The New Mexico Committee of Women in the Arts presents Originals 2007: New Mexico Women Artists, hosted at both the UNM Harwood Museum of Art in Taos and the Millicent Rogers Museum through Dec. 30. The New Mexico Committee of Women in the Arts is affiliated with the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C.
“The Harwood is honored to be co-hosting this exhibition with the Millicent Rogers Museum and excited to have the opportunity to celebrate the diverse talents of New Mexico’s women artists,” said Harwood Museum Director Charles Lovell. Works on view at the Harwood include sculpture, artist books, paintings, fiber art and mixed media assemblages. All exhibited work is for sale with the artist receiving 60 percent of proceeds, the museum 20 percent and the New Mexico Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts the remaining 20 percent.
The New Mexico Committee of Women enhances the mission of the National Museum of Women in the Arts by recognizing the achievements of living women artists in New Mexico through statewide and national art shows, educational programs, lectures and special events. The committee founded Originals, a biennial juried exhibition open to all living New Mexican women artists, in 1999.
In conjunction with Originals 2007, the Harwood and Millicent Rogers Museums present a series of free family programs. The programs are held Saturdays, 1-2:30 p.m., and include an interactive tour of the exhibit. Upcoming sessions at the Harwood include Photography with Dorie Hagler on Nov. 10 and Clay with Abby Salisbury on Dec. 15.
The Harwood Museum is also showing an exhibition titled Howard Cook: Prints from the Permanent Collection through Dec. 30. It features works in a variety of print media by Taos painter and master printmaker Howard Cook (1901-1980).
The Harwood Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5p.m. For more information visit Harwood Museum.
Media Contact: Lucy Perera-Adams, (505) 758-9826 ext. 105; e-mail: lperera@aol.com
UNM-Gallup Film Professor and Navajo film producer/director Melissa Henry will give the opening keynote at the fifth annual Regional Indigenous Bilingual Education Conference in Albuquerque, Nov. 8-9. She will present her film, “Horse is my Name,” at the MCM Elegante Hotel and Event Center, Atrium Ballroom at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8.
Henry was recently selected for a Native Initiative Sundance Fellowship for filmmakers. An adjunct lecturer at UNM-Gallup, she has worked on projects with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and has made a series of abstract shorts, as well as documentaries.
In addition, Pearl Tate of the UNM Institute for American Indian Education and UNM Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies Associate Professor Kathryn Manuelito will participate in a panel titled “Internet to the Hogans and Navajo Language Support” on Friday, Nov. 9, at 8:30 a.m.
Coordinated by the Indigenous Institute for Native Arts, the conference explores a broad range of topics relating to Indigenous bilingual education, including education through the arts, learning strategies, technology, media and astronomy.
For more information visit: Regional Indigenous Bilingual Education Conference.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The UNM Department of Theatre and Dance fall season in Theatre X closes with “Seascapes with Sharks and Dancer” by Don Nigro, showing Nov. 1-10. This production includes the theatrical directorial debut of Brandon Weaver and original music by UNM composition student Mark Oates.
Photo: Barney Lopez and Katy Bowen
“Seascape with Sharks and Dancer” is a contemporary love story between two people full of flaws and fears. A young man living in a beach bungalow has pulled a lost young woman from the ocean. Soon, she finds herself trapped in his life and torn between her need to come to rest somewhere and her certainty that all human relationships turn eventually into nightmares. This off-beat love story examines the reality of love and the choices we make to keep it alive.
Weaver, a senior acting student, has directed several short films. “I have enjoyed just about every minute of my directing experience here at UNM, and it has to do with my amazing cast and crew,” he said. “I remember reading the play as a freshman and finding it both funny and tragic. Now as a senior, I am ecstatic to make my directorial debut with Don Nigro’s ‘Seascape with Sharks and Dancer.’”
Oates, a music composition major, has written and performed music across the United States, Japan and Europe and has written music for game designers in Poland, Germany, Finland, Norway, Brazil and the U.S. He has won several music awards for his film scores and concert compositions, and has recorded with Grammy award winning record producers and engineers. This is the first time Oates has composed music for a play.
The cast of Seascapes includes UNM theatre students Katy Bowen as Tracy and Barney Lopez as Ben.
Performances are Nov. 1, 2, 3, 8 and 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. in the Experimental Theatre, Center for the Arts. Ticket prices are $10 general admission, $8 faculty and seniors, $7 staff and students. Ticket Offices are located at the UNM Bookstore and the Arena (The Pit). Tickets may also be purchased online at UNM Tickets or by calling (505) 925-5858. More information is available at: Theater.
Media Contact: Kathleen Clawson, (505) 238-6029; e-mail: kclawson@unm.edu
The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are conducting a meeting of National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance (IA) Education (CAE/IAE) Oct. 30-31 at the Hyatt Regency in Albuquerque. The University of New Mexico, which is one of 86 National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education in the country, will be a part of the event that is being held to update the Centers on IA efforts and opportunities at the national level.
The meeting will also discuss the role of higher education in securing America’s Critical Information Infrastructure; and promote collaboration among the Centers to maximize expertise and resources.
A variety of sessions will be conducted for participants who will share information about their respective program with other schools, respective SEALs, and other interested and invited personnel from the Department of Defense and DHS.
The opening keynote address will feature UNM President David J. Schmidly and New Mexico Tech President Daniel H. López. Brian Lopez of the DHS will also provide an update as part of the first day activities. Additional activities include University Breakout sessions on both days. Also on the second day, the DoD and DHS will discuss related research topics.
The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAEIAE) Program is an outreach program designed and operated initially by the National Security Agency (NSA) as part of the Presidential Decision Directive 63, National Policy on Critical Infrastructure Protection, May 1998. The NSA and the Department of Homeland Security in support of the President's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, February 2003, now jointly sponsor the program.
The goal of the program is to reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education in information assurance (IA), and producing a growing number of professionals with IA expertise in various disciplines.
UNM was designated as a National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance earlier this year. The designation is for five academic years beginning in 2007. The efforts were spearheaded by Anderson School of Management Professors Alessandro Seazzu, Stephen Burd, Christopher Conway and retired professor William Bullers.
For more information about the CAEIAE Program visit: CAEIAE Program.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
UNM Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Abhaya Datye has received the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center award for 2008.
Photo: Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Abhaya Datye.
“Dr. Datye’s leadership has resulted in a number of critical research initiatives that have improved the department’s visibility and facilitated the hiring of talented junior faculty,” said Julia Fulghum, chair of the Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering. “He has led the development of the new Nanoscience and Microsystems program, which has an impact not just on UNM, but on the state.”
The Ceramic and Composite Materials Center is a collaborative effort with Rutgers University and Penn State University. The Center was established in 1989 at UNM and Datye served as the director from 1994 - 2007.
At UNM, it is the hub of materials research, providing support for characterizations facilities and strong involvement in educational programs such as the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), the Nanoscience and Microsystems (NSMS) degree program and Integrated Graduate Education Research and Training (IGERT).
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The Provost’s Committee for Public Service and Community Engagement will present its Monthly Breakfast on Community Matters Friday, Nov. 2 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in the Scholars Room in the UNM Student Union Building. This month’s guests include Paul Biderman, director of the Institute of Public Law and co-chair of the Consortium for Collaborative Public Policy, and Lois Vermilya, director of the Family Development Program in the College of Education.
Biderman co-chairs the Consortium for Collaborative Public Policy, which is developing a network of University of New Mexico institutes, centers, and individual faculty, staff and students who share a commitment to informed, productive decision-making on issues of public policy. The Consortium will provide non-partisan, independent analysis, convene interested parties, facilitate deliberative processes, and assess policy options.
On Nov. 9, the consortium will host a half-day workshop on application of collaborative governance principles and techniques to the development of progressive early childhood policy. For more information contact Biderman at, (505) 277-8789.
For the past 22 years, the Family Development Program (FDP) has consistently demonstrated how real partnerships that combine strengths of parents, teachers, and their community with support of university resources can make a difference for young children. The program provides statewide professional development for early childhood educators and families throughout New Mexico, serving rural and urban communities through yearlong training that is co-designed with community partners to meet their unique needs.
Vermilya serves as an active member and Executive Committee leader for the Early Childhood Action Network (ECAN), a statewide policy forum appointed by Lt. Governor Diane Denish to advise the New Mexico Children’s cabinet on recommendations to meet state goals for young children and their families. ECAN’s annual policy agenda and long-range plan advocates for a sound investment in NM’s children’s budget for family engagement, health, and quality early learning.
To RSVP for the breakfast e-mail, cpsce@unm.edu or call (505) 277-0278.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The annual SUB Pumpkin Carving Contest will be held Wednesday, Oct. 31 in the SUB Atrium from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event is open to all students, facutly and staff. Prizes will be awarded in both individual and group categories for first, second and third place in both categories.
In past years, more than 50 pumpkins have been carved and entered. The annual event is a sure way to kick off the holiday season. Pumpkins, carving tools and refreshments will be provided. Participants should bring their creativity, carving skills and friends.
