Continuing Education at UNM is proud to announce its Sixth Annual Administrative Professional Conference, April 24-25 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The conference will be held at the UNM Continuing Education Conference Center and is presented through a partnership with the Albuquerque chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals.
This exciting two-day conference is designed to address the growing needs of Administrative Professionals, to recognize the integral role they fulfill, and to promote professional development in the field. Participants will have a chance to network with other professionals, and gain new skills, strategies, and techniques to improve their work performance and further their career development. The conference will feature multiple breakout sessions, professional organization information, exhibits, a bookstore, exercise and relaxation demonstrations.
Day one will feature a keynote presentation titled 'Get Out of Your Funk and On to Your Future' by Andrea Kay, career consultant, executive coach, and author who’s list of clients include Procter & Gamble, Apple Computers, Westinghouse, Frito-Lay and General Electric. General sessions will cover important topics such as what drives success and discovering one’s strengths to succeed in the workplace.
Day two will feature a general session by Reed Dasenbrock, Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs at UNM, titled 'Leadership is an Attitude.' Dan Strakal, expert on the changing workplace, author and host of two syndicated talk shows, will present the afternoon general session titled 'Communication Tips to Enhance Your Leadership Styles.' Breakout sessions will follow.
The Sixth Annual Administrative Professional Conference will be held April 24 and 25 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at UNM Continuing Education, 1634 University Blvd. NE (corner of University and Indian School). Participants may register for day one for $99, day two for $229, or both days for $259. For information, call Sherry TenClay at 277-0723 or sherrytc@unm.edu. To register, call 277-0077, or visit our Web site at dce.unm.edu.
Media Contact: Christian Horstman, (505) 277-1176; e-mail: chorst@unm.edu
Continuing Education at The University of New Mexico has been honored for excellence by the Learning Resources Network (LERN), an international association in lifelong learning. UNM is being recognized for creating a Web site and database resource and statewide referral system for child care. The system helps families find the care they need, in a convenient and cost-efficient way.
The LERN members offer hundreds of exemplary programs annually, as well as exceptional ideas for marketing, community service, and brochure and web page design.
UNM's Continuing Education was also awarded for excellence in e-Marketing, and is being recognized for exceptional electronic marketing strategies and programs for Continuing Education. The e-Marketing promotions have resulted in more targeted and timely messages, increased participation, and reduced costs for the program. Both submissions were sent by Dr. Rita Martinez-Purson.
LERN’s primary criterion in selecting exemplary programs was the quality of being at the leading edge of the field of lifelong learning. In addition, the following criteria are considered: originality, innovation, appropriateness and adaptability as a model for other programs, replicability, and measurable outcomes.
Julie Coates, Vice President of information services for LERN, said that this year’s award nominees were among the highest quality ever submitted. She also noted that there were more winners selected this year than in any previous year, due to the excellence in quality of the nominations. The University of New Mexico‘s program was selected from a field of more than 100 entries from four countries.
Learning Resources Network will feature the University of New Mexico award on the LERN Web site at www.lern.org as well as in the LERN Magazine and newsletters. For additional information, please contact info@lern.org or 1-800-678-5376.
Interested individuals may also call Dr. Rita Martinez-Purson, director, Continuing Education, at 277-6150 or rmpurson@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Christian Horstman, (505) 277-1176; e-mail: chorst@unm.edu
Service Action Network to host roundtable
The Service Action Network, a group of University of New Mexico students, faculty and staff will host a roundtable discussion with academic deans, department chairs and provosts to discuss community service opportunities and academic reform at UNM.
The event, open to the public, is Wednesday, April 4, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Student Union ballrooms. Presenters from various student organizations will speak.
"The Service Action Network serves as a clearinghouse for service organizations on campus," said Student Activities Center professional Trey Smith. "Our goal is to provide students more opportunities to get engaged in our community."
The purpose of the roundtable is to encourage student involvement in the Albuquerque community. Network members will present options and encourage university leaders to mandate academic and departmental changes and propose graduation with merit for service commitment.
"Ultimately, we would like to see more community involvement on the UNM campus," said Community Experience Assistant Director Doug Rocks-Macqueen.
For more information, contact Nico Condon via e-mail at, ncondon@unm.edu or by telephone, (505) 277-0106 or 401-2211.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
University of New Mexico is lead institution in revolutionary new radio telescope
Astronomers at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have produced the first images of the sky as seen by a prototype of the Long Wavelength Array (LWA), a revolutionary new radio telescope to be constructed in southwestern New Mexico. The images show emissions from the center of our Galaxy, a supermassive black hole, and the remnant of a star that exploded in a supernova over 300 years ago.
Photo: The Long Wavelength Demonstrator Array, the current prototype of the larger LWA project, was completed in the fall of 2006. Credit: Naval Research Laboratory
Not only a milestone in the development of the LWA, the images are also a first glimpse through a new window on the cosmos. “First light” is an astronomical term for the first image produced with a telescope. It is a key milestone for any telescope because it indicates that all of the individual components are working in unison as planned.
The University of New Mexico, the lead institution for the LWA, will supervise all aspects of its siting, design, construction and operation, says Greg Taylor, Interim Director for the LWA and associate professor of Physics and Astronomy at UNM.
“We hope to present the U.S. astronomical community with a powerful and unique instrument for exploring the universe at long wavelengths,” said Taylor. “At the same time, we will use the LWA to investigate the nature of the Earth’s ionosphere.”
When Completed...
Once completed, the LWA will provide an entirely novel view of the sky, in the radio frequency range of 20–80 MHz, currently one of the most poorly explored regions of the electromagnetic spectrum in astronomy. The LWA will be able to make sensitive high-resolution images and scan the sky rapidly for new and transient sources of radio waves, which might represent the explosion of distant, massive stars, the emissions from planets outside of our own solar system or even previously unknown objects or phenomena.
“The LWA will allow us to make the sharpest images ever possible using very long wavelength radio waves,” said Namir Kassim, an NRL astronomer in the Remote Sensing Division and LWA Project Scientist. “This newly opened window on the universe will help us understand the acceleration of relativistic particles in a variety of extreme astrophysical environments including from the most distant supermassive black holes. But perhaps most exciting is the promise of new source classes waiting to be discovered.”
Scientific Frontiers...
According to Taylor, LWA scientific frontiers include distant radio galaxies and clusters – tools for understanding the earliest black holes and cosmological evolution of dark matter and dark energy, respectively; acceleration, propagation and turbulence in the interstellar medium, including the space-distribution and spectrum of Galactic cosmic rays and supernova remnants; planetary, solar and space science, including space-weather prediction, ionospheric measurements and extra solar planet searches; and the radio transient universe including Gamma Ray Burst’s, ultra-high energy cosmic rays and new sources of unknown origin.
The current prototype, referred to as the Long Wavelength Demonstrator Array (LWDA) to differentiate it from the larger LWA project, completed installation on the Plains of San Agustin in southwestern New Mexico in the fall of 2006. Funded by NRL and built by the Applied Research Laboratories of the University of Texas, Austin, the telescope consists of 16 antennas connected to a suite of electronics that combine the signals from each antenna. Each antenna is only four feet tall and acts much like an old style television antenna, receiving radio waves from many different directions simultaneously. When combined, the data from the individual antennas is comparable to that from a more traditional dish style telescope with a diameter of 70 feet.
Although radio astronomy was discovered at low frequencies (near 20 MHz, corresponding to wavelengths of 15 meters), well below the current FM band, astronomers quickly moved up to higher frequencies (centimeter wavelengths) in search of higher resolution and to escape the corrupting effects of the Earth’s ionosphere, a region of charged particles between about 50 and 600 miles above the surface.
New Imaging Techniques...
The ionosphere, which can "bend" radio waves to produce long-distance reception of AM and short-wave radio signals, causes distortions in radio telescope images. Ionospheric effects become much worse at low frequencies, but new imaging techniques developed at NRL and elsewhere have allowed the "ionospheric barrier" to be broken and enabled high-resolution astronomical imaging at these low frequencies for the first time.
These new imaging techniques provide an improved view of not only the astronomical sky, but the Earth's ionosphere as well. The full LWA will generate richly detailed measurements of the ionosphere that will complement other ionospheric data sources. Understanding the ionosphere is critically important to the Department of Defense because of its effects on communications and navigation systems.
“Radio astronomy got its start at low frequencies (below 100 MHz) with the work of Karl Jansky and Grote Reber, but Reber and others quickly moved to higher frequencies where the ionosphere was less problematic,” says Taylor. “The ionosphere distorts the radio waves at low frequencies and causes radio sources to shift around on the sky, much like stars twinkle due to passage through the atmosphere. The phase distortions induced by the ionosphere are particularly challenging to interferometers and can prevent them from achieving useful results.
“Astronomers (including members of the LWA collaboration) have recently developed techniques that can allow us to remove these phase fluctuations and recover faithful images of the sky. At the same time these phase variations provide us with important insights into the nature of the ionosphere, such as minute density variations.”
The antenna design, which resembles a household ceiling fan, with blades that have drooped down at an angle of 45 degrees, was conceived to allow the array to see the full sky and cover a wide range of frequencies with a single antenna “The sophisticated digital electronics used in the LWDA allow it to change observing frequency or point in a new direction in an instant, and even allow it to look in two directions at the same time,” says Dr. Paul Ray, an astrophysicist at NRL who is overseeing the overall performance of the LWDA.
Possibilities Unlimited...
When completed, the LWA will operate in a similar manner, but on a much grander scale. Plans call for over 13,000 individual antennas, divided into 50 stations. These stations will be spread over a 250-mile area across New Mexico, and possibly beyond.
“I think the possibility for detecting entirely new classes of astrophysical objects is excellent,” said Taylor. “Consider two of the past Nobel prizes in radio astronomy for the detection of pulsars and the cosmic microwave background. These great discoveries happened when we opened up new frequency windows on the universe. The LWA will open up the lowest frequency window available from the ground (before the ionospheric cutoff kicks in at 5-15 MHz) at dramatically higher sensitivity and resolution than we have had before.”
“At these low frequencies we have the possibility to detect coherent emission from gamma-ray bursts, from extra solar planets, and from sources of yet unknown origin. In combination with the wealth of scientific studies that we know will be possible by extraction from higher frequencies the deployment of the LWA will begin a very exciting era for astronomy.”
UNM Involvement...
In addition to Taylor, other UNM researchers involved in the project include Professor Jack McIver, Associate Professor Patricia Henning, Assistant Professor Ylva Pihlstrom, Adjunct Professors John Dickel and Helene Dickel, all from Physics and Astronomy, Computer Engineering Professor Walter Gerstle and Electrical Engineering Associate Research Professor Christopher Watts.
UNM will be establishing a project office that will help Taylor manage the project. The LWA will also provide a training ground for radio astronomy instrumentation at UNM. Several UNM students have already been involved with work on the LWDA including its siting, construction, and radio-frequency interference evaluation and mitigation.
Media Contacts: National Research Laboratory Public Affairs Office, (202) 767-2541; UNM, Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu.
The second of ARTS Lab's First Friday Workshops will focus on Motion Capture applications and the capabilities of ARTS Lab's Vicon system, led by Multimedia Specialist Enrico Trujillo. The event will be held specifically for UNM faculty and staff Friday, April 6, from 3 to 4 p.m. in the ARTS Lab Garage, 131 Pine St., N.E. Participants will see a demonstration of motion capture use, from basic set up to capturing data, and the steps needed to apply this information to a working model.
Motion Capture technology has come from use in sports and biomedical applications to revolutionize animation, special effects and game development, perhaps best represented by the performance of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings movie series.
Due to space limitations, this workshop is reserved for UNM Faculty and Staff on a first come - first served basis. Visit http://artslab.unm.edu/rsvp/ to claim your spot.
For a map to the location visit: http://artslab.unm.edu/contact/index.htm.
For more information about ARTS Lab, visit: http://artslab.unm.edu/newsevents/.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
On Friday, March 30, from 9 a.m. – noon, UNM regents, administrators and representatives from faculty, staff and student leadership will discuss the university’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The 2007 Budget Summit will take place in the Student Union Building, Ballroom C.
Delegates from various university constituencies will do presentations listing their priorities for Fiscal Year ’08, which begins July 1, 2007.
Background information and some presentations are available at:
Budget Summit Background.
Everyone is invited to attend. However, if you are unable to attend, but would still like to know what ‘s being said at the summit, use this link for the live audio webcast: Budget Summit Webcast.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Show Airs Friday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m. and repeats Sunday, April 1, at 7 a.m.
UNM and New Mexico will soon be at the forefront of the national health policy discussion, thanks to an $18.5 million gift from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This week’s edition of KNME-TV’s public affairs series, In Focus, will center on where that money will go and how the University of New Mexico hopes the Center will bring Hispanic and Native American voices into the discussion. Titled “UNM & New Mexico’s Health Policy,” In Focus will air Friday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 5. This week’s show will repeat Sunday, April 1, at 7 a.m.
Featured guests include Reed Dasenbrock, UNM Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Richard Santos and William Wiese, MD, both associate directors of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy at UNM.
In Focus is an in-depth, television news magazine focusing on the events, topics and issues that shape people’s lives in the Southwest. It covers issues that New Mexicans want to know more about and is a fusion of KNME’s award-winning journalistic, documentary and cultural local production. The producer of In Focus is Kevin McDonald. The host is journalist Kate Nelson, managing editor of the Albuquerque Tribune.
The McCune Charitable Foundation has provided support for the 39-week season of In Focus. Closed Captioning of In Focus has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1218; e-mail: etodd@unm.edu
About 300 people are anticipated to participate in Relay for Life, an event hosted by the University of New Mexico to raise money to help the American Cancer Society, said Desiree Valdez, ACS community relationship manager.
Designed to bring together those who have been affected by cancer and to celebrate survivorship, this overnight event is open to anyone interested in participating April 13, between 4:30 p.m. and 8 a.m., at UNM’s Johnson Field. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m., and the survivors lap and opening ceremonies at 6 p.m.
“The event is held overnight to signify that Cancer never sleeps,” said Valdez.
Sign up at Relay for Life UNM or at the event.
There is no deadline for registration. Participants however, are encouraged to register in teams added Valdez.
The easiest way to raise money is through the online fundraising tool, which can be accessed after registering a team.
Last year UNM became one of the selected universities to be chartered by the American Cancer Society as a College Against Cancer, said Miranda Riddle, co-chair of Relay for Life.
“At the first Relay for Life, held last year, $7,000 was raised,” Valdez said. “This year’s goal is $50,000. We have great expectations for UNM.”
For more information, contact Louis Jeantete at 977-4502.
University of New Mexico Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Reed Dasenbrock has named Dr. Brenda J. Claiborne as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Claiborne, currently professor of biology and director of the Institute for Aging Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), will begin her new job August 1.
Photo: Brenda J. Claiborne
Dasenbrock notes that the dean of Arts and Sciences is one of UNM’s most important positions as this college teaches 62 percent of all of the credit hours at the university. It has 20 departments, including those key to undergraduate education, as well as strong doctoral programs in the humanities, social sciences and physical sciences.
“Dr. Claiborne comes from UTSA, a rapidly rising Hispanic serving institution, where she has been quite successful in bringing in external research funds and building high quality programs,” said Dasenbrock.
“We look forward to her participation in helping increase student success and graduation rates at UNM, as well as helping build programs of national distinction,” he added.
Saying she is impressed with the quality and enthusiasm of the faculty and administrators and the diversity of the student body, Claiborne is delighted to be joining UNM. “I look forward to working with all members of the college to develop a strategic plan that both reflects the priorities and needs of the college and supports the mission of UNM.”
Claiborne said she also looks forward to improving student success, supporting outstanding scholarship and fostering collaborative projects and programs with other colleges and with the School of Medicine.
Claiborne has been on the UTSA faculty since 1986. From 1993 – 1997, she served as Dean of Graduate Studies and Associate Vice President for Research, with responsibility for all graduate programs, research centers and institutes, and research development on the UTSA campus.
Claiborne received her bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of California, Berkeley, her masters of science in Biology from the University of Oregon and her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California, San Diego. Before her tenure at UTSA, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow in developmental neurobiology at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. She has had a distinguished research career in neuroscience.
At UNM, Claiborne will have a tenured appointment in the Dept. of Biology with a secondary appointment in the Dept. of Neurosciences in the School of Medicine.
Joseph Cecchi, dean, School of Engineering, who chaired the Arts and Sciences dean’s search committee, reflected on the strength of the candidate pool, saying “It is a strong indication of the high esteem UNM’s College of Arts and Sciences enjoys nationwide that we saw a great number of exceptionally talented individuals from highly-regarded institutions across the country. From that pool the provost was able to select five outstanding finalists – every one a leader.”
Provost Dasenbrock, who had previously served as UNM’s dean of Arts and Sciences, extended his thanks to Vera Norwood who has served as interim dean since March 2005.
“The position of Dean of Arts and Sciences, as I can testify from experience, is a challenging one, and Vera has very capably addressed all of the challenges of the job and kept the College moving forward in this period of transition,” said Dasenbrock.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
UNM Staff Council elections will be held April 2-10. Staff will vote for councilors to represent their grade by paper (grades 2-6) or electronic (all other grades) ballot.
