UNM Auxiliary Enterprises and Office of Student Affairs awarded three students and three faculty/staff their choice of an iPod Nano, Video iPod or $300 airline voucher for completing the online Campus Food Service Survey, which was e-mailed to the UNM community in April.
Photo: Dupuy Bateman (far left), director, Housing & Food Services and Walt Miller (far right), associate vice president of Student Development, awarded prizes to the winners of the Campus Food Service Survey.
The 15-minute survey asked participants to rate a number of aspects of the food service at UNM, and comment on their usage of UNM’s Campus Dining Service. Nearly 3,700 participants completed the survey and provided valuable feedback on UNM’s Campus Dining Services.
The prizes were presented by Walter Miller, associate vice president of Student Development and Dupuy Bateman, director, Housing & Food Services.
Earlier this year, the New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union awarded a generous contribution to UNM for Information Technology Services to expand indoor and outdoor wireless coverage on Main Campus. ITS surveyed students for their priority areas for wireless networking service. Those priorities determined project phasing, and outdoor areas between the Duck Pond and the New Mexico Student Union Building have now been networked for wireless.
To learn more about the implementation, ITS invites you to visit its Web site at: Wireless Implementation.
The wireless expansion project, which will continue through August 2009, will be using the new UNM Wireless Standard, which can be found at: UNM Wireless Standards.
This standard is based on industry best practices and is designed to ensure that IT resources are effectively managed in support of the University’s mission. The intent of the standard is to protect devices connected to the UNM network and to provide a consistent experience for wireless users throughout campus.
ITS staff will work with the IT Agents from each division to ensure a smooth implementation in each area. IT Agents will become familiar with the Wireless Standard, will be provided with information to disseminate to their constituents and have agreed to work with ITS staff so that the implementation is as smooth as possible across Main Campus.
If you have any comments or concerns, contact IT Agent who represents your area.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
College of Fine Arts Dean Christopher Mead and ARTS Lab Director Ed Angel were among those who pitched the first spades of earth at the Sony Pictures Imageworks groundbreaking at Mesa del Sol recently. The new facility will house a 100,000 square-foot digital production facility at Albuquerque Studios.
Photo (l. to r.): UNM ARTS Lab Director Ed Angel, CEO Pacifica Ventures/Albuquerque Studios Hal Katersky, Mayor Martin Chavez, Gov. Bill Richardson, Sony Pictures Imageworks President Tim Sarnoff, Albuquerque Studios Chief Operating Officer Nick Smerigan and UNM College of Fine Arts Dean Christopher Mead prepare to break ground on the Sony Pictures Imageworks digital animation production facility.
Other participants in the groundbreaking included Governor Bill Richardson, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, Sony Pictures Imageworks President Tim Sarnoff, CEO Pacifica Ventures/Albuquerque Studios Hal Katersky, Forest City Covington N.M., L.L.C. President Michael Daly and Albuquerque Studios Chief Operating Officer Nick Smerigan.
In his remarks, Mead praised the governor’s support of the burgeoning film industry in New Mexico. As part of that initiative, UNM is launching the Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program. With degree tracks initially offered in the College of Fine Arts, School of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences, the program will complement a specialized major with generalized knowledge of the creative, technical and business skills necessary to practice digital media.
UNM recently became the 10th member of the Imageworks Professional Academic Excellence program, or IPAX, through which Imageworks educates faculty and structures curricula at the country’s leading academic institutions in an effort to develop future talent who will contribute to the overall growth of the visual effects and animation industries.
IPAX provides guest lectures and workshops by Imageworks artists, fellowships, student scholarships and internships, and curriculum development support. UNM’s approach addresses the growing need for cross-disciplinary collaboration in media industries and was a key factor in its selection as an IPAX member.
The program also recently received a $750,000 endowment from Forest City Covington to establish the Mesa del Sol Endowed Professorship in Film and Digital Media.
Mead said that plans are underway to build a showcase facility near the Imageworks site to further develop UNM’s partnerships with visual effects industry leaders at Mesa del Sol.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Dean of Students Office offers the Family Connection Program as a concurrent orientation for parents and family members of incoming freshman attending LOBOrientation this summer. Parents receive information about UNM programs and services available to students. Topics discussed during the two-day session are financial aid and scholarships, faculty expectations, campus safety and career services.
Presentations also focus on issues important to students as they begin college and the evolving relationship between students and parents during these formative years.
While parents are in session, incoming students at LOBOrientation are utilizing university advisement as they register for fall classes and creating relationships with university departments and fellow students.
“Because we know that students remember information differently than parents we separated the programs so that each group receives valuable information in a way that best suits them,” said Aaron Salas, a professional intern with the Dean of Students Office who works directly with the parents.
Parents and students reunite at the Lobo Lunch the second day of the program. Both Family Connection and LOBOrientation still have openings this summer. Parents can make reservations with their student online at www.unm.edu/~nso.
For more information, call 277-3361 or e-mail: nso@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Has the way we cook here in New Mexico changed that much over the last 114 years? Scholars can actually examine that now. The Center for Southwest Research at University Libraries has acquired one of the first cookbooks ever used in this area, an 1893 first edition of “El Libro del Cocina” written by French chef Jules Geoffé.
Printed in 1893, it is considered to be equivalent to “The Joy of Cooking” to modern day American practices, and is the newest addition to the special collections at University Libraries. Director of the Center for Southwest Research Mike Kelly says, “This addition is extremely important to the University Library Special Collections, and will be preserved for our future generations.”
In his introduction, Geoffé says he wished to produce a cookbook that would be of practical use to both domestic cooks and those who had to prepare the most elaborate meals in the finest of homes. The cookbook is illustrated by José Guadalupe Posada, an important Mexican artist at the time. The book has extensive sections for handling game, eggs and vegetables. It also has a section for dessert items.
Geoffé’s recipe for Biscochos
Se cascan seis huevos, separando las claras de las yemas; éstas se ponen un perol y las yemas en una cazuela;
Se añade á las yemas media libra de azúcar y se remueve con la cuchara de madera durante cuatro minutos;
Se baten las claras fuerte mente, se mezclan con las yemas y se añaden cuatro onzas de harina;
Se hace un cucurucho con papel fuerte, pagándo lo perfectamente con engrudo, y se la corta por el pico unos dos centímetros;
Se aprieta con los dedos el cucurucho para ir poniedo sobre una hoja de papel partes de pasta de una anchura de dos centímetros y medio pro ocho centímetros de largo, destinadas á formar los bizcuchos;
Hay que tener cuidádo de dejar en el papel espocios de dos centímetros, para que los bizcochos no se toquen en el momento de cocerse;
Se espolvorcan con la caja de bañar, en la cual se habrá puesto azúcar en polvo cernida con el cedazo de cerda;
Se cuecen durante diez minutos con el horno suave;
Se ve si están ya cocidos y se retiran del horno:
Se dejan enfriar los bizcochos en el papel, se despegan duespués de éste y se calocan en el plato en forma de corona, apoyándose los unos en los otros.
Los bizcochos se perfuman con vainilla, con limón ó con flor de azahar.
Biscochos
Separate the whites of six eggs from the yolks; put the whites in a bowl and the yolks in a pan;
Add half a pound of sugar to the yolks and mix with a wooden spoon for four minutes;
Beat the egg whites well and combine with the yolks; add 4 oz. of flour;
Make a pastry cone out of thick paper, carefully pasting it together. Cut the tip to 2 cm. wide;
Grasp the cone and squeeze the dough onto a sheet of wax paper, forming 2 cm. by 8 cm. shapes that will become the biscochos;
Make sure to leave 2 cm. between the biscochos so that they don’t touch each other while cooking;
Dust the biscochos with powdered sugar using a bristle sieve (sifter).
Bake them in an oven on low heat for 10 minutes;
Check if they are done, and take them out of the oven;
Let them cool on the paper, loosen them after they have cooled and arrange them on a plate in a crown shape, supporting one on the other.
Biscochos can be flavored with vanilla, lemon, or orange blossoms.
CSWR is the special collections department for University Libraries, and the resource center for the comparative and interdisciplinary study of New Mexico and the Southwest at UNM. CSWR supports the teaching and research missions of the university as well as serving the citizens of New Mexico and scholars from throughout the world. CSWR is located in Zimmerman Library.
Will Consuegra, a third-year law student at the UNM School of Law, is one of a handful of young real-estate professionals throughout the United States accepted into the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties’ (NAIOP) Leadership Discovery Program for Emerging Professionals. The winners were picked from a group of 100 participants from across the country.
Photo: Will Consuegra
Consuegra will spend a weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo. in August attending leadership workshops. He will also attend a second weekend workshop in Washington, D.C. in February 2008.
Consuegra was accepted after submitting his application to the New Mexico chapter of NAIOP. His application was selected and forwarded to the organization’s national headquarters for consideration. The national organization, based in Herndon, Va., then selected the winners from applications submitted by chapters across the country.
“I am very excited to have earned admission into this valuable program,” Consuegra said. “I believe that the program will live up to its stated goal of ‘propelling young executives to a level that is far beyond their years of experience’ and I will be able to become a leader in the commercial real estate industry.”