To join in on in on all the fun by showing off your pumpkin carving skills, participants may signup at the event, or pre-register at: 2007 Pumpkin Carving Contest to guarantee your spot or stop by to see who will be this year’s winners. Winners will be announced at 2 p.m., but need not be present to win.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
“Naked Science” program to address issues related to sun
Professor Yemane Asmerom and his research on issues related to the sun will broadcast on the National Geographic Channel (NGC) as part of the program titled, ‘Naked Science: Solar Force’ on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. Mountain. The show will repeat Thursday, Nov. 1 at 9 p.m. Mountain.
Photo: Professor Yemane Asmerom stands next to a thermal ionization mass spectrometer. Asmerom and his research group will be featured on National Geographic Channel.
The program will address various issue related to the sun. The NGC crew filmed locally at UNM in Asmerom’s lab, in Carlsbad and also Chaco Canyon. The suns energy seems to be constant, but this gigantic nuclear reactor is in a continual state of flux. NGC reveals the latest scientific information that is uncovering the hidden ways that fluctuations in the suns output influence our climate.
Asmerom’s research group, which includes including Victor Polyak and Jessica Rasmussen from UNM, and Stephen Burns from the University of Massachusetts, will contribute information on solar forcing of climate and the relationship of climate and culture. The group has studied Holocene climate change and specifically the role of the sun on climate.
In an article published in Geology earlier this year and titled ‘Solar Forcing of Holocene Climate: New insights from a speleothem record Southwestern United States,’ Asmerom’s research group presents the first high-resolution complete Holocene climate record for the North American monsoon region of the southwestern United States (southwest) in order to address the nature and causes of Holocene climate change.
Their research shows that periods of increased solar radiation correlate with decreased rainfall, the opposite to that observed in the Asian monsoon, and suggest that a solar link to Holocene climate is through changes in the Walker circulation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and El Niño–Southern Oscillation systems of the tropical Pacific Ocean.
Given the link between increased warming and aridity in the southwest, the group believes additional warming due to greenhouse forcing could potentially lead to persistent hyper-arid conditions, similar to those seen in our record during periods of high solar activity.
For more information on Asmerom’s research visit: Yemane Asmerom.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The UNM Bookstore, located on Central Ave. and Cornell NE, hosts a Children’s Book Fair, Saturday, Nov. 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fair is a free event and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided.
This year’s theme for Children’s Book Fair is dogs and cats. Fun activities for children include book readings, face painting, crafts and an appearance from Louie Lobo.
Included in this year’s Children’s Book Fair are illustrators Tricia Tusa, “Fred Stays with Me,” Susan Guevara, “Chato Goes Cruisin,” and Jill McElmurry, “The Hound from the Pound.” They will entertain children with interactive drawings and readings from their books.
An adopt-a-thon featuring plush dogs and cats will also be held as part of the event. Children will receive a certificate of adoption for each pet they “rescue.”
The UNM Bookstore is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Validated parking is available in the parking structure for up to one hour with purchase.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Stanley Morain, director of the UNM Earth Data Analysis Center and research professor in geography, has been selected to receive the 2007 William T. Pecora Individual Award for outstanding contributions in the field of remote sensing.
Photo: Stanley Morain, director, Earth Data Analysis Center
For more than 43 years, Morain has had a distinguished career in remote sensing that has been recognized locally, nationally and internationally. In addition to his work at UNM, he has educated professionals in developing countries on the applications of remote sensing in areas such as agriculture, transportation and public health. Morain has pursued a vision of employing remote sensing technology and products for advancing the growth of sustainable resources in developing nations worldwide.
The award will be presented to Morain at the opening session of the CRSS/ASPRS 2007 Specialty Conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on Oct. 30.
The award, sponsored jointly by the U.S. Department of Interior and NASA, recognizes outstanding contributions to the understanding of the earth by means of remote sensing. It has been presented annually since 1974 in memory of William T. Pecora, whose early vision and support helped establish the Landsat satellite program.
On Tuesday, Oct. 30, more than 75 community organizations will converge on the UNM campus as part of the UNM Volunteer Fair in the UNM Student Union Building Ballroom. The fair, which will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., will provide faculty, staff and students the chance to meet with representatives from different local volunteer-oriented organizations and to become involved with an organization.
Organized by the Provost's Committee for Staff, the event provides an opportunity for the UNM community to explore organizations that best fit their interests and abilities. The fun and informative event seeks ways to create and establish a better link between organizations that need support and UNM staff members who can be a valuable resource.
Many staff members already volunteer their time, money and expertise to make Albuquerque a stronger, healthier and more vibrant community. Many different service organizations from the greater Albuquerque area will be attending this year’s Volunteer Fair.
Some of the participants include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Albuquerque Reads, National Alliance for Mental Illness, Friends of the Rio Grand Nature Center, Road Runner Food Bank, Peace Corps, UNM Athletic Club, Science Fair, Medical Reserve Corps, Albuquerque Animal Care Centers, Ronald McDonald House, Girl Scouts, and Maxwell Museum.
The Provost’s Committee for Staff was founded in 1989 to assist the Provost in determining what activities would provide UNM staff with opportunities for growth, recognition and service.
The Volunteer Fair has been held every other year since its inception in 1999. This is the first time the event is open to UNM students, as well as the staff and faculty. The event is also open to the public. Stop by the SUB for some snacks and see first-hand what a difference the UNM staff, faculty and students can make.
For more information contact Lina Marie Sandve, event coordinator, at 277-1326 or via e-mail, lsandve@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Eric Sevigny reports that the UNM Army ROTC Male Team tied for first in the annual 12th Brigade ROTC Ranger Challenge Competition held recently in at Camp Bullis in San Antonio, Texas. The team competed against 19 schools from Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Photo: Michael Ogan and Gabriel Montoya. Back (l. to r.): Luis Sanchez, Phillip Velasquez, Andrew Rubin and Tyler Cormier.
The competition weekend kicked off on Friday with the Army physical fitness test – push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run. Later the teams took a written test on Army tactics and first aid techniques.
Saturday morning began before sunrise with a 10-kilometer march carrying a 30-pound pack. The day also included competition in weapons’ disassembly and assembly, an obstacle course, a hand grenade assault course and land navigation, with land navigation being conducted during the day and at night. The teams had to navigate the woods with only a map and compass.
At the end, the UNM male Ranger Challenge Team was tied with Texas A&M – College Station for first place. The tie breaking rules resulted in an overall second place finish for the UNM male team.
“In Army ROTC’s short four-year existence at UNM it has earned second place three of the four years. Each year the team to beat was Texas A&M. Tying for first place in this year’s competition was a tremendous accomplishment,” Sevigny said.
The annual Ranger Challenge competition is considered the varsity event for Army ROTC.
“With all six members of this year’s male team moving into their senior year, they will not be eligible to compete in next year’s competition. The co-ed team is looking to the future and plans to dramatically improve its standing in next year’s Ranger Challenge,” Sevigny said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Music Professor Brad Ellingboe and the UNM Concert Choir recently released “Fast Falls the Eventide,” a collection of sacred and familiar songs as well as pieces specially written and arranged for the choir including, “O Esca Viatorum,” a 17th century hymn.
Ellingboe’s original piece, “Be Music, Night,” is featured. Voice faculty Jaccqueline Zander-Wall, a mezzo soprano, is featured in the classic, “What a Wonderful World.” The violin solo in “I Saw a Stranger Yester’en” features UNM violin professor Carmelo de los Santos.
“The name of the CD comes from the second line in the song ‘Abide with Me.’ The CD is comprised of gentle music about evening, music and the night. The more hidden meaning is ‘abide with me,’ or come with me to listen to the UNM choirs,” Ellingboe said.
CDs are available for $15 at the UNM Bookstore and Music Mart of Albuquerque, 3301 Carlisle NE. Proceeds from the CD will benefit the concert choir to record again next year. Ellingboe said that another goal is sell enough to make it possible for the choir to get out in the community and perform statewide.
For more information contact Ellingboe at 277-4429.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Mary Vosevich, director of UNM's Physical Plant, recently assumed the role of President for the Rocky Mountain Region of APPA (formerly called the Association of Physical Plant Administrators). This region includes facility management staffs at over 70 institutions ranging from Alberta, Canada to Arizona.
Before becoming the Region President for APPA, Vosevich served as the Dean of the Administration and Management Track of the APPA's Education Institute. The Institute offers the only skill improvement training program for higher education facility professionals in the United States. During her five-year tenure as Dean, over 750 managerial personnel graduated from the 160-hour program. Those graduates went on to work at universities in the United States, Canada and overseas.
Vosevich has worked at UNM for over 13 years, spending the last seven years as Director of the UNM Physical Plant. Prior to her time at UNM, Vosevich worked in the facilities department at the St. Louis branch of the University of Missouri. She has a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture from the University of Missouri and received her MBA through the Executive MBA program at UNM's Anderson School of Management.
Her term as Rocky Mountain Region president will last one year. She previous served on the association's national governing board for two consecutive years before being named president.
The APPA's mission is to provide higher education and quality leadership training to those working in the field of Facilities Management. They provide members with structured educational opportunities and recognition of service to higher education. APPA also sponsors research on topics important to improving facilities stewardship.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
In a recently published study by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, the UNM Transportation system received an “A” grade for its solid commitment to sustainable transportation initiatives.