The Staff Council provides a forum for non-faculty staff to address issues of staff concern and to make those issues known to the university. Recent issues the council has addressed include a campus-wide tobacco ban, protection of employee rights, differential raises for faculty and staff, tuition remission policy, and aligning UNM and Albuquerque Public Schools spring breaks.
The council also contributes to events for and recognition of UNM staff, such as Staff Appreciation Week and Outstanding Staff Awards.
Paper ballots will be mailed Thursday, March 29 and are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10. Electronic ballots will be mailed Monday, April 2 and are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 6. The election results will be announced Wednesday, April 11.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Are you curious about what is happening to the Southwestern Willow Flycatchers or the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow? The Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Act Collaborative Program is sponsoring its Second Annual Symposium to talk about the latest projects and information involving these species. The symposium will be Monday and Tuesday, April 16-17, at the University of New Mexico Continuing Education Center at 1634 University Boulevard NE, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Photo: Bill Maynard, N.M. Dept. of Game and Fish
Hear a call from the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher.
It will feature project updates and new information on the biology and ecology of the Rio Grande silvery minnow, the distribution and abundance of the Southwestern willow flycatcher, habitat restoration research and monitoring, water quality and riparian ecology, and investigations into options for irrigation and other water use efficiencies.
Advance registration is required. Cost is $10 for access to the programs and poster presentations, continental breakfast and refreshment breaks and lunch on Monday, April 16.
The registration Web site is http://research.unm.edu/news_events/register/. Please look under MRGESCP Symposium. Registrations will be taken up to 5 p.m. Friday, April 6. Checks must be made to the University of New Mexico. Advance payment should be sent to MRGESCP Symposium, c/o Office of the Vice President for Research & Economic Development, MSCO5 3480, Scholes Hall, Suite 327, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001. Only cash and checks may be accepted at the registration tables. Purchase orders cannot be accepted.
Registration questions should be directed to Dr. Tim J. Ward, P.E., UNM Assistant Vice President for Research, at tjward@unm.edu or (505) 277-2328, or Amy Cordoba at acordoba@unm.edu
or (505) 277-0168.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627; email kwent2@unm.edu
Thornburg Investment Management has given a capital gift of $30,000 to the Anderson School of Management’s Student Financial Services Center. The Center, which opened its doors this year, was built to house the work of the Anderson undergraduate and graduate portfolio management program.
The contribution by Thornburg offers a win-win situation to both parties according to Alex Motola, Portfolio Manager of Thornburg Core Growth. “As New Mexico's premiere mutual fund and financial services company we seek the finest graduates to help infuse fresh talent to our growing organizations. Having a top notch teaching facility at UNM's Anderson School will help Thornburg Companies and other financial firms in the state,” says Motola.
Students in the Anderson portfolio management program currently trade over $2 million in UNM Foundation funds, thanks to an agreement between University Regents and the business school. According to Anderson Ted Bouras, “Most business schools have finance majors, but an investment program like ours, with real money at stake, is a major differentiator. Anderson grads will be much more competitive in the job market with this valuable hands-on experience.”
“I would like to thank Thornburg for this generous donation and for having faith in the future of our students choosing to take financial paths,” says Amy Wohlert, Anderson’s acting dean.
A team of cadets from the UNM Army ROTC program has taken first place in their category at the Bataan Memorial Death March event at the White Sands Missile Range. The ROTC Military Heavy team ran 26.2 miles though the desert, much of it through sand carrying 35 pound rucksacks.
Photo (l. to r.): UNM Army ROTC team Tyler Cormier, Christopher Painter, Rubin Andrew, Ogan Michael, Gabriel Montoya, John Brasher, Daryl Murton. They are shown here with WWII Bataan Death March survivor Horazio Montoya, grandfather of cadet Gabriel Montoya.
The Bataan Memorial Death March was started in 1989 by the Army ROTC at New Mexico State University to honor a special group of World War II veterans, many of them from New Mexico. The soldiers were responsible for the defense of the islands of Luzon, Corregidor and the harbor defense forts of the Philippines. On April 9, 1942, tens of thousands of Americans and Filipino soldiers were surrendered to Japanese forces. The 200th Coast Artillery from the New Mexico National Guard was one of the units seized.
The soldiers were marched for days through the scorching heat of the Philippine Jungles. Thousands of men died during the march and the survivors were sent to Japanese prison of war camps.
The memorial march is primarily a military event, although some civilians do participate. The event which began with about 100 marchers, now each year draws about 4-thousand participants, and is an international event.
This year UNM Assistant Professor of Military Science Maj. Mike Herrera won 4th place overall in Military Light and 1st place in his age category.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627 email kwent2@unm.edu
For the first time in almost 25 years, Albuquerque will host the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2007. The fair will utilize the entire Albuquerque Convention Center for the week of May 13 – 19, 2007, plus Tingley Coliseum for opening and closing ceremonies.
The week-long Intel ISEF is the world's largest pre-college celebration of science and is held annually in May. This event brings together approximately 1,500 high school students from over 40 countries, regions, and territories to compete for nearly $4 million in scholarships, tuition grants, internships, scientific field trips, and three grand prizes of $50,000 college scholarships.
Grand Awards judges are needed in 17 science and engineering categories to interview the finalists and select the award winners. Grand Awards Judges need to be available for half a day on Tuesday, May 15 and all of Wednesday, May 16, 2007. Registration for participating judges is on Tuesday, May 15. Judging and award selection take place all day on Wednesday, May 16.
Grand Awards judges must have a minimum of six years related professional experience beyond receiving their B.A., B.S., or master’s degree or a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree. Judges may include university faculty and scientists, industrial engineers and scientists, representatives of private and federal research centers and agencies, and medical researchers.
To apply to be a Grand Awards judge, go to http://www.intelisef2007.org/judges.asp and click on the link “Click here to register to be a judge.”
Host Committee Judging Chairs
Len Duda
Sandia National Labs
Phone: (505) 844-3304
Email: leduda@sandia.gov
Ted Wolff
Sandia National Labs
Phone: (505) 284-5204
Email: tawolff@sandia.gov
The search committee for the new director of the Counseling, Assistance and Referral Services (CARS) is inviting interested members of the campus community to attend open forums with the finalists.
All forums will be held in the Student Union Building, Trailblazer Room. That is on the 3rd floor, near the south send of the building.
Monday, March 26 – Timothy S. Strongin, Ph.D. 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 29 – Rosalyn Chrenka, Ph.D. 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Friday, April 6 – Steven A. Rugala, Ph.D 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
The 4th Annual Planet xMAP 2007 Conference welcomed Larry Sklar, Ph.D., professor of Pathology for UNM’s School of Medicine, as its keynote speaker this month in Dana Point, Calif.
Sklar, who also is director of the New Mexico Molecular Libraries Screening Center and directs basic research for the UNM Cancer Center, spoke about high throughput flow cytometry of multiplexed targets for drug discovery.
“The NIH Roadmap Molecular Libraries Initiative has given us the opportunity, through the New Mexico Molecular Libraries Screening Center, to implement this technology for the international research community,” Sklar notes. “And our powerful partnerships with the WM Keck Foundation and Los Alamos Labs have provided the necessary resources to evaluate small molecules as imaging agents.”
Planet xMAP is an annual symposium of leading scientists focused on genetic testing and molecular diagnostics. The three-day symposium included lectures, workshops and presentations on recent technological advances in bioassay multiplexing research systems.
Media Contact: Luke Frank, (505) 272-3679; e-mail: lfrank@salud.unm.edu
UNM Athletics Director Paul Krebs announced last month that Steve Alford has been named the school’s 19th head men’s basketball coach. Alford spent the past eight seasons as head coach at the University of Iowa. UNM and Alford have agreed on a six-year contract with total annual compensation of $975,000. Complete details of the contract will be available later.
Alford, 42, has a 308-183 (63 percent) career record in 16 seasons as a collegiate head coach. His teams qualified for postseason play 11 times, produced 13 winning seasons and reached 20 wins on eight occasions.
“We are thrilled to have Steve and his family join our Lobo family,” Krebs said. “He is an outstanding coach and he possesses a proven track record in arguably the toughest men’s basketball conference in the country. In addition to his great basketball pedigree and national name, Steve is an outstanding teacher and recruiter who cares deeply about the student-athlete. Steve’s arrival at the University of New Mexico signals a commitment to re-establishing UNM as a national player in men’s basketball.”
Alford hit the ground running. He’s already out to recruit. “We’re looking to fill in the gaps. We don’t have a lot of size. We’ll be looking for that in the class of ’07,” he said. He was planning to size up potential recruits at tournaments taking place Easter weekend.
UNM finished the 2006-07 season with a 15-17 mark, only the Lobos’ second losing record in the past 24 years, since 1984.
Alford said that he’s been “intrigued” about UNM because of games he’s attended at The Pit. “I love the history of basketball and the history of The Pit,” he said. Alford said that incoming President David Schmidly and Krebs sold him on the potential of UNM’s program.
They share his own passion and commitment in developing student-athletes, he said. “Nothing is more rewarding than taking 18-year-olds and helping them find their potential on the court and in the classroom and then turning them out as 22-year-olds ready to be productive citizens,” he said.
Alford said that greater national visibility of a successful basketball program can bring students in from other sports as well as from academics. “This is one reason why we involve the student body in our program,” he said.
“I appreciate the opportunity UNM has given to me. The Pit and Lobo basketball have a great tradition with NCAA Tournaments. We want the home court advantage to be even better. The fans will have a big part in making that possible.”
In eight seasons at Iowa, Alford compiled a 152-106 record with a school-record seven consecutive winning seasons, and six postseason appearances. The Hawkeyes won two Big Ten Conference tournament titles in 2001 and `06. Iowa was 17-14 in 2006-07. It was 9-7 in the Big Ten, tied with NCAA teams Illinois and Purdue for fourth place.
David J. Van Horn, pictured, was one of the outstanding poster presenters at the 2nd Annual UNM Student Water Research Symposium. He and his co-researcher Lydia H. Zeglin presented on “Seasonal and Longitudinal Trends in Middle Rio Grande Water Quality.” The symposium was designed to show the breadth and scope of student research being done into water related issues in New Mexico and the Southwest.
Other outstanding poster presentation winners were Christian Gunning and Lynda Price for “Linear Modeling of the Response of Groundwater Level to River Stage in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque, Water Year 2006” and Christian LeJeune and Isaiah Pedro for “Investigating Ground Water – Surface Water Interaction.”
Presentations at the conference included “A Water Leasing Framework for the Middle Rio Grande Focusing on Farming Choices” by Craig D. Broadbent, “An Evaluation of Constructed Wetlands in New Mexico” by Jennie Skancke, “Water Quality and Quantity in the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico by Lydia H. Zeglin, “Degradation of Arsenic Bearing Solid Residuals in a Landfill Environment Due to Anaerobic Bacteria” by Sarah Tuite, and “Storm Water Best Management Practices and the Drop Flow Debris Filter” by Todd Marti.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Beginning March 31, 2007, UNM student employees paid less than $6.25 per hour will be raised to that minimum, according to UNM Student Financial Aid Director Ron Martinez. Starting July 7, 2007 (the start of the first pay period of the new fiscal year), all new student employees will be assigned pay rates according to a revised pay scale.
Continuing employees will receive a “market adjustment” to the new rate applicable to the employee’s current Grade and Step.
Any further step increases for longevity (assuming satisfactory performance) will be based on a revised pay scale starting with this first new pay period of the fiscal year.
UNM Student Employee wages will be further adjusted once Gov. Bill Richardson signs the new statewide minimum wage bill into law, resulting in an additional pay increase.
The new scale is expected to affect all grades and stages in the UNM student employee wage system in 2008 and 2009.
Below is the two-phased, three-step progression of changes in UNM student employee wages:
Phase I, Step 1: Effective March 31, 2007, all UNM student employees will be raised to $6.25.
Phase I, Step 2: Effective July 7, 2007, a new pay scale will be instituted across all UNM student employee steps and grades to calibrate with the new UNM student minimum wage, as follows:
New UNM Student Pay Scale (effective 7/07/2007)
Grade I
Step I - $6.25
Step II - $6.50
Step III - $6.75
Step IV - $7.00
Step V - $7.25
Step VI - $7.50
Step VII - $7.75
Grade II
Step I - $6.75
Step II - $7.00
Step III - $7.25
Step IV - $7.50
Step V - $7.75
Step VI - $8.00
Step VII - $8.25
Grade III
Step I - $7.25
Step II - $7.50
Step III - $7.75
Step IV - $8.00
Step V - $8.25
Step VI - $8.50
Step VII - $8.75
Grade IV
Step I - $9.50
Step II - $10.25
Step III - $11.00
Step IV - $11.75
Step V - $12.50
Step VI - $13.25
Step VII - $14.00
Phase II: When Gov. Richardson signs the new statewide minimum wage into law, there will be a further adjustment to all steps and grades to calibrate with the new statewide miniumum wage. The current proposed scale across steps and grades is as follows:
Phase II: Proposed Pay Scale: effective date in law when signed
Proposed 1/1/2008
Grade I
Step I - $6.50
Step II - $6.75
Step III - $7.00
Step IV - $7.25
Step V - $7.50
Step VI - $7.75
Step VII - $8.00
Grade II
Step I - $7.00
Step II - $7.25
Step III -$7.50
Step IV - $7.75
Step V -$8.00
Step VI - $8.25
Step VII - $8.50
Grade III
Step I - $7.50
Step II - $7.75
Step III - $8.00
Step IV - $8.25
Step V - $8.50
Step VI - $8.75
Step VII -$9.00
Grade IV
Step I - $9.50
Step II - $10.25
Step III - $11.00
Step IV - $11.75
Step V - $12.50
Step VI - $13.25
Step VII - $14.00
Please note that this proposed wage scale is tentative.
For information about changes to the UNM Student Employee wage scales, contact the Office of Student Employment at (505) 277-3511.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Federal funding cuts for National Youth Sports Program puts local organizers in quandary
A popular summer program at the University of New Mexico for disadvantaged children in the Albuquerque-area fDavid Brookshire an uncertain future. The National Youth Sports Program, a highly successful program in 39 states, aims to help under served youth learn to "walk tall – talk tall – stand tall." However, federal budget cuts the past two years may force officials to cancel its summer program unless funds are found to keep the program afloat for June 2007.
The program, which falls under UNM’s College of Education’s Department of Physical Performance and Development, had more than 50 percent of its funding cut in 2006 from $90,000 to $40,000. This year, the rest of the funding, aside from some support, was eliminated leaving UNM’s program looking for funds to keep the program alive, at least for the short term.
“This program goes back numerous years,” said David Scott, chair, department of physical performance and development. “The program was designed for economically disadvantaged youth in Albuquerque. It’s a very important program. Not only does it address a need for kids, but it is also a sports and social oriented program that helps disadvantaged youth in school.”
The program, which was created in 1969 with $3 million from Congress, uses sports instruction and competition as a means to enhance self-esteem, promote respect for oneself and others, reinforce the importance of education to one's future, and to promote active, healthy lifestyles. As part of the program, each participant receives a free medical examination and follow-up, if necessary, and at least one free meal daily.
Created 37 years ago, NYSP is of even greater importance today, given the epidemic of childhood obesity and increased diabetes. The UNM/NYSP program has been one of the biggest programs in the nation. At UNM, the kids participate in a number of sports-related activities including swimming, basketball, volleyball, flag football, soccer, rugby and tennis. The program also provides participants with instruction in career and educational opportunities and exposure to the college environment.
“This is an activity program that helps young children and adults improve their fitness through sports,” said Program Coordinator Gary Sanchez. “The participants are supervised and provided with quality instruction. This is not a roll out the ball program. The professional staff has lesson plans and 75 percent of the activity is skill instruction.
“The kids are rotated through a variety of sports activities and a health component. Kids love to play and this program provides them the opportunity to remain active. We work with mostly financially disadvantaged family who don't have the means to pay for summer programs. The participants have a sense of belonging to a quality program at UNM. For many this is their first visit to a major educational institution.”
For more information on the National Youth Sports Program visit: http://www.nyscorp.org/nysp/home.html or call UNM’s Department of Physical Performance and Development at, (505) 277-5151.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico’s Latin American and Iberian Institute presents colloquium, ”Interdisciplinary Methods in Colonial Studies in the Americas: Exchanges over space and time,” Friday and Saturday, March 23-24, at UNM.
The event is free and open to the public, but because seating is limited, registration is requested. Go to http://laii.unm.edu/cswg/register.phpre to register.
“We invite everyone who is interested in the activities of colonial Latin Americans, as well as connections from this period to Pre-Hispanic antecedents and modern extensions, to attend presentations – in English, Spanish or Portuguese – to be made by members of five panels,” said Cynthia Radding, director, LAII.
Each speaker will provide an overview of an aspect of his or her research. The
topics are interdisciplinary, and the participants will represent several scholarly disciplines.
“There will be ample time for discussion so that panelists can benefit from comments grounded in the research perspectives of other fields; as well as to receive comments and questions from the audience,” Radding said.
The program includes, “Lived Experience and Transculturation,” organized by Kathryn McKnight, associate professor, Spanish and Portuguese.