In between the two workshops, Consuegra will continue to work on assignments to sharpen the skills he will develop in Colorado Springs. He will also take part in monthly videoconferences with his peers. These videoconferences, designed to augment the training Consuegra and other participants receive, will be led by the workshop’s director, Wayne L. Strom, Ph.D.
The program was designed to improve the interpersonal skills required to influence, communicate with, and lead other professionals. Participants also learn the importance of different communications techniques and personality dynamics in business relationships. Focusing on the importance of developing lasting business relationships, many of these activities will take place as part of learning groups. These groups will provide participants the chance to network with their peers from around the country.
“I am a firm believer in education and networking,” Consuegra added. “This program will both educate me in leadership as well as allow me to develop relationships with people who I will be working with the rest of my career.”
Many of the standard legal courses at the UNM School of Law, including classes in contracts and commercial transactions, have prepared Consuegra for this program and for a successful career in commercial real estate. In addition to these, he has also excelled in Real Estate Transactions, taught by Professor John Myers.
“The class exposed me to the in-and-outs of commercial real estate,” Consuegra said. “Professor Myers is renowned in the state for his years of expertise and wisdom in real estate law and he involved real estate professionals from the community, including brokers, title officers, and developers.”
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
Several Events Still Have Openings
Though most workshops are closed for the 2007 UNM Taos Summer Writers’ Conference, a nationally recognized intensive writing retreat held July 7-13, spots are still open for several events.
Photo: Author Jonis Agee will read from her novel, "The River Wife" on Saturday, July 7.
Space is still available for two weekend workshops and readings by Jonis Agee and Jill Bialosky. Agee will read from her new novel, “The River Wife” – named a “Hot Read” by USA Today and selected for the Book of the Month Club – at 5 p.m., Saturday, July 7. She will teach a workshop on the “First Five Pages,” 2-4 p.m.
Bialosky, editor at W.W. Norton & Company, poet and fiction author will read from her new novel, “The Life Room,” at 5 p.m., Sunday, July 8, and teach a workshop on “Revision,” 2-4 p.m. Registration for each workshop is $30.
The conference kicks off with a keynote address by Richard Rodriguez at 8 p.m., Sunday, July 8. Rodriguez is a noted contributing editor for Harper’s Magazine and appears as an essayist on PBS’s “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.” The talk is free and open to the public.
Other free and open events include:
Editors, agents and publishers will discuss the current climate for writers and books at a publishing panel on Monday, July 9, 5:30 p.m.
Conference faculty will give readings at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday, July 10-12, and at 1 p.m., Tuesday-Friday, July 10-13.
The ninth annual Taos Summer Writer’s Conference will host more than 200 students from across North America. Founded by Sharon Oard Warner, novelist and director of UNM’s creative writing program, the conference provides an inclusive community for writers.
“We welcome beginning as well as advanced writers,” Warner said. “Writers are part of a community that stretches back though time. The Taos conference offers an opportunity to come together and learn from one another, to honor our past and to re-imagine our future.”
All events are held at the Sagebrush Inn in Taos. For more information visit Taos Summer Writer's Conference, email taosconf@unm.edu or call (505) 277-5572.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Diego Martinez, Chessa Scullin and Denis Seletskiy, all students at the University of New Mexico, were selected by various agencies to represent the United States as outstanding research participants at the 57th Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students in Lindau, Germany.
Martinez was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as one of 10 outstanding research participants. Scullin was selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as one of 20 outstanding research participants, and Seletskiy was selected by Mars, Inc., as one of five outstanding research participants.
Both Martinez (2001) and Scullin (2004) are UNM graduates, while Seletskiy is a 2001 graduate of the University of Alaska with a current research concentration at UNM in optical science. Martinez’ research concentration is in genomics and evolution, while Scullin’s research concentration is in neuroscience.
The participants will joined 39 other students representing the United States and more than 500 other international students at the meeting held July 1-6. The other students representing the United States are sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), in addition to DOE, Mars, Inc. and the NSF.
The primary purpose of the meeting is to allow participants—mostly students—to benefit from informal interaction with the Nobel Prize winners. Additionally, the Laureates will lecture on the topic of their choice and participate in less formal small group discussions with the students.
Since 1951, Nobel Laureates in chemistry, physics and physiology/medicine have annually convened in Lindau to conduct open and informal meetings with students and young researchers from around the world. This year’s event, which traditionally rotates by discipline each year, will focus on physiology and medicine.
Photos and a summary of events are available on the meeting’s Web site located at: http://www.orau.org/lindau/.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The 2007 Fostering Indigenous Business and Entrepreneurship in the Americas Conference (FIBEA), scheduled for Nov. 7-9, will bring together indigenous business, policy-makers, and academics from North, Central, and South America. The conference is designed to promote and foster indigenous business alliances, trade, and investment, amongst indigenous business people.
The event will give participants a chance to network, share ideas and explore business opportunities. Participants will explore the diverse environment of indigenous business and entrepreneurship, covering a variety of topics, which affect and permeate indigenous business of all sizes and structures. Additionally, the conference will also discuss indigenous issues, trends and directions.
The conference will be held at the Acoma Sky City Resort and will include two days of business and academic workshops and an indigenous business expo. For more information visit: FIBEA Conference.
Media Contacts: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu or Erin Gardner, (505) 505-306-9575; e-mail: news@mgt.unm.edu
University of New Mexico interim Provost Viola Florez today joined Archbishop Michael Sheehan of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in announcing the establishment of an Endowed Chair for Roman Catholic Studies at UNM. The chair will be in Religious Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Photo: Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan and UNM President David J. Schmidly, engage in discussion after signing documents establishing the Endowed Chair for Roman Catholic Studies in the UNM College of Arts and Sciences.
This is the third endowed chair in Arts and Sciences. The others are in biology and English. Religious Studies at UNM was established in 1985 as an interdisciplinary program supporting the study of religion on the human condition, contemporary human societies, intellectual and social history, spirituality and ethics.
The archbishop presented UNM President David J. Schmidly with a check for $500,000, the first installment in a $2.5 million endowment. The Archdiocese will announce shortly its fundraising campaign to fully endow the chair.
“This is an exciting endowment for the university which is focused on teaching about particular religious communities, themes and traditions. We hope for other scholarships to support faculty teaching. We are very thankful for the endowment and look forward to implementing the work that comes with it,” Florez said.
Academic positions in Catholic Studies exist at other secular universities including the Universities of Kansas, Illinois, Toledo, as well as Pittsburgh, and Iowa State Universities.
UNM will conduct a national search for a qualified individual. “This is an academic appointment. All students will become better informed about Catholic intellectual tradition,” said Richard Wood, director, UNM Religious Studies.
Wood stressed that this position will focus on teaching about the Catholic tradition, historical contributions and thought. “Universities are about teaching, inviting conversation about what matters in the world, particularly in the social sciences and humanities,” he said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
A symposium, in conjunction with the current Albuquerque Museum exhibit “Billy the Kid and the Outlaw in America,” is scheduled Saturday, June 30, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Moderated by University of New Mexico History Professor Paul Hutton, the symposium gives Kid aficionados the chance to learn more than what is presented in the exhibit. Hutton is also guest curator of the exhibit. The symposium is free with museum admission. The museum is located at 2000 Mountain Road NW.
“More than 125 years after his death, New Mexico’s most famous outlaw, Billy the Kid, is the inspiration for more than a century’s worth of books, movies and songs, yet so much of his life is unknown. He was even the subject of a recent state investigation to authenticate his death,” Hutton said.
The symposium will examine the reasons why Billy holds people captive to this day.
Following introductions, Robert McCubbin presents a reader and collector’s perspective on the Kid – his name and fame including the famous tintype photo, butcher knife and early books about him.
At 11 a.m., ¿Quién es? Billy the Kid in fiction, will be presented by Western writer Johnny Boggs. He will address what attracts fiction writers to Billy’s story – and how they keep it fresh and relevant.
Following a noontime break, the program resumes at 1 p.m. with writer Michael Wallis addressing how Billy the Kid continues to make news.
At 1:50 p.m., Frederick Nolan, founder of the English Westerners Society, will present “Where Do We Go From Here,” an inquiry into the unanswered questions about the Kid’s birth, father, childhood and more.
The program concludes with a panel discussion from 2:30 to 3 p.m.
The exhibit will be open until July 22. For museum hours of operation and admission fees, visit Albuquerque Museum.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Engineers and scientists from 40 countries have been in Albuquerque this week to share their latest research related to pulsed power and plasma science. Their work is enabling stockpile stewardship without nuclear testing, and it also promises to bring a new, cleaner source of electricity by harnessing the power of nuclear fusion.
Edl Schamiloglu, professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering in the School of Engineering, is chairing the conference. He and his team put together an intensive weeklong schedule of research presentations, panel discussions and networking events that began Monday for the 1,100 participants, many of whom are visiting New Mexico for the first time.
Engineers from Sandia National Laboratories are discussing their progress toward launching a new pulsed-power accelerator, known as the Z-R machine, later this summer. Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are describing the NIF (National Ignition Facility) that is nearing completion and that will allow experimental study of high-energy-density science.
There is a plenary session about the United States' role in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor now under construction in France. Thermonuclear physics is a fundamental aspect of fusion energy, which many believe will provide a safe, clean alternative to the nuclear fission that currently fuels nuclear power generators.