The “College Sustainability Report Card 2008” study cited the use of E85 ethanol fuel and compressed natural gas by UNM vehicles as one reason for the grade. Currently, all new vehicles purchased by UNM are powered by E85 fuel. There are plans to purchase some vehicles that will run on biofuel – including vegetable oil – in the near future.
“We are proud and excited to be leading the way toward a sustainable campus and community. The Lobo Ride Pass program between the University and the City, allowing students to ride city buses for free, has also had a valuable impact upon reducing the number of cars on campus, so kudos go to ABQ Ride as well,” said Parking and Transportation Services Director Clovis Acosta.
Other reasons for the grade included staff and faculty discounts on Albuquerque buses; free UNM shuttles to the Alvarado Transit Station for those using the Rail Runner; the abundance of bicycle racks and the new bicycle program on campus; and the addition of the bicycle repair shop to Johnson Center.
Cynthia Martin of Parking and Transportation Services oversees the Department’s alternative transportation program.
“We aren’t resting on our laurels yet. There still a lot more we can do. We have a number of exciting new initiatives coming down the pike. Our first vanpool from the East Mountains area is up and running, and we anticipate soon having a couple more vanpools organized. People who are using it absolutely love it. We’re also hoping to soon be able to offer bicycles for department use in getting around campus, and we’re working on getting an hourly car rental service to campus by the beginning of Spring semester.”
For more information on alternative transportation programs at UNM, contact Parking and Transportation Services at 277-0461.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
In March 1997 when the New Mexico Legislature approved $500,000 to plan for a new building to house the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning, no one thought a new building would be 10 years away. On Sunday, Oct. 28, at 2 p.m., the formal dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at George Pearl Hall, the new home for the school and for the UNM Fine Arts and Design Library.
The building is well worth the wait. The public is welcome to the free event, which will feature a brass band beckoning people to the west side of the building for a formal welcome. Roger Schluntz, dean, UNM School of Architecture and Planning, and UNM Executive Vice President David Harris, will cut the ribbon.
Students from the American Indian Council of Architects and Engineers will bless the building. Afterward, Harris, who served as UNM president from the groundbreaking through most of the construction, will speak about the challenges of the project as well as the promise presented in George Pearl Hall.
Former UNM Regent Penny Rembe, a supporter and advocate for the school and its programs, will speak about her friendship with George Pearl. UNM Library Dean Martha Bedard will talk about the much-anticipated move into the fourth floor of the building where the Fine Arts and Design Library will be moved come January.
Unique Cakes is providing a cake designed to look like George Pearl Hall and Antoine Predock will ceremoniously cut the first piece.
In January 2008, the School of Architecture and Planning will hold classes in the building and the library will open.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
New Mexico State Treasurer James B. Lewis keynote speaker
The Anderson School of Management will host the Sixth Annual Arthur A. Blumenfeld Endowed Lecture Series Thursday, Nov. 1 at the UNM Student Union Building. The program, which gets underway at 6 p.m. with registration and a reception, will feature New Mexico State Treasurer James B. Lewis as its keynote speaker. Lewis’ lecture is titled, “The State Treasury: Rebuilding after the Storm.”
The program schedule also includes:
7 p.m. – Welcome and introductions, David Campbell, program chair
Lectureship Committee, About the Arthur A. Blumenfeld Memorial Lectureship, Willow Harth
Greetings from the Anderson Schoool of Management and Introduction of James B. Lewis, Amy Wohlert, Interim Dean, Anderson School of Management
7:15 p.m. – Keynote Speaker James B. Lewis, State Treasurer of New Mexico –
7:45 p.m. – Dinner
Tickets are complimentary, but seating is limited and reservations are required. RSVP by Oct. 30, 2007 to rsvp@mgt.unm.edu or (505) 277-6264. Event parking is available in the Cornell Parking Structure for $5.
About James B. Lewis
A native New Mexican born in Roswell, Lewis was re-elected as New Mexico State Treasurer in November 2006. His mission is to provide proficient, efficient, effective and productive banking services with full transparency to the citizens of New Mexico.
As State Treasurer, Lewis is active on numerous boards and commissions and is the only elected state official who serves as a member of all state financial and investment boards and commissions with a total fiduciary responsibility in excess of $40 billion.
He has served as a catalyst for restored integrity in the State Treasurer’s Office; Lewis re-engineered department structures and leadership designations to establish the Operations Division, Budget and Finance Division, State Cash Management Division, Investment Division, and Executive and Administrative Management Teams.
Lewis has enhanced information technology operations, strengthened manager-to-employee and employee-to-labor union relationships and has established several key committees, including the Treasurer’s Blue Ribbon, Treasurer’s Labor Management and many others.
Highly respected for his integrity, leadership and knowledge, Treasurer Lewis is a member of Governor Richardson’s Task Force on Ethics Reform, is a board member of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Mexico, and is an Army veteran. Lewis is a member of a number
of civic and professional organizations including the Prince Hall Masons, the Kiwanis Club of New Mexico, the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the NAACP.
Lewis holds undergraduate degrees in education and business administration and a Masters degree in Public Administration.
About the Arthur A. Blumenfeld Endowed Lecture Series
Throughout his life, Art Blumenfeld worked to improve the education and training of those serving in the public sector. He fervently believed that the government could serve only in equal measure to the skills and training of its employees.
Having served at various times as the National President of the Government Finance Officers Association, Director of the UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Director of the UNM City of Albuquerque Urban Observatory, and as Finance Director and Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Albuquerque, Art particularly felt that the quality of our governmental institutions would be improved with strong professional training programs.
For this reason, Art’s family and friends established the Arthur A. Blumenfeld Memorial Lecture Series at the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management. The Series sponsors lectures by prominent people in national, state, and local government affairs, particularly in the area of government finance.
The annual lectures focus on best practices in public finance. Participation of attendees from the ranks of public employees within the State of New Mexico is encouraged. When there are sufficient assets in the Fund, annual public training workshops will be presented for city and county finance officers.
Any person may make contributions by gift or bequest to the Foundation in the name of the Lecture Series. The Foundation will acknowledge receipt of all such gifts, which are tax deductible.
The University of New Mexico Foundation address is:
The University of New Mexico
Arthur A. Blumenfeld Memorial Lectureship
UNM Foundation
2 Woodward Center
700 Lomas NE, Suite 108
Albuquerque, NM 87131
Media Contacts: Leslie Venzuela, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: venzuela@mgt.unm.edu or Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Photographers have a new way to show images highlighting UNM at: flickr.unm.edu. Flickr is a popular online social network similar to YouTube, but dedicated to sharing and storing photographs.
The UNM pool was created by Matt Carter, Information Technology Services technical support analyst, John Sumrow, University Communication and Marketing Web designer, and Kevin Wiley, Health Sciences Center Web administrator.
“It’s a creative way of using a pre-existing system,” Sumrow said. “Why reinvent the wheel?”
The pool has already gotten a big response, with photos portraying an eclectic mix of athletics, arts, landscape, architecture and general campus life. “The Web is getting back to its roots, where people share ideas, share everything,” Sumrow said. He added that many photographers welcome the opportunity to “put their own story, their own voice, their own view out there – and hopefully connect.”
Anyone can sign up by creating a flickr account and joining the UNM pool. Photos must be of the UNM campus, UNM events or UNM life.
Sumrow moderates the pool, selecting photos to ensure high quality. “The photo has to have something extra, something that kicks it over the edge from just a snapshot to something unique and special,” he said.
Though not all photos submitted will be included, the pool is open to photographers at all levels. “Everybody has a unique vision,” Sumrow said. “Anyone can make great images. You just have to pursue it and have passion.”
The online group creates opportunities for real life networking. Recently, a group of 26 flickr users from Albuquerque and Santa Fe met to take photos at dusk on the UNM campus – the biggest meet-up the group has had yet.
“Everybody hangs out, talks photography and shares recipes for making images,” Sumrow said.
The flickr community can also help photographers stay on track. “When you haven’t been on for a while the group misses you,” Sumrow said. “You push each other to make more great images.”
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The sun symbol displayed on the New Mexico state flag came originally from Zia Pueblo. That’s one of the most common uses of the Zia sun symbol, but there are thousands of others. The sun symbol is a part of the Zia Tribe’s heritage and is used by the tribe for religious purposes. But the state of New Mexico and hundreds of businesses use it without permission or licensing. The Zia’s are now looking for a way to protect the sun symbol by trade-marking it, thus making it subject to intellectual property laws.
On Tuesday, Oct. 30, Zia Pueblo Assistant Tribal Administrator Ken Lucero and other tribal members will speak about the significance of the sun symbol and the battle to protect it in two events.
From noon to 1 p.m. there will be a brown bag lunch in the Herzstein Reading Room on the second floor of Zimmerman Library, and from 3 to 5 p.m. there will be a lecture titled “Zia Sun Symbol: Patenting the Sacred” and a showing of a short documentary film titled, “The Pueblo of Zia: Home of the Sun Symbol.”