This panel discussion will look at methods used to understand how cultures and societies, and the individuals who made them up experienced, understood and expressed the transformations that occurred in the early Americas, whether those changes responded more to intercultural contact, inter-group violence, or the inequalities born of conquest and colonial life.
“Pedagogical Applications for Educators Panel,” organized by María Kelly, LAII.
The panel includes community experts discussing the possibilities of application and implementation of the materials presented for use in the area K-12 school classrooms. The panel consists of a resource teacher, art teacher, a museum curator and an art historian.
Educators attending the panel will receive a certificate for professional development for 3.5 hours issued by the Center for Latin American Resources and Outreach (CLARO).
“Markets and Economies,” is organized by Kimberly Gauderman, associate professor, History; and Celia López-Chávez, associate professor, Honors. Colonial Latin American markets and economies developed their own dynamics and distinct characteristics. As networks of economic and cultural exchange, markets provide a window into continuous negotiations over definitions of status, racial identity, and gender norms. The panelists in this session will address colonial Latin America’s multi-cultural traditions of economic exchange.
“Modes of Communication,” is organized by LAII’s María Elena Bernal García, and Merideth Paxton. During the Colonial period, peoples of the Americas communicated with each other and the supernatural world verbally and visually, as well as through performing arts. This session analyzes the creative combinations that have developed from Pre-Columbian times onward.
The central focus of the presentations is how modes of communication remained constant or were altered at crucial historical points in order to defend the cultural identity of the group and its human, civil, and religious rights.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The 36th Annual John Donald Robb Composers’ Symposium, Sunday, March 25 through Wednesday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m., takes place in Keller Hall, UNM Center for the Arts, unless otherwise noted. All events are free and open to the public.
Photo: Composer Robert Ashley
The symposium features music of Robert Ashley, the second composer from in a three year series featuring composers associated with Ann Arbor’s legendary ONCE festival, which Ashley organized in the 1960s. The other two composers are Roger Reynolds in 2006 and Gordon Mumma in 2008.
A major figure in American contemporary music, Ashley acquired an international reputation for his work in new forms of opera and multi-disciplinary projects. His opera, Foreign Experiences, will be performed in its entirety by Artists in Residence Jacqueline Humbert and Sam Ashley on Tuesday, March 27.
On Monday, March 26, the Robb Concert features a performance of Dean Robb’s Christmas Cantata, Op. 62, “Los Pastores,” which has just been edited and orchestrated for this premiere performance. The Del Sol String Quartet will again serve as ensemble in residence performing Monday and Wednesday evenings, March 26 and 28, music by Curt Cacioppo, Hyo-shin Na and the world premiere of a new string quartet by Richard Hermann.
The UNM Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band will perform music by Joseph Turrin and the premiere performance of Openings by Christopher Shultis on Sunday, March 25 in Popejoy Hall. New Mexico Winds will perform music by Peter Lieuwen. Trio New Mexico will premiere music written expressly for them by UNM alumnus Sam Merciers. Premiere performances will also be presented by Patricia Repar and Scott Wilkinson. Music by Thomas Licata and UNM alum Raven Chacon complete the roster of guests whose music will be featured on evening concerts.
Renowned music theorist Jack Douthett has organized a microtonal day on Tuesday, March 27 with lectures in the morning and a 2 p.m. concert in Keller Hall featuring Neil Haverstick and The Partch Group from Los Angeles who will perform music by legendary composer, and former Albuquerque resident, Harry Partch. Daytime events will include lectures, presentations and composition seminars.
For a complete list of concerts and seminars for the Composers’ Symposium 2007, please go to John Donald Robb Musical Trust Web site at http://www.unm.edu/~rmt/.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Clauve Awards awarded to seven
Recipients of the 2007 Clauve Outstanding Senior Award at the University of New Mexico have been announced by G. Randy Boeglin, UNM dean of students. The students will be honored at a recognition reception on Thursday, April 12, at 7 p.m. in the SUB ballroom.
This year’s recipients are Deanna Armijo, Dohnia Dorman, Timiyin E-Nunu, Valerie Garcia, Lauren Huesemann, Matthew Maez and Ambrosia Ortiz.
Clauve Awards are given to UNM seniors who have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. The award is based on leadership and involvement as well as academics. The award is named after Dean Emeritus Lena Clauve.
Presidential Scholar Deanna Armijo
A business administration and financial management major minoring in economics, Armijo serves as activities chair for the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and was also its president. She earned national recognition for her work as vice president of standards for fraternity life.
Armijo serves on the Mortar Board Honor Society and held several student government posts. Her community service work includes working with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
“Community and campus involvement taught me valuable lessons, created lifetime friendships, and fostered my ability to be a leader in my future career field,” Armijo says.
Presidential Scholar Dohnia Dorman
A journalism/mass communication and Spanish major, Dorman is president of the American Advertising Federation student organization. She held several leadership positions with Pi Beta Phi sorority and has been a member of the Black Student Union.
Dorman participated in the University Honors Program, and tutored on and off campus, reading to elementary school children through the Champions are Readers Program. She helped raised funds for Katrina relief, was a member of the Homecoming court and served as a marketing intern for Sandia Prep.
“I attribute my success to being a competitive figure skater and a member of a performing dance company. Figure skating and dance taught me the true meaning of hard work, concentration, discipline, perseverance, self motivation and commitment,” Dorman says.
Timiyin E-Nunu
A biology and chemistry major, E-Nunu is a member of the UNM Women's Basketball team. “A lot of emotional, physical and mental energy is expended towards playing Division-I basketball,” she says.
As a senior caption, E-Nunu tutored players and provided motivation prior to games. She served as president and treasurer of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, treasurer of the Student Letterman Alumni Association, and chair of the Hanging of the Greens event.
She assisted with events such as the Mountain West Conference Blood Drive, Reading is Leading Project, and visits to UNM Children’s Hospital.
Valerie Garcia
A psychology and anthropology major, Garcia served as president of Chi Omega sorority, as treasurer of the Mortar Board Honor Society. She is a Trailblazer and served in student government.
“Once I became an involved student I noticed I was becoming more confident, my public speaking skills were improving, my leadership skills were developing,” Garcia says.
As a new student orientation leader, Garcia helped youth make the transition from high school to college. She has presented at professional conferences, including the National Orientation Directors Association. She volunteers on and off-campus, helping to organize Fiestas and Spring Storm, and working with the organizations Make-A-Wish and Roadrunner Food Bank.
Regents Scholar Lauren Huesemann
An economics and languages major, Huesemann is president of Phi Eta Sigma and the Honors Student Advisory Council. She worked with presidents of other honor societies to form a collation to strengthen the organizations. She helped plan and organize the advisory council’s first International Day, annual Open Mic Night and Faculty Appreciation Dinner.
Huesemann served as secretary for the newly created World Affairs Delegation, helping to raise funds to send student participants abroad. She also helped create the first UNM Model United Nations High School Conference. In addition, she volunteered on numerous campus committees and tutored UNM and elementary school students. “It has never been a question whether or not I would embrace both academics and leadership; to me, they are interconnected to the extent that each demands the other,” she says.
Matthew Maez
A business major and human resources minor, Maez directed the student government’s Lobo Spirit Committee, increasing both the number and scope of spirit events. “Campus involvement was the most valuable element of my college education,” he says. “My experience was truly life changing.”
Maez served as staff appreciation chair for the UNM Mortar Board Senior Honor Society. He was a resident advisor and member of the Residence Hall Association. An Alumni Association Trailblazer, he devoted time as a student ambassador at events, including UNM Day at the Legislature. As a student orientation leader, he oriented new students and families to the campus.
Regents Scholar Ambrosia Ortiz
A political science and German major, Ortiz served as Mortar Board Honor Society President. “If you don’t get involved in something social, charitable, intellectual – you are cheating yourself out of a life fully lived,” she says.
As president, Ortiz revitalized the Honors Student Advisory Council, a group that serves as a liaison between campus and the University Honors Program. She also held a student post on the Honors Curriculum Committee. She founded various pro-choice groups, served as a Trailblazer, and volunteered at campus and community events. She served as a tutor on and off campus.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Sam Tanenhaus, executive editor of the famed New York Times Book Review, will speak at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building’s Lobo Room on Wednesday, April 4 at 4 p.m. during a free, public event. His talk, “Literary Publishing in an Age of Publishing Conglomerates,” will address the changing world of global publishing and the increasingly competitive literary industry.
Photo: Sam Tanenhaus
Tanenhaus’s lecture, sponsored by the UNM English department’s professional writing program, offers an opportunity for the university and general public to discuss trends with the editor of one of the most influential literary reviews today.
“Literary life still seems to be centered on books; and at the center of the trade publishing world is the New York Times Book Review,” David Dunaway, UNM professor of professional writing, said. “While writing can be a community activity, as local as your guestroom or office, it is also a national and international phenomenon. There are few opportunities for New Mexico writers to hear someone as well connected to the hub of the industry as Sam Tanenhaus.”
Tanenhaus, 51, has been the executive editor at the New York Times Book Review since succeeding Chip McGrath in April 2004. As executive editor of the NYTBR, Tanenhaus oversees review coverage, manages a staff of writers and reviewers, and collaborates with art directors to make the pages of the weekly supplement. He has final say on the cover review and the review’s balance of fiction and nonfiction and subject themes. Under his leadership, the review has seen a redesign, a shift to reviewing more nonfiction, podcasting author interviews on the Internet, and a “Top 10 Best Fiction of the Year” feature.
Tanenhaus was previously a contributing editor on politics and culture at Vanity Fair. His criticism has appeared in many publications, including The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, The New Republic, and The New York Review of Books. An accomplished author, Tanenhaus’s biography of Whittaker Chambers was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
After graduate school at Yale, Tanenhaus began his publishing career as a freelance editor and publicist. He was an assistant editor to the New York Times op-ed from 1997-1999.
Tanenhaus lives in Tarrytown, NY, with his wife and daughter.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Diane Albert, student in the University of New Mexico School of Law, will be honored as a pioneer of The Ohio State University College of Engineering. Albert will be recognized during Ohio State’s first Honoring Women in STEMS event on Friday, May 11. The event is meant to acknowledge and honor the many women within the university who have obtained a Ph.D. in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM).
When Albert was growing up on a farm in Ohio, she had an opportunity to visit Ohio State through an outreach program. The visit sparked her interest in engineering. “I felt like it was a way for a woman to have a career and be self sufficient,” Albert said.
After completing her B.A. at Ohio State, she earned a M.A. and Ph.D. in engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.
Albert worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 12 years. While serving as a Los Alamos County Councilor 2001-2004, she became interested in the study of law. At UNM, she learned that she could use her engineering background to pursue a career as a patent attorney. After graduating in May, she’ll start a position at Peacock, Myers P.C., an intellectual property firm in Albuquerque.
Ohio State will honor three women as pioneers – one each from the College of Engineering, College of Math & Physical Sciences and the College of Biological Sciences. Each college was asked to select an alumna who has noteworthy accomplishments and serves as a model for university women including students, faculty and staff.
“Certainly Dr. Albert meets these criteria with her exceptional work not only within her technical field, but also far beyond with her work in engineering outreach and community issues,” said Glenda P. La Rue, Women in Engineering program director, in a letter.
“I am certain our event audience, which will be comprised of undergraduate and graduate women students, staff and faculty within the STEM fields will be quite impressed and inspired by Dr. Albert’s path so far, most definitely including the J.D. degree to be conferred upon her on May 12.”
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Incoming UNM President David J. Schmidly is appreciative but literally overwhelmed by all of the messages of support and invitations being sent to him from all over campus. As he is finishing up his teaching duties at Oklahoma State and his mentorship of graduate students, as well as trying to move, he says he's not able to reply as quickly as he'd like and he fears some things could fall through the cracks.
Acting President David W. Harris and Dr. Breda Bova in the UNM President's Office will step in to manage his correspondence during this transition period. Please send any email messages for Dr. Schmidly to bova@unm.edu. Put "Message for Dr. Schmidly" in the subject line.
Also, any hard copy letters, invitations or packages for Dr. Schmidly should be brought to the President's Office, and tagged “in care of Breda Bova.” “It is our intention that everything gets to Dr. Schmidly in an organized and timely fashion,” says Bova. “Thanks for your patience and cooperation. We don't want anything to slip through the cracks.”
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Continuing Education Department is sponsoring the 18th Annual Diversity Leadership Council Forum, Wednesday, April 18, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Albuquerque Marriott on Louisiana Blvd., N.E. The title of this year’s conference, “A Diversity Renaissance: New Ways of Working Together,” is designed to create new ways of thinking about diversity and to turn those ideas into feasible action.
Photo: Conference Chair Dr. Rita Martinez-Purson, dean, UNM Continuing Education
The conference features a keynote presentation titled, “Creating a Renaissance in a Changing Environment,” and a special plenary session titled, “Strategic Thinking and the 21st Century Leader.”
Other featured topics include a choice of eight workshops offered in two concurrent sessions that explore specific topics and issues in depth. They include: Diversity in the Workplace: Creating an Environment of Respect; Seeing and Valuing Diversity Issues through Film; Managing the Multigenerational Workplace; Careers and the Disabled; A Place at the Table: Diversity in Community Beyond the Labels; Dare to Laugh! Humor at Work; The Bully in the Next Cubicle: How to Identify, Address and Prevent Workplace Bullying; and Global Perspectives on Access and Equity.
Conference Chair Dr. Rita Martinez-Purson, dean of UNM’s Continuing Education, is enthusiastic about this year's conference.
“Everyone who wants to learn more about tapping the full human resource in their organization should come to this conference,” Martinez-Purson said. “Our presenters will have some valuable insights and tools to share, and the dialogue promises to be rich.”
The conference registration is $110, which includes breakfast, lunch, all presentations and materials and entertainment. For complete registrations and more information visit: Diversity Leadership Council Forum.
Interested participants may also call Martina Kindilien at, (505) 277-9351.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico School of Law will exhibit “Photos of Guanajuato, Mexico” by Pedro Vasquez Nieto April 3-30. An opening reception with the artist will be held Tuesday, April 3, 4-6 p.m. in the law school forum.
Vasquez Nieto’s digital photos, which focus on the city of Guanajuato, are printed on hand-made paper created by indigenous Mexicans from the State of Puebla. The highly textured paper, cut from a "mora" tree, gives the photos the appearance and effect of drawings.
Vasquez Nieto is a photographer, painter and a sculptor. His photography has been exhibited in Guanajuato and other parts of Mexico. He served as Director of Cultural Affairs for the University of Guanajuato. He has published seven books of poetry and performed in many theater groups.
The exhibit will be open to the public Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-11 p.m., Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, noon-11 p.m.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
One application may facilitate disease diagnosis
Every cook has a blender to mix ingredients for dishes, but no one has a gadget to separate materials that have already been mixed into a batter. Now a University of New Mexico School of Engineering professor and his collaborators have figured out a way to both mix and separate on an extremely small scale.
Photo: Assistant Professor Dimiter N. Petsev, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
UNM Assistant Professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Dimiter N. Petsev is working with Suk Tai Chang from North Carolina State University, Vesselin N. Paunov from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom and Orlin D. Velev from North Carolina State University to develop ways to manipulate the components in fluids moving through channels less than half a millimeter wide.
They do it by manipulating electrical fields of alternating and direct current. In their experiments, the fields caused semiconductor diodes to act as self-propelling particles through water in the channels. The direction of the flow is controlled via the electrical field. Details of the experiments have just been published by the journal “Nature Materials”.
Petsev believes one interesting potential application for the research will be a faster way to separate proteins in fluid samples to help diagnose diseases. A change in the amounts of some proteins produced in the body can signal changes in the health of an individual before symptoms of a particular disease can be identified. If proteins can be easily separated, it could facilitate rapid diagnosis.
The research applies to mixing components in fluids as well as separating them. Mixing fluids in channels smaller than the tip of a ballpoint pen is difficult, but this research illustrates a way to do that in a very controlled way.
Petsev’s research may also allow him to design a sort of pump to move the liquids through the microchannels for a variety of other applications. It’s a new development in microfluidics that holds some interesting possibilities for the future.
Petsev’s research is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team (NIRT) and Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) programs.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
UNM Regent Don Chalmers, former regent Sandra Begay-Campbell and Health Sciences Center (HSC) Vice President John A. Pieper have joined the STC.UNM Board of Directors.
“I am very pleased that Regent Chalmers and Vice President Pieper have agreed to join STC’s board and that Sandra Begay-Campbell will continue to serve,” said STC Board Chairman Joseph Cecchi, dean, UNM School of Engineering. “All three bring a range of experience and valuable insight that will help STC continue on our positive trajectory.”
Don Chalmers has just been confirmed for a full term on the UNM Board of Regents. He had previously been appointed to complete the term of Doug Brown. Chalmers ow ns auto dealerships in Rio Rancho, Santa Fe and Albuquerque. He has served on the UNM Hospital Clinical Operations Board, the UNM Foundation and on the NM Commission on Higher Education.
Begay-Campbell has just completed a term as a member of the UNM Board of Regents. She previously represented the regents and now moves to a position as an outside board member of STC. Begay-Campbell is a principal member of the technical staff of Sandia National Laboratories, where she heads technical efforts in the Renewable Energy Program to assist Native American tribes with renewable energy development.