Fusion is considered one of the “holy grails” of energy research and involves the fusing of atoms to generate enormous amounts of power, just as the sun does. The research examines the properties of matter under very high-density and high-pressure conditions. Engineers and scientists hope fusion will provide a source of energy without radioactive waste like that stored at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad.
In addition to the technical sessions, two evening forums were organized by Professor Schamiloglu. One featured professors Steven Cowley of UCLA and Mark Kushner of Iowa State University, both of whom played leading roles on the “National Academies Plasma 2010” report. Another forum addressed "High Power Microwaves: Where Do We Go From Here?” and was organized by doctors Jim Benford, President of Microwave Sciences, Inc., and John Swegle of Sandia National Labs.
UNM's Electrical & Computer Engineering Department has an active research and academic program in pulsed power and plasma science, and UNM has ongoing collaborations in this area with Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
The 2007 International Pulsed Power and Plasma Science Conference is sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and is being held at the Albuquerque Convention Center. This is the first time it has been held in New Mexico.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
David Henkel, director of the planning program in the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning, recently completed a three-week studio in the communities of Columbus, N.M. and Palomas, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Henkel and his six graduate students from UNM Community and Regional Planning, spent time in the field working to understand the strengths and weaknesses of both communities as well as the complex interaction of their economies.
“Governmental agencies on both sides frequently wrap up the economic problems as ‘border’ issues,” Henkel said.
The students, all of whom are Spanish proficient, spent two-weeks analyzing the business structure of both towns and ultimately produced business maps of both communities. “Although they are socially connected, Columbus and Palomas are economically more distant,” Henkel said.
Henkel said that many Deming residents trek down to Palomas but generally don’t venture down any further than the Pink Store, a higher end restaurant, bar and emporium of Mexican crafts. Many of them also purchase pharmaceuticals, visit the eye doctor or a mechanic, but don’t stop in Columbus or venture further into Palomas or south beyond, he said.
“The question for Columbus is how to address this market, but there are broader possibilities for super-regional tourism,” he said.
Cultural tourism – a tourism corridor from Paquimé in Casas Grandes in the state of Chihuahua to the Gila Cliff Dwellings near Silver City – present economic opportunities, he said. The pre-Colombian style pottery revitalized in Mata Ortiz by Juan Quezada is one example of the way a community can build economic vitality through its cultural resources, he said.
Ghost Towns, rock hounding and more exist in the state of Chihuahua. “Columbus can be a jumping off place to these sites,” he said.
After studying the two communities and the broader region, Henkel’s students presented their work in community forums in both towns. “The first was a strategy session aimed at bringing interested citizens of Palomas in for a roundtable discussion on economic development,” he said.
Residents started the discussion focused on what government could or should be doing, but then began to look at what they could do. “We did asset mapping and looked at the capital they possess: human, social, physical, environmental and financial,” Henkel said.
The second session was an open house at the Columbus Community Center where the students shared photos, the business map and an evaluation of community assets.
“The project was successful because of the forthcoming and generous participation of citizens on both sides of the border,” Henkel said.
For more information on the project, visit the blog: Columbus Palomas blogspot.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Also ranked first in New Mexico
University of New Mexico-Gallup was again ranked third nationally and first in New Mexico among community colleges for awarding associate degrees to Native Americans.
The figures were announced for the college year 2005-06 in the June 18 issue of Community College Week. UNM-Gallup awarded 112 associate degrees to 28 men and 84 women. The college awarded 106 associate degrees the previous year.
Diné College in Arizona was first in the nation with 226 associate degrees, followed by Tulsa Community College with 129.
“We’re very pleased at this ranking,” said Beth Miller, executive director, UNM-Gallup. “Native American students comprise close to 80 percent of our enrollment, and it is gratifying to learn that we are serving them in a way that translates into the highest number of degrees awarded among community colleges in the state.”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Two professional societies, the Optical Society of America (OSA) and SPIE, have renamed their jointly sponsored congressional fellowship program the Arthur H. Guenther Congressional Fellowship Program to honor a former University of New Mexico professor who died earlier this year.
Photo: Art Guenther
Guenther was a research professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Center for High Technology Materials and held a joint appointment in Physics and Astronomy. Prior to his work at UNM Guenther was with the United States Air Force for 31 years. He also held positions at both Los Alamos and Sandia National Labs and served as a science advisor to the governor of New Mexico.
The OSA/SPIE Congressional Fellowships are designed to provide a unique public policy learning experience, demonstrate the value of science-government interaction and bring technical backgrounds and external perspectives to the decision making process in Congress. Fellows spend one year working as special legislative assistants on the staffs of members of Congress or congressional committees.
“Just as Art did, Congressional Fellows choose a unique path in their careers – one that combines an uncommon blend of scientific expertise and awareness of the public good,” said SPIE President Brian Culshaw. “This is clearly the path less traveled, one that requires enthusiasm, talent and courage to be successful. Art is a role model for the men and women who follow that path of scientific excellence and public service.”
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Zero to Three, the National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families, has selected Lois Vermilya from the University of New Mexico as one of 23 participants in the 2007-08 class of prestigious Leaders for the 21st Century Fellowship program. Vermilya is the director of the Family Development Program, a statewide outreach project based in UNM’s College of Education that provides community-based professional development to teachers, parents and programs that serve New Mexico’s youngest children.
Photo: Lois Vermilya, director, Family Development Program
Vermilya sits on the Early Childhood Action Network (ECAN), a multi-disciplinary forum appointed by New Mexico’s Lt. Governor Diane Denish to advise the New Mexico Children’s Cabinet and the state legislature. During her two-year Fellowship, Vermilya plans to demonstrate how ECAN’s priorities can be integrated into the ongoing outreach activities and services of the Family Development Program.
“The Zero to Three Policy Center advises policy makers in the federal government as they develop programs that affect children,” said Matthew Melmed, executive director, Zero to Three. At the state level, Vermilya is proving that citizen involvement in policy-making results in programs and policies that can really make a positive difference for communities and individual children. We are delighted to have her in the Fellowship program.”
Vermilya has a master’s degree in symbolic anthropology from UNM. She has been a non-profit executive for over 25 years, leading and consulting with family-centered programs of education and community development both in the United States and Latin America.
Vermilya’s participation in the Fellowship program is partially supported by The Atlas Family Foundation of Los Angeles, Calif. The Atlas Family Foundation’s grantmaking is based on the belief that the formative years from prenatal to preschool age are the most important.
Through the Leaders for the 21st Century Fellowship program, Zero to Three connects, enriches and inspires the multidisciplinary community of professionals dedicated to advancing the healthy development of very young children. The Fellowship program began in 1981.
For more information about the organization and the Fellowship program, please visit: Zero to Three Leaders.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Biology Emeritus Professor and Museum of Southwestern Biology Director Donald W. Duszynski was honored with the American Society of Parasitologist’s Clark P. Read Mentor Award for 2008. The award is given to “honor an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the training of young scientists who have successfully pursued the independent study of parasites or aspects of the host-parasite relationship.”
Photo: Biology Emeritus Professor and Museum of Southwestern Biology Director Donald W. Duszynski
Duszynski, who studies animal parasites, will be presented with the award at the 2008 American Society of Parasitologist’s annual meeting in Arlington, Texas.
Since 1972, Duszynski has mentored a total of 25 graduate students and more than 20 undergraduate students, and he has maintained a strong relationship with them over the years. Most continue to work in the field of biology — particularly parasitology — as academics and researchers, while some have gone into veterinary, pharmaceutical or medical fields.
In addition, several of Duszynski’s former students have acted as mentors themselves for more than 15 undergraduate and graduate students in the field, further satisfying the conditions of the Clark P. Read Mentor award.
The American Society of Parasitologists (ASP) is a diverse group of more than 1,500 scientists from industry, government and academia who are interested in the study and teaching of Parasitology. Founded in 1924, ASP members have contributed not only to the development of parasitology as a discipline, but also to primary research in systematics, medicine, molecular biology, immunology, physiology, ecology, biochemistry and behavior, among others.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The UNM School of Law’s Southwest Indian Law Clinic, in conjunction with the Washburn University School of Law’s Tribal Law Practice Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, will offer the “Indian Law Clinics and Externship Programs: Pedagogy, Methodology, and Curriculum Design” symposium on June 22 and 23 in Albuquerque, N.M.
UNM law professor Christine Zuni Cruz and Aliza Organick, a visiting legal professor from Washburn University who is teaching at the Southwest Indian Law Clinic this summer and a UNM School of Law graduate, have developed the symposium. Their objective is to provide a forum for Indian Law clinic programs to share information with the directors of legal clinics and externships. These directors can then develop new, or strengthen existing, programs that focus on representing Native American clients or tribes in a variety of legal settings.
The symposium will begin on Friday at 1 p.m. with a roundtable discussion on “Lawyering for Indigenous Peoples” sponsored by the Tribal Law Journal, the UNM School of Law’s unique electronic legal journal focusing on the laws of Indigenous People. This roundtable will be held at the MCM Elegante Hotel, 2020 Menaul NE. Saturday morning the seminar will move to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street NW, for a full day of legal discussion and debate.