Both events are free. They are sponsored by University Libraries Indigenous Nations Library Program.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
UNM’s Department of Theatre and Dance presents the New Mexico premiere of Off-Broadway hit “Zanna, Don’t!,” a musical fairy tale about a matchmaking teen who turns relationships upside-down, challenges our point of view and changes the world forever. The play comes to Rodey Theatre in the UNM Center for the Arts Nov. 16-Dec. 2.
“Zanna, Don’t!” takes place in Heartsville, U.S.A., a town where the normal social structure is reversed – the captain of the chess team is the coolest guy in school, the football quarterback can’t seem to fit in, and homosexuality is the prevailing norm.
It’s a new school year at Heartsville High, and the school’s magical matchmaker Zanna is doing what he does best – matching up couples to make sure that no one suffers from extra love, but things go tragically wrong when the school’s two closeted heterosexuals realize their feelings for each other. Knowing that their forbidden love will make them outcasts, they turn to Zanna for help, and Zanna is forced to put his own happiness on the line to make the world safe for those he loves.
Directed by Kathleen Clawson, “Zanna, Don’t!” includes a dynamic cast of UNM students Daniel Garcia as Zanna, Dani Lenski as Kate, John Byrom as Steve, Nicole Larsen as Roberta, Chris Gallegos as Mike, Leonard Hughes as Tank, Rachael Shapiro as Candi and Nathan Simpson as Buck.
The creative team includes musical direction by Barbara Murray, choreography and assistant director Wendy Leverenz-Barker, scenic design by Michael Schwalm, costume design by Stacia Smith, lighting design by Josh Bien, and sound design by Mike Gerdes.
Tim Acito, who wrote the book, music and lyrics for “Zanna, Don’t!” will attend opening night on Nov. 16, and David Geist, the music director of the original production, will play and conduct opening weekend performances.
Show times are Nov. 16, 17, 23, 24, 29, 30 and Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 18, 25 and Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 general, $15 faculty and seniors and $10 staff and students, and are available at UNM ticket offices, 925-5858 or UNM Tickets.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Politics of Northern New Mexico forests focus of book
The UNM Bookstore hosts a book signing with Jake Kosek, author of “Understories: The Political Life of Forests in Northern New Mexico,” on Friday, Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. in the UNM Bookstore on the corner of Cornell and Central NE.
Through lively, engaging narrative, Understories demonstrates how volatile politics of race, class and nation animate the notoriously violent struggles over forests in the southwestern United States. Rather than reproduce traditional understandings of nature and environment, Kosek shifts the focus toward material and symbolic “natures” – unchangeable essences central to formations of race, class, and nation being remade through conflicts over resources and through everyday practices by Chicano activists, white environmentalists and state officials as well as nuclear scientists, heroin addicts and health workers.
Drawing on two years of ethnographic fieldwork and extensive archival research, he shows how these contentious natures are integral both to environmental politics and the formation of racialized citizens, politicized landscapes and modern regimes of rule.
Kosek traces the histories of forest extraction and labor exploitation in northern New Mexico where Hispano residents have forged passionate attachments to place. He describes how their sentiments of dispossession emerged through land tenure systems and federal management programs that remade forest landscapes as exclusionary sites of national and racial purity.
Fusing fine-grained ethnography with insights gleaned from cultural studies and science studies, Kosek shows how the nationally beloved Smokey the Bear became a symbol of white racist colonialism for many Hispanos in the region, while Los Alamos National Laboratory, at once revered and reviled, remade regional ecologies and economies.
Understories offers an innovative vision of environmental politics, one that challenges scholars as well as activists to radically rework their understandings of relations between nature, justice, and identity.
Kosek is an assistant professor of American Studies and anthropology at the University of New Mexico.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
University Art Museum Friends of Art will present "Legacy at Risk: Artist's Homes and Studios," a lecture by nationally noted scholar, writer and preservationist Stephen May Saturday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. at UNM's Keller Hall, inside the Center for the Arts next to Popejoy Hall. Tickets are $10 per person and are available through the UNM Ticket Office, 1-877-664-8661 or 505-925-5858 or online at www.unmtickets.com.
A skilled and experienced speaker, May will guide his audience through the homes and studios of America's best-known artists. Of the over 250 American artists' homes and studios May has identified, highlights will include the homes of Edward Hopper, Jackson Pollack and Lee Krasner, James McNeil Whistler, Stuart Davis and many others.
Among the sites covered in New Mexico will be UNM's own Jonson Gallery, as well as the homes and studios of Taoseños Ernest Blumenshein and Nicolai Fechin, and Santa Feans Randall Davey and Allan Houser. May has lectured widely at museums including the Art Institute of Chicago, Delaware Art Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Norman Rockwell Museum, and Smithsonian American Art Museum.
For more information contact Chip Ware at 277-4967.
The 2007 Fall Design/Science Extravaganza brought more than 900 students from Albuquerque, Los Lunas, Belen and Santa Fe to the UNM campus for competitions and presentations in the Student Union Building and Johnson Center. The students worked as teams on a variety of academic challenges provided by MESA including robotics, engineering, electrical circuitry, math and science.
When not competing, the students attended a variety of presentations by the Hispanic Engineering Student Organization (HESO). The presentations included information about the UNM FSAE Race Car team, robotics laboratories, and chemical engineering. There was also engineering and science information available from Sandia National Laboratories, Lockheed Martin and others.
Near the end of the day all students participated in two engineering competitions developed by HESO, an egg drop and bridge construction.
MESA provided transportation, a mid-morning snack and lunch for the students, along with ribbons and trophies for the event winners. HESO provided commemorative tee shirts and student packets as well as prices for the winners of the engineering competitions.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Costly impacts foreseen for state’s economy and agriculture
Researchers at New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico today released a new study finding climate change will result in decreased water availability in New Mexico’s Rio Grande Basin, cutting the state’s water supply and hurting its economy and agriculture.
Photo: UNM Civil Engineering Professor Julie Coonrod discusses a new study on climate change at the Rio Grande during a press conference Tuesday.
The two researchers, NMSU Agricultural Economics Professor Brian Hurd and UNM Civil Engineering Professor Julie Coonrod, note a wide range of climate models predict warmer weather and a change in precipitation patterns in New Mexico, changes the new study finds will lead to a decrease in water supply ranging from a few percent to a one-third in the Rio Grande Basin.
Such water supply reductions will have a significant impact on New Mexico’s economy. The study used a middle scenario of greenhouse gas emissions growth over the 21st century and examined a wide range of potential changes in temperature and precipitation.
“Direct and indirect economic losses are projected to range from $13 million to $115 million by 2030 in the state of New Mexico, and from $21 million to over $300 million by 2080,” said Hurd, who has studied climate change and its economic effects for more than a decade . “Traditional agricultural systems and rural communities are most at risk, and may need transitional assistance.”
Much of New Mexico’s surface water comes from snowmelt high in the mountains. Warmer temperatures could create a shift in precipitation patterns, leading to more rain and less snow. That would mean less water stored as snow pack and available after snowmelt for rivers and reservoirs, especially during the peak irrigation season in late summer.
Additionally, warmer temperatures translate to earlier seasonal snowmelts. That means the water that makes it to the reservoir has more time to evaporate before it is released to agriculture downstream.
"Purely economic figures don't tell the whole story," said Hurd. "Unfortunately, what we leave out of our analysis might ultimately prove more valuable to our environment, our identity, and to the character of New Mexico."
* Hurd and Coonrod say water supply losses will not only shrink crop acreage and production but could irreversibly alter New Mexico's landscape and rural character.
"Irrigated lands support more than crops," Hurd said. “They provide habitat for wildlife, open space and scenic vistas for the backdrop to New Mexico's thriving art, tourist and recreation economies." In addition, the researchers warn of the effects warming and drying would have on New Mexico's forests, rangelands and water quality, including heightened frequency and severity of wildfires, reduced forage for both livestock and wildlife and reduced water quality.
With decreases in available surface water coupled with rising urban populations, Hurd believes pressure to buy water from farmers will intensify. “Water prices will inevitably rise and farmers will find it more lucrative to lease or sell their water than to farm.” He also believes clarifying water rights and improved measurement will allow farmers to more profitably manage their water, leading to greater efficiency and mitigation of some of the farm-level economic losses.
“This is something that has already been happening in the state,” Hurd said. “Climate change will only make hasten water transfers.”
Hurd and Coonrod say with more people and less water in New Mexico’s future, the patterns of water use will either have to be reorganized, or the state risks significant disruption in the services provided by water resources. The research was funded by the bipartisan National Commission on Energy Policy.
The study is available online at: http://agecon.nmsu.edu/bhurd.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Professor Gabriel Melendez, chair, American Studies, understands what it means to be a UNM student coming from rural, remote or small town New Mexico. He was born in Mora, N.M., located in the northern part of the state. He also understands what it means to leave those places where home, family, culture and tradition are not just words but a way of life.
Photo: Professor and American Studies Chair Gabriel Melendez.
Melendez and Manuel Garcia y Griego, director, Southwest Hispanic Research Institute, are co-chairs of the Title V faculty steering committee. Their charge is to help UNM faculty better understand the mindset, mentality, vitality and potential of UNM’s largely Hispanic, homegrown student body.