Pieper is the vice president for research at the UNM Health Sciences Center. He is also the dean of the College of Pharmacy and a board certified pharmacotherapy specialist with added qualifications in cardiovascular pharmacotherapy. He has published more than 90 papers in the area of pharmacokinetics and genomic determinants of metabolism of cardiovascular drugs.
"John Pieper’s role in the Health Sciences Center will strengthen the relationship between STC and HSC, which is important since life sciences commercialization is a rapidly growing area of activity for us. Don Chalmers brings a strong business presence to the board,” said STC President and CEO Lisa Kuuttila. “I am so pleased that Sandra will continue to serve on the STC board in her capacity as a community representative. Her contributions to the STC board have been wide-ranging and very helpful.”
STC.UNM is a nonprofit corporation owned by the University of New Mexico for the purpose of protecting and transferring faculty inventions to the commercial marketplace.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
President David J. Schmidly is inviting all UNM staff members to participate in a videoconference on Thursday, March 22, at 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the Theatre in the basement of the Student Union Building. Interested staff members will be able to ask President Schmidly questions in a live videoconference.
President Schmidly staff webcast
Schmidly is asking for staff members to bring up any issues of concern so that he can consider them as he prepares to become UNM’s next president. His first official day on the job is June 1, 2007.
For staff members who cannot participate in the videoconference, it will also be carried as a live webcast and accessible at: President Schmidly staff webcast. The webcast may also be accessed at any time after the conference ends via the same link.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Students create balloon-powered toy cars
UNM students from Mechanical Engineering’s Formula Society of Automotive Engineers race car design class recently helped show two fifth grade classes at Monte Vista Elementary school how to build balloon-powered toy cars. The goal of the class was to use an engineering problem-solving process to respond to a request from a fictitious toy company to create an appealing toy that travels far, carries weight or goes fast.
Photo: Fifth graders at Monte Vista Elementary School test their balloon-powered toy cars.
For the final class, the fifth-graders demonstrated their working model, presented their test data and explained why they designed the car the way they did.
The three-week class involved using a problem-solving process employed by engineers in design teams and taught at many engineering schools across the country. The student teams explored the principles of jet propulsion, friction and air resistance, and experimented with different chassis designs and nozzle sizes to determine their effect on the balloon-car performance. Certificates of achievement will be given to those teams who most closely met the requirements they set.
The project is part of larger program, “A World in Motion,” that was developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The various projects are usually taught by elementary school teachers in grades 4-8 with engineers as consultants. The UNM School of Engineering team is the first to actually instruct the fifth graders.
Last week, the Monte Vista Elementary students visited the mechanical engineering laboratories, where they learned how students from the UNM Mechanical Engineering Department’s Formula SAE Team develop, design, test, analyze and then drive a formula-style race car. The UNM students participate in an international formula race car competition every year and have finished as high as 14th in a field of 140.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Executive Vice President for Health Sciences Paul Roth, M.D., announced recently that Karen L. Carlson has been named interim dean for the UNM College of Nursing (UNM CoN). Carlson replDavid Brookshire Sandra Ferketich who recently was named the vice president of interdisciplinary education for the UNM Health Sciences Center.
Photo: Karen Carlson, interim Dean, College of Nursing
“Dr. Carlson is enthusiastic about partnering with faculty, students, and staff regarding challenges facing the college,” Roth said. “Her academic and clinical experience not only at this institution but elsewhere made her a great choice to take the helm of the college during this transition period.”
“I am also excited that Dr. Ferketich, after nearly 10 years as dean of the College of Nursing, is now going to devote her full attention to her new position. Putting a greater focus on interdisciplinary education will benefit the entire Health Sciences Center,” Roth added.
Carlson first arrived as a faculty member at the UNM CoN in 1983 where she was a lecturer until 1991. From there she went on to serve as an assistant and associate professor from 1991-1995 at the College of Nursing at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Ark.
In 1996, Carlson returned to the UNM CoN to work as an associate professor and an assistant to the dean in educational outreach. Since July 2000, she has been working at the UNM CoN as a professor and the associate dean for academic affairs.
Carlson’s nursing career started in 1975 as a staff nurse for pediatric infectious disease at the Milwaukee Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee, Wis. From 1975-1991 she continued nursing in several different positions at the University of New Mexico Hospitals (UNMH), primarily in pediatrics, administration, and education.
A native of Wisconsin, Carlson received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. She earned her master’s degree in maternal/child nursing and nursing education from UNM and received her doctorate in parent and child nursing from the University of Texas at Austin. Carlson also has a post-graduate certificate in budgeting and finance in public administration from UNM. Carlson serves as a Director on the Board of Directors for Sigma Theta Tau, Int., the International Honor Society for Nursing.
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
UNM/NPS Partnership Program Hosts Session
The National Park Service seeks public comment on the National Park’s Centennial Initiative. A listening session will be held Tuesday, March 27, from 5-7 p.m. at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1709 4th St. SW. This is one of 17 public listening sessions to be held in communities around the United States.
“The National Park Service is looking for citizen ideas and vision for the 2016 Centennial of the National Park Service and the 10-year program, the National Park Centennial Initiative. The goal of the initiative is to provide significant public and private resources to restore and better protect the parks’ natural, cultural and historic resources,” said Joseph Sanchez, director, Spanish Colonial Research Center, a joint project of the University of New Mexico and the National Park Service. Sanchez is also Superintendent of the NPS’ Petroglyph National Monument.
Listening session discussion questions are:
· Imagine you, your children or future generations enjoying national parks in 2016 and beyond. What are your hopes and expectations?
· What role do you think national parks should play in the lives of Americans and visitors from around the world?
· What are the signature projects and programs that you think should be highlighted for completion over the next 10 years?
The Albuquerque listening session will feature a short video and a brief outline of the Centennial Initiative followed by input from individuals, park partners and interest groups. When the schedule of listening sessions is complete, a report, including public comments, will be written and transmitted to the White House by May 31.
There are 13 National Park Units in New Mexico in addition to the Santa Fe Trail, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, Route 66 Corridor and the Spanish Colonial Research Center. For a complete listing visit: New Mexico State Parks.
For more information, call Diane Souder (505) 899-0205 x230 or Rick Frost (303) 987-6732.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Judy L. Spinella, Fellow American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), Chief Nursing Officer, University of New Mexico Hospitals (UNMH), has been elected to the Council of Regents, the legislative body of the American College of Healthcare Executives, which serves as the link between ACHE and affiliates by approving governance and membership regulations as well as promoting ACHE programs, services and activities within their respective areas.
Photo: Judy Spinella, chief nursing officer, UNMH
Spinella will take office at the Council of Regents meeting March 17, 2007, during ACHE’s 50th Congress on Healthcare Leadership in New Orleans. As a Regent, Spinella will represent ACHE’s membership in New Mexico.
Spinella has served as Chief Nursing Officer at UNMH since 2005. Prior to joining UNMH, she was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Gunnison Valley Hospital, Gunnison, Colo., and before that served as Vice President for Operations at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Board-certified in healthcare management as an ACHE Fellow, Spinella is also a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives. She also has numerous publications and has been a frequent speaker on various healthcare topics.
Spinella received her master’s degree in business administration from The Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University, master’s degree in nursing from Texas Women’s University, and bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Texas.
American College of Healthcare Executives
The American College of Healthcare Executives is an international professional society of 30,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations. ACHE is known for its prestigious credentialing and educational programs and its annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership, which draws more than 4,000 participants each year.
It is also known for its journals, the Journal of Healthcare Management and Frontiers of Health Services Management, and its magazine, Healthcare Executive, as well as ground-breaking research and career development and public policy programs. ACHE's publishing division, Health Administration Press, is one of the largest publishers of books and journals on all aspects of health services management in addition to textbooks for use in college and university courses.
Through such efforts, ACHE works toward its goal of being the premier professional society for healthcare leaders by providing exceptional value to its members.
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
The University of New Mexico fraternity and sorority community celebrated its annual Greek Week recently. Annually, students work together on community service, philanthropy, school spirit and to build chapter unity.
This year, the groups worked with the City of Albuquerque’s Parks and Recreation Department to rejuvenate Tom Bullock Park. Students planted more than 100 trees, painted park fences and shade structures, dug out and filled in walkways and spread 634 cubic yards of mulch.
In addition, students raised $9,000 for the East San Jose Community pool. Monies raised will purchase shade structures for seating areas and a picnic table.
The city has invited UNM’s fraternities and sororities to attend to a ribbon cutting ceremony when the project is complete.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Governor Bill Richardson has signed the $5.6 billion budget bill that will pay for state government, public education and higher education this coming fiscal year. As signed, the budget allots a 5 percent compensation increase for faculty and staff, plus a .75 percent increase in employer contributions for higher education.
However, the governor vetoed $20.5 million earmarked to provide an advance .75 percent for educational retirement that would have covered next year’s employer contributions. The bill also features a zero tuition credit.
These last hours of the 2007 session will be a blur of activity. We’ll allow the dust to settle and provide a full report on UNM’s legislative fortunes next week.
UNM fared well in the budget bill dubbed “Junior” that was signed by the Governor March 13.
UNM Projects in Senate Bill 611
1. $207,000 for one or more full time equivalent professor and other expenses of the Native American Studies program
2. $75,000 for one FTE to research and teach Navajo language in Native American Studies
3. $75,000 for Chicano, Hispano, Mexicano Studies program
4. $85,000 for African American student services program and operations
5. $290,000 to expand sustainability studies program
6. $357,000 for dept. of media arts at main campus
7. $75,000 for indigenous library program
8. $75,000 for dept. of media arts for provide media training for Albuquerque youth
9. $280,000 to expand international education initiatives
10. $372,000 to expand biomedical engineering program
11. For Health Sciences Center:
a. $312,000 for integrative medicine program in the School of Medicine
b. $35,000 to expand nurse advice line to cover uninsured callers
c. $57,000 to sustain and improve medical research involving outpatient medicine through continuing medical education, clinical research and outreach programs for rural clinicians and to support retention of clinicians in underserved areas
d. $10,000 for the pediatric department’s telehealth programs to help rural health providers and school-based health centers to treat and prevent childhood obesity through telehealth consultation
e. $225,000 for salary increases for statewide staff of the New Mexico Poison and Drug information Center in the College of Pharmacy
f. $150,000 for operating expenses at the young children’s health center in Albuquerque
g. $50,000 for a multidisciplinary evaluation clinic for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder
h. $57,000 to create a cooperative pharmacy program in conjunction with NMSU
12. For the School of Law:
a. $25,000 for the Corinne Wolfe Children’s Law Center to provide training, technical assistance and research concerning abuse, neglect and juvenile justice
b. $120,000 for operational funding for the Corinne Wolfe Children’s Law center
c. $100,000 for Utton Transboundary Resource Center operational expenses
d. $191,000 for Utton Transboundary Resource Center to provide ombudsman services for pending stream adjudications
e. $75,000 for a college preparatory mentoring program for children in the 8th through 12th grades in Albuquerque public schools
f. $25,000 for a national Latino and Latina law student conference
13. $157,000 for scholarships for students enrolled in the reserve officer training corps
14. $275,000 for programs and support services to enhance student athlete retention and timely graduation.
15. $40,000 to create a college mentoring program to train graduate and undergraduate students to mentor high school and other college students
16. $145,000 to enhance pre-college science and mathematic skills and conduct a summer mathematics and science camp for minority students through the School of Engineering special programs
17. $45,000 to the Bureau of Business and Economic Research to conduct a study of the feasibility to incorporate the South Valley of Bernalillo County
18. $30,000 to expand the Resource Center for Raza Planning
19. $100,000 to expand the Institute for Aerospace Engineering
20. $150,000 for the Center for Regional Studies
21. $40,000 for the Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies to meet the challenge of developing a new relevance for anthropology
22. $100,000 to support the Julian Samora legacy project, which is a collaboration between the University of Texas, Michigan State University, University of Notre Dame and UNM to make the papers of anthropologist Julian Samora more accessible for research
23. $50,000 to create the research service learning program
24. $50,000 for a theatre company in residence in the dept of theatre and dance
25. $267,800 to contract with a private entity in Bernalillo County to operate a secure, long-term, statewide multijurisdictional residential rehabilitation and transition facility that admits persons who have been ordered to the facility by a NM court
26. $45,000 to the Anderson School of Management to provide a consultant to prepare a strategic plan for the entrepreneurship program at Northern NM College
27. $20,000 for licensed alcohol and drug counselor internship initiatives
28. $35,000 for students to use mass transit to attend the university
29. $30,000 to bridge the achievement gap for high school students and first year university students to prepare for university coursework in the field of African American studies and to provide for fellowships and assistantships for graduate and post-doctoral students and distinguished lecture series in African American studies
30. $25,000 for programs at the center for Latin American resources and outreach
31. $30,000 to the Anderson School of Management to provide a consultant to prepare a strategic plan for an entrepreneurship program at the Gallup branch
32. $35,000 for the Gallup branch library
33. $200,000 for the Taos branch to develop and implement a partnership with local schools and community groups for manpower development
34. $92,000 to create a college mentoring program
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
Middle school students, teachers and graduate fellows are beginning to reap dividends from a partnership between UNM, Belen and Socorro Consolidated School Districts, Sevilleta Long-Term Ecological Research Program and Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, funded for three years with a $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
Photo: UNM graduate student Anthony Salem explores materials behavior with liquid nitrogen alongside students at Belen Middle School as part of the National Science Foundation’s GK-12 Program called Ecohydrogeology in the Middle Rio Grande Environment or E-MRGE.
The program, titled E-MRGE or Ecohydrogeology in the Middle Rio Grande Environment, rotates graduate fellows between school systems and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife outreach program. The E-MRGE fellows work with middle school teachers to demonstrate and promote the teaching and learning of science.
Led by principal investigator and Biology Professor Scott Collins and co-investigator Laura Crossey, professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, program goals include demonstrating key scientific concepts, connecting middle school learning to the habits and skills required for future study in science disciplines, providing science professional role models, enhancing teachers’ content knowledge and understanding of principles of science, and assisting in science instruction.
The active learning projects are also designed to help teachers meet New Mexico science standards. Teachers receive support and university credit through summer courses offered by UNM’s Albuquerque Teachers Institute.
“We are learning about global climate change and human impacts on ecosystems,” said Juliana Medeiros, a Ph.D. candidate in Biology. “I was really shocked when one student told me that he couldn’t sleep the night I showed them the movie ‘An Inconvenient Truth.’ The important part, I feel, is that we are also working on solutions to these issues.
“Many of my students have told me that I am their favorite teacher and that they really enjoy the lessons. I think that most of them have never been asked to develop their own scientific questions and experiments, they have never been given the opportunity to explore their own creative and imaginative ideas about the world around them.”
Anthony Salem, a graduate fellow from earth and planetary sciences, feels the mid-school students are benefiting from the experience.
“I think, for the most part, the students enjoy having us come in,” Salem said. “We represent the outside world to them, and it’s a break from their daily routine. I feel we’re also making an impact. We’ve had students ask us about college and careers, and we’ve had students ask us great questions about various areas of science.
“As for the students, I think what we’ve had to show them has made them question some of their preconceptions and has also broadened some of their horizons.”
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Gerald Albaum, a research professor at the Anderson School of Management, will give a short talk as part of a ceremony honoring his scholarship in the Willard Room of Zimmerman Library on Thursday, March 22, 2007 at 2 p.m. The title of his talk is “How to Get Started, Continue and End Gracefully a Research Career.”
Photo: Gerald Albaum
Albaum has been a research professor at UNM since 2003. He has written a number of books, many with collaborators, including “Fundamentals of Marketing Research,” “International Marketing and Export Management” and “Research for Marketing Decisions.” He is currently a member of the editorial review boards of the “Journal of Managerial Issues” and “The International Trade Journal,” and he does reviews on an ad hoc basis for many other publications.
His current areas of research include “The Internal Consumption Phenomenon in Direct Selling,” “Can a Brand Outrun its Parents?” and “Public Perceptions of Direct Selling.”
The University Libraries Faculty Acknowledgement Awards honor members of the faculty for their contributions to the realm of scholarly knowledge.
The ceremony is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
UNM administrators, faculty, staff and students are compiling priorities for discussion and consideration at the UNM Budget Summit March 30. The summit process is an integral part of the development of the fiscal year 2007-2008 instruction and general (I&G) budget, effective July 1, 2007. The Board of Regents will act on key parts of the budget, including tuition, fees and salary levels at their April 2007 meeting.
For more information, visit the Budget Summit hot button on the UNM homepage, http://www.unm.edu.
March 16 – Deadline for constituency groups to submit delegate names
March 20 – Base budget scenario posted
March 23 – Delegate information session, 3 p.m., SUB Santa Ana room
March 24 – Deadline for delegate groups to submit budget priorities or other materials
March 30 – 2007 Budget Summit, 9 a.m., SUB ballroom C
April 9-10 – I&G Budget recommendations submitted to Board of Regents
UNM is the first campus in New Mexico to become a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, Tyler Brandenburg said in an email from the association. This happens at the same time UNM is initiating a minor in sustainability studies and UNM’s provost is calling for the development of a sustainability policy.