The topics of the symposium will range from emerging Native American legal issues to working with tribal courts and how to develop a lesson plan emphasizing Native American issues. The symposium will attract representatives from fledgling, as well as long established, Indian law programs. Legal scholars interested in drawing upon the Southwest Indian Law Clinic and Tribal Law Practice Clinic’s leadership in this field in order to create their own programs will also attend. Colleges represented include Arizona State, UCLA, and the University of Montana among others.
“We would like to see new Indian law clinics successfully establish themselves, and help existing clinics thrive,” Dr. Zuni Cruz said. “We want to establish a network of Indian law clinicians and are planning on hosting this conference annually.”
In addition to legal professors and students, members of the public who are interested in Native American legal issues are invited to attend the seminar and workshop.
“The program is open to the public,” said Mitzi Vigil, UNM Indian Law Program Coordinator. “If someone has an interest in this, they would be welcome to contact us to register.”
The symposium fee is $25 for students and $125 for faculty, staff and members of the public. People interested in attending can contact Mitzi Vigil with the UNM Indian Law Program at (505) 277-0405 and registration forms are available on the UNM School of Law Web site at: http://lawschool.unm.edu/announcements/clinic-symposium/index.php.
The University of New Mexico Institute for American Indian Education offers New Mexico Native American teachers and pre-service teachers free preparation workshops for the New Mexico Teacher Assessment. IAIE, in the UNM College of Education, will offer the next workshop on Saturday, June 30, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Student Union Building Luminaria room.
The workshop will be conducted by Native American UNM professors. In addition to free registration, a $50 stipend is available to cover travel expenses for Native American participants.
The New Mexico Teacher Assessment is a mandatory test to fulfill part of the state’s teacher licensure requirements. The workshop is made possible by a grant from the New Mexico Public Education Department.
For more information and the registration form, visit http://www.unm.edu/~iaie, call (505) 277-7781 or e-mail: ptate@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Interim Provost Viola Florez has announced the appointment of Cedric Page as the new executive director at UNM-Los Alamos effective July 1. Page succeeds Carlos Ramirez, who will remain in an advisory role through July 2007. “We are pleased that Dr. Page has accepted the position at UNM-LA and are excited about the possibilities for this growing campus under his leadership,” Florez said.
Photo: Cedric Page, new executive director, UNM-Los Alamos
Page joined the UNM-LA staff in January 2007 as dean of instruction. He said he was attracted to UNM-LA because of the dedication and efforts of the UNM-LA staff and faculty to serve the diverse education and training needs of students from the communities of northern New Mexico.
Prior to coming to UNM-LA, Page served as dean of faculty and senior vice-president for academic affairs at DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Wash.
“The position of executive director at UNM-LA is the right job, at the right time, and in the right place because of the opportunities for traditional and non-traditional students to experience high quality education programs and to work with a highly qualified faculty with a focus on excellence and student success. Helping to create, manage and deliver these educational and training experiences for our students is very exciting,” Page said.
Page said UNM-LA must continue to serve the diverse population of prospective students with quality academic and transfer and technical degrees and certificates. With a focus on students, Page said, UNM-LA will be effective in meeting community needs. Page will continue to promote the role of volunteerism and the value of service learning and civic engagement for undergraduates at UNM-LA.
Prior to DigiPen, Page served as executive director at the Center for Social Responsibility and Community at SUNY College in Oneonta, NY. He served as associate director for minority affairs and academic programs at the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board in Olympia, Wash., and as executive director of the Community Technical Skills Center in Denver, Colo.
Page’s teaching experience includes faculty positions at DigiPen, SUNY College at Oneonta, the University of Colorado, and the US Air Force Academy. Page earned his doctorate in Urban and Social Geography from Rutgers University. He currently holds the tenured position of professor of geography at UNM-LA.
While acclimating to his new role, Page said he will be assessing education and training needs. “It is important to me to be a good listener and to spend as much time as possible listening to and collaborating with students, faculty, staff and the many stakeholders from the communities of northern New Mexico,” he said.
Richard Rodriguez, a contributing editor at New American Media in San Francisco, will present “The Browning of America: Race, Religion and Ethnicity in an Erotic Age” at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 7, at Rodey Theater in the Center for the Arts at the University of New Mexico as part of the Sunset Lecture Series sponsored by University Libraries.
Rodriguez writes regularly for newspapers in both the United States and England, and he has written an autobiographical trilogy on class, ethnicity and race that includes “Hunger of Memory” (1982), “Days of Obligation: An Argument with my Mexican Father,” (1992) and “Brown: The Last Discovery of America” (2002). Currently he is working on a book concerned with the ecology of the desert and monotheism.
The event is free and the public is welcome.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
University of New Mexico students, faculty, and staff that live in the greater Albuquerque area now can share their daily commute with their neighbors. If reducing your commuting costs while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions interests you, UNM Parking and Transportation Service has a meeting you should attend. Learn about vanpooling at informational meetings this Wednesday and Thursday, June 20-21, at 2 p.m. at the SUB.
Vanpooling is a park-and-ride system where people park their cars at designated locations and take a van to campus. In addition to saving money on gas, riders reduce the wear and tear of daily commuting on their cars and get to know their neighbors.
Groups of 7 - 9 people with similar travel schedules are organized into a vanpool. Parking and Transportation Services has partnered with VPSI, Inc. who will assist customers with coordination of a vanpool in their area. Once that is done, a van will be provided to them by VPSI, Inc. If there are more than 9 people in a group, a larger van can be provided by the company.
Parking and Transportation Services is available to help students, faculty, and staff design a transportation plan that will meet their scheduling needs. “We’re here to advise people about available alternative transportation options and help commuters design a plan that fits their lifestyle, schedule, and budget.” said Parking and Transportation Director Clovis Acosta.
These meetings will address vanpools for those UNM people who live in the following areas: Sandia Park/Edgewood, Rio Rancho/Northwest Albuquerque, and Belen/Los Lunas. If you cannot attend a meeting but would like additional information, please contact UNM Parking and Transportation Services at 277-0461.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
Accounting, Organizations and Society, through ScienceDirect, has recognized UNM Anderson School of Management Professor Joni Young for her research naming one of her publications among the Top 25 Hottest Articles downloaded from January through March 2007. Young’s article, “Making Up Users,” appeared in Accounting, Organizations and Society volume 31, Issue 6.
Accounting, Organizations & Society is a major international journal concerned with all aspects of the relationship between accounting and human behavior, organizational structures and processes, and the changing social and political environment of the enterprise.
Its unique focus covers such topics including the social role of accounting, social accounting, social audit and accounting for scarce resources; the provision of accounting information to employees and trade unions and the development of participative information systems; processes influencing accounting innovations, the social and political aspects of accounting standard setting and many other related subjects.
Media Contacts: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu or Erin Gardner, (505) 505-306-9575; e-mail: news@mgt.unm.edu
The first of three summertime concerts will help wrap up Staff Appreciation Week on Friday, June 22 at the University Honors Plaza with Sabor taking the stage at noon. Sabor features a variety of music including country, Spanish, old school and rock. The University Honors Plaza is located southeast of the SUB and south of the Student Health Center. As part of Staff Appreciation week, free ice cream will be provided.
The concerts, which were recently renamed the Greg Johnston Summer Concerts, in honor and recognition for Johnston’s work as founder of the concerts on behalf of the Work+Life committee. The concerts provide staff with a new and unique way to enjoy their lunch hour once each month during the summer.
Johnston, who worked in the University Communication and Marketing Department as a Sr. Communications Specialist, passed away earlier this year after a brief battle with cancer. The concerts are sponsored by the Office of Institutional Advancement and are supported by the UNM Staff Council and its Work+Life Committee.
Other concerts that are part of this summer’s series are slated for Friday, July 20 with Marty & Triple Shot featuring Geneva and also Friday, Aug. 17 with Jasper. Each concert begins at noon at the University Honors Plaza.
For a complete Staff Appreciation event schedule visit: Staff Appreciation Week 2007
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Staff play an integral role in the university’s mission to advance education, research and public service. The fourth annual UNM Staff Appreciation Week, June 16-22, is a week-long celebration of the contributions of staff. Staff Appreciation Week is sponsored by the UNM Staff Council. All events except the Staff Picnic are free. Some events require Lobo ID.
“It’s recognizing that we all work really hard through the year,” said Annette Torres, co-chair of the Staff Council rewards and recognition committee, which organizes the events.
Karin Retskin, Staff Council administrative coordinator, said that Staff Appreciation Week was conceived four years ago as an extension of the Staff Picnic. “I thought, what if we could have a week celebrating staff, and the picnic could be the crown jewel?”
“We had hoped that managers and supervisors would see this as an opportunity to reward staff,” Retskin said. “It’s a gift to them to celebrate staff.”
Event Schedule
Saturday, June 16
Staff Appreciation Week kicks off with the annual Staff Picnic, including an Isotopes baseball game, fireworks, food and souvenirs at Isotopes Park, 7 p.m. UNM President David Schmidly will throw the first pitch. Staff can purchase up to six tickets for $3 per person at ticket offices at the Pit and UNM Bookstore, Basic Medical Sciences building Cashiers office and branch campuses.
Monday, June 18
UNM administrators will serve a pancake breakfast sponsored by Human Resources in Student Union Building ballrooms B and C, 7:30- 9:30 a.m.
The Staff as Artists exhibit opens at John Sommers Gallery, 4:30-6 p.m.
Wednesday, June 20
The Book Exchange will be held in the SUB Santa Ana room and Health Sciences and Services building rooms 168 and 169, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Staff who donate books, CDs, DVDs or videos get early bird access, 9-10 a.m. For drop off sites e-mail scouncil@unm.edu.
Thursday, June 21
The Employee Health Promotion Program will help staff develop healthy habits with a pedometer demonstration and giveaway, UNM on the Move walk and fruit cups near the “Modern Art” sculpture on the Cornell Mall, 11:30 a.m.
Friday, June 22
Staff can get their groove on at the Greg Johnston Summer Concert in the Honors Plaza near the Student Health Center and Health Sciences Center Music on the Plaza. Both concerts begin at noon and include free ice cream.
For a complete event schedule visit: Staff Appreciation Week 2007
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: smichal@unm.edu
University of New Mexico faculty and staff know the usual restaurants to visit when they are looking for a place to have lunch or an early dinner. But for a relaxing dining experience that’s out of the ordinary, they can stay on campus.
For the first time since reopening in 2005, the UNM Faculty/Staff Club, located at 1923 Las Lomas NE, across the street from the Anderson School of Management, is remaining open over the summer semester. The club’s summer hours are 7:30 am – 7 pm Monday through Friday.
The club offers members, who consist of current and retired UNM faculty and staff, a place on campus to meet for lunch or dinner, get to know each other over a beverage, collaborate on projects and listen to live music against the backdrop of the Sandias and the new Barbara and Bill Richardson Pavilion at University Hospital.
Members of the club can also relax in the living room and enjoy the club’s many newspapers or magazines before dinner. Most importantly, they can network with their peers from other departments -- discussing projects, music, or the latest Lobo game.
If lunch is on the schedule, there is currently a pasta buffet available on Wednesdays and a turkey buffet to rival Thanksgiving offered on Thursdays. The buffet is open from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm and costs $6.50 per person.
“We invite everyone to come in and try our fabulous buffets available throughout the summer,” said Daniel Gutierrez, Faculty/Staff Club Operator.
The club also provides two private conference rooms for meetings, dinners, or receptions, and wireless Internet access if members need to check their email or conduct business online. And for musically inclined members, a music room with a piano is also available. The club also offers beer and wine from 4:30-7 pm nightly.
Speaking of music, live music will float through the air on Friday afternoons during the summer, thanks to the Friday Musical Events series at the club. On Friday nights, from 5-7 pm, bands will provide a variety of live music for members to enjoy, from bluegrass to acoustic, and African to Americana. Happy hour prices on beer and wine ($2 for beer, $2.50 for a glass of wine) are available during the series.
Membership in the club is available to all current and retired UNM faculty and staff members and costs $5 a month for nine months per year. People interested in joining the faculty club can stop by the club, visit the club’s Web site at http://www.unm.edu/~fsca/index.html, or email the club’s President, Dr. Timothy Ross at ross@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816, Email: bhendrix@unm.edu
UNM interim Provost Viola Florez announced recently that Dr. Catherine M (Kate) O'Neill has been named Executive Director of UNM-Taos. O’Neill has been at UNM-Taos since 1994 when she began teaching as an adjunct faculty member. She became a full-time faculty member in 2003 and she has served as a department chair, academy head for Liberal Arts and, for the past year, as interim Executive Director at UNM-Taos. O’Neill's appointment is effective July 1.
“We are happy to have someone of Dr. O’Neill’s caliber and experience to head up the Taos branch campus,” said Florez. “ She has accomplished a lot in the past year and we expect great things from Taos. President Schmidly joins me in congratulating Dr. O’Neill and the whole Taos community.”
O’Neill earned her masters and doctoral degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Human Development and Psychology. In June 2006 she received tenure as an associate professor of Psychology at UNM-Taos.
“I look forward to continuing to build our campus and our educational community. We have a great team of faculty, staff and students, and together we will bring beneficial programs to Taos,” said O’Neill. “I’m excited about the challenges and opportunities involved in the growth and development of the Taos campus, such as making the campus environmentally sustainable. We will continue to work together with the advisory board, the town, county, the public schools, and our many community partners, to make UNM-Taos the best it can be.”
“This is an exciting time to step into a role like this,” added O’Neill. “With a new University President, David Schmidly, and Vi Florez as interim provost, we will take bold steps toward making the changes and initiatives we need to make the Taos branch a vital and growing community college. I appreciate the enormous community support and pledge to give the development of this college my all.”
Details of O’Neill’s contract are still being worked out.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey (505) 277-1989 smckinsey@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Board of Regents has approved an agreement to hand over operations of the LodeStar Astronomy Center to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, effective July 1. The agreement includes a world-class planetarium, interactive astronomy exhibits, observatory and a motion simulation theatre. Also as part of the agreement, UNM will have free use of the center for research and educational programs for five years, with an option to renew for another five years.
“From our perspective, it’s a beneficial agreement for the University,” said Steve Beffort, Associate Vice President for Business Development and Auxiliary Exterprise. “We’ll be able to continue to use the center for research and educational purposes. It really is a win-win agreement for both the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and for UNM.”
The move is expected to save the UNM several hundred thousand dollars a year, according to David Harris, Executive Vice President for Administration.
Located inside the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, the LodeStar Astronomy Center opened its doors in December 1999 after being built with a state appropriation and a grant from the U.S. Air Force.
Six UNM employees staff the center. The museum may retain the technical director. Two other employees will take other positions at the university and the remaining three employees will be placed on “priority hire” status at UNM.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey (505) 277-1989 mckinsey@unm.edu
The Daniels Fund College Readiness Program at UNM has been awarded a $34,785 grant to expand its intensive summer residential preparatory program into a year-round college prep program for 50 high school seniors. The award continues the successful three-year partnership between the Daniels Fund and UNM’s College Prep Programs within College Enrichment & Outreach Programs (CEOP) in the Division of Student Affairs.
Partnership
The CEOP has been partnering with the Daniels Fund Scholarships since 2004 and currently operates a Daniels Fund summer college prep program and scholarship program. The $34,785 grant will enable the program to provide high school students with the necessary tools to access and enter a post-secondary institution and compete for scholarships.
The new version of the College Readiness Program will be an intensive one-year program that will promote high school graduation and college enrollment for 50 high school seniors.
Summer Program
The current summer version of the College Readiness Program begins with a parent/student orientation during the spring semester of a student’s junior year in high school. It extends into the summer for a six-day residential program, and concludes with a series of seminars during the student’s senior year of high school.
The seminars are designed to help promising young adults with demonstrated financial need to prepare for college, explore college possibilities, and understand the college application process. Orientation, the summer residential program, and seminars are held on the UNM main campus.
For more information, please contact Mandie Pritchard, Director of Pre-College Programs, at pritchm@unm.edu, or call her at (505) 277-3096.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915, lmellas@unm.edu
More than 400 broken jaws a year walk and roll through the doors of the University of New Mexico Hospital every year. Most are males, 16 to 40 years old, most are uninsured, and most are facing major surgery with plates and screws to pull the pieces back together. This assembly line of misery bothered Dr. Jon Wagner, a plastic surgeon at the trauma center.
Photo: Jon Wagner
His concern is the brute force it takes to make repairs using current methods. He must make incisions though the face to insert the titanium plates, bending them with heavy tools to fit the curve of the jaw and drilling holes in the bone to insert screws that hold the plate in place.
It is very invasive surgery and has a complication rate of up to 30 percent as the stresses of biting and chewing pull the screws loose, or dislodge the plates or create infections.
Wagner's instincts told him there had to be a better way, but tinkering in the evening in his medical lab wasn’t solving the problem. So he began talking with engineers.
Engineering Implants
Two Mechanical Engineering professors from UNM’s School of Engineering John Wood and Tariq Khraishi looked at the problem and told him it could be analyzed with standard engineering software using finite-element modeling, a computer design software the National Science Foundation has supported for years.
Wagner said that sounded like Greek to him, but he believed them when they told him they could tackle the problem with lots of information about jaws, and a very enthusiastic graduate student.
Khraishi had a master’s degree student looking for an interesting problem and Scott Lovald plunged into the complexities of getting information about the stresses and strains of the human jaw from the software program.
It took three years, but Lovald, who had begun to modify the software along the way began coming up with answers. The plates didn’t have to be as heavy as the ones manufacturers recommended to bridge most fractures.
And they could be reshaped and modified to be lighter and more specialized for different kinds of fractures and patients.
Wagner now had scientific information to back up his instinct; and began using the smaller lighter plates normally used for bone fractures in the upper jaw on the bottom jaw, inserting them from inside the mouth.
That eliminated the facial scars, and the complication rate plunged. It worked so well that he has submitted a paper to the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, a scientific journal read by other surgeons.
Working with Industry
Wagner gets most of the hardware he implants in patients from one company in Germany, Stryker-Leibinger.
The company has been keeping an eye on Wager’s work and has been intrigued enough with the initial results to fund a yearly $30,000 fellowship in the UNM School of Engineering’s Mechanical Engineering Department for the next five years.
It’s the largest corporate investment in the department’s history.
Khraishi Expands His Interest
A mechanical engineering professor with even a modest amount of corporate investment can make great progress on problems, and Khraishi now has his first Stryker-Leibinger Biomechanics Fellow, Victor Caraveo, analyzing fractures under differing bite forces.
Another graduate student Julie Kimsal is working on a jaw fracture located in a different part of the jaw.
Khraishi is now intrigued with the idea of helping UNM surgeons solve real-life problems and he is now working with surgeons in the Neurosurgery and Orthopedic Departments to solve other problems of concern to them.
Lovald now has his master’s degree in manufacturing engineering and another degree as a Master of Business Administration.
He and another MBA student, Ryan Smith are trying to build Satyrne Biotechnologies, a start-up company based on Lovald’s software and plate redesigns.
Lovald and Smiths team pitch for the start-up company has landed them awards at several business technology competitions.
They have just received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use one of their plates in surgical settings. With that approval, they hope to find a way to manufacture the redesigned plates so that surgeons like Wagner can actually begin using them.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627; email kwent2@unm.edu
UNM Art Museum is featuring a pre-inventory sale with 25 percent off all regularly priced* merchandise (*some items already have greater discounts*). The sale ends June 28. Don’t forget Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17 – lots of new ties are available – all 100 percent silk.
Summer hours are Tuesday-Friday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday: noon –4 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Regular hours resume Aug. 21.
UNM Gallup’s Film Boot Camp is holding a premiere Friday, June 15, at 7 p.m. in the UNM Gallup’s Calvin Hall Auditorium. The premiere will feature films written, directed and produced by boot camp students. For the past two weeks students have been learning all aspects of filmmaking at the camp.
The films will be one-minute individual films and films produced by different groups of students who come from area high schools.
A grant from the New Mexico Higher Education Department made the camp possible.
The premiere is free and open to the public.
Media Contact: Linda Thorton (505) 863-7565; email lthornton@unm.edu
Who knows what art lurks in the hearts of our staff? University of New Mexico staff are invited to show another side to their persona at the annual “UNM Staff as Artists” show, sponsored by Staff Council as part of Staff Appreciation Week. An opening reception will be held Monday, June 18, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the John Sommers Gallery on the second floor of the Art & Art History building, room 202.
The reception features music by the Wolfie Quartet. Two awards will be presented: a people’s choice award selected by reception attendees and a judge’s award selected by Chip Ware, Jonson Gallery curator.
The show can also be viewed 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday, June 18-21. Past shows have included quilts, photography, pottery and art of every media.
Barbara van Buskirk is a past contributor submitting new work this year. “I think it’s fascinating that people are defined by the job they do, and [the exhibit] shows that people are multifaceted and talented beyond the job they do,” she said. “It’s a quality exhibit. It’s a little jewel.”
A professional artist since 2000, van Buskirk became the part-time program coordinator for the Taos Summer Writers’ Conference, Department of English, in November after working at UNM full time for more than 12 years.
Before starting her current position, she had everything she needed for her art except time. “In order for my art to go to another level, something had to change,” she said. “When I saw this job for the Taos conference, it was like a dream come true.”
Sharon Oard Warner, director of creative writing and conference founder, said, “Right away, I recognized that she is a kindred spirit, someone who would be simpatico with participants and faculty members alike. And she has been all that and much more.”
Now, van Buskirk works at UNM every morning and in her studio at the Harwood Art Center every afternoon. “My art is going to a new place,” she said. “I’m very excited about a project I’ve just finished after two months of uninterrupted work in my studio.” The Fisher Gallery will exhibit van Buskirk’s project in a group show opening Aug. 4.
“Staff as Artists” is open to all UNM staff and all artistic media. To submit, RSVP to scouncil@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593, E-Mail: michal@unm.edu
The UNM Women’s Resource Center has taken the first steps towards a better understanding of women’s experience at the university.
“It was a passion of mine to do a survey of what women are thinking on campus,” said Sandrea Gonzales, WRC director. Summer Little, WRC program services coordinator, joined her in that passion, and in 2005-06 they launched a university-wide climate survey which drew 1052 responses from staff, faculty and students, with representation from all UNM campuses.
“To our knowledge, nothing like this has been done [at UNM],” Little said.
She said that these types of surveys are often misunderstood as necessarily criticizing the university. The intention, she said, is positive – to assess what UNM is doing well and identify areas for further improvement.
The project soon took on mammoth proportions, but despite its small staff, the WRC rose to the challenge. “We did not cut back one of our services and programs throughout the entire process,” Little said.
Little said the most surprising data was that 829 respondents reported experiencing or knowing someone who has experienced nonsexual harassment and bullying at UNM. “We had no idea how pervasive it is,” she said. The WRC is setting up a panel and support group to address the issue in the fall.
The data for sexual harassment – 837 reports – was less of a surprise. Gonzales said that women often come to the WRC to report sexual harassment out of fear that officially reporting it might lead to retaliation. The survey results indicate that retaliation is one of the top reasons that people do not report incidents of sexual harassment.
Eleven percent of respondents were male, which Little said helped to develop the full picture. Responses to questions on safety showed striking differences: 25 percent of women feel safe walking around campus after dark and 37 percent have considered avoiding evening classes or work-related events due to fear for their safety, compared with 73 and 12 percent of men.
Little said one nice thing is that the majority of respondents expressed general satisfaction with UNM, and 80 percent said they would choose UNM again.
Other survey categories included work+life, health, accessibility, discrimination, stalking, domestic violence, sexual assault and services for women.
Based on the results, the WRC recommends establishing a permanent commission on the status of women – a proposal backed by 59 percent of survey responses – and conducting a full study on the status of women at UNM using an outside entity.
Other recommendations include re-establishing the campus crime victim advocate and staff advocate positions, an institution-wide review of orientation programs, a campus safety review, and increasing communication and education.
Visit http://www.unm.edu/~women or contact 277-3716 or women@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593, E-Mail: michal@unm.edu
Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993) is not only among the most famous painters to graduate from UNM’s College of Fine Arts, but one of the most prominent American artists of the 20th century. Though he is well known for his abstract expressionist paintings, few are aware of the impact his time in New Mexico had on his work.
That may soon change.
The UNM Harwood Museum of Art in Taos recently opened “Diebenkorn in New Mexico,” an exhibit bringing together more than 50 of his paintings and works on paper that haven’t been shown together since 1951.
Charles Strong, co-curator of the exhibit and a former student of Diebenkorn, said that four years ago he had the idea that the paintings Diebenkorn made in New Mexico should be shown again in New Mexico. “I was surprised that there had never been an exhibition that focused just on the Albuquerque series,” he said.
Diebenkorn joined UNM’s graduate art program on the GI Bill in 1950 after resigning a faculty position at the California School of Fine Arts. Martin Facey, who worked with Diebenkorn for nearly 20 years, first as a student and later as a studio assistant, said, “He wanted to go somewhere where he could make his work fresh, unencumbered.”
The landscape was a significant part of New Mexico’s appeal. “I shared with him a fondness for the light in New Mexico,” Facey said. “The air is sharp, the colors are unusually brilliant, and of course the tri-part culture was an influence on him as it is on most New Mexico artists, including myself.”
Though the change of scene was what attracted Diebenkorn, it was also a source of trepidation. “He was worried about leaving the coast and whether he could live away from the ocean,” Strong said. “But then he discovered that the sky was the ocean. So he produced this very intensive, exciting body of work in the two years that he was here.”
“Diebenkorn in New Mexico” will be shown at the UNM Harwood Museum of Art in Taos through Sept. 9 and then travel to San Jose and New York City. An all-day symposium will be held Aug. 24, featuring nationally prominent Diebenkorn scholars and authors.
For more information visit http://www.harwoodmuseum.org.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593, E-Mail: michal@unm.edu
Reprinted in part from Mirage Magazine.
Assistant Vice President for Research and Economic Development and Professor of Civil Engineering Tim J. Ward, P.E. will receive the Outstanding Service Award from the New Mexico Society of Professional Engineers on Friday, June 29th at the Marriott Pyramid. Ward, who serves as the NMSPE Vice President for Education, will be presented with the honor for outstanding service to the State Society, the community and the engineering profession.
“I am honored to receive the service award, Engineering is about serving society at all levels, a concept to which I firmly subscribe,” said Ward. “I sincerely thank my peers for this recognition.”
Also receiving Special Service Awards for serving the state society through extraordinary donations of time, talent and funds over an extended period of time are Professor of Civil Engineering James D. Brogan, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering James R. Matthews, Assistant Professor of Civil, and of Electrical and Computer Engineering Mahmoud R. Taha, Regents Professor of Civil Engineering Bruce M. Thomson, and Professor of Civil Engineering John C. Stormont, all of whom are licensed professional engineers.
The awards banquet is part of the 2007 Annual Conference of the society which also offers a series of training events on topics ranging from space and aviation to LED lighting, traffic, mapping and agriculture.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627, E-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Arts of the Americas Institute (AAI), a research institute in the College of Fine Arts, will host an intensive film and media boot camp designed to train Hispanic and Native American New Mexico high school students in the basic elements of digital filmmaking. The boot camp will be held June 10-17 on UNM’s main campus in Albuquerque.
At the conclusion of the boot camp, each of the four schools will receive a comThe week-long camp will host students from Albuquerque High School, Española High School, Laguna Acoma High School and Albuquerque’s South Valley Academy. Four students from each school will reside at UNM for the week, accompanied by their high school teachers, and attend daily classes and evening workshops that cover topics of filmmaking from pre-production through the post-production and editing process.
The camp will also focus on college preparation, especially for careers in digital media technology. Each team of students will complete a class project, the production of a short film screened on the final day of camp.
puter editing station with a camera and sound equipment.
The 2007 UNM Film and Media Boot Camp is funded by a grant from the New Mexico Higher Education Department, UNM Office of the President and Institute for American Indian Research. Additional support comes from UNM’s ARTS Lab, the Center for Regional Studies and the College of Fine Arts.
For more information, contact the UNM Arts of the Americas Institute, 277-2744.
Media Contact: Sari Kosinsky (505) 277-1593; emailmichal@unm.edu
Open forums begin this week for four finalists identified for the position of Director, Career Services of the University of New Mexico, said Walter Miller, Associate Vice President Student Development. The University community is invited to attend and participate in a question and answer forum with the candidates.
A one page candidate resume summary and evaluation form will be provided at each forum site for the participants to complete.
Each of the four finalists will participate in an open community forum scheduled as follows:
June 13
Jennifer Crabb
9:30 a.m.
Southwest Film Center Theater
Lower Level
Student Union Building
June 14
Paul Fornell
3 p.m.
Ballroom C
Student Union Building
June 18
Marilyn Albert
3 p.m.
Mirage/Thunderbird Room
Student Union Building
June 19
Tanya Campos
3 p.m.
Mirage/Thunderbird Room
Student Union Building
In a 1971 interview folk singer Pete Seeger said he uses songs to illustrate a story and dialogue between songs to carry the story forward. David King Dunaway, UNM professor of English, carries Seeger’s message further. Dunaway recently received $15,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Arts on Radio and Television advisory panel to produce three one-hour radio documentaries on Seeger. Dunaway also received a contribution from Seeger’s friend Yip Harburg, lyricist for “Wizard of Oz.”
David Dunaway
Dunaway, who has interviewed Seeger some 15 times through the years, created, “Pete Seeger and American Folk Music Revivals,” scheduled to air on international public radio stations (PRI).
“If we conduct interviews, we have an obligation to return them to the community that provided them,” he said. “What doesn’t make print can be broadcast. The material can be presented in multiple platforms,” he said. His interviews have resulted in journal articles, archives, books and radio interviews.
Dunaway, a two-time Fulbright Fellow in London and Copenhagen, presented a National Endowment for the Humanities summer seminar in Santa Cruz, Calif. “Scholars came as co-participants to learn about adapting literary work for broadcast,” he said.
Dunaway has more than 30 years of radio experience, including creating radio documentaries. He produced, “Across the Tracks: The Route 66 Story,” which also aired on PRI.
A 2007 film, “Pete Seeger: The Power of Song,” by filmmaker Jim Brown is another format where Dunaway used his interviews. Dunaway even has a cameo or two in the film.
Dunaway authored, “How Do I Keep From Singing: Pete Seeger,” by McGraw Hill in 1981, and he recently updated the biography.
Access to Archive
“I discovered that a great deal of the material that I compiled and transcribed from my interviews would never be in the book, would never be found. So I am publishing a book of oral histories on Seeger, based on the interviews,”
Dunaway said. He noted that two graduate students from the Department of English, Molly Beer and Felicia Karas, are co-authors on the book.
Dunaway was the only academic at a recent Seeger symposium and delivered the luncheon keynote. The event honored Seeger’s family. Pete’s father, Charles Seeger, was an ethnomusicologist.
Dunaway presented 2,000 pages of transcribed Seeger interviews at the symposium. “They have been digitized, indexed and made an accessible collection within the folk life archive at the Library of Congress,” Dunaway said.
Dunaway’s connection to Seeger goes way back. “I met Seeger when I was four. He was a family friend. As I grew up in the 50s and 60s, I saw Seeger as one of the few American disidents who didn’t bow his head low in anti-Communist campaigns,” Dunaway said.
Blacklisted
In 66 years as an artist, Seeger recorded 153 albums. “Yet he was the most picketed and blacklisted since John Wilkes Booth. He bears the distinction of being the only musician to be investigation for sedition,” Dunaway said.
“His recording and performing tell the dramatic story of the power of music to make the world a better place,” he said.
Seeger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. His contribution to folk music – its revival and survival – cannot be overstated. With the possible exception of Woody Guthrie, Seeger is the greatest influence on folk music of the last century.
Seeger and Toshi, his wife of 59 years, live in a house he built in Beacon, New York, an upstate town along the Hudson River.
“Seeger represents hope for a more just society. He is still there, still hoping. Some of us are hoping with him,” Dunaway said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales (505) 277-5627, email: cgonzal@unm.edu
Luci Tapahonso will present a keynote poetry reading and speech on "Writing Poetry: Vignettes to Preserve Daily Experience and Preserve Family Histories" at the University of New Mexico Arts & Sciences Teachers' Institute at the Taos Summer Writers' Conference, Saturday-Sunday, July 14-15. This third annual Teachers' Institute is themed "Bringing Writing to the Classroom, Creatively" and features intimate writing groups in an inspiring setting.
Tapahonso is the author of three children’s books and five books of poetry and a professor of American Indian studies and English at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
The institute offers small, intensive workshops in fiction, poetry, memoir and short plays, and closes with an open mic reading showcasing participants’ work.
The workshops, limited to 12 participants each, are led by UNM and CNM creative writing faculty Sharon Oard Warner, Greg Martin, Levi Romero and Susan Erickson.
The institute is free to New Mexico K-12 teachers, including meals and lodging. Registration will remain open until all spaces are filled.
For more information or to register contact Wanda Martin at (505) 277-5027 or visit http://www.unm.edu/~taosconf/TeachersInstitute
Ilia Rodríguez, a native of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Puerto Rico with a degree in print journalism. Ink is in her blood. An assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism in the College of Arts and Sciences, Rodríguez has been at UNM since 2003.
Rodriguez earned a master’s in Latin American Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a concentration in Latin American history. “It was an interdisciplinary degree. It was a time to focus. I did a lot of studying, reading, while always thinking I’d go back to journalism,” Rodríguez said.
Following her husband, Eleuterio Santiago-Díaz, to Providence, R.I., where he went to earn a doctorate, Rodríguez found a job at the library. “I’ve always had an interest in books and research. I conducted research about an academic career. In my second year working at Brown University library, I applied to doctoral programs,” she said.
She went to the University of Minnesota, where, in addition to her studies, she taught. “I taught Spanish to Spanish language students and for those planning to go abroad. I was acquainted with Spanish language academic writing from my work on my master’s. This gave me the opportunity to teach the language, keep it up,” she said.
Operation Bootstrap
Rodríguez earned her doctorate in mass communication. Her dissertation focused on the modernization of Puerto Rico through Operation Bootstrap as it was reported in the media.
“Operation Bootstrap – a means to shift the Puerto Rican economy from agriculture to industry – was key in history. I looked at the narratives of change – who we are, economically and socially.
I looked at reporting as storytelling. I started thinking about development not just as an objective economic policy, but an ideological construct,” she said.
Rodríguez said that the ideology was put into stories for people to grasp. “Puerto Rico began to be used as a model to demonstrate what industrial capitalism can do for a third world country.
The goal was to show how development with U.S. capital can bring forth economic growth,” she said.
“Leaders wanted to attract U.S. textiles and light manufacturing companies to Puerto Rico. The press reconstructed, or ‘showcased’, the country by showing that people from all over the world were visiting us. What they said was printed in the press,” she said.
“Industry and civic leaders would talk about it at the Rotary and other local clubs. They were the narratives of social leaders,” she said. Rodríguez said that the policy was indispensable to the survival of Puerto Rico because population growth was an issue.
“Turning farm land over to factory was a solution to our problem,” she said.
“My interest in journalist was in society and culture in practice. I discovered that the academic environment was what my career was about. It is a good compromise to be connected to journalism as an educator,” she said.
Diversity in Journalism
Rodríguez teaches hard news and featuring writing. “I draw on the notion that the inverted pyramid is a narrative, chronicling a story,” she said. Even necessarily factual economic and business stories are still stories, she said.
Her news writing courses include a focus on multi-cultural diversity. “We undertake notions about journalism as cultural practice. Newspapers chronicle diversity in the U.S.,” she said.
Using the American Society of News Editors’ award-winning selections of diversity writing, she encourages students to look at what ideologies about multiculturalism are presented and challenged.
“We look at the role of newspapers in social and cultural communication,” she said.
Her current research focuses on Spanish language anarchists writing in Spanish language newspapers in the first decade of the 20th century, “when anarchist presses were targeted and freedom of speech challenged,” she said.