A workshop, “Responding to Diversity: Alternatives to blaming the students,” is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m.-noon and again at 2-5 p.m. in the Student Union Building Santa Ana room. Registration is required. Online visit: OSET or call OSET at 277-2229.
A special guest speaker, Craig E. Nelson, University of Indiana-Bloomington, will give the presentation and lead the workshop. Nelson, a biology professor, has taught numerous courses on teaching and received several awards for his work in the classroom. The Carnegie Foundation named him Professor of the Year in 2000. He was awarded the President’s Medal for Excellence in 2001 from Indiana University.
Jennifer Gomez-Chavez, director, Title V, said, “When diversity issues are cast in content-centered ways, many faculty members view them as irrelevant to their own teaching. An examination of pedagogical practices reveals a need for changes in nearly all courses.”
Workshop participants will learn how to reduce or eliminate low grades in lecture courses without lowering standards. They will also learn how, by dedicating one hour of class time, to make students work harder. They will also determine if their assessment systems unfairly and unnecessarily favor particular groups.
“Many traditional teaching techniques disadvantage many nontraditional students. We can make our courses fairer without lowering standards,” Gomez-Chavez said.
Melendez came to Albuquerque as a young teen when his family moved here from Mora. He went to Washington Middle School and Albuquerque High School. He remembers recruiters – UNM and military – coming to AHS in 1971. He chose the path to higher education, earning all his degrees in Spanish and Portuguese while learning about Chicano studies as a grassroots effort.
“For the first time Chicanos, Hispanic students were on campus in record numbers. We needed to be here to effect change. It was a way to help our community.”
Helping faculty be successful in the classroom directly results in student success. The Title V initiative is aimed toward just that.
“We hope all faculty who are able will take advantage of this opportunity,” Gomez-Chavez said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy at UNM hosts “Explaining State-Level Differences in Minority Citizens’ Health Insurance Coverage,” a lecture by Florida State University Professor Charles Barrilleaux, on Thursday, Nov. 8, 12:30-1:45 p.m. in the Anthropology Building, rm. 178.
Photo: Florida State University Professor Charles Barrilleaux.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Parking permits for off-campus visitors are available by calling the RWJF Center at 277-0130.
Barrilleaux is LeRoy Collins Professor of Political Science at Florida State University, where he is also an associate of the DeVoe Moore Center for the Study of Critical Issues in Economics and Government, an associate of the Mildred and Claude Pepper Center for Aging and Public Policy. His health care research focuses on issues of access to care, state health policymaking, and problems of uninsurance.
According to Barrilleaux, most people recognize health insurance coverage as an important component of economic and personal security. “To the extent that ethnic and racial groups are at greater risk of being uninsured, those groups’ ability to succeed and participate fully in US society is hampered,” Barrilleaux said.
Nearly 45 million Americans were without health insurance of any kind during 2005. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the rate of uninsurance in the US varies greatly by race, with about 12 percent of whites, 20 percent of African-Americans, 34 percent of Hispanics, and 18 percent of persons categorized as “other” race being uninsured. Variations are more pronounced among the states, rising as high as 55 percent among Hispanics in Tennessee and 27 percent among blacks in Florida.
Barrilleaux said he plans to discuss sources of variation in state-level rates of uninsurance among groups and point to plausible policy solutions to the problem.
“The wide variation among states, some of which are straining their budgets to pay for Medicaid and other health programs, suggests that the popular strategy of relying on the states as a solution to the health coverage problem may be flawed,” he said.
Barrilleaux received his Ph.D. in political science from State University of New York, Binghamton in 1984 and completed post-doctoral training in health care finance as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Faculty Fellow at Johns Hopkins University in 1986-1987. In addition to Florida State University, he has been on the faculty at the University of New Orleans and worked as a policy analyst for the New York state Medicaid agency.
The lecture is part of the RWJF Center for Health Policy’s Fall Lecture Series. For more information about this or other upcoming lectures, contact the RWJF Center at (505) 277-0130 or via email at rwjf@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico ARTS Lab will present an interactive demonstration on studio lighting for green screen applications on Friday, Oct. 26, 2-4:30 p.m. at the ARTS Lab Garage at 123 Pine St. N.E., near the intersection of Central Avenue and University Boulevard. The event is the first in a new series of Friday afternoon workshops. Future topics include motion capture and digital rights management.
Green screen is a popular special effects tool, used in numerous movies including “Sin City” and “300.” The technique is a relatively low-cost way for filmmakers to put their characters in the environment of their choice. But the proper lighting can make all the difference.
The Oct. 26 demonstration will cover the basic approach to illumination concepts and specific challenges involved in lighting for the chroma key process.
This session will be conducted in the studio environment of ARTS Lab Garage, and will feature a real-time chroma key system. The concepts covered can be applied to film and video projects, experimental art and visual effects.
To participate in the event RSVP at: ARTS Lab RSVP.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Women’s Resource Center presents a film festival, Oct. 26-27, in the Student Union Building, Southwest Film Center Theatre. The festival opens with a screening of “The Shape of Water” and keynote speech by filmmaker and director Kum-Kum Bhavani on Friday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
The film captures an encounter with five women in Brazil, India, Jerusalem and Senegal and their responses to environmental degradation, archaic traditions, lack of economic independence, and war.
Five films will be shown Saturday, Oct. 27:
11 a.m. – “Judith Butler: Philosophical Encounters of the Third Kind.” This documentary offers an intimate look at one of the most fascinating minds in contemporary gender studies.
Noon – “Flowers for Guadalupe.” Women of Mexican descent discuss the cultural and spiritual significance of La Virgin de Guadalupe in their lives.
1:30 p.m. – “Look Us In The Eye: The Old Women’s Project.” This documentary captures senior women’s stories of struggling against ageism and cultural, social and political invisibility.
2:15 p.m. – “I Was A Teenage Feminist.” A self-reflective look at one young woman’s efforts to show her peers the continuing relevancy of feminism.
3:30 p.m. – “Prison Lullabies.” A documentary about the triumphs and travails of incarcerated mothers.
The film festival is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome. The event is cosponsored by Women in Movement in New Mexico (WIMIN) and the Southwest Film Center.
For more information call Summer Little at 277-3716.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico-Gallup Cultural Arts Council presents Blackhorse Mitchell, artist, musician and storyteller, on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. in Gurley Hall 1124 at UNM-Gallup.
Photo: Artist, musician and storyteller Blackhorse Mitchell.
Born in Tsezhin Bidaat’i’i' near the Colorado border, Mitchell grew up herding sheep on Palmer Mesa and in Salt Creek Canyon. He left for boarding school in Colorado in 1951, and then went to study art at the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe.
In 1963 he wrote a chronicle of his life titled, “Miracle Hill.” The biography is available through the University of Arizona Press.
Mitchell conducts workshops on pottery, basketry and moccasin-making at Diné College.
He is a full-time Navajo language teacher at Shiprock High School. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from UNM.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM School of Law Professor Emeritus Peter Winograd saw five years of persistence and hard work pay off on Sept. 27, when President George Bush signed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act into law.
Winograd, along with Georgetown University law professor Philip Schrag, helped draft a provision in the new law to greatly reduce the standard monthly payment on federal education loans for graduates who are pursuing a career in public service. After 10 years of public interest work and making consistent payments, the loan’s remaining balance will be forgiven.
“Our hope is that a graduate who spends 10 years in a low-paying public interest job will stay with it after the loan is forgiven,” says Winograd. “This now makes it possible for people with their hearts set on public interest employment to be financially able to undertake such work.”
Winograd is the chair of the ABA Legal Education Section’s Government Relations and Student Financial Aid Committee. Schrag is the vice chair of the committee, which had been lobbying for this provision for over five years.
Background on Peter Winograd...
Winograd was recently elected to a second two-year term as Secretary of the American Bar Association's Council of the Section of Legal Education & Admissions to the Bar. The Council is the agency designated by the United States Department of Education to accredit U.S. law schools.
Professor Winograd joined the UNM School of Law faculty in 1976 as associate dean. Through his involvement in the ABA, he has helped evaluate over 30 law schools across the country, often discovering new teaching ideas and approaches that he has helped to incorporate into the UNM School of Law.
He is also a public member of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the medical school accrediting body appointed by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
The UNM Student Health Center presents “Red Ribbon Day ’07,” on Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the SUB plaza.
This is an opportunity for people to learn about the dangers of alcohol, which is important since in 2005, 2.1 million students between 18 and 24 drove under the influence of alcohol.
The event features information, resources, fun games and prizes.
The 6th Annual UNM Golf Fiesta at UNM’s Championship Course is set for Friday, Oct. 26 with a registration deadline of Tuesday, Oct. 23 by 5 p.m. The event is open to all UNM students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Registration fee is $50 per person or $200 per team and includes green fees, cart and prizes. A buffet is open following the tournament.
Sign-in starts at 11:30 a.m., shotgun starts at 12:30 p.m. Registration is limited to the first 30 teams with reservations with teams comprised of four-person scramble.