“I think 2006 was the year that everyone ‘got it.’ The world needs us to enlist personally and professionally in the emerging green ecoeconomy that benefits all of us,” said Bruce Milne, sustainability studies director. “There are incredible opportunities to engage the creative talents of the students, faculty and staff with the community, business and policy makers.
"I’m grateful that UNM has joined AASHE in a mutually beneficial relationship that combines AASHE’s resources with the contributions UNM is making to the state and nation through our own examples.”
Along with this interest, UNM Provost Reed Dasenbrock recently launched a Sustain ability Taskforce, chaired by Physical Plant Director Mary Vosevich, to develop a sustainability policy that will lead to goals, strategies and finally projects aimed at reducing the environmental impact of UNM. Milne is heading the policy subcommittee.
“The task force is comprised of individuals from throughout the campus, many of whom are experts in the field of sustainability,” Vosevich said. “Faculty, students and staff have willingly come to the table to discuss strategies of sustainability for UNM. Being a member of AASHE will keep us linked to cutting edge sustainable initiatives that may translate well to UNM.
"I am hopeful that not only New Mexicans, but people around the country will look to the University of New Mexico as a leading example of how to embrace sustainable practices.”
Media Contact: Sabra Basler, (505) 277-7590; e-mail: sbasler@unm.edu
Joseph B. Stone, chief of behavioral health services with the Gallup
Indian Medical Center, will present a workshop on “Undoing Racism” on Thursday, March 22, at 6:30 p.m. at the University of New Mexico-Gallup in Calvin Hall 248C.
Stone, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe of Northern Montana, is a licensed psychologist, a licensed mental health counselor, a substance abuse counselor and a certified alcohol and drug counselor.
Stone holds a Ph.D. in professional-scientific psychology and an M.S. in counseling psychology from Utah State University.
His current work involves consultation, assessment and psychotherapy with native adults, children and families. His areas of expertise include treatment of adults with mental health disorders and with dual-diagnosis of mental health and addictive disorders. He is involved as a trainer with Project Making Medicine, which involves assessment and treatment of physically and sexually abused children and training professionals to work in this field.
He has published extensive articles and given numerous presentations on Native American health. He is also a noted consultant for Native American mental health.
For more information, contact Bernadette Fontenelle, coordinator of Achieving the Dream, the Lumina Foundation project at UNM-Gallup, at 505-863-7771.
The Gale Memorial Lecture Series continues on Thursday, March 22, from 6-7 p.m. in the UNM Art Museum gallery with “The Differences that Different Kinds of Images Make in the Study of the Spanish 'New World’,” by Thomas B.F. Cummins, Ph.D. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Cummins is the Dumbarton Oaks Professor of the History of Pre-Columbian and Colonial Art and the Art History Department Chair at Harvard University.
The series is coordinated by Ray Hernández-Durán, Ph.D., Art and Art History, and is supported by his department, the Latin American and Iberian Institute, the Arts of the Americas Institute, the New Mexico Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Six colonial scholars from various institutions in the U.S. and Mexico will participate throughout the spring semester.
This speaker series complements the exhibition currently at the UNM Art Museum – “Body and Soul: Ibero-American Colonial Art in Context,” which will be on display through August 5. Hernández-Durán co-curated the exhibition with students.
The Gale Memorial Lecture Series is named in honor of Dr. David Gale and his wife, Sylvia, who bequeathed their home to the College of Fine Arts. A permanent endowment established from its sale supports the annual series.
For more information, please contact the UNM Art Museum.
Musician, actor and social activist Harry Belafonte will present a lecture in Popejoy Hall at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 19. Belafonte was the first African-American producer in television. Among his many humanitarian efforts, he served President Kennedy as cultural advisor to the Peace Corps, created the New York State Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute for Nonviolence, and hosted the World Summit for Children held at the United Nations. He received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Prize and the first Nelson Mandela Courage Award.
Tickets for “Harry Belafonte Speaks Out” are $30, $25, $20 and are available at UNM Ticket Offices, unmtickets.com, 925-5858 or Raley’s Supermarkets.
The lecture is presented by the UNM Office of the President in cooperation with African American Studies and African American Student Services. For more information visit Popejoy Presents Harry Belafonte.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The third in a series of four roundtables focusing on issues concerning graduate and professional students of color at the University of New Mexico is Tuesday, March 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Student Union building, Santa Ana Room.
A panel will discuss the topic “Why do we need Faculty of Color?” Participants include Gregory Cajete, Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies professor and director of Native American Studies, Ray Hernandez, Department of Art and Art History assistant professor, Ime Kerlee, Department of Women’s Studies post-doc fellow, and Margaret Montoya, School of Law professor.
Conceived by the Peer Mentoring for Graduates of Color Program Steering Committee, the spring 2007 roundtables bring together faculty, staff and students to discuss first generation graduate students of color, race on campus, the need for faculty of color and graduate students of color.
PMGC is a student-run organization founded in 2002 to build community among historically underrepresented groups in graduate school. PMGC aims to increase the retention of students of color through providing academic, social, cultural and emotional support, and to ultimately build a more diverse population within UNM graduate and professional programs.
Other special programming includes: academic and professional development workshops, undergraduate outreach initiatives, dissertation, thesis and comps workshops, monthly social hours, monthly brown bag lunches, end-of-the-year social event, and the sponsoring and promotion of cultural events.
For more information on PMGC, visit www.unm.edu/~gradpeer or contact Christopher Ramirez, PMGC project assistant, 277-7397, gradpeer@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico is a sponsor of the Annual Iberoamerican Research & Development Summit (AIRDS), to be held in Albuquerque at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Monday – Wednesday, March 19-21. The international technology conference creates opportunities for cutting edge technologists and entrepreneurs to meet and engage with large businesses, research institutions, universities, government officials and investment partners.
This year’s summit will focus on new developments in nanoscience, microsystems and materials. The summit also provides a forum to discuss potential market applications, present future direction of these technologies, and facilitate discussion about science, technology and education in the region to enhance transfer of technology and joint international projects.
Keynote speakers include:
** Mr. John Sargent, Office of Technology Policy, U.S. Department of Commerce
** Dr. Paul Maxwell - Executive Director & CEO, Bi-National Sustainability Laboratory
** Dr. Arturo Ayon - Professor, University of Texas at San Antonio
** Dr. Donna Fossum, RAND Corporation
** Ms. Litza Mayorga, Science & Technology Advisor, Office of the President, Columbia and participants from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Columbia, Brazil, and Spain.
For more information, visit www.irdsummit.org or call Vic Chavez at 239-9307.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Students entering 7th or 8th grade this fall have an opportunity to explore the world of law at the University of New Mexico's Summer Law Camp. The camp is free, including classes, room and board, activities and transportation. Two one-week sessions will be held, June 10 -15 and June 17-22. Applications are due by April 2 and must be postmarked no later than March 30.
During a five-day residence on the UNM campus, youth will get a taste of college life and develop complex skills in research, conducting a trial, critical thinking, team-building, leadership and techniques of persuasion and debate.
At the end of the camp, participants will put their new skills into action with a mock trial. Students will also witness New Mexico's legal system in action by meeting with judges and practicing attorneys and visiting the District Court.
For more information and an application, call the College Prep Program office at 277-0401 or visit http://specialprograms.unm.edu/new/indexcollegeprep.html.
The Summer Law Camp is funded through the LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Legal Fellowship with the support of the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association and UNM.
UNM’s Peace Studies and Sustainability Studies are joining forces to present the Peace and Sustainability Fair on April 6. The fair is an opportunity for university and community groups to present information related to peace and sustainability issues.
Poet Demetria Martinez will kick off the event that will have inside booths, outdoor biodiesel demonstrations and music, dance and poetry.
If you are interested in participating or having a booth contact Susi Knoblauch, Office of International Programs and Studies, 2111 Mesa Vista Hall, UNM, contact: (505) 277-4032 or chknob@unm.edu.
The Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico will host its first-ever Native American Career Fair Thursday, April 19, at the Anderson School of Management Student Event Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Student Event Center is located at 1924 Las Lomas N.E.
The event gives businesses the opportunity to recruit from a highly diverse pool of candidates. All businesses and job seekers are invited to attend, regardless of ethnicity. The event is free and open to the public. If you are a company representative interested in attending, or would like to obtain a sponsorship, visit: Native American Career Fair.
For more information contact Jaye Francis, (505) 277-8889 or via e-mail at francis@mgt.unm.edu or Raul Gouvea, (505) 277-8448 or e-mail at degouvea@unm.edu.
Media Contacts: Sophie Martin, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: martin@mgt.unm.edu or Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
David Stuart, author of The Ecuador Effect, will be featured at a booksigning at the UNM Bookstore, 2301 Central NE, on Friday, March 30, at 2 p.m. Parking is available at the UNM Parking Structure, accessible via Campus or Yale Blvds. Dark and fast-paced, The Ecuador Effect combines Ecuadorian/Quechua Indian culture with the drama of a novel.
Stuart fictionalizes major events he witnessed while doing anthropological fieldwork in Ecuador and shares the real-life struggles of cholos, mestizos and indios in their attempts to maintain working-class livelihoods in a stratified society that pushes them out of their traditional settlements.
Stuart, the first student in the State of West Virginia to earn a degree in anthropology, came to UNM in 1967 and earned both his master’s and Ph.D. He was later given an honorary doctorate from West Virginia Wesleyan College. He has conducted fieldwork in Mexico, Alaska, Ecuador and the American Southwest, where he continues to publish in the fields of anthropology and archaeology.
At UNM, he served as a senior academic administrator and still teaches a course on the archaeology of New Mexico. His major books include Prehistoric New Mexico, Glimpses of the Ancient Southwest, Anasazi America, The Guaymas Chronicles and Zone of Tolerance.
For more information about the booksigning, contact Anicia Esposito, 277-9752 or email aespo@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Segment to air this Saturday, Sunday
University of New Mexico Research Associate Professor Dr. Robert Meyers will be featured as part of HBO’s multimedia project titled ‘Addiction,’ a 14-part series that will air in its entirety on HBO and its affiliated channels Thursday-Sunday, March 15-18. The segment with Meyers airs Saturday, March 17, at 7:30 (MT) on HBO2, and again on Sunday, March 18, at 4:30 p.m. (MT) on HBO Signature. Additionally, HBO will be available to Albuquerque-area cable subscribers for free during the same time frame as part of a free preview screening of the network.
Photo: Research Associate Professor Dr. Robert Meyers
‘Getting an Addict Into Treatment: The CRAFT Approach,’ features Meyers and the highly successful method he created in getting problem drinkers and addicts into treatment.
A book, co-authored by Meyers and clinical psychologist Brenda Wolfe, titled “Get Your Loved One Sober: Alternatives to Nagging, Pleading and Threatening,” highlights the compassionate, yet effective and scientifically proven CRAFT or Community Reinforcement and Family Training Model used in the segment.
The method helps spouses, loved ones, parents and or children of problem drinkers or drug users improve the quality of their own lives while making sobriety a more rewarding option for their loved ones than drinking or taking drugs.
The series itself, in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute for Drug Abuse, defines addiction as a chronic relapsing brain disease that is treatable. More than 23 million Americans struggle with addiction, yet fewer than 10 percent are getting treatment.
The segment on Meyers is part of a supplementary series in the documentary that includes 13 short films that delve deeper into the various dimensions of addiction including in-depth interviews with the nation's leading experts. It was directed and produced by Academy Award winner Jessica Yu. She won the award for Best Documentary Short for "Breathing Lessons," about Mark O'Brien, the poet who was confined to an iron lung.
Her other films include "In the Realms of the Unreal," an acclaimed portrait of outsider artist Henry Darger, and the HBO documentary "The Living Museum," about an art community in a psychiatric center. Her latest documentary, "Protagonist," recently premiered at Sundance. Yu has also directed episodes of "Grey's Anatomy," "ER" and "The West Wing."
For more information on HBO documentary visit: HBO.com.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
They came from Taiwan and Turkey, Togo, Chile and Saudi Arabia. All are education advisors who came to UNM to gather information about the institution and its opportunities for educational exchange.
Photo: Foreign education advisors attended a farewell dinner at the Faculty/Staff Club. They are, from Left, Clarence Fu, Taiwan; Shiny Varghese, Saudi Arabia; Koffi Awute, Togo; Maria Sani, Chile; and Lara Biliken, Turkey.
The visit was the result of efforts by Myriam Muñoz, international admissions, who submitted a grant proposal to the U.S. Department of State to make UNM and New Mexico a visitor site for a group of the education advisors. Her application was funded, allowing UNM to showcase programs and services available to students who choose to study abroad at UNM. The advisors also visited New Mexico Tech, New Mexico State University, the College of Santa Fe and the American Indian Art Institute.
The education advisors were Koffi Kondo Awute, public affairs, U.S. Embassy in Lomé, Togo; Lara Meltem Bilikmen, Fulbright Commission, Ankara, Turkey; Clarence Fu, Foundation for Scholarly Exchange, Taipei, Taiwan; Maria Teresa Sani, Instituto Chileno Norteamericano de Cultura de Curicó, Curicó, Chile; and Shiny Mary Varghese, American Consulate, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
While in Albuquerque, the group visited with UNM’s Ambassador in Residence Martin Brennan, officials from the City of Albuquerque and spent time visiting various UNM sites.
During an open forum the advisors heard about UNM’s study abroad opportunities. “We have international exchanges with 75 universities in 35 countries. We don’t have any in Africa or the Middle East, but we’re trying to establish some,” said Ken Carpenter, associate director, international programs and studies.
Linda Melville, international advisement specialist, said that UNM usually hosts 800 to 900 foreign students each year. “The Study Abroad Association arranges to pick up students at the airport. We also offer daily orientation sessions to accommodate students as they arrive,” she said.
Programs such as CELAC, the Center for English Language and American Culture, make it possible for students to come and get intensive English language training before moving into fast-paced academic coursework, said Tatiana Minot, who directs CELAC.
Abdissa Zerai, from Ethiopia, is a graduate student in journalism. He said his choice of schools came down to UNLV and UNM. “My professor suggested I come here,” he said.
Chilean student Rafael Medina Silva came to UNM to study biomedical science. “I am interested in hantavirus research and this is the place to be. UNM has good interdisciplinary study between engineering, medicine, bioscience and math. UNM also has good relationships with the two national laboratories. I can complete my first year of core courses for my Ph.D. and then finish it under one of the labs,” he said.
Antoinette Tiopi first attended UNM-Los Alamos before transferring to main campus. Originally from Cameroon, she stayed with a host family in Los Alamos and adjusted to changes in climate and cuisine. “I was the only black girl on campus, so I couldn’t hide,” she said, smiling, “but everyone there was so friendly and waved to me.” Coming to main campus and adjusting to dorm life was a reality she faced, but the friendliness she experienced in Los Alamos was replicated on main campus.
At the close of their visit, the advisors reflected on their experiences. “We felt so welcome that we don’t want to leave. We have a lot to take back to share with our students, “said Koffi Kondo Awute, public affairs, U.S. Embassy in Lomé, Togo.
“Before I came, my only knowledge of New Mexico was because of the Manhattan Project. Now I know much more,” said Clarence Fu, Foundation for Scholarly Exchange, Taipei, Taiwan. “There are 27,000 Chinese students in the U.S. I can advise more of them now about what UNM has to offer.”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The Medicine Wheel Lecture series will bring two Native American chefs to campus to discuss healthy lifestyles and health issues such as diabetes during a brown bag lunch on Wednesday, March 21, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Herzstein Reading Room.
Chefs Walter Whitewater (Diné) and Lois Ellen Frank (Kiowa) will also do a power point presentation on “Indigenous Delicious Cuisine” and prepare food for the participants from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Willard Reading Room.
The lecture, discussion and food tasting events are hosted by the Indigenous National Library Program at the University of New Mexico. All events are free and open to the public.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The 16th Annual Southwest Conference on Communicative Disorders, sponsored by the UNM Chapter of the National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association and the UNM Speech and Hearing Sciences Department, will be held Thursday and Friday, March 22-23, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily at the Wyndham Albuquerque Hotel, located at 2910 Yale Blvd., S.E.
Conference offerings include sessions on: Teaching Strategies for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders; Auditory Processing Disorders: They’re Not Just for Kids; What Does the Research on Reading and Reading Disabilities Really Tell Us; Dual Language Experience in Early Years; and Multicultural Issues to Consider in Functional Assessment Approaches. Several other topical matters are also available.
Sessions will be held from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. and 1:15 to 4:30 p.m. both days. Registration is available for one or both days of the conference. The registration rate for the full conference is $185 for professionals and $120 for a single day; $55 for students, full or single day and $75 for Clinical Fellowships (CFs), single or full day.
A conference brochure and a mail-in registration form are available at: http://www.unm.edu/~sphrsci/. For more information contact Stacey Ogaz, (505) 277-4453 or via e-mail at, swconf@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Non-profits to receive federal grant writing training
Governor Bill Richardson’s Faith-Based & Community Organizations Conference will be held at the University of New Mexico Student Union building Thursday, March 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More than 350 New Mexicans representing non-profits are registered to attend. Participants will receive training in grant writing, learn about funding opportunities and hear an overview of legal responsibilities that come with receipt of federal funds
Jay Hein, White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and Shayam Menon, Department of Education, are among the speakers.