Placid in Placitas
Away from the university, Rodríguez and her husband, who teaches in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, lives in an adobe home in Placitas. “We live next door to the church. I wonder how many photos of the church feature me in the background with the caption, ‘native New Mexican tending her garden,’” she said.
Rodríguez and Santiago-Díaz like to drive around New Mexico, exploring back roads and towns. That’s about as much moving as she plans to do.
“I moved around enough. I love New Mexico and I am happy to be part of a community. I want to stay in Communication & Journalism and develop more programs that connect journalism outwardly,” she said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales (505) 277-5920 e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
University Planner Steve Borbas, Office of the University Architect, is the recipient of the 2007 Jim Davis Staff Councilor Award for Meritorious Service. Established in 1999, the Jim Davis Award recognizes significant contributions to Staff Council. It is named in memory of Staff Councilor Jim Davis, the first recipient.
Borbas served as Staff Council president in 2004-05 and continues to serve as a grade representative. Nominators said that his professionalism, outreach to legislators and university administrators, and service on university committees raised the stature of the entire council.
In addition to his role as university planner, Borbas has taught in the School of Architecture and Planning for 22 years.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The National Youth Sports Program, housed in the University of New Mexico’s Department of Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences (HESS) within the College of Education, has received additional support from a local business and foundation. The Gorham Foundation and Defined Fitness have pledged $30,000 and $15,000, respectively.
The additional funds will be used to assist with transportation, equipment, trophies and other miscellaneous items during the month-long camp.
Furthermore, Defined Fitness has pledged $10 out of a special membership towards continuing the program in subsequent years. This special membership is tied to a fitness contest between two disk jockeys, Buck and Dex, on 104.1 the Edge.
They are competing with one another to see who can become the most fit. In conjunction with the contest, Defined Fitness is offering a special membership in their names to their audience. A special challenge will be held later in June.
The National Youth Sports Program began its 38th year of operation at UNM earlier this week. The summer program for disadvantaged youth uses sports instruction and competition as a means to build self-esteem, reinforce the importance of education and promote healthy lifestyles.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Opossums are soft and furry, cute and cuddly looking and they could open up a new way in which critical cell types in the immune system called T cells, may be seeing pathogens based on new genome sequencing research involving scientists in the University of New Mexico’s Biology department. The research, which is funded largely by the National Science Foundation, is set to be released in the June issue of the magazine PNAS, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The scientists include lead author and UNM Ph.D. student Zuly Parra, Michelle Baker, research assistant Professor, Ryan Schwarz, Ph.D. student and Professor Robert Miller, in collaboration with researchers from the Australian National University and the Broad Institute, have discovered a fifth such chain, designated “mu,” (for marsupial) that has been discovered in opossums.
T cells are a responsible for activating many aspects of the immune response. They do this job by recognizing specific pathogens or antigens using receptors, called T cell receptors, present on their cell surface. In the mid-80s, four proteins that make up the T cell receptor called alpha, beta, gamma and delta were discovered. By the mid-90s, research had shown that all vertebrates, from humans to sharks, had the same homologous four molecules. Until now immunologists thought that alpha, beta, gamma and delta were all there was.
“The significance is that it opens up a whole new way in which T cells in some species may be seeing pathogens,” said Miller. “It may also represent novel adaptations in other distantly related species. The discovery came out of genomic analysis of marsupials and illustrates the value of looking at the genomes of more species for novelty.”
The process, called shotgun sequencing, involves the DNA from a single animal. Researchers basically fragment the DNA into smaller bits and clone into libraries and sequence into smaller fragments that overlap each other. When they are done with the sequencing, they assemble the sequence based on the overlaps and reconstruct the chromosomes that way.
In Miller’s lab, their interests are in the genes of the immune system. The receptors the immune system recognizes are called pathogens. There are three kinds of receptors including the major histocompatibility complex, which are genes they type you for if you want to be an organ donor; another receptor gene are antibodies which are familiar to most people; and also T cell receptors.
Miller, who has been funded for marsupial immune systems research by the NSF since 1995, recently received another NSF grant through 2011 to continue his research. Some additional funding came through the National Institute of Health (NIH) Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program in “Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology” the UNM biology department received. His group was studying and characterizing T cell receptors when the new gene discovery was made.
“Opossums are actually used as a model for human melanoma. T cells are important in cancer and we were interested in learning more about the T cell receptors,” he said. “While we were conducting that research, we came across this extra one (gene), which caught our attention because it looked different. We found parts that looked more like antibodies and other parts that looked more like T cell receptors. We know it was a T cell receptor because the definition of a T cell says it develops in the thymus.
“As the T cells are developing, the genes undergo rearrangements. Each T cell does its own unique rearrangement and that’s how each T cell gets specific for its own pathogen or antigen. We knew the rearrangements were taking place in the thymus and that defined it as a T cell receptor,” Miller said.
“It has these aspects that make it look more like antibodies which probably tells us it probably recognizes antigens perhaps more the way an antibodies do than the way a normal conventional T cell receptors do even though it’s used by a T cell.”
Miller says that while the gene is not found in humans, mice or any other placental mammal that has been looked at, he did point out that a colleague at the University of Maryland recently found a similar gene in sharks that looks “a little like this” although not identical.
“It’s not the same set of genes,” Miller said. “But there’s what we refer to as converging evolution. Sharks have come up with this gene independently as well. So if it’s in marsupials, and if it’s in sharks, then one suspects it’s going to be other places too. We just haven’t found it yet.”
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Lisa Kuuttila has been reappointed as President and CEO of STC.UNM, the wholly-owned subsidiary of UNM dedicated to commercialization of intellectual property developed by faculty. Kuuttila recently joined Michigan State University to lead a newly formed technology transfer organization, but has decided to return to UNM. She returns on June 11, 2007.
“We are very pleased to welcome Lisa back to her position at STC,” said STC.UNM Board Chairman and Dean of the School of Engineering Joseph Cecchi. “During Lisa’s past tenure, STC achieved dramatic increases in commercialization activities of UNM intellectual property. Lisa recruited a very talented staff at STC and established strong partnerships throughout UNM and with regional partners. Under Lisa’s continuing leadership, I am confident that STC will continue on its exciting upward trajectory.”
Kuuttila says she is pleased to be returning to UNM. “I look forward to the continuation of existing programs and the development of new initiatives in conjunction with the STC board. In particular, I look forward to working with President Schmidly on increasing economic development activity.”
STC.UNM licenses innovative technology developed at UNM, including optics, microfluidics and high performance materials as well as therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices and drug discovery trials.
For more information, please contact Denise Bissell at STC.UNM (505) 272-7900 dbissell@stc.unm.edu.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
University of New Mexico President David J. Schmidly recently appointed a blue ribbon committee to review the policies and procedures of animal research conducted at UNM.
The committee will be charged with reviewing the approval processes and practices related to the animal protocols of Andrea Allen, Ph.D., and to determine whether university and federal guidelines were followed.
“As a scientist and zoologist, I appreciate the vital importance of humane, ethical animal research to the advancement of knowledge,” said Schmidly. “The work of this committee will determine if the allegations of animal abuse have merit at which point we will take appropriate action. I want to be assured that our respected scientists will continue their essential research in a human and ethical way.”
Joanna Prukoff, secretary of the New Mexico Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources, will chair the committee, which will receive its charge directly from President Schmidly at its first meeting.
Other members of the committee are John Trotter, M.D., deputy executive vice president for UNM Health Sciences; William Gannon, chair of the UNM Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee ; Sam Loker, chair of the UNM Biology Department; Patrick Apodaca, University Counsel; Susan McKinsey, director of University Communication; Lisa Jennings, Animal Protective Services; and Ray Powell, veterinarian and former state land commissioner.
Media Contact: Sam Giammo, (505) 272-3682; e-mail: sgiammo@salud.unm.edu
An interpretive walking timeline trail that focuses on Grand Canyon vistas and rocks is being created with the help of scientists at the University of New Mexico, the National Park Service and a $2.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation. This “Trail of Time” will help visitors explore, ponder and understand the magnitude of geologic time and its stories encoded by Grand Canyon rock layers and landscapes.
Professors Karl Karlstrom and Laura Crossey in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department in the College of Arts and Sciences are working on the planning and installation of the exhibit along the South rim of the Grand Canyon. The trail would be the world’s largest geo-science education exhibit at one of the world’s grandest geologic landscapes.
“Until recently, very little geologic information was presented to visitors at the Grand Canyon National Park. Things are changing with the recent opening of a restored geology museum at Yavapai Observation Station,” said Karlstrom. “The Grand Canyon National Park has about five million visitors every year, and through the Trail of Time exhibit, we are making a major effort to perhaps catch people at the moment where they are impressed with the scenery and help them understand more about how the landscape was shaped by geologic events".
The intent is to have visitors walk along a 1.3-mile trail in family units, small groups, or classes, with ranger programs and docent tours. Some will take on a different role as visitor-teachers, some as learners, others as questioners.
The Trail will begin at the Yavapai Observation Station. Walking west, each step takes visitors back in time one million years. The carving of the Grand Canyon is completed in the first six steps, the equivalent of six million years. The Trail continues through the formation of Grand Canyon rock layers to the oldest rock in Canyon - recording a geologic history dating back more than 1,800 million years in the process.
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