Prizes will be presented for the 1st-3rd place teams and for specialty contests including closest to the pin, longest drive and other hole contests.
For more information call 277-4546.
Interested Faculty and Staff members are invited to an informal gathering of people interested in nanoscience on Thursday, October 25th from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. in room 106 of the Faculty Club at 1923 Las Lomas NE.
The Nano Café will provide an opportunity for the Nanoscience community to exchange ideas in an informal atmosphere, and to present research findings with plenty of time available for in-depth discussions.
We plan short talks by faculty, students, and invited guests, followed by a social hour. Refreshments and light hors d'oeuvres will be provided.
The speakers at our first meeting will be:
Justine Johannes, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque "National Institute for Nanoengineering Education"
John Grey, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, "Uncovering Structure-Function Relationships at Heterojunction Interfaces in Molecular Photovoltaic Materials"
Adam Wise, IGERT fellow and Ph.D. student, "Nano Outreach - helping create the next generation of Nano scientists"
Please join us!
The Nanoscience and Microsystems (NSMS) degree program and Integrated Graduate Education Research and Training (IGERT) program is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
For more information, please contact Abhaya Datye at 277-0477 or Heather Armstrong at 277-6824.
The third candidate, José Pagán, to visit campus for executive director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center, is Monday, Oct. 22 at 2:30 p.m. in the SUB Acoma Rooms A&B. Pagán, professor of economics, in the Department of Economics and Finance at the University of Texas-Pan American, is also director of the Institute for Population Health Policy at UT Pan American.
He has been a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at the Wharton School of Business and School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and has served as the director of the Center for Border Economic Studies at UT-Pan American.
Pagán received his Ph.D.in economics from UNM, and a master’s at Ohio State
University.
For more information or assistance call the Center at 277-0130.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
From the moment they arrive at the University of New Mexico, students are challenged to put knowledge into practice. Research Quest Day 2007, held Wednesday, Nov. 14, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Student Union Building, highlights the scholarly and creative endeavors of UNM freshmen.
Throughout the day, students will demonstrate research in a wide range of academic disciplines through oral and poster presentations. Students will also display their creative side through spoken word, dance, art, short films, architectural models and engineering structural design models. Cash prizes will be awarded to the best projects.
At noon, Dean of University College Peter White will present a keynote address on “Devil Babies, King Tut, Cattle Mutilations, and Alien Abductions: The Role of Coincidence in Academic Research” in Student Union Building ballroom B. White is a presidential professor of English and American studies at UNM, where he has taught since 1977.
As dean of University College, he has overseen the creation of innovative undergraduate programs including Freshman Learning Communities, Freshman Convocation, Freshman Family Day, Sophomore Seminars in Career Awareness, and the Research Service Learning Program, among others.
Research Quest Day is sponsored by University College, PROFOUND, Women in Science and Engineering, the Ronald McNair Program, and others. For more information, contact Marla Wyche-Hall, program director, at 277-8279 or mwycheh1@unm.edu.
Research Quest Day 2007
Wednesday, Nov. 14
Student Union Building
7:45-8:50 a.m.
Registration, in front of ballrooms B and C
7:45-10 a.m.
Light Fare
9-11:40 a.m.
Poster Presentations Session I, ballroom C
Oral Presentations Session I, third floor meeting rooms
Creative Presentations Session I, main and third floor levels
Noon-1 p.m.
Luncheon/Keynote Address, ballroom B
Dean of University College Peter L. White
1:15-4:15 p.m.
Poster Presentations Session II, ballroom C
1:20-4:45 p.m.
Oral Presentations Session II, third floor meeting rooms
Creative Presentations Session II, main and third floor levels
The UNM Public Service Career Showcase is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the UNM Student Union Building Ballroom. The focus of this event is employment in federal, state and municipal governments. The event is open to all students, alumni and community members.
The event provides an opportunity for job seekers to connect with multiple employers in just one day. Job seekers should come prepared, professionally dressed and with plenty of copies of their resume.
For an up-to-date detailed list of registered recruiters and their openings visit: UNM Career Services or call the office at 277-2531 for more information.
Media Contact: Jason Capps, (505) 277-2531; e-mail: jcapps@unm.edu
Opening reception to be held Friday, Oct. 26 from 4 to 6 p.m.
An art exhibition titled 'Unsung: Portraits of UNM School of Medicine Faculty' by Jack Melville will be on display beginning Friday, Oct. 26 through Monday, Nov. 30, 2007. The exhibition will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday on the Fifth Floor Art Gallery at UNM Hospital.
The unique art exhibition features UNM School of Medicine faculty. Pediatric cardiology staff member and exhibition guest curator Nancy Whalen will present a series of portraits of the "old guard" in a way to honor them while they are still active in campus life.
Melville decided to call the show "Unsung" because all of the faculty he painted were so modest about their accomplishments.
"They're heroic, in a way: They build a medical school from the ground up. They invented a new way of teaching medicine that is now internationally known. But they're not about that; they're very humble," said Melville.
It is important to note that this show was not commissioned by the Health Sciences Center, and that Melville has not received payment for his work. He was willing to commit to the project for the exposure and for the experience of working with the UNM faculty members he painted.
"I feel like I've grown as a person just from talking to them," he said.
The show's curators hope that some paintings will be sold to help compensate Melville for his time and talent. But Melville hopes the paintings will remain in the hospital where people can see them. "The show belongs on campus," he said. "It is part of the school's legacy."
For more information, contact Chris Fenton via e-mail at: cfenton@salud.unm.edu or by telephone, 272-9700.
Pam Hurd-Knief, interim associate vice president for development, has been selected by the New Mexico Chapter of Fundraising Professionals to receive the award for outstanding fundraising professional. While chief development officer for the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, she led the development effort to raise more than $17 million in public and private funds while at the School and in her current position serves in a leadership role with the UNM Foundation that raised $72 million in FY 06-07.
Photo: Pam Hurd-Knief
Hurd-Knief will receive the award at the 21st Annual National Philanthropy Day luncheon on Friday, Nov. 16, at the Embassy Suites Hotel.
Hurd-Knief has been at UNM for eight years, six years at the School of Architecture and Planning, with prior development-related positions at the Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation, UNM School of Law and the UNM Children’s Hospital. In her current role as director of major gifts, she has worked closely with all UNM schools, colleges, units and campuses to facilitate interaction with donors and prospective donors.
Hurd-Knief, who is a Certified Fundraising Executive, is past president of the New Mexico Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She has also served on more than a dozen non-profit boards in the greater Albuquerque area. She earned a master’s in philanthropy and development at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM architecture student Arturo Nuñez, was selected by a distinguished jury to receive the form·Z Joint Study Program Award of Distinction for Fabrication. Also, the UNM team of Nuñez, Alberto Rodriquez and Jake Semler won Honorable Mention in fabrication, allowing UNM a sweep of the category. All three graduated this spring with bachelor’s degrees in architecture.
Photo: Form Z President Chris Yessios congratulates Arturo Nuñez on his award.
The form·Z Joint Study Program makes form·Z and its related products available to educational institutions, one year at a time, at the cost of processing and materials.
The goals of the Joint Study Program are to promote education in 3D modeling and computer-enhanced design, and to contribute to the evolution of computer driven design tools.
Nuñez’s project is titled, “Modulation+Mutations II.” In his project submission, he wrote, “The exponential growth of digital information and continual expansion of new technologies has had a profound effect on the manner by which architects create space. Designers are now incorporating new methodologies that borrow from the automotive, aeronautical and cinematic professions.”
In his project, Nuñez designed walls “as a living element” that can be used for many purposes. See his designs on the form·Z Web site:
http://www.formz.com/jointstudy/JS2006/awards20062007.html.
Tim Castillo, assistant professor in the School of Architecture and Planning, defines Nuñez’s project as “urban furniture.” He notes that their work will be published in the Joint Study Annual Report in 2008.
“This sweep is a great honor for our school and program,” Castillo said.
The Joint Study Program requires a regular member of the faculty, in this case, Castillo, to serve as principal investigator, who administers the program and submits a report and samples of student work at the end of the academic year.
Awards are selected annually by a jury of distinguished experts. The winners of the Awards of Distinction receive a free copy of form·Z, and their schools receive a free one-year subscription to the JS Program.
Nuñez, a Mexican immigrant who has lived in New Mexico for 20 years, created this design as a fourth-year architecture student at UNM.
Architecture has allowed Nuñez to critically evaluate the world around him and the way he experiences it. “I have found an unfortunate misunderstanding of the essential role an architect can play, a role that has been undermined by the misguiding principles of American capitalism. In this environment driven by the bottom dollar, architecture is forced to confront challenges in new and innovative ways to advance the field.”
Nuñez received his award at the ACADIA Conference earlier this month in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Music Professor Brad Ellingboe has been invited by the Norwegian Consulate to lecture on the music of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, in commemoration of his centennial, on Thursday, Nov. 8, at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. His lecture precedes a concert featuring the chamber ensemble Poetica Musica.