UNM Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Peter White will give a presentation on UNM’s Research Service Learning Program, a University College community engagement initiative. UNM students earning college credit in conjunction with serving their communities will share first hand experiences.
“The response to this conference was so incredible that we have another 200 non-profit organizations on a waiting list,” said Nancy Pope, director of Gov. Richardson’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
“Providing specific grant-writing training will assist these non-profits in applying successfully for federal discretionary grants,” she said.
Six of the 11 federal agencies offering a total of $2.1 billion in funding will be represented at the conference, including Health and Human Services, Dept. of Agriculture, Dept. of Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Dept. of Education and Dept. of Justice.
UNM’s Research Service Learning Program, UNM President’s Office, and the governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives co-sponsor the conference.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
The Spring Vendor Fair, hosted by the UNM purchasing department, is scheduled for Wednesday, April 4, in the Student Union Building ballroom. The fair, which will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., gives participants networking opportunities to create new business relationships and strengthen existing ones within the UNM community.
It also helps to provide small and disadvantaged businesses a greater opportunity to compete fairly and equally in the market place while increasing procurement activity.
University Contracts Specialists, staff and faculty will be attending the fair to learn about the products and services area businesses can provide. Other institutions including Central New Mexico Community College, the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, New Mexico State Office of African American Affairs and PNM will be in attendance, helping businesses learn about procurement opportunities with their institutions.
The business participation fee is $50. If you own a business and are interested in participating, please complete the registration form available from the UNM Purchasing Department Web site at: http://www.unm.edu/~purch/dobus.html. Registered participants will receive a letter confirmation, a map to the Student Union Building, a map to the parking structure and a parking pass two weeks prior to the fair.
Interested participants are encouraged to register early. “Early bird” booths will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Vendors assigned an “Early bird” booth will enjoy a prime location at the entrance of the vendor fair. “Early bird” booths will be pre-assigned in the order in which the registration form and payment are received – the earlier the registration form and payment are submitted, the greater the chance a vendor has to receive this prime location to advertise their business.
For more information contact Nancy Jenkins at: 277-3314 or via e-mail at: nancyb@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Campus visits for the final three candidates for position of dean of University Libraries have been scheduled, announced search committee chair Viola Florez, dean, UNM College of Education. The fourth finalist for the position, Martha Bedard, associate dean, Information and Collection Services, Texas A&M University Libraries, was on campus March 1-2.
Stanley Wilder
Monday, March 19
9 –10 a.m. - Faculty Senate Library Committee/Open faculty meeting, Zimmerman Library’s Willard Reading Room
10:30-11:30 a.m. - Presentation and Library-wide open meeting, Zimmerman Library’s Willard Reading Room
Stanley Wilder, associate dean, River Campus Libraries at the University of Rochester, N.Y, will be on campus Monday and Tuesday, March 19-20. At the University of Rochester, Wilder also served as assistant dean, Information Management Services from 1999-02. He holds an MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago where his emphasis was on MIS and human resources. He earned his master’s in library information sciences from Columbia University.
Sohair Wastawy
Thursday, March 22
10:45-11:45 a.m. - Presentation and Library-wide open meeting, Zimmerman Library’s Willard Reading Room
Friday, March 23
9-10 a.m. - Faculty Senate Library Committee/open faculty meeting, Zimmerman Library’s Willard Reading Room
Sohair Wastawy has served as chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria, Egypt, since 2004. She will be on campus Thursday and Friday, March 22-23. Wastawy earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Cairo University before earning a master’s in library and information science from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and a doctor of arts in library and information management from Simmons College, N.Y.
Tyler Walters
Monday, March 26
9-10 a.m. - Faculty Senate Library Committee/open faculty meeting, Zimmerman Library’s Willard Reading Room
2-3 p.m. - Presentation and Library-wide open meeting, Zimmerman Library’s Willard Reading Room
Tyler Walters, associate director for Technology and Resource Services at Georgia Institute of Technology Library and Information Center, will be on campus Monday and Tuesday, March 26-27. Walters has been in his current position since 2002. He earned his master’s in library and information science from the School of Information Resources and Library Science at the University of Arizona and a master’s in archival management from the department of history, North Carolina State University.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Water is so important in the Southwest environment that dozens of UNM faculty, students and staff are working on a wide range of research and other creative activities relating to water and its use. On Friday, March 23, they will gather for the Second Annual UNM Student Water Symposium. This is a daylong event featuring oral and poster presentations about water related research. It will be in Lobo rooms A & B of the Student Union Building on the UNM Campus.
The symposium is designed to bring together undergraduate and graduate students and the UNM community interested in creative water research to showcase the exciting work being conducted by students on water topics in New Mexico and the Southwest.
This event is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research & Economic Development, the UNM Water Resources Program, the student Association of Water Professionals, and WERC: A Consortium for Environmental Education and Technology Development.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Are you a student working on an imaginative, scholarly research project? The Research and Creativity Conference is Tuesday, April 3 in the Student Union Building from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The deadline for project submissions is March 20.
Oral and poster presentations and theatrical, poetic or musical performances are welcome. Submissions from undergraduates in any discipline are welcome, said Marla Wyche-Hall, program director. The event is free and open to the public.
“From biology to band, this conference will showcase the excellence of student research on campus,” she said.
Projects range from dissecting films to identifying the forgotten women of history to recognizing non-Indians who made contributions to Native American history.
“This is a special event held in an atmosphere of diversity. Students really bring their talents to the forefront,” Wyche-Hall said.
New this year is the addition of high school student projects.
Cash prizes will be awarded for the best work. Students selected for prizes will also be invited to exhibit or perform at the first-ever Parent Weekend planned for this fall.
The conference is a joint effort by University College, Profound, Special Programs and UNM schools and colleges.
For more information, contact 277-8279 or mycheh1@unm.edu, or visit Explore.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
McClure Double-bill March 29 - April 7 in Theatre X
The UNM Department of Theatre and Dance presents Lone Star and Laundry and Bourbon, a comic double-bill by James McClure, Thursday, March 29, through Saturday, April 7, in Theatre X. The one-act companion pieces, directed by Dodie Montgomery, give a side-splitting snapshot of life in Maynard, Texas in 1974. These tales of husbands, wives, war, love and honor are both hysterically funny and surprisingly relevant.
Photo (l. to r.): Samantha Grande as Amy Lee, Jackie Tyk as Hattie, and Elizabeth Kelly as Elizabeth perform in Laundry and Bourbon.
Lone Star, presented initially by the Actors Theatre of Louisville and then produced successfully on Broadway, is a hilarious study of a pair of Texas “good ole boys” on a Saturday night spree that introduced James McClure, an exciting playwright of major potential. Lone Star refers to the beer that Roy, a returning Vietnam vet, and his younger brother Ray, drink every night in the back of Angel’s bar.
Roy loves three things: this country, his beautiful wife Elizabeth, and his 1959 Pink Thunderbird Convertible - not necessarily in that order. With the arrival of Cletis, the foolish, newlywed son of the local hardware store owner, the underpinnings of Roy’s world begin to collapse, but, despite all, the high good humor of the play never lapses and all ends as breezily and happily as it began.
Laundry and Bourbon brings us to a front porch on a hot summer afternoon where Elizabeth, Hattie and Amy Lee fold laundry, drink bourbon and coke, gossip, and exchange insults while awaiting the return of the wayward Roy. There’s plenty to laugh about and much to contemplate in this short work. The New York Post said about the original production: “Mr. McClure’s strongest suit is dialogue – salty, comic banter that derives from colorful indigenous characters.’
Both plays address the issues of war damage and resistance to change with a lightly satiric touch.
Director Dodie Mongomery holds a BA in Theatre and Dance from the University of Wyoming and an MFA in Acting from the University of Texas at Austin. She spent many years in Seattle, WA working for such esteemed companies as Book –It Repertory Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare Company. She teaches acting at UNM and works for the Balloon Museum Foundation.
When asked what is special about these plays she replied, “They are just good stories, common stories, and extremely well written. The humor in them can be brutal and is always character driven. The characters in the plays are so very close to many of the people I grew up with in Wyoming. Reading the plays and seeing the performances is like a visit home for me.”
The cast includes Andrew Pollock, Leonard Hughes, Starnes Reveley, Elizabeth Kelly, Jackie Tyk and Samantha Grande. Set and Lighting Design is by Josh Bien with Sound Design by Michael Gerdes. Performances are Thursday through Saturday, March 29, 30, 31 and April 5, 6, 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 1 at 6 p.m. at UNM’s Experimental Theatre, located in the Center for the Arts.
Ticket prices are $10 general admission, $8 faculty and seniors, $7 UNM staff and students. Tickets are available at the UNM Ticket Offices located at the UNM Bookstore, Central and Cornell, or the Arena (The Pit), University and Avenida Caesar Chavez. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.unmtickets.com, or by calling 925-5858.
Additional information is available online at theatre.unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
A new exhibit at the Herzstein Latin American Reading Room Gallery on the 2nd floor of Zimmerman Library explores the colonial past of New Spain in New Mexico and Guatemala by engaging the audience in the curatorial project.
“Entre el Norte y Sur de Nueva España: Understanding the Colonial Past in the Province of New Mexico and the Captaincy General of Guatemala” will be open for viewing through April 11, 2007, during normal library hours.
The exhibition is designed to initiate a two-way discussion between the curator and the audience. It has an interactive display which challenges audience members to share their knowledge of the colonial past with the public, becoming co-curators. In a dialogue that has generally been missing from exhibitions, this one asks the audience to participate in the exhibit space by selecting images that go with the text and physically placing them in conjunction with other images. There is also a journal for comments about the exhibit. The responses help to form what should be displayed.
Madalena Salazar and Susan Stoll, M.A. candidates in Spanish Colonial Art History in UNM’s Department of Art and Art History, curated this display through the UNM Partnership Learning through Art, Culture and the Environment (P.L.A.C.E.) program.
This exhibit is sponsored by P.L.A.C.E. and the University Libraries Division of Iberian & Latin American Resources and Services (DILARES).
There will be an opening reception for the exhibit on Wednesday, March 21, from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. in the gallery.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Omar Villanueva, University of New Mexico master’s student in classical guitar performance, will give a concert on Wednesday, April 11, at 7 p.m. in Calvin Hall Auditorium at the University of New Mexico-Gallup. The concert is free and open to the public. Villanueva, a native of Matamoros, Mexico, studies under the guidance of UNM music professor Michael Chapdelaine.
Photo: Omar Villanueva
Villanueva started his musical studies at Mexico State Conservatory, where he obtained his first degree in classical guitar performance under the guidance of Francisco Gil. He has won two music competitions in the United States, including first place in the Joyce Walker Competition 2004, organized by the Professional Music Teachers of New Mexico, and first place in the UNM Concerto Competition of 2005. He also won a second prize in the first Chamber Music Competition of the Mexico State Conservatory in 2003.
Villanueva has performed for audiences in the United States and Mexico in several festivals including the 2002 Festival Internacional de Otoño in Matamoros, the 2001 Festival Internacional de Tehuacan Puebla, the Festival de la Frontera 2001 in Matamoros, the Festival San Juan del Rio of 2002, and the New Mexico State Fair of 2004 and 2006.
He has studied with master teachers Antonio López of Mexico, Manuel Espinás of Cuba, Thomas Patterson of the U.S., Lorenzo Micheli of Italy, Paul Odette of the U.S., Stephen Robinson of the U.S. and Carlos Pérez of Chile.
He has won several scholarships in the U.S. and Mexico, including FONECAT Scholarships of 2002 and 2006 in Tamaulipas, Mexico; Friends of Music Scholarship at UNM; Hector Garcia Scholarship at UNM; and Mexican Consulate Scholarship Jose Teran in 2005.
More than 2,000 6th-12th grade students from across the state will participate in the New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (NM MESA), Inc., 19th Annual Statewide Jamboree Saturday, March 10, at the University of New Mexico.
School teams will compete in various activities including Lego Robotics; Prepared Design – Electromagnet; Trebuchet; On-Site Engineering, Math, Science and Speaking.
Opening ceremonies for Jamboree are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in Johnson Center. Competitions take place across campus starting at 9:45 a.m. More than 100 community volunteers and professionals from a broad spectrum of careers serve as judges.
Enrichment activities will take place in the Student Union building beginning at 10:30 a.m. A Laser Light Show, Wild Wolf Sanctuary and Exotics of the Rain Forest, are among the highlights. College recruiters will be available at information booths.
Now in it’s 25th year, NM MESA targets secondary students from underrepresented populations to prepare them for college majors and careers in mathematics, engineering and science.
NM MESA provides academic enrichment to more than 4,800 students attending 110 schools in 31 school districts. As a year-round program, activities include college and career counseling, tutoring, advanced studies, leadership development, field trips and summer enrichment opportunities.
The annual Jamboree is hosted by UNM with financial support from Student Affairs.
For information, call Pamela Caudill, 366-2500 or 328-7083 or Toney Begay, 328-2471.
KNME-TV presents V-me, a new, national Spanish-language television network bringing new entertainment to Latino viewers. V-me, launched this week, features the best of public television. Viewers can see V-me on KNMEs digital channel 5.3. KNME is in talks with Comcast Cable to carry V-me in New Mexico.
Through relationships with world-class content producers and a partnership with American public television stations, V-me – pronounced "veh-meh,” – will offer a fresh alternative in Spanish television. V-me is the first venture announced by newly formed media production and distribution company, V-me Media Inc. The network launches as a 24-hour digital broadcast network presented by public television stations and carried on basic digital cable and satellite.
“We are proud to be one of the PBS stations presenting V-me, as part of KNME's digital multicast standard definition offering. V-me is a prime example of the promise of digital television being realized, and making good on the investment of New Mexico citizens. We thank them for their support and continue to work on their behalf,” said Ted Garcia, KNME general manager and CEO.
"All across the country, Latinos want more from media – more visibility, more quality and more choices,” said Carmen DiRienzo, president of V-me. “V-me provides intelligent entertainment that explores interests and issues Hispanics share with all Americans, and connects the many diverse Latino communities across the country."
V-me is programmed for the more than 30 million bilingual and Spanish-language dominant US Latinos, and will launch with station partnerships in major Hispanic markets including New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, San Antonio, Albuquerque/Santa Fe, Harlingen, San Diego, Sacramento, Fresno, Denver, Tucson and Orlando. At launch, V-me will be in markets representing more than 60 percent of all U.S. Hispanic homes and carried in approximately 24 million U.S. homes. Within its first year, V-me expects to grow its distribution to 50 million homes.
As a digital, multicast channel of its presenting stations, V-me will be included in the basic digital service of cable companies across the country. Public broadcasters receive V-me at no cost and can customize certain segments of the service with select local content. This unique partnership gives V-me an existing local presence, with cross-promotion, grassroots activities and relationships with educational and cultural institutions.
The name V-me comes from the Spanish veme, which means see me. “This name speaks volumes,” says Mario Baeza, founder and executive chairman of V-me. "Latinos contribute so much to our country, culturally and economically. Yet quality programming in Spanish that reflects that experience, showcases those contributions, and entertains and educates our families, is sorely missing from the landscape.
"Through V-me, investors can do well for their businesses while doing good for the community. Few investments allow you to meet these two missions simultaneously and V-me is solid on both fronts.”
V-me’s programming features a mix of original productions, exclusive premieres and acquisitions, and the best of public television adapted for American Latinos.
Content is broadly organized into four main categories:
** Kids – High-quality Spanish-language preschool programs, educational online resources for children and parents, and local activities
** Lifestyle – Latino-focused food, travel, design, home and self improvement, parenting, health and well-being
** Factual and current affairs – Intelligent entertainment and opinions: history, technology, nature, current affairs, news and biography
** Movies and special events – Contemporary Spanish-language films every night, plus international concerts and special events.
Best and brightest young scientists gather for 48th annual event
The 48th Annual Central New Mexico Science & Engineering Research Challenge, formerly the NWNM Regional Science & Engineering Fair, will be held Friday and Saturday, March 16-17, at the University of New Mexico’s Johnson Center and Student Union Building. Close to 700 middle and high school students are expected to exhibit science fair projects and compete for nearly $60,000 in prizes and scholarships.
“This event provides UNM with a great opportunity to showcase the University, recruit from a pool of excellent future student candidates, and to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in the state of New Mexico,” said Karen Kinsman, director, Central New Mexico Science & Engineering Research Challenge - one of the outreach programs managed under the STEM Education Outreach Programs office at UNM.
The public open house has been rescheduled for Friday, March 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. (this is a new day and time). This is a great opportunity to see New Mexico youth at its finest, encourage younger children to participate in science, math, engineering and/or technology education, and celebrate the incredible efforts the participants have put forth in order to be part of the Central New Mexico Science & Engineering Research Challenge.
The grand awards ceremony takes place Saturday, March 17, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Popejoy Hall, located on UNM’s main campus.
Also of special interest to visitors attending the open house will be booth displays featuring UNM Naval ROTC, UNM Admissions & Recruitment Services, UNM School of Medicine, UNM School of Engineering, NMSU School of Engineering, Society of Neuroscience – NM Chapter and more.
For further information call the CNM Science & Engineering Research Challenge office at, (505) 277-4916.
As of today, only a handful of bills have passed the legislature and been signed by Gov. Bill Richardson. One that has made it through has good news for several UNM departments. Senate Bill 710 reinstates projects funds totaling $1,619,700 that were vetoed last year.
They are as follows:
$65,000 - distance learning equipment for Charlie Morrissey research center in African American Studies
$75,000 - environmental health and research projects for Alliance for Transportation Institute
$135,000 - plan, design, construct, furnish alumni center at UNM
$87,000 - equipment and fence construction in Socorro for biology dept.
$50,000 - equipment for Carlisle Gym
$143,900 - golf hitting bays for UNM golf course
$200,000 - digital photography and editing equipment for graduate studies
$23,800 - construct, furnish and equip Hodgin Hall as alumni center
$20,000 - purchase and install lighting at Johnson Field
$25,000 - plan and design Native American learning center
$375,000 - plan, design, construct, furnish facility for Tamarind Institute
$50,000 - renovate facility in Gallup to house intertribal Indian ceremonial collection
$100,000 - plan and design building at UNM West in Rio Rancho
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Senior Jackie Walker has been awarded the outstanding student leadership award from the National Orientation Directors Association (NODA), Region III. The award was presented at the regional conference in February. Region III is made up of institutions in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Photo: Jackie Walker
The annual honor is given to an undergraduate who exhibits leadership skills, performs at a level of complexity in orientation programs, impacts various areas of their institution and goes above and beyond established expectations.
Walker, who graduates this spring, has worked with UNM LOBOrientation during the past three years. Currently, she has a work-study position with UNM American Indian Student Services. Walker is from Albuquerque and is a member of the Cochiti Pueblo.
Walker has co-presented workshops at NODA regional and national conferences. Her presentation, “Respecting the thin line: maintaining appropriate student relationships” was ranked among the top presentations at a recent Colorado conference.
She has served as mistress of ceremonies for high school visitation days at UNM and hosted a game show formatted event about admission and financial information during American Indian Student Day.
Walker has helped train professional staff on the inner workings of advisement during orientation. “Jackie was able to train professional staff, her peers, and guide many incoming students confidently,” noted her nominator, Laura Valdez, Dean of Students Office.
Walker served as Miss Indian UNM during the 2005-06 academic year. This past fall she helped create a mentoring program called Sidekicks, to provide a guiding hand to American Indian students.
“Jackie continuously pushes herself outside of her comfort zone and impacts those around her as a result. She has been an incredible role model for many underrepresented students for the past three years. She genuinely cares for students, and is well respected on our campus because of her student centeredness,” Valdez said.
The Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation recently pledged $1.6 million to fund the new Carrie Tingley Hospital Inpatient Unit and Surgical Suite at the UNM Children’s Hospital Barbara and Bill Richardson Pavilion.
Carrie Tingley Hospital (CTH) is the only hospital in New Mexico that provides caring and coordinated healthcare to children and adolescents with complex musculoskeletal and orthopaedic conditions, rehabilitation needs, developmental issues and long-term physical disabilities.
Currently, CTH is a separate facility from the UNM Children’s Hospital, providing inpatient and outpatient care. The inpatient unit at the new pavilion will allow CTH to provide increased services to musculoskeletal and rehabilitation inpatients. The current Carrie Tingley facility, located at 1127 University Blvd., N.E., will continue to provide outpatient clinical and rehabilitation services.
For more information on CTH, visit: Carrie Tingley Hospital.
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
The New Mexico Center for Isotopes in Medicine (NMCIM), located at the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy (UNM COP) UNM Health Sciences Center (HSC), recently received a visit from New Mexico Congresswoman Heather Wilson.
Photo: Congresswoman Heather Wilson, Associate Director of NMCIM Jeffrey Norenberg and COP Dean John A. Pieper.
Joining Wilson on her tour of the center’s facilities was COP Dean John A. Pieper, Associate Director of NMCIM Jeffrey Norenberg and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Program Manager Robert Atcher.
The NMCIM is a collaboration of a longstanding partnership between the UNM COP Radiopharmacy Program, the UNM Cancer Research and Treatment Center (CRTC), Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (LRRI) and LANL.
Wilson visited the center and the COP to discuss the center’s need for future infrastructure funding.
For 2007, the NMCIM is a designated UNM federal priority for funding in the U.S. Congress and the New Mexico legislature in Santa Fe is currently reviewing a request for non-recurring funding of $3.53 million. This funding will allow NMCIM to develop the required infrastructure to continue as a national resource center for the development of applications for unique medically useful radioisotopes.
New isotopes are needed for targeted diagnostic and therapeutic agents for diseases such as cancer. The idea behind molecular targeting is to design radiopharmaceuticals that specifically target the molecular pathways that cause disease, without disrupting the normal functions of cells and tissues. Drugs developed using this approach can be less toxic and more effective than current medicines.
As more radioisotopes are generated at LANL, the UNM COP Radiopharmaceutical Sciences Program will be called upon to bring its expertise in the handling and formulation of medical isotopes to establish useful and marketable radiopharmaceuticals.
The UNM COP is an established world leader in the training and certification of scientists qualified to formulate and develop novel radiopharmaceuticals. With this leadership, the state of New Mexico is in a prime position to develop these important products and lead the nation in the next generation of radiopharmaceuticals.
For more information on NMCIM visit http://hsc.unm.edu/pharmacy/isotope/.
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
Freshmen at the University of New Mexico are qualifying for the New Mexico Lottery Success Scholarship at a record rate. “This year 75 percent of the freshmen who were eligible have qualified for the tuition scholarship,” said UNM Provost Reed Dasenbrock. “That's four percent higher than any previous year. This scholarship is having the effect state lawmakers believed it would.”
This year 2,603 UNM freshmen have earned the grade point required for the scholarship.
Earning and maintaining the scholarship has been a challenge for many UNM freshmen and it has led to major changes in the way the university supports students. UNM Regents made freshmen retention a priority and set aside half a million dollars that was used to hire an additional 130 instructors to teach freshman courses.
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Peter White says, “The money from the regents made the difference for many freshmen. We can see the effect their decision had on the freshmen class and we appreciate their generosity.”
UNM is also making a special effort to help all students maintain academic progress through greater access to core courses. The university offered more than 20 courses to 700 students during the break between the fall and spring semesters this year, and funds have been set aside to increase core courses during the upcoming summer session as well.
Dasenbrock says, “Graduation is the name of the game. We're doing everything we can to make it a reality for as many students as possible.”
The Lottery Success Scholarship covers tuition for students who graduate from NM high schools and who earn and maintain a 2.5 grade point average. If a student falls below that average in any semester, the scholarship is withdrawn. If the student maintains the 2.5 grade average, the scholarship is available for eight semesters.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Foundation is establishing the Mesa del Sol Endowed Professorship in Film and Digital Media. The professorship was started with a $750,000 endowment from Forest City Covington, NM, LLC, the master developer of Mesa del Sol.
Photo: Christopher Mead, dean, College of Fine Arts
The Mesa del Sol Professor will lead a multi-disciplinary program in Film and Digital Media at the University of New Mexico (UNM), which will draw students from fine arts, engineering, arts and sciences, and other disciplines, allowing them to work in collaborative, real-world work teams.
“This professorship, gifted by Forest City Covington, is the foundation for the program we're building,” said Christopher Mead, dean, UNM College of Fine Arts. “Creating a nationally recognized program starts with recruiting a nationally recognized leader in the field, and the endowed professorship makes that possible.”
“With the development of Albuquerque Studios and the availability of other adjacent sites at Mesa del Sol, New Mexico has the potential to become the site of a major industry cluster,” said Michael Daly, chief operating officer of Forest City Covington. “We've worked with the UNM Foundation to establish this professorship because a significant factor of the success of this media cluster is going to be a prepared workforce, resulting in high paying jobs for New Mexicans.”
Mead has set four objectives for the UNM Film and Digital Media program including:
• Integrating filmmaking and digital media by developing a systemically integrated interdisciplinary program;
• Building a native New Mexico Hollywood that serves the unique cultural diversity of New Mexico;
• Training the citizens of New Mexico by establishing undergraduate and graduate level courses; and,
• Fostering research.
“The program we're proposing is about education and economic development, about working with business partners in the state to create an innovative program,” said Mead. “When funding like this, which will help launch the program, comes from the business community, it closes the circle.”
He said that the professional partners will include film studios, visiting artists, animation, special effects, and postproduction companies, and digital media firms.
The New Mexico Legislature is considering faculty endowment legislation that, if approved, would match Forest City's contribution to the endowment so that it can become a fully endowed chair at UNM. Lawmakers are also being asked to provide $4.7 million in startup funding for the film and digital media program. The first classes in the new program are scheduled to start in the fall.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
Pre-Law Summer Institute to receive $125,000 annually
The Law School Admissions Council has made a five-year funding commitment to the American Indian Law Center's Pre-Law Summer Institute, housed at the University of New Mexico School of Law. The funds, $125,000 per year, will provide student support and allow the center to develop alumni and other long-term funding sources for the institute.
“In legal education, there are relatively few models of programs that have successfully, over a sustained period, done the tough work of preparing members of under-represented groups for outstanding performance in and after law school," said Kent Syverud, chair of the LSAC Board of Directors. "PLSI is one of those few. It was the view of the LSAC board that, because of its longstanding success, PLSI deserved to have stable funding over a sustained period so that the program’s future is assured and so that it can plan for the long term.”
The Pre-Law Summer Institute was the brainchild of then-UNM School of Law Dean Tom Christopher, who saw a need to increase the number of American Indian lawyers across the country. He assigned Fred Hart, a visiting professor who went on to become dean, to run the program. After launching PLSI in 1967, Hart remained in New Mexico to continue overseeing the program, an eight-week summer session that prepares American Indian students for law school and demonstrates their ability to perform at law-school standards.
At the time of the program’s inception, there were fewer than 25 identifiable American Indian lawyers and about 15 American Indian law students nationwide. To date, more than 1,000 students have attended PLSI, contributing directly to the more than 3,000 American Indian lawyers in the country today. It has been referred to as the most successful program in the history of American Indian education. Indirectly, PLSI has been credited with bringing about major changes in American Indian affairs.
In addition to PLSI, the American Indian Law Center provided scholarship funds for American Indian students until 1986, including several hundred students who did not attend the summer program. This assistance is no longer available.
From 1967-71 the program was funded by the Upward Bound Program of the federal Office of Economic Opportunity, and since 1971 basic funding has been provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. However, the BIA funding was reduced by 60 percent in the mid-90s, after which the LSAC stepped in to provide supplemental funding. The new LSAC grant also was secured through the efforts of PLSI graduates who also helped obtain additional funding for the program through the office of New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman while on the Senator’s staff.
Sam Deloria, director of the American Indian Law Center, also credits PLSI Director Heidi Nesbitt: “Heidi is not only responsible for the program’s success over the past 23 years she has been in charge, but her efforts have inspired PLSI and UNM alumni to take the initiative to provide meaningful support to make PLSI a permanent program.”
For more information contact Heidi Nesbitt at 277-5462,
During the symposium, the institute's origins and successes will be examined. Topics to be discussed will include the PLSI impact on Indian legal education, Indian law, tribal governments and the number of practicing Native American lawyers. PLSI graduates, law professors and law-school deans will participate in panel discussions. Members from all 40 PLSI classes are invited to attend. The Pre-Law Summer Institute is an eight-week summer program that prepares Indian students for law school and demonstrates their ability to perform to law school standards. About 1,000 American Indian students have participated in the program since its inception in 1966. Many PLSI graduates are among the leading ranks of American Indian lawyers nationwide. The April 21 event follows the Indian Law Conference of the Federal Bar Association and will be sponsored by the AILC, the University of New Mexico School of Law and the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. For more information contact Heidi Nesbitt at 277-5462 or e-mail, nesbitt@law.unm.edu or Mitzi Vigil at 277-0405, vigil@law.unm.edu. Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
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To commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, the oldest public museum in Albuquerque, a series of free public events will be offered, beginning this month with a commemorative exhibit and activities for all.
“North by Southwest, Bering Sea Communities, Collaborations and Collections,” an exhibit of Alaskan native life, displays artifacts, photographs and prints from the Maxwell museum collection - many previously unseen by the public. Subsistence living, art, ritual and the tools that support these activities will be on display from March 2007 through June 2008.
National Park Service Cultural Anthropologist Herbert O. Anungazuk, a Native Alaskan, will deliver a preview lecture talk about Bering Sea communities on Thursday, March 8, at 7 p.m. The exhibit opening celebration takes place Friday, March 9, from 6-8 p.m. On Saturday, March 10, from 1-3:30 p.m., Anungazuk will demonstrate the traditional art of walrus ivory carving as part of the Artisans of the World program.
Also on Saturday, co-curators Catherine Baudoin of the Maxwell Museum and Joyce Szabo, department chair and UNM professor of Art and Art History, will be on hand to discuss and answer questions about the exhibit. The Passport to People family program will provide fun Alaskan heritage-based activities for all ages.
“The desire to follow the ways of our ancestors is not based on a desperate belief to survive. It is based on the values and qualities of unity and sharing that was established by our ancestors ages ago,” said Anungazuk.
For more information, contact: Mary Beth Hermans, 277-1400.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Trailblazers, the student alumni association at the University of New Mexico, is currently sponsoring a Tuition Scholarship Raffle, which will give one lucky winner the opportunity to win 12 undergraduate credit hours of paid tuition for the Fall 2007 semester. This is the first time such an event will take place at UNM.
The Trailblazers are sponsoring the event in order to build a new tradition, to provide a service to the students and so alumni can give back to UNM.
Runner-up prizes include:
** $300 Bookstore Textbook Scholarship
** $50 in LoboCash
** free graduate school test and two hours of Kaplan tutoring
** four Popejoy Ovation tickets
** two Mid-Week Movie Semester Passes
** Recreational Services “Getaway” Pass
The raffle winners must be current UNM students in good standing, and must enroll as a full-time student for the Fall 2007 semester. Anyone can purchase a ticket, however, the recipient must be a UNM student.
If the student already has grants or scholarships, they are still eligible to win, the scholarship will simply be credited to the student’s account and any money left after tuition - and other charges they may accumulate - will be disbursed to the student in the Fall 2007 semester. Accordingly, runner-up prizes will also be distributed at the beginning of the Fall 2007 semester.
Students can buy tickets every Tuesday and Wednesday in the UNM SUB or on Thursdays at the UNM Bookstore or outside Johnson Center. Tickets are also available at Hodgin Hall. The winning tickets will be drawn and announced at Fiestas on Saturday, April 21, 2007.
For more information contact Quonya Huff at (832) 533-4113 or Nico Condon at (505) 401-2211.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Mayor Martin J. Chávez to host premiere screening
In partnership with HBO, the University of New Mexico and Comcast Cable, Albuquerque Mayor Martin J. Chávez will host a special premiere in Albuquerque featuring UNM Research Associate Professor Dr. Robert Meyers, and the documentary, ‘Getting an Addict Into Treatment: The CRAFT Approach.’ The event will be held Tuesday, March 6 at the South Broadway Cultural Center located at 1025 Broadway S.E.
The segment featuring Dr. Meyers is part of the multi-media project titled, ‘Addiction,’ a 14-part series that will air in its entirety on HBO March 15-18. Check your local listings for times. The series defines addiction as a chronic relapsing brain disease that is treatable.
The evening will feature the premiere screening at 7 p.m. It will be followed by a panel discussion at 7:30 with UNM Psychology Professors Robert Meyers and Jane Smith, and Brenda Wolfe, a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of substance abuse. A post reception will be held at 8 p.m. along with a book-signing of “Get Your Loved One Sober: Alternatives to Nagging, Pleading and Threatening.”
Co-authored by Meyers and Wolfe, the book highlights the compassionate, yet effective approach to help spouses, loved ones, parents and or children of problem drinkers or drug users improve the quality of their own lives while making sobriety a more rewarding option for their loved ones than drinking or taking drugs. The book is based on the scientifically proven CRAFT or Community Reinforcement and Family Training Model. Dr. Meyers created the CRAFT approach, which has proven highly successful in the treatment of problem drinkers and drug users.
Albuquerque was hand-selected to host a special premiere because of the contributions of Meyers, as well as the City of Albuquerque’s commitment to develop and maintain a comprehensive behavioral health services system.
Albuquerque has been in the forefront of funding behavioral health services for adults and adolescents since the early 1900s, currently funding substance abuse treatment in the amount of $6 million, with an additional $3 million in mental health services added recently as a result of the Mayor’s Behavioral Health Summit in 2003.
Media Contacts: HBO, Mike Hopper, (214) 356-5430; UNM, Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
UNM's Recreational Services is getting into the spirit - the spirit of March Madness. However, it's a different kind of spirit for Recreational Services. It's fitness madness with all Recreational Services classes offered as free drop-in classes the week of March 5-9.
All "Works" pass holders will be awarded goodie bags during the week on an in-class basis only. All Recreational Services Fitness classes will be offered as free drop-in classes for Lobo ID cardholders.
The schedule for the week follows:
Monday, March 5
12-1 p.m. - promotional giveaway table
7-8 p.m. - "Ask a Personal Trainer" ask questions in the
JC Weight Room
Tuesday, March 6
12:30-1:30pm promotional giveaway table
8:00-9:00pm Drop-in Psychedelic Lobo Cycling
Wednesday, March 7
12-1 p.m. - promotional giveaway table
7 to 8 p.m. - "Ask a Personal Trainer" ask questions in the JC Weight Room
Thursday, March 8
12:30-1:30 p.m. - promotional giveaway table
8 to 9 p.m. Drop-in Psychedelic Lobo Cycling
For more information contact Laura Montoya, 277-4347.
Where do you go when you want to learn what Adolph Bandelier thought and saw as he discovered the Native American ruins south of Los Alamos? It happens to be the Frey Angélico Chávez History Library at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, but there has been no easy way to tell the general public that’s where Bandelier’s journals are kept or what information about him might be available in other libraries in other states. Now information that has been stacked in basement storage rooms throughout the West is slowly being brought together.
The Rocky Mountain Online Archive, which University Libraries put online today, is unlocking history for students and researchers interested in the history of Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.
So far twenty-one libraries in the three states are participating. They are all placing detailed lists of their holdings, and in some cases, actual digital images of photographs and manuscripts online. The project is being coordinated and the web hosting done by University Libraries at the University of New Mexico.
Where can you discover just about anything about the life of “Buffalo” Bill Cody? http://rmoa.unm.edu/ can give you a list of libraries in the three states and the kinds of information they are keeping on one of the most colorful western characters of the early 20 th century. Information that would once have taken scholars months of patient detective work to locate is now available after a half hour on the computer.
“This will allow scholars to make comparisons about big issues like water or land use that previously would have been nearly impossible,” says Mike Kelly, Director of the Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico. “It draws together information that has literally been scattered in libraries throughout the West.”
The Rocky Mountain Online Archive now holds the finding aids, which are detailed descriptions of the holdings in more than two thousand collections. It isn’t the West at your fingertips yet, but it is a satisfying glimpse of the future of research online.
On Friday, March 16, more than 800 middle and high school students will converge on Johnson Center to compete in the Central New Mexico Science & Engineering Research Challenge in 14 different categories.
The categories include:
* Animal Sciences
* Behavioral/Social Sciences
* Cellular & Molecular Biology/Biochemistry
* Chemistry
* Computer Science
* Earth Science
* Engineering
* Energy & Transportation
* Environmental Science
* Mathematical Sciences
* Medicine & Health Sciences
* Microbiology
* Physics & Astronomy
* Plant Sciences
The CNM Science and Engineering Research Challenge can always use category judges. Potential judges should be available on March 16 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. An incredible experience awaits with an opportunity to interact with some of the best and brightest 6-12 grade students in New Mexico.
Students compete either in the Junior Division (6-8 grade) or Senior Division (9-12 grade) for nearly $60,000 in cash/tangible awards and scholarships. Judges are well fed, have lots of caffeine available, and have opportunities to network with many other professionals in their areas of expertise.
If you're available to judge Friday, March 16 visit: http://stemed.unm.edu/JudgeInfo.aspx for training materials and other judging resources.
For more information call Karen Kinsman at 277-4916.
The UNM Health Sciences Center is proud to announce the overwhelming Albuquerque physician community’s response in nominating more than 215 UNM physicians to Albuquerque the Magazine’s third annual issue of the city’s “Top Docs." These are peer nominations, of which the Health Sciences Center represented two-thirds of the nominees/awardees in more than 37 medical specialties.
This Year’s Awardees include:
Dr. Nivine Doran - Anesthesiology
Dr. Steve Padilla - Dermatology
Dr. Carla Herman - Geriatrics
Dr. Eve Espey - Gynecology
Dr. Ed Libby - Hematology
Dr. George Comerci - Internal Medicine
Dr. Martha McGrew - Family Medicine
Dr. David Lemon - Pediatric Surgery
Dr. Stephen Lewis - Psychiatry
Dr. Fa-Chyi Lee - Oncology
Dr. Daniel Wascher - Orthopedic Surgery
Dr. Susan Williamson - Radiology
Dr. Anthony Smith - Urology
Albuquerque the Magazine’s “Top Docs” feature is a simple process - more than 3,100 of the city’s physicians were asked a single question: “If you had to refer a loved one to a local doctor other than yourself, to whom would you refer them?”
An awards dinner honoring Albuquerque’s “Top Docs” nominees and awardees is slated Saturday, March 10, 6-9 p.m. at the Albuquerque Hyatt Regency Downtown. The event’s guest speaker is Dr. Ben DeBoisBlanc, a New Orleans physician featured in national media stories for his work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Tickets are on sale online at http://www.abqthemag.com/topdocs.htm until March 5 at 5 p.m. Individual tickets are $125; tables with a maximum eight seats are $1,000. Additionally there will be a live auction of high-end prizes, including Lobo season tickets for several sporting events, other Lobo sports ticket packages, a Vespa scooter, and more. Proceeds from ticket and table sales, and the live auction, will go directly to the UNM Cancer Center.
For more information, please call 272-9977.
““Unlimited Possibilities,” the employee theme for the University of New Mexico’s United Way campaign, lived up to its name. UNM surpassed its goal of $475,000 by raising $749,767. Main campus employees kicked in $493,600 and those at the UNM hospitals contributed $256,167.
In the 2005 campaign, UNM set a goal of $400,000 and raised $432,000.
The university’s campaign is among the largest in the state and demonstrates UNM’s support for friends, family, community and causes they support worldwide.
Breda Bova, senior advisor to the president and professor in the College of Education, and Josh Kavanagh, associate director, Parking and Transportation Services, spearheaded this year’s campaign.
The two delivered numerous presentations across campus.
“The Women in Philanthropy event was an amazing tribute to the women of UNM and to their ability to give,” Bova said. “The president participated in our Young Leaders events. Athletics was also on board in a big way. They really stepped up to the plate.”
Employees are creative contributors, Kavanagh said. Using the convenience of payroll deductions, many combine smaller gifts they make throughout the year into designated gifts to the United Way “I even know one staff member who held a garage sale,” he said.
“The Physical Department Staff barbeque fundraiser was a highlight of the campaign – five dollars at a time, the staff raised enough money to feed 500 hungry kids for a weekend,” he added.
Faculty and staff have the option of designating a gift to a UNM program or scholarship or to any 501(c)3 nonprofit organization of their choice.
One hundred percent of an employee’s gift to United Way goes to the agency or organization. Contributions may be directed to the United Way Community Fund to support dozens of organizations serving at-risk children, the elderly, victims of family violence and other neighbors in need.
Bova, a former United Way Board chair, said, “I’ve seen the impact of these gifts in the community. And I’ve seen the United Way’s quick response to need.”
“Whether they give of their financial resources or of their time and talents through volunteer work, the generosity of the University Community is truly amazing,” Kavanagh said.
The Road to Wellness Health Fair, sponsored by Human Resources, is Wednesday, March 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the SUB. A variety of exhibits from both internal and external vendors will be in the ballrooms "to help educate and support staff and faculty in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle” noted Acting President David Harris in a memo to deans and directors.
“I ask you to support your staff and faculty in attending this important event. Additionally, I encourage supervisors to allow paid time off, up to 1 ½ hours, in accordance with University Policy 3300,” Harris wrote.
Lectures will take place throughout the day on the upper level on topics that include weight control, dietary supplements, the power of laughter, smoking cessation geared toward loved ones, how to use a pedometer, stress management, retirement and end of life issues.
UNM’s Employee Health Promotion Program will provide a number of fitness demonstrations. Chair massages will be provided by Apollo College. A limited number of box lunches with nutritional information will be available for purchase at a discount.
All UNM health insurance carriers will be on hand with information. For more information, visit healthfair.unm.edu
The life of Concha Ortiz y Pino is the focus of an exhibit at the Latin American and Iberian Institute at the University of New Mexico. An opening reception is scheduled Friday, March 9, at noon at the LAII, 801 Yale NE on the UNM campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Photo: Concha Ortiz y Pino
The exhibit is in observance of Women in History Month, and is an introduction to the History of Latin American Studies at UNM. Speakers at the event include Nancy Brown-Martínez, archivist and reference coordinator, Center for Southwest Resources, University Libraries; Ana Pacheco, editor and publisher, “La Herencia;” and Kathryn Cordova, author of Concha.
In 1943, Ortiz y Pino was the first bachelor’s degree recipient of the School of Inter-American Affairs, the predecessor of UNM’s Latin American Institute, with a degree in Inter-American Relations. She went on to serve as a New Mexico state legislator, a board member of numerous humanitarian organizations, a champion for women and the handicapped, and a supporter of Hispanic arts and culture.
The exhibit will run through May 12. Exhibit materials provided by the Center for Southwest Resources and Ana Pacheco.
The UNM College of Education’s teacher education and professional development program was recently ranked as the 8th best graduate program in the nation by Academic Analytics as part of a new university ranking system. Academic Analytics examined the scholarly production of 7,300 programs in 104 disciplines across the country.
College of Education Dean Viola Florez said, "This ranking is very important, as it speaks positively about the power of and trend of multidisciplinary work, collaboration, and high quality faculty. The college has recruited excellent faculty who are experts in specific fields; making it possible to meet educational needs of students."
Partially funded by the State University of New York at Stony Brook, this new rating system is an effort to make a more objective comparison of programs across universities.
Currently most universities depend upon the U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of graduate programs, even though those rankings are based on people’s opinions and are widely acknowledged as not being scientific. Not surprisingly, the best-known institutions were named in the top 10 year after year irrespective of their currently scholarly production.
The National Research Council compiles the gold standard of ranking programs. However, this study has not been updated since 1955.
Academic Analytics decided to take a different approach, where scholarly output could be objectively measured. In many ways, it used a standard business model adapted for an academic environment.
It created a Faculty Productivity Index by counting the number of book and journal articles published by the faculty in each program's faculty, how often those publications were citied by other scholars, and how many awards, grants and honors were received.
"The Faculty Productivity Index is important to teacher educators because it provides recognition for their work in K-12, plus it recognizes the creation of new knowledge for others to read, study, and implement in diverse educational settings," Florez said.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
What happens when you combine a group of sophomores majoring in mechanical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, Physics, Environmental Science, Computer Science, Construction Management, and Biochemistry? A Sophomore Seminar called Careers in Science and Engineering.
Matthew Haney, Ph.D. and geophysics scientist at Sandia National Labs, instructs the course. Haney meets with students on Fridays to share his wisdom and passion for science.
University College created the seminar program to help sophomores plan for a degree major and career path. Students interview professionals from the community, visit job sites, examine their own passions and skills, and learn about real world issues and expectations in specific fields.
Professionals in the community participate as instructors and guest speakers and provide field experiences.
Intel participated providing both a guest speaker and field experience, organized by Intel communications specialist Natisha Martell. David Gutierrez, MBA and a 10-year expert in marketing and client relations, explained the relationship with users and its role in product development. Murry Kelly a 13-year employee and engineering manager at Intel, talked about about Intel’s corporate culture.
“Students were mesmerized by the robotics and automation at the site. They learned about the physics, chemistry, environmental sciences and computer technology applications in day-to-day task management,” said Mary Thomas, who coordinates the UNM program.
For more information on UNM’s Sophomore Seminars in Career Awareness, contact Thomas at 277-2028 or email maryt@7nm.edu.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
The gallery in the Center for Southwest Research features an exciting new exhibition of Latin American cultural and political posters this spring. The gallery has been doubling as a research area for students while the main research area of the first floor at Zimmerman was remodeled in the wake of the basement fire last April.
Now it returns with an exhibit of mid to late 20th century posters from Chile, Cuba Puerto Rico and Mexico. The posters are part of a generous donation from Berkley artist and graphic designer Jane Norling and artist and activist Lenora (Nori) Davis. The exhibit is a portion of the much larger collection.
The exhibit, “New Acquisitions: Selections from the Jane Norling and Lenora (Nori) Davis Collection and the Sam L. Slick Collection of Latin American & Iberian Posters” features such renowned graphic artists as Cubans Eduardo Muñoz Bachs, Félix Beltrán, Antonio Pérez, Raúl Martínez, Julioeloy Mesa, Antonio Fernández Reboiro, Eladio Rivadulla, Alfredo Rostgaard, and Puerto Ricans Luís Alonso and Ángel Vega.
The exhibit also includes recent additions to the CSWR’s 10,000 piece Sam L. Slick Collection of Latin American and Iberian Posters. The opening reception is Thursday, March 1, at 5 p.m. in the Zimmerman Library gallery, and the exhibit will be on display through Friday, May 18.
The event is free and the public is invited.
Gene Frumkin, professor emeritus of English, died recently at his home in Albuquerque. He joined the UNM Department of English in 1966 and retired in 1994, but remained active on the poetry scene locally and nationally.
In 1951, Frumkin graduated with a bachelor’s in English from UCLA. He was managing editor, then executive editor of California Apparel News, where he remained until 1966. After graduation, he began writing poetry and extending his literary activities.
He co-founded Coastlines Literary Magazine in 1955 and edited the Los Angeles magazine from 1959 - 1963. His first volume of verse, The Hawk and the Lizard, was issued by the prestigious Swallow Press in 1963. The Orange Tree followed in 1965. Also during the mid-1960s, he began leading poetry writing workshops, both at UCLA and in the community.
At UNM, Frumkin became a prolific writer. He turned out a steady stream of poetry collections, many of them from New Mexican and Southwestern presses: The Rainbow-Walker (1968), Dostoyevsky and Other Nature Poems (1972), Locust Cry: Poems 1958-1965 (1973), The Mystic Writing-Pad (1977), Loops (1979), Clouds and Red Earth (1981), A Lover’s Quarrel with America (1985), A Sweetness in the Air (1987), Comma In the Ear (1990), Saturn is Mostly Weather (1992), The Old Man Who Swam Away and Left Only His Wet Feet (1998), and Freud by Other Means (2002). With Stanley Noyes, he edited The Indian Rio Grande: Recent Poems from 3 Cultures in 1977.
He also contributed essays on poetry and fiction to Manoa, American Poetry, The Review of Contemporary Fiction, Impact, Puerto del Sol, Contact II, and Blue Mesa Review.
Frumkin’s career as a teacher was equally notable. At UNM, he and David M. Johnson founded the Creative Writing Program in 1967. Frumkin headed that program for many years and served for more years as editor of Blue Mesa Review.
The list of his successful students is long, and it includes such well-known writers as Leslie Marmon Silko, Joy Harjo, Simon Ortiz, Luci Tapahonso, Bert Almon and Leo Romero. Frumkin spent three stints at the University of Hawaii, twice as a Visiting Exchange Professor in the mid 1980s and then as a Visiting Distinguished Writer in 1989. Awards included a fellowship to the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (1987) and the UNM English Department’s Wertheim Award (1991).
Frumkin is survived by a son, Paul Frumkin of Albuquerque, and a daughter, Celena Allison of Santa Cruz, Calif. His papers are in the Center for Southwest Research at UNM’s Zimmerman Library.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Special seminar on diet changes from Neandertals to humans March 23
Donald K. Grayson, anthropology professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, presents the XXIV Journal of Anthropological Research Distinguished Lecture, “Ice Age Extinctions in North America: Deciphering the Cause,” on Thursday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the University of New Mexico anthropology lecture hall, rm. 163.
Photo: Donald Grayson
A special seminar, “Chowing up: Diet and the Transition from Neandertals to Modern Humans in Southwestern France,” is set for Friday, March 23, at noon in anthropology room 178. Both events are free and open to the public.
Grayson is an archeozoologist and historian of archeology who has researched and published extensively on Ice Age faunas, environments and human adaptations of the American Great Basin and Southwestern France. He is a major player in the debates about the roles of climate change and human activity in the extinction of Pleistocene faunas in North America, the nature of Paleoindian lifeways, and the subsistence of Neandertals and early modern humans in Europe. His research has been supported by numerous grants from the National Science Foundation, the American Museum of Natural History, the Leakey Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency and others.
Grayson’s 1983 book, The Establishment of Human Antiquity, is still one of the best accounts of the discipline of prehistory, as recognized by the American Library Association. He has a long-time collaboration with Dr. Françoise Delpech of the Université de Bordeaux in the detailed analysis of faunal remains from Paleolithic sites in the Périgord region and he was a member of the famous 1997 Monte Verde Site Evaluation Committee in Chile.
Grayson has mentored 17 Ph.D. students at UW and has directed the UW archeological field school in the Great Basin on many occasions over the past 30 years. Grayson is on 10 editorial boards (including JAR’s). In 1986, he was given the Fryxell Award for Interdisciplinary Research by the Society for American Archaeology. He is a lively, engaging, knowledgeable speaker; his JAR Distinguished Lecture will ask & then answer the age-old question: “what killed off Pleistocene mammoths, camels, horses, of North America: humans or climate change?”
The Anthropology building is on Redondo Rd., east of University Blvd. between Roma and Martin Luther King Blvd.
The Journal of Anthropological Research has been published quarterly by the University of New Mexico in the interest of general anthropology since 1945. Each volume includes about 600 ad-free pages of original, peer-reviewed articles, book reviews & the JAR Lectures. Individual U.S. subscriptions are $30. Contact JAR at (505) 277-4544 or visit its Web site: JAR Lecture.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu