbrock, Deputy Provost Richard Holder and UNM-Taos Dean of Instruction Jim Gilroy.
Photo: Catherine M. O'Neill, interim executive director, UNM-Taos
Faculty tenure has existed at UNM-Valencia and UNM-Gallup for many years. UNM-Taos is the most recent branch and until last year had only one tenure-track faculty member. “We all share a goal of having a core of tenured faculty,” Gilroy said.
O'Neill began her service as a faculty member at the branch in 1995. Since then, she has taught in several departments and for Extended University. In 2003 she became a full-time lecturer in psychology at UNM-Taos. She earned a bachelor's in art history from Tufts, a master of education in counseling and a doctor of education in human development and psychology, both from Harvard.
O'Neill has been active on Faculty Senate and other UNM-Taos areas of service. Her other qualifications include strong performance in professional development and community service.
A committee of scholars from main campus and the branches reviewed O'Neill's dossier of materials and made their recommendation in June. Dasenbrock decided to grant tenure and the promotion effective with O'Neill's July 1 contract as interim executive director.
As UNM's newest branch, this promotion signals the institution's commitment to the Taos branch and paves the way for other eligible faculty to pursue or expedite the tenure process. Gilroy said, “Dr. O'Neill's tenure validates the quality of our faculty. It is a milestone for the UNM-Taos campus and our community, and an inspiration for seven other Taos faculty members on tenure track.”
For more information, contact Jim Gilroy at 505-737-6224.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico 's Staff Council will host the First Annual Higher Education Staff Summit, “The Working Voice of Higher Education,” Thursday and Friday, July 27-28, at the UNM main campus in Albuquerque. Registration begins at noon Thursday in the Student Union building, Lobo rooms A&B.
Staff from two and four-year public institutions in the state are invited to participate. University staff are year-round employees of the state with a vested interest in annual legislation regarding employment, income and benefits. Discussions will include past and current legislation and a look at future legislative sessions.
Featured guest speakers include Dr. Beverlee McClure, cabinet secretary, New Mexico Department of Higher Education, and Paul Swanson, who represents the New Mexico Educational Retirement Association.
In addition, UNM Acting President David Harris, UNM Associate Vice President of Government Affairs Carlos Romero and Sabra Basler, former Staff Council president and New Mexico Higher Education Advisory Board member, will address participants.
For more information, contact the Staff Council, 277-1532, or visit Staff Council.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
The Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA) has awarded Harvey D. Chace, UNM Physical Plant associate director for maintenance and planning, its highest individual service honor – the Meritorious Service Award – for his long-time contributions to the association. The award was presented during APPA's awards banquet at the “Campus of the Future” conference in Honolulu, Hawaii recently.
Photo: Harvey D. Chace (l.) was recently recognized with a lifetime service award.
“Harvey has established a national reputation as an expert in the science of accounting for and planning for the stewardship of higher education's existing facility portfolio. We are lucky to have this level of management talent at UNM,” said Mary Vosevich, director, Physical Plant.
Active on the national level, Chace serves as one of four associate directors of APPA's Center for Facilities Research (CFaR), where he assisted with the roll-out planning and development of the Researchers Guide and developed policy and processes for participation of student chapters in CFaR-sponsored research.
Chace authored a chapter in the 2003 APPA publication, Planning and Managing the Campus Portfolio (Vision and Facility Resource Alignment). He has served as Rocky Mountain regional representative to APPA's board of directors and has also served as president of the Rocky Mountain APPA region. Chace was a recipient of APPA's 2005 Pacesetter Award.
Media Contact: Sabra Basler, (505) 277-7590; e-mail: sbasler@unm.edu
A recently published book, “Communication of Innovations, A Journey with Ev Rogers,” (Sage Publications, 2006) features a collection of 10 original essays that honors the intellectual legacy of UNM Professor Everett M. Rogers, a pioneering and distinguished teacher-scholar of diffusion of innovations, communication networks and social change.
Image: "Communication of Innovations, A Journey with Ev Rogers"
Well-known colleagues and contemporaries write about topics that piqued Rogers’ curiosity and areas where he made seminal and lasting contributions: diffusion of innovations; communication networks in diffusion; innovation generation and technology transfer; social cognitive and social diffusion theories; social marketing; communication and social change in non-Western contexts; strategic communication campaigns; and the entertainment-education communication strategy in health promotion.
The concluding chapter documents Rogers’ life journey from his modest farm boy beginnings in Iowa, through his distinguished academic career, to his final return to the farm.
Overall, this book demonstrates the diversity of Rogers’ contributions to the fields of communication science, marketing, organizational change, sociology, and social psychology, and will serve as a starting point for future scholarship and practice.
Rogers taught at six American universities and six universities in Europe, Latin America and the Far East. He came to the University of New Mexico in 1993 as the journalism department chair where he served until 1997.
During his tenure, he developed a new doctoral program for intercultural communication. In 2002, Rogers was selected the university’s 47th Annual Research Lecturer – the highest honor UNM bestows on its faculty. He continued to teach at UNM until the fall of 2004 when illness forced his retirement. He died on Oct. 31, 2004 at the age of 73.
Gary Scharnhorst, professor of English, was recently notified that he is the recipient of his sixth Fulbright award to study and teach in Germany next spring. He will teach at Friedrich-Schiller-University in Jena, located in the former East Germany near Weimar.
Photo: Gary Scharnhorst
Scharnhorst goes on sabbatical in January and will travel to Europe to teach at Jena from April to July.
“Their semesters do not coincide with ours,” he explained. He will teach an American Literature lecture course as well as an undergraduate/graduate seminar.
In addition to sharing his literary knowledge abroad in the classroom, Scharnhorst entertains and educates through his books. He recently published, “The Old West in the Old World: Lost Plays by Bret Harte and Sam Davis,” (UNM Press, 2006). Harte was a miner, school teacher, messenger, printer and journalist, who, while in San Francisco writing for The Californian, worked with Mark Twain. Scharnhorst has published extensively on Harte, with an emphasis on his correspondence.
Scharnhorst and his co-editor, Lawrence Berkove, describe Sam P. Davis as reporter, editor, politician, civil servant, humorist, poet, short-story writer and playwright. Also a contemporary of Twain, Davis’ play, “The Prince of Timbuctoo” reveals his fondness for the theater.
Understanding of 19th and early 20th century American literature is incomplete, according to Scharnhorst and Berkove. Harte wrote some 60 plays, but most are forgotten. Davis is almost completely unknown.
The editors wrote, “This edition of lost plays will attempt to redress this neglect and make the case for renewed attention to them on the bases of literary history and literary merit.”
Gary Scharnhorst completed his Ph.D. at Purdue in 1978 and has been teaching in the English department at UNM since 1987. A Fulbright lecturer in 1978-79, 1985-86, 1993, and 2003, he is the author or editor of 34 books. He co-edits the journal American Literary Realism and edits in alternating years the research annual American Literary Scholarship.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico received six Cumbre Awards from the New Mexico Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America on July 13. The publication “UNM Today” garnered gold in the internal newsletter Government category, while the research publication, “Quantum,” received gold in the Government magazine category. The UNM Health Sciences Center “Alliances” magazine won a silver in the Government publications/brochures category.
Two senior communication represetatives in University Communication and Marketing took awards for articles written for the alumni publication, “Mirage.” Carolyn Gonzales won silver for “Mad About the Lobos,” and Greg Johnston received a bronze for “A Walk to Remember.”
Johnston also received a silver award as a member of the team that planned last year’s regional PRSA conference. Chad Perry, Senior Public Affairs Representative at the UNM Valencia Campus, chaired the conference and submitted the award entry.
Media Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Facilities & Real Estate Management Group, or “FREM,” hosts an open house on Friday, July 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the office of Capital Projects building, formerly Facility Planning, on the corner of Yale and Lomas NE.
FREM consists of the Facility Planning offices for main campus, HSC and UNMH, and Real Estate and Physical Plant.
FREM Group Administrator Keelie Garcia said the event is presented to make the campus and general public aware of the reorganization and new location of FREM.
Visitors will be given a note card and directed to visit the six tables under tents, each table representing a FREM area, such as the Planning/Space Management group. Stickers will be given out at each table. Turn in the card to be eligible for giveaways.
“We will have project boards, as well as laptops with Power Point slides of current/past projects,” said Garcia.
Light refreshments will be served including candy FREM & M’s, in red and silver and a cake at noon.
For more information, call Keelie Garcia at 277-2236.
Media Contact: Sabra Basler, (505) 277-7590; e-mail: sbasler@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Acting President David Harris announced today that Michael Kingan, associate vice president for development, will serve as interim vice president of Institutional Advancement. Kingan assumes the role from Michael Carroll, who announced last week that he has accepted the position of vice president for Advancement at the University of Cincinnati. Carroll’s resignation is effective July 31.
Harris stressed the importance of development and fundraising efforts. “Michael Kingan will build a stronger fundraising infrastructure for the university. He will move the university’s development efforts forward to provide for better facilities and programs for our students.”
Harris said that Kingan will likely fill the interim role through the selection of a new university president.
Regent Don Chalmers, who leads both the development and advancement committees for the Board of Regents, said, “Michael Kingan got the interim position based on his performance. He has the confidence of the UNM Foundation and the staff and is ready to move forward with the capital campaign.”
Kingan came to UNM last year from the University of Iowa where he served as chief development officer for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and participated as a part of a team that successfully completing a $1 billion capital campaign.
Institutional Advancement includes Alumni Relations, Development, University Communication and Marketing and KNME.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
A free noontime concert of Middle Eastern music is scheduled outdoors at UNM Friday, July 21. Composer and virtuoso musician Rahim AlHaj will give a solo performance in this second in a series of UNM Summer Staff Appreciation Concerts at University Honors plaza, near the SUB and Johnson Center. Grilled food and refreshments will be for sale beginning at 11:30 a.m.
AlHaj was born in Baghdad, Iraq and began playing the oud (the grandfather of all stringed instruments) at age nine. In 1991, after the first Gulf War, AlHaj was forced to leave Iraq due to his political activism against the Saddam Hussein regime and began his life in Jordan and Syria. He moved to the United States in 2000 as a political refugee and has since resided in Albuquerque. He is an adjunct faculty member in the UNM Department of Music.
AlHaj has performed in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, France, and the United States. A performance on June 18 at the Kennedy Center was for the release of When the Soul is Settled: Music of Iraq, Rahim AlHaj, oud, with Souhail Kaspar, percussion, for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. In 2005, he released Friendship: Oud/String Quartet Ensemble, recorded in Albuquerque.
AlHaj’s CDs have become best sellers and are frequently featured on national radio shows and movies, including Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now and NPR’s Studio 360.
Summer concerts are presented by the UNM Staff Council and the Work + Life Committee and are open to the public. The Office for Institutional Advancement and the Student Activities Center provide support and funding.
Media Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico ARTS Lab presents dome films created in the world’s first full-dome production course at UNM on Saturday, July 29, at the LodeStar Astronomy Center. Screening times will be on the hour at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. The event is part of the Duke City Shootout Film Festival.
The 45-minute show will include immersive art, entertainment and experiments from prior years' Dome Fests. Also included will be UNM student work created during the first course of its kind to teach production techniques for a 360-degree dome screen.
Tickets are $6 adults, $5 seniors (60+), $3 youth (3-12) and available the day of the show (starting at 9 a.m.).
Media Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu
The second and third floors of Zimmerman Library will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning, July 17. A portion of the second floor will remain closed as crews continue to install new ceilings tiles. Library staff will be stationed on the second floor to retrieve materials for library patrons seeking books from the closed area.
The book retrieval and paging system that is now in place will remain in operation until the rest of the second floor is opened, which is tentatively scheduled for July 24, 2006. Library hours will continue to be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
At this time 80 percent of the building has a working fire alarm system. University Libraries Administration and the UNM Fire Marshall have established a system of patrols in the areas without fire alarms to ensure the safety of everyone in the building.
The first floor reference area and basement will remain closed until further notice. The library is reopening in stages after a serious fire in the upper basement level in April damaged bound periodicals.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
University Hospitals Parking & Transportation Department has announced UNMH shuttle service between the Alvarado station in downtown Albuquerque and the UNM main hospital to accommodate Rail Runner Express riders. The service begins today, July 14.
A few important details:
• Shuttle service will be to and from the UNM main hospital only. Please do not ask drivers to drop you at any other location.
• Service is available Monday through Friday only.
• The hospital departure time will be prompt to align with the train schedules; there will be no waiting exceptions. These shuttles will be on a timed schedule only, unlike continuous-route shuttles within the hospitals system.
• The hospital shuttle will pick up Rail Runner passengers on 1st Street in front of the Amtrak office (exit train and walk up the sidewalk to the Amtrak building).
• Look for the dedicated shuttle at the UNM main hospital main shuttle loading area for Alvarado station and the Rail Runner Express service. Shuttles are marked “Train Depot.”
• The schedule is subject to change in relation to changes in the Rail Runner Express schedule.
To meet the needs of most morning-arriving hospitals employees and visitors, the shuttle will be available at the Amtrak stop at the Alvarado station at:
• 6:25 a.m. to pick up passengers from the 6:30 a.m. train (no initial shuttle stop at UNMH)
• 7:30 a.m. to pick up passengers from the 7:35 a.m. train (leaves UNMH shuttle stop at 7:15 a.m.)
• 8:40 a.m. to pick up passengers from the 8:45 a.m. train (leaves UNMH shuttle stop at 8:25 a.m.)
In normal conditions, you may expect the shuttle to arrive at the main hospital
within approximately 10-15 minutes.
To meet the needs of most afternoon-departing hospitals employees and isitors, the shuttle will leave UNM Hospitals at:
• 3:45 p.m. to drop off passengers for the 4:10 p.m. train
• 5:05 p.m. to drop off passengers for the 5:25 p.m. train
• 6:10 p.m. to drop off passengers for the 6:30 p.m. train
Please be aware of how the Rail Runner and shuttle schedule will affect your arrival and departure time for work at UNMH and plan accordingly.
If you have questions please contact the Parking & Transportation
Department at 272-4074.
For Rail Runner Express information visit the
website at New Mexico RailRunner.
Media Contact: Sabra Basler, (505) 277-7590; e-mail: sbasler@unm.edu
The VIDA Art Exhibition, a unique display of art, is currently featured at the University of New Mexico Foundation/Development Office located at Two Woodward Center, 700 Lomas Blvd. NE, Suite 108. Twenty-seven artists are featured with 70 pieces in the unique display titled, ‘A Step Beyond.’ The show, which opened July 10, runs through Jan. 5, 2007.
‘A Step Beyond’ is the fourth in a series of community-based art exhibits featuring University of New Mexico artwork. The show’s curator, Janie Perry Gonzales, is an accomplished undergraduate artist in the department of Art and Art History at UNM.
The mission of the exhibition is to place high quality fine art, created by UNM undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, faculty and or staff, in non-traditional venues for the mutual benefit of the viewer, the hosting organization and the artists.
The participating artists range from beginners to internationally-known artists, and have all gone “A Step Beyond.” The emerging artists have stepped out from their comfort zone and have competed to earn this opportunity for exposure and experience toward their art careers.
By their participation, the accomplished artists have demonstrated their support of UNM, the beginning artists, the viewers and the community. All work is available for purchase. Additionally, in a gesture of community outreach, all artists have agreed to donate 10 percent of sales proceeds to Albuquerque Rescue Mission.
The exhibit is hosted by the UNM Development/Foundation Office. More information on a specific piece or artist may be available with the receptionist. Hours of viewing are during regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Viewing arrangements can be made by calling Meredith Schaubel, (505) 277-4503 or via e-mail: mks@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The Deutsche Sommerschule von New Mexico, or German Summer School of New Mexico, is underway through July 21 at Taos Ski Valley. Now in its fourth decade, students come together for four and a half weeks to speak only German, both inside and outside the classroom. This total immersion approach helps students gain near-native fluency.
On Sunday, July 16, the school hosts a “Frühschoppen,” a special brunch with traditional German fare and entertainment from the Taos School of Music. While a traditional Frühschoppen marks the transition to the second-half of the program, the end of the program is celebrated with a Talentabend, a fun-filled evening of student skits and performances.
“The Frühschoppen is an opportunity for us to bring the summer school community together – past and current participants, as well as University and other supporters for bratwurst and conversation. It is traditionally one of the highlights of the summer school,” said Susanne Baackmann, associate professor of German Studies and co-director of the school.
For more information about the German Summer School, call 277-7367 or e-mail: schule@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Listen to the experts and ask questions about the avian flu, or bird flu, at the fourth “Science Café” on Saturday, July 15, from 10 a.m. to noon at the National Atomic Museum in Albuquerque. Experts will address the latest on the flu, when it is expected to reach the United States and the likelihood of it mutating to a human-borne illness. Admission is free, but seating is first come, first served.
Attendees will hear what likely path the flu will take in the U.S. and what the plans for action are in New Mexico.
KNME-TV’s Science Café is held six times a year, each at a different location. The concept is to show clips from an episode of NOVA scienceNOW, with an expert on hand to answer questions and lead an open discussion with the audience in “café style.”
This month, over coffee and refreshments, visitors can watch a short segment from an episode of NOVA scienceNOW discussing pandemic flu – historically and as the avian flu. Then, they are invited to join a discussion about current information about the avian flu, what is anticipated for New Mexico and what steps are being taken in advance of its arrival.
Special guests include Catherine Macken , theoretical biologist, and Tim Germann, physical chemist /computer scientist, from Los Alamos National Laboratory. Both are working on tracking and mitigating pandemic influenza. Joining them is Mack Sewell, state epidemiologist with the N.M. Dept. of Health.
For more information call: (505) 245-2137 or 277-1218
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
“In Focus,” KNME-TV’s public affairs series that explores issues important to New Mexicans, looks at “Childhood Cancer Survivors in New Mexico,” on Channel 5 on Friday, July 14, at 7:30 p.m. and repeating Sunday, July 16, at 7 a.m. “In Focus” looks at the long-term obstacles children face on their road to recovery, as well as exploring how local medical experts lead the way in helping these children succeed in life, long after they have been cured.
It is always tragic when someone is diagnosed with cancer, and even more so when the patient is a child. More and more kids now beat their cancers and enjoy long lives.
This week, “In Focus” introduces you to three brave children at different stages of their cancer treatments. Find out why the healing doesn't always end when the cancer is gone, plus look at how doctors in New Mexico lead the way in beating child cancer.
Guests include:
* Dr. Lindra Butros, founder of the Young Enduring Survivors (YES) Program
* Dr. Cheryl Willman, Director and CEO-UNM Cancer Research and Treatment Center
* Dr. Richard Heideman, UNM Medical Dir., Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology
“In Focus” is an in-depth television news magazine focusing on the events, topics and issues shaping peoples lives in the Southwest. It is a fusion of KNME’s award-winning journalistic, documentary and cultural local-production. The “In Focus” producers are Tish Bravo and Kevin McDonald. The host, journalist Kate Nelson, is the managing editor of the Albuquerque Tribune.
Support for the 39-week season of “In Focus” has been provided by McCune Charitable Foundation. Closed Captioning has been made possible by a gift from Ms. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Simon Ortiz, Acoma poet, writer and professor of Indigenous Literature and Indigenous Literature of Resistance at Arizona State University, will speak in the West Wing of Zimmerman Library on July 26, at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Summer Sunset Lecture Series. The title of his talk is “Indigenous Sovereignty and Identity: Land, Culture, Community.”
Photo: Simon Ortiz
Ortiz is a well-known author, and framed by literary perspectives, he will make observations and give commentary about today's awareness of the existence of indigenous people in New Mexico and throughout the Americas. His books include “Out There Somewhere,” “Beyond the Reach of Time and Change,” “Woven Stone,” “From Sand Creek” and others.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by University Libraries and the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Art Guenther, research professor at the Center for High Technology Materials, has been appointed as a member-at-large of the U.S. Advisory Committee for the International Commission for Optics, which represents the interests of the U.S. optics community internationally.
Photo: Research Professor Art Guenther
The purpose of the USAC/ICO is to promote the advancement of the field of optics and photonics in the United States and throughout the world, as well as to effect appropriate U.S. participation in the International Commission for Optics through the national academies. The ICO is a scientific affiliate of the International Council for Scientific Unions (ICSU) and serves to build global interaction among research and educational communities.
As part of international activities of the national academies, the USAC/ICO will be encouraged to look at issues not only specifically relevant to optics and photonics, but also relevant across several disciplines. New activities and initiatives may include fostering research collaborations and communications; improving the public's understanding of science; supporting opportunities for young scientists; developing outreach to other countries; and promoting equitable access to research resources.
Guenther came to the University of New Mexico after a career as chief scientist with the U.S. Air Force, chief scientist for advanced defense technology at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and science advisor for laboratory development and manager of alliances with Sandia National Laboratories.
At UNM, Guenther has helped found an industry association in New Mexico. He also promotes optics education programs – constructing a career ladder for optical technicians and theorists at West Mesa High School, Central New Mexico Community College and UNM.
He is past president of the International Commission for Optics, an organization of more than 50 countries and territories worldwide. He is presently their official representative to the Education and Training in Optics and Photonics Conference, scheduled in June 2007 in Ottawa, Canada. He previously chaired this biannual meeting in Singapore.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Leadership New Mexico recently announced its graduates from the 2006 Leadership New Mexico Core Program. Included among the 41 leaders statewide is Connie Beimer, special assistant for community affairs and strategic initiatives at the University of New Mexico. The Core Program includes topics such as health and human services, economic development, education, environment and natural resources, government and crime and justice issues.
Photo: Connie Beimer was among the graduates from the 2006 Leadership New Mexico Core Program.
Leadership New Mexico, a non-partisan, non-profit organization, was founded in 1995 to identify current and emerging leaders throughout New Mexico, enhance their leadership skills, and deepen their understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our state.
“Working with the best and brightest from around the state was a terrific experience,” said Beimer. “The skills and information I gained will enhance my community affairs role here at UNM.”
Prior to coming to UNM, Beimer was the deputy chief of staff for Governor Bill Richardson. She also served in the administration of Mayor Jim Baca as director of the cultural services department and then as his deputy chief administrative officer. Beimer has a bachelor’s degree in recreation and masters in public administration from UNM. She is a past recipient of the Outstanding Woman of New Mexico award and was named by the CBS’ This Morning show as Best Boss in America.
Open to all citizens of the state, Leadership New Mexico involves leaders who represent the various geographic regions and communities, from the public, private, government, and non-profit sectors. Special consideration is given to ensure diversity of geography, race, gender, and occupational background. Employers, community organizations, local leadership programs, or individuals may nominate candidates who demonstrate outstanding leadership potential. Individuals may also nominate themselves.
For additional information about Leadership New Mexico visit: Leadership New Mexico or call (505) 241-4800.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Hispano literary traditions in New Mexico to be discussed
The Harwood Museum of Art, in conjunction with the New Mexico Office of the State Historian, presents a lecture on Thursday, July 20, at 7 p.m. with Genaro Padillo titled, “Villagra’s La Historia de la Nueva Mexico, 1610 and Fray Angelico Chavez’ 'My Penitente Land: The Epics of Home.' The lecture is free and open to the public.
Photo: Genaro Padilla
Padilla is one of the leading scholars of Mexican-American literature in the United States, and has been on faculty in the English Department at U.C. Berkeley since 1987. As a member of the faculty, he has received numerous awards including the Premio Critical Nueva Fourth Annual Award for Excellence in Literary Scholarship from the University of New Mexico, a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship, a University of California President’s Research Fellowship in the Humanities, William Kimball Rice Fellowship at Stanford University Humanities Center and a President’s Fellowship at the University of Utah.
Padilla has authored many articles and chapters, and has written or edited the following books: 'My History, Not Yours: The Formation of Mexican American Autobiography,' 'The Short Stories of Fray Angelico Chavez, Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage,' 'Nuevomexicano Cultural Legacy: Forms, Agencies and Discourse,' and 'Power, Race, and Gender in Academe: Strangers in the Tower?'
Padilla is active in the Modern Language Association, sits on the Editorial Advisory Board of American Quarterly, and is an Advisory Board member of the Bibliographical Survey of Mexican American Literary Culture of NEH. Additionally, since 1995, Padilla has served as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at U.C. Berkeley.
Padilla comes to Taos as part of the Office of State Historian Lecture Series. The impetus for this lecture series, which provides speakers to various venues throughout New Mexico, comes from the Office of The State Historian’s mission “to foster and facilitate an understanding and appreciation of New Mexico’ history and culture trough education, research, preservation, and community outreach.”
For his July 20 Harwood Lecture, Padilla will examine literary traditions of New Mexico, focusing on two authors Fray Angélico Chávez and Gaspar Perez de Villagra.
Fray Angélico Chávez (1910-1996) was an American Franciscan Priest, historian, author, poet and painter. Born the first of 10 children he attended public schools in Mora. At the age of 14, Chávez was admitted to St. Francis Seminary in Ohio.
While at the seminary, Chávez endeavored to improve his English (his second language) through a study of the classic literature of the language. He began writing fiction, essays, and other works at this time, several of which were published in the Brown and White, the student magazine he later edited.
In 1929, he officially became a novice and received the order's habit. Due to his promise as a visual artist, was given the religious name Frater Angélico after the Florentine painter Fra Angelico. He continued his studies in Detroit, graduating in 1933. He studied for four more years before being ordained at Saint Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe, the first native New Mexican Franciscan.
He was assigned to the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Peña Blanca and its missions in Jémez Pueblo and Los Cerrillos.
After a career in the military during WWII and through the Korean War, Chávez was appointed archivist of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and undertook the cataloguing and translation of its Spanish archives. This work provided new primary sources that allowed for a reevaluation of the history of New Mexico. He wrote the definitive work on the families of New Mexico, as well as many other works of history, some of which is considered revisionist.
He also wrote poetry, short stories and novels, including his 1974 book “My Penitente Land: Reflections on Spanish New Mexico.” Since his fictional works center on the history and culture of the Hispanic people of New Mexico, he is sometimes regarded as "the father of Chicano literature".
Gaspar Perez de Villagra's (1555-1620) “Historia de la Nueva Mexico” (1610) is an epic poem and firsthand account of the first European settlement established in New Mexico. Don Juan de Onate led the first party of soldiers and settlers on their journey north from New Spain. The author was a captain in the Onate expedition and while his poem is a rich source of historical information.
Following Padilla’s Harwood Lecture, a forum will be held on Saturday, July 22, 6 p.m. at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque inspired by the Theme Hispano Literary Traditions in New Mexico.
This forum as well as all lectures including Dr. Padilla’s are funded by a grant from IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) in partnership with the Office of the State Historian, the Palace of the Governors, New Mexico state Library, TREX (Museum of N.M. Travelling Exhibits Program) N.M. Highlands University, Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe and the National Hispanic Culture Center and the Museum Outreach Program.
For more information of Padilla’s Lecture Epics of Home, call 758-9826 ext. 105 or visit Harwood Museum.
The Harwood Museum of Art, 238 Ledoux Street, Taos. Hours Tue-Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5. Admission $ 7, Sundays free to New Mexico residents.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
$1.3 million appropriated for UNM location
High Tech High, the unique charter school that launched last year, is undergoing many improvements as it prepares for the fall semester. The first is a name change from High Tech high to the Albuquerque Institute for Mathematics & Science at UNM or AIMS@UNM. The new name, announced a a press conference Friday, more accurately reflects its strong partnership with the University of New Mexico.
Photo: Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez looks on while Principal Kathy Sandoval speaks at a press conference announcing High Tech High's name change to AIMS@UNM and a $1.3 million appropriation from the state.
Additionally, UNM has received a $1.3 million appropriation from Gov. Bill Richardson toward permanent facility space for the school on the UNM campus. No permanent building has been announced yet, but in the short-term the school will have about 50 percent of its classes in temporary classrooms on the UNM Campus.
As a result of the appropriation, AIMS@UNM will be the second charter school in New Mexico to be located on a university campus, providing concurrent enrollment for its 10-12 grade students. AIMS@UNM students will be able to take college courses at UNM and receive both high school and college credit at no cost to the student.
Taking over the reins at AIMS@UNM is Kathy Sandoval, former principal of the Career Enrichment Center and the Early College Academy. Joining her is Polly Azar who will serve as Dean of Students.
“I took this new role because of the possibilities for AIMS@UNM,” Sandoval said. “This school is unique because of its partnership with the University, its supportive relationship with the City of Albuquerque and a constant message that a four-year degree is in the future of all of its students.”
Applications are currently being accepted for the school’s incoming ninth grade class. There are limited spaces available in the 10th grade class as well. For more information on the school, go to AIMS@UNM or call (505) 314-7272.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
AIA gallery located in UNM School of Architecture and Planning
An opening reception for Cecilia Portal’s photography exhibition, Redención, or Redemption, will be held Friday, July 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the American Institute of Architects gallery space in the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, 2414 Central Ave., SE.
Portal, a Guggenheim Fellow and AIA Albuquerque executive director, has been widely exhibited, including shows throughout New Mexico, Colorado, Illinois and Mexico.
“Photography has been the principal creative force in my life and has allowed me to explore my inner and outer worlds for the past 30 years. This photographic exploration navigates through my feminine, Cuban, Latina and immigrant experience sometimes with delight and other times with coarse, crude images. My esthetical pursuit incorporates my early life’s visual experience in my Native Cuba and my young adult life in Mexico,” she said.
Portal was a recipient of a 2002-03 New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities grant to collect oral histories from New Mexico architects. She received a previous NEH grant for the exhibition, “Las Mujeres de la Tierra del Sol,” a Village of Los Ranchos exhibit, lecture and series of oral history workshops.
Portal also received a 1998-99 grant from U.S. Mexico Culture for her project, “Con el Corazón Partido, Inmigrantes Mexicanas en Nuevo México,” With a Split Heart, Mexican Immigrant Women in New Mexico.
The gallery’s regular hours are Monday – Thursday noon to 5 p.m. Portal’s exhibition will be up through August 24.
For more information, call the New Mexico AIA office at 260-0571.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Art St. George, manager of Advanced Communications Technologies for UNM’s Computer Information Resource Technology (CIRT), was recently named chair of EDUCAUSE’s Evolving Technologies Committee. The Evolving Technologies Committee is charged with the identification of developing technologies and the evaluation of their impact on higher education for the EDUCAUSE community.
Members of this committee are generally responsible for technology development and implementation on their campuses, especially from a research and development perspective.
EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association with a current membership comprised of more than 2,000 colleges, universities and educational organizations, including 200 corporations, with more 15,000 active members. Its mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology.
St. George has been a member of the Evolving Technologies Committee since 2004 and will oversee a number of responsibilities as chair including the approval of reports of committee meetings before distribution; reporting to the committee on decisions of the Board or of executive staff that affect the committee's work; guide the committee in proposing new activities and service that will further the mission and goals of the association; and make policy recommendations to the president for transmission to the Board when appropriate.
Some of EDUCAUSE’s major initiatives include: ECAR, a Center for Applied Research that provide subscribers with timely research and analysis to help higher education leaders make better decisions about IT; NET@edu, which promotes the development of advanced networking in higher education through member activities spanning the spectrum of academic networking; ELI, the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative which supports new collegiate learning environments that use IT to improve the quality of teaching and learning, contain or reduce rising costs and provide greater access to higher education; and .edu Administration, which covers policies and processes for managing the .edu Internet domain.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Luci Tapahonso, Diné poet, writer and professor, will speak on Wednesday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m. in the West Wing of Zimmerman Library on the University of New Mexico campus. Her talk, “Saah: Luminous Beads of Beauty,” is part of the Summer Sunset Lecture Series sponsored by University Libraries and the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. The talk is free and open to the public.
Photo: Luci Tapahonso will give a talk at UNM on Wednesday, July 12.
Tapahonso is currently a professor of English and American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She is the author of five poetry books and three children’s books.
Originally from Shiprock, New Mexico, she grew up in a family of 11 children where her first language was Navajo. Tapahonso attended UNM, where she majored in English, received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees and, has taught English, Women’s Studies and American Indian Studies.
Tapahanso is active both locally and nationally, serving on the Board of Trustees of the National Museum of the American Indian, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution, and as a manuscript reviewer for the University of Oklahoma Press, the University of Arizona Press, the University of Nebraska Press and Cornell University Press. She serves on a number of committees at the University of Arizona and speaks to local groups.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Regent Raymond Sanchez spoke recently about the upcoming presidential search during the June meeting of the UNM Staff Council. He discussed the qualifications expected of the next president of UNM. Constituency groups providing feedback had similar comments, he said, noting many would like the next president to be a woman. He also stated that every effort was being made to have the search committee reflect the diversity of New Mexico.
In other business, Councilor Bill Bloom was presented with the Jim Davis Outstanding Staff Councilor Award. Staff who served on Staff Council committees and Staff Council for five or more years were presented with a newly designed service pin.
Councilors discussed pro-rating the Dependent Education benefit for part-time staff. Currently, all other benefits are pro-rated. The motion to approve carried and the recommendation will be forwarded to Administration.
Staff Councilors approved a recommendation for a Child Care Referral program proposal and budget. As proposed, a clearinghouse would be established to provide childcare referrals for faculty and staff.
For more information contact the Staff Council office, 277-1532.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Due to the increase in costs for fuel, concrete and asphalt, fines are increasing for the first time in more than seven years according to UNM’s Parking and Transportation Services. Beginning July 10, 2006, individuals who park improperly on campus will notice an increase in most citations. Meter and hourly rates will also increase. The fine increase is necessary in order to protect the rights of valid permit holders.
Illustration: Parking fines are on the rise at UNM.
If the price for violating parking rules does not increase parallel to inflation, the deterrent value may be lost, tempting non-permit holders to park in spaces intended for valid permit customers.
Parking and Transportation Services is 100 percent funded by the services sold and the fines collected for violations. The increase in fines and fees will also allow Parking and Transportation Services to continue to offer the lowest possible parking permit price to students, its largest customer group.
Students are sold park-and-ride permits at a price significantly lower than cost. Money collected for parking fines and fees goes towards running and maintaining the courtesy shuttles, which have experienced the highest operating cost increases in the past few years.
Parking Fine Increases; Type of Citation Fine Amount
Permit, time, and location violations - $20
Parking in a fire lane - $50
Use of a lost, stolen, or altered permit - $100
Unauthorized use of patient or reserved space - $100
Parking in handicap zone w/out placard - $250
Type of Parking; Hourly Rate
Parking Structure - $1.35
Parking Meters $ 1.35
Media Contact: Stacy Nagyvary, (505) 277-5692; e-mail: snagyvary@parking.unm.edu
Art collector Bartolomé Gil Santacruz of Badajoz, Spain, Mayor of Albuquerque Martín Chavez and Alcalde de Alburquerque, Spain Ángel Vadillo Espino participated in a formal presentation of a rare art book to the Center for Southwest Research at University Libraries recently.
Photo (l. to r.): Bartolimé Gil Santacruz, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez and Alcalde de Alburquerque Ángel Vadillo Espino.
The book, “Poeta En Nueva York,” by Federico Garcia Lorca, was donated by Santacruz as a part of the Sister City Project. It is a special edition with original artwork by several of Spain’s artists. It will be housed in the special collections of the Center for Southwest Research and made available to students, faculty, researchers and members of the community.
The ceremony held in Zimmerman Library’s west wing, is part of the ongoing relationship between the city of Albuquerque and its sister city Alburquerque in Spain. Albuquerque is named for the 10th Duke of Alburquerque, who was viceroy of New Spain (Mexico) when the community was founded.
Center for Southwest Research
The Center for Southwest Research/Special Collections is recognized as among one of the most important holdings of Southwestern United States, Mexican and Latin American documents. The Center provides scholars, students and researchers from New Mexico and around the world support for research and teaching.