The Norwegian Consulate General’s Cultural Affairs Officer, Thor-Arne Englund, wrote, “It is a great honor for us to have such a renowned Grieg scholar lecturing at our event – especially since Grieg’s adaptation of Arne Garborg’s ‘Haugtussa’ is central in the concert’s program.”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Construction on the intersection of Yale Boulevard and Camino de Salud on North Campus – roads that lead to University Hospital, Information Technology Services, Physics and Astronomy, and the Law School – began on Oct. 12. When the construction is completed the intersection will be transformed into a “roundabout”, providing smoother traffic flow through the former start-and-stop intersection.
In addition to the change to the intersection, the entrance to the Information Technology Services and the Physics and Astronomy buildings will have moved from Yale Boulevard to Camino de Salud.
Phase one of the road construction involves the widening of Yale Boulevard from Lomas north to Camino de Salud. A new entrance on the north end of the Physics and Astronomy parking lot will also be opened and the existing parking lot entrance will be closed. This phase is expected to continue through the first week of November.
In phase two of the construction, scheduled to begin in the second week of November and run through mid-December, Camino de Salud west of Yale will be closed, but through traffic will be able to use Tucker and Yale. The entrance to the M parking lot, Physical Plant and Office of Capital Projects offices will remain open off of Camino de Salud. Traffic will detour around the construction area through the Physics parking lot to Camino de Salud east of Yale and back to Yale Boulevard.
In the final stage of the project, Yale Boulevard will be opened from Lomas to Camino de Salud. Yale will be closed from Camino de Salud to Tucker during this time while Camino de Salud west of Yale will be reopened to traffic. The detour through the Physics parking lot will remain open to allow access to Camino de Salud east of Yale.
Commuters, students and staff traveling to the Law School, Health Sciences Center or parking areas will be diverted west to the intersection of Camino de Salud and Tucker to avoid construction. This final phase will run from mid-December to mid-January, the completion date for the project.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital recently celebrated the official opening of the Jeff Apodaca Multi-Media Center located on the sixth floor of the Barbara and Bill Richardson Pavilion. Apodaca, son of former New Mexico Governor Jerry Apodaca, has been raising money for the UNM Children’s Hospital for the past 10 years and has held a fundraiser gala event for the last nine years.
Photo (l. to r.): Jeff Apodaca, Julia Grimes, director of Child Life, and Apodaca's wife, Jackie.
Every dollar raised has gone toward the media center and the Jeff Apodaca Celebration of Life Scholarship, which awards New Mexico students, who have battled a serious childhood illness, $5,000 for tuition and books.
With the help of family and friends, Apodaca has raised close to $1 million for the UNM Children’s Hospital, $80,000 in scholarships.
September 28 marked the last fundraiser gala event, but Apodaca has taken the $350,000 left from his fundraising efforts and has endowed it to UNM. That money will continue to be allocated to the media center and future scholarships.
At the same time of the official opening of the media center, Apodaca was also celebrating 28 years of being cancer free. As a teenager, he was diagnosed with a rare soft tissue cancer and was treated at UNM Children’s Hospital. Nine years ago, Apodaca decided he wanted to do something to help other children who have battled cancer and other illnesses.
“My vision was to have a multi-media center with computers, a big-screen tv and other media options where kids could go be entertained and educated while staying at the hospital,” said Apodaca. “Every dollar we raise is to educate or entertain a child.”
Since it’s opening, the media center has proven to be a popular space for pediatric patients and their families. Julia Grimes, director of Child Life, said the media center has become a gathering place for those staying at the hospital. Every Tuesday the media center hosts a bingo night and every Thursday is movie night.
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
The UNM Parking and Transportation Department announced a plan to end service to three bus stops in the area of Yale, north of Lomas, and Camino de Salud to accommodate ongoing construction of the new Yale Roundabout on the North Campus. These stops will close starting on Nov. 1 and will remain closed until further notice.
The locations affected are the intersection of Yale and Camino de Salud and on Camino de Salud, approaching Tucker. The closest bus stops to the affected area are located on Tucker, east and west of the UNM Observatory. The remaining bus stops on this route will remain open.
These closures will impact riders using the Redondo shuttle service and the G/Q parking lot shuttles departing from the Duck Pond.
For more information, please contact Deirdre Markham at, dmarkham@parking.unm.edu or call 277-5692.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
Hope On Wheels Hyundai dealers recently donated $30,000 to the UNM Children’s Hospital in the fight against pediatric cancer at a symbolic “handprint” ceremony. Patients placed colorful handprints on a white 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe to celebrate their lives and treatment milestones.
Photo: A Hyundai dealer representative helps a UNM Children's Hospital patient place his handprint.
Hyundai’s Hope on Wheels program is the united effort of more than 750 Hyundai dealers to raise awareness for children battling cancer.
Since the inception of Hope On Wheels in 2004, the tour has visited more than 70 hospitals nationwide and has collected more than 300 handprints.
Hyundai and its dealers have contributed more than $8 million to research institutions across the country to date.
In 2007, Hyundai will visit 300 institutions and expects to reach $10 million in total contributions since adopting pediatric cancer as a national cause.
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
UNM’s Department of Theatre and Dance celebrates the appointment of award-winning playwright Elaine Avila as the Robert Hartung Endowed Chair of Dramatic Writing with a reading of selections from her recent plays on Sunday, Oct. 21, noon to 1 p.m. in Rodey Theatre, Center for the Arts. The reading features UNM’s resident company, the Tricklock Theatre Company directed by Joe Perrachio, and is free of charge.
Photo: Elaine Avila
Avila’s plays have been performed across the U.S., Canada and Europe. Some of her favorite projects include “Lieutenant Nun” (based on the true story of a woman conquistador), “Burn Gloom” (a music-theatre collaboration involving writers from 14 cities) and “Good Fooling” (the story of Shakespeare’s Clown).
She is the recipient of numerous awards including The Victoria Critic’s Circle for Best New Play, a Canada Council Millennium Grant, New Works for Young Women Award/Residency from Tulsa University, the A.S.K. Theatre Projects Scholarship, and the Alden B. Dow Fellowship.
Her screenplays include “Fortune,” “Kai takes a Solo” and “Lead Dress.” She is currently at work on her novel, “Saudades,” about her Portuguese grandfather immigrating to North America from the Azores. Avila has an M.F.A. in playwriting from California Institute of the Arts, where she worked closely with Suzan-Lori Parks and Erik Ehn. She has taught in universities from British Columbia to Tasmania.
One of her passions is working with people who do not traditionally have access to theatre because of life threatening illness, violence, poverty, language barriers or disability. Highlights in artistic leadership include serving as Artistic Director of a company specializing in international theatre and the classics, and spearheading LEAP, a multicultural initiative fostering young playwrights.
While working professionally as an actor/director in the U.S., Canada and Australia, she became one of the few people in the world trained in Pochinko clown through mask technique, a combination of Native North American and European clowning, as well as Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed and commedia dell’ arte.
As the Robert Hartung Endowed Chair of Dramatic Writing, Avila is working with both undergraduates and M.F.A. students in UNM’s Dramatic Writing Program. This program offers continuing opportunities for producing new work which creates an environment where students are either preparing scripts for submission to the annual new works festival, Words Afire, submitting material for production to the local theatre community, or for the season of plays selected by students and presented in Theatre X. Students in the writing program have won national playwriting awards for the plays presented in this festival, including awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.
The Oct. 21 reading will be followed by a brief reception where the public is invited to meet Avila. More information is available at: UNM Theatre or by calling (505) 277-4332.
Media Contact: Kathleen Clawson, (505) 238-6029; e-mail: kclawson@unm.edu
New Mexico In Focus airs on Friday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. & repeats Sunday, Oct. 21 at 6:30 a.m.
'New Mexico In Focus' is KNME, Channel 5’s newly reconceived and invigorated prime-time news magazine show covering the events, issues and people that are shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest. This week’s topics include: Steve Pearce's decision to take on Heather Wilson for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate; Sex education in New Mexico's classrooms; and Spaceport America.
This week's guest:
* Lonnie Talbert, director, Corporate Credit and Quality, Summit Electric Supply
Co-Hosted by Santa Fe Reporter staff writer David Alire Garcia and local Tribune columnist Gene Grant, New Mexico In Focus takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic, health, education and arts issues and explores them in-depth, with a critical eye to give them context beyond the "news of the moment."
Regular Commentators/Panelists
* Hosts: Gene Grant and David Alire Garcia
* Margaret Montoya, UNM Schools of Law and Medicine
* Whitney Cheshire, political consultant; blogger, Wednesday Morning QB
* Jim Scarantino, Weekly Alibi Columnist
The producer of New Mexico In Focus is Kevin McDonald. Support for the show has been provided by McCune Charitable Foundation. Closed Captioning has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1218; e-mail: etodd@knme.org
On Tuesday, Oct. 16, University of New Mexico Hospitals (UNMH) and staff honored former patient Geoffrey S.M. Hedrick for his donation of $2.5 million to fund the purchase of a Dual Tube 64 Computed Tomography (CT) Scan that will be used in the Imaging Suite located in the Trauma Center at UNMH.
Photo: Geoffrey S.M. Hedrick talks with radiology Chairman Michael Williamson about the CT scanner.
Forty-two years ago, Hedrick suffered extensive critical injuries due to an auto accident in Grants, N.M. His injuries required him to stay for four months, in traction, at UNMH. Hedrick credits the staff at UNMH for saving his life and his legs.
Hedrick now lives in Pennsylvania and is the founder and CEO of Innovative Solutions & Support, Inc. He has 35 years of experience in the avionics industry, and holds a number of patents in the electronics, optoelectric, electromagnetic, aerospace and contamination-control fields.
As a tribute and in recognition of his purchase of the CT Scan, the Imaging Suite in our Trauma Center has been named in honor of Hedrick,” said Steve McKernan, CEO for UNMH. “Mr. Hedrick has displayed a dedication to quality technological advancement for over 35 years and his personal appreciation of UNM Hospitals for their expert, professional and compassionate care will not be forgotten.”
For more information contact the Development Office at, (505) 277-5685.
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
Professor of Civil Engineering James D. Brogan has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Western District of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. ITE is an international association of transportation professionals and has more than 25,000 members worldwide.
Photo: James D. Brogan
Brogan has been a member of the institute for 35 years. He has chaired UNM’s Paving and Transportation Conference for the past 20 years. That conference provides the latest information about paving materials, highway planning and design, and mass transportation in a setting that focuses on local and state needs.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities at UNM where he is a tenured professor, Brogan also is the director of the Alliance for Transportation Research Institute.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Maxwell Museum continues to feature an array of exhibits, performances and celebrations in honor of its 75th anniversary during the month of October. The museum’s Artisans of the World presents “Eskimo Drawings,” a discussion of various drawings done by Inupiat, Yup'ik and Siberian on Thursday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. Yupik Eskimo artists from the late 19th to mid 20th century show various aspects of Native life along the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The evening also includes a lecture by Walter Van Horn. Free and open to the public.
The museum’s Artisans of the World presents “Eskimo Drawings,” a discussion of various drawings done by Inupiat, Yup'ik and Siberian on Thursday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. Yupik Eskimo artists from the late 19th to mid 20th century show various aspects of Native life along the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The evening also includes a lecture by Walter Van Horn. Free and open to the public.
On Friday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m., Pamyua! Tribal Funk and World Music will be featured at UNM’s Keller Hall in the Center for the Arts, $15, $10, (students, seniors, children). Tickets are available at www.unmtickets.com or 925-5858, or at the UNM Bookstore box office.
Alaskan Native musicians Pamyua! are winners of the Record of the Year at the Native American Music Awards, were Grammy Award performers and were nominated for the Aboriginal People’s Choice Awards. Pamyua! will wow Albuquerque with traditional Yup’ik songs and world beats. Visit www.pamyua.com. Listen to Pamyua! (MP3 attached with permission by the band.)
On Saturday, Oct. 27, 1-3:30 p.m., Maxwell presents Passport to People Family Program Native Alaskan Ceremonial Life. Find out what it would be like to be a giant whale or try on a gut skin parka or a Qaspeq (kuspek), the traditional dress worn by Inupiat and Yupik boys and girls. Experience Native Alaskan Ceremonial Life through traditional drum making by Ossie Kairaiuak. Visitors will learn to make an Inviting In or Messenger feast mask and hear stories from the Bering Sea region. Free and open to the public.
Saturday night “Celebrate the Maxwell,” from 7-10 p.m., in an evening of ethnic delicacies, international fine cuisine and performances spanning the globe.
Featuring Native Alaskan musicians Pamyua, Leyla Najma Egyptian Cabaret belly dancing, Flamenco by Isabel and Gabriel Fuentes and the Chinese American Citizens Alliance Youth Dance Troupe. Music by Sadaqah and Edward Baca. Tango under the stars!
Enjoy the opening of parts three and four of North by Southwest: Bering Sea Communities, Collaborations and Collections, Maxwell’s 75th anniversary commemorative exhibit. Tickets $25, at the Museum Shop or call 277-4405
Proceeds support cultural programs.
For more information on any event call 277-1400 or visit Maxwell Museum.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Former Gallup mayor Emmett Garcia, who was abducted in 1973 by two Navajo University of New Mexico students, Larry Casuse and Robert Nakaidene, in a notorious and high profile incident, will speak to the Dale Mason’s Native American Studies class at UNM-Gallup, on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 12:30 p.m. in room 248A in Calvin Hall.
Garcia’s abduction took place in a time of intense Native American activism.
Casuse and Nakaidene allegedly staged the abduction as a protest against Garcia’s support of the Gallup Intertribal Indian Ceremonial and a saloon in Tse Bonito owned by Garcia.
The men, members of the UNM KIVA Club, a Native American organization, took Garcia to a local sporting goods store. Garcia was freed, and then a shootout ensued between Casuse and Nakaidene and local law enforcement officers at the store. Nakaidene surrendered, but Casuse was killed.
A firestorm of controversy broke out regarding culpability in Casuse’s death
as well as the men’s motives. Garcia, who was defeated for re-election after the shooting, has recently stepped forward and announced that he wishes to tell his version of the events of that day.
The University of New Mexico Libraries is issuing a call for submissions to the Premio Aztlán Literary Prize, a national literary award established to encourage and reward emerging Chicana and Chicano authors.
The competition is open to writers who have published a work of fiction in the 2007 calendar year and whose publications do not exceed two books. The winner of the prize will be awarded $1,000 and be invited to give a lecture at the award ceremony to be held at the University of New Mexico in April 2008.
Renowned author Rudolfo Anaya and his wife, Patricia, founded Premio Aztlán in 1993 as a way to encourage beginning authors.
Past award recipients
Reyna Grande (2006) Across a Hundred Mountains
Gene Guerin (2005) Cottonwood Saints
Mary Helen Lagasse (2004) The Fifth Sun
Sergio Troncoso (1999) The Last Tortilla and other Stories
Ronald Ruiz (1998) Giuseppe Rocco
Pat Mora (1997) House of Houses
Wendell Mayo (1996) Centaur of the North
Norma Cantu (1995) Canicula: Snapshots of a Girlhood en la Frontera
Denise Chavez (1994) Face of an Angel
Alicia Gaspar de Alba (1993) The Mystery of Survival and Other Stories
The closing date for entries is Saturday, Dec. 31, 2007. Submissions must include five copies of the book, a letter of interest, or if from the publisher, a letter of nomination and author’s curriculum vitae, resume or background information, which must include a list of published works and any communal involvement with the Chicana/Chicano community.
Submissions must be mailed to the following address by Dec. 31, 2007:
Premio Aztlán Literary Prize
University Libraries, Dean’s Office
MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
Contact Teresa Marquez at, andaluz@unm.edu or visit the Web site at: Premio Aztlan.
A search committee chaired by Professor Michael J. Dougher, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UNM, has selected four finalists for the position of executive director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy at UNM. They are: Deborah R. McFarlane, José A. Pagán, Kathleen A. Staudt and Robert Otto Valdez.
Each candidate has been invited to UNM for a campus visit and to make a public presentation. Anyone with an interest in health policy is encouraged to attend the candidates’ presentations and to provide feedback to the committee.
Parking passes are available for off-campus visitors. Please call 277-0130 for more information.
Deborah McFarlane
Public presentation - Monday, Oct. 15, 12-1:30 p.m., Location: Student Union Building, Lobo A & B
McFarlane is currently interim executive director of the RWJF Center and a professor with appointments in Political Science and Women’s Studies at UNM. She has served as a visiting professor in the Department of Population & Family Health Sciences in the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University and as a professor in the School of Public Administration at UNM. McFarlane received her Ph.D. in public health from the University of Texas, a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, and a Master of Public Health, Population Planning from the University of Michigan.
Robert Valdez
Public presentation - Thursday, Oct. 18, 3-4:30 p.m., UNM Student Union Building, Fiesta A & B
Valdez is the president of Valdez & Associates in Vienna, Va. and adjunct senior health scientist at the RAND Health Sciences Program. He has served as the lead health consultant for a health promotion and disease prevention campaign for Univision, and has been a senior fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Valdez received his Ph.D. in Policy Analysis from the RAND Graduate School, and his master’s in Health Planning and Administration from the University of Michigan.
José Pagán
Public presentation - Monday, Oct. 22, 2:30-4 p.m., UNM Student Union Building, Acoma A & B
Pagán is a professor of economics in the Department of Economics and Finance at the University of Texas-Pan American. He is also director of the Institute for Population Health Policy at UT-Pan American. He has been a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at the Wharton School of Business and School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and he has served as the director of the Center for Border Economic Studies at UT-Pan American. Professor Pagán received his Ph.D. in economics from UNM, and a master’s in economics from Ohio State University.
Kathleen Staudt
Public presentation - Friday, Oct. 26, 12-1:30 p.m., UNM Student Union Building, Sub Theatre (Plaza Level)
Staudt is a Political Science professor and director of the Center for Civic Engagement at the University of Texas at El Paso. She has served as chair of the Department of Political Science and coordinator of the Women’s Studies Program. She has also been a visiting associate professor of Political Science at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif. Staudt received her Ph.D. and master’s degrees in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu