Three will receive UNM’s top honor for staff, the Gerald W. May Award, during a ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. in the Student Union Building, ballroom C. The UNM Staff Council Rewards and Recognition Committee organizes the annual awards. President David Schmidly made the final award selections and will honor the individuals, followed by a reception for recipients, family and friends.
Photo: (l. to r.): Jennifer George, Mark Manzutto and Theresa Nevada
The 2007 honorees:
Jennifer George, department administrator, Department of Anthropology
“Jennifer is a model of courtesy, willingness to help and a fine ambassador for UNM,” said nominator Jane Slaughter, professor of history. In addition to her regular administrative duties, George has provided support for five faculty searches in the three years she has worked at the department. Soon after joining anthropology, she took the initiative to give its physical space a friendlier atmosphere, adding seating to public spDavid Brookshire to encourage informal faculty and student interaction. When the basement of the Anthropology building flooded in August, “Jennifer stood up to the plate and organized the rescue effort,” said nominator Jane Lancaster, professor of anthropology.
Mark Manzutto, remodeling manager, Physical Plant Department
“Mark is a fearless project administrator who never loses his passion for satisfying the customer,” said nominator Andrew Cullen, associate vice president for budget, planning and analysis. Several nominators praised Manzutto for working collaboratively with departments to meet their remodeling needs on budget and on time, and for his diligence in enforcing strict performance standards. As a supervisor, he stresses teamwork and efficiency. “We have a very unique group, always working together,” said nominator Cathie Behrens Smith, operations specialist.
Theresa Nevada, assistant to dean, University College
“Theresa Nevada is the voice, the face, the counselor, the advisor and the spokesperson for University College,” said nominator Peter White, dean of University College. When students come to her with problems, he said, “she calms them down, she nurtures them, because she has had three children attend UNM, and she understands how frustrated young people can get with impersonal systems.” He added, “Any student success we have had through University College has as much to do with Theresa Nevada as it does with all the rest of the people working here combined, myself, of course, included.”
Media Contact: Sari Michal, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Senior Foreign Service officer Vicente Valle with the U.S. Department of State is the University of New Mexico’s new Diplomat in Residence. He extends an invitation to speak to classes, professional organizations and local groups about the State Department and the work that they do to carry out and coordinate U.S. foreign policy and defend U.S. citizens and interests around the world.
Photo: Senior Foreign Service officer Vicente Valle
“As Diplomat in Residence, my job is to work to attract the best and the brightest to represent the United States to the rest of the world. I advise students and others on career opportunities in State’s Civil and Foreign Service and on internship and fellowship opportunities and guide candidates on the application and examination process,” he said.
Valle has 27 years in Foreign Service, most of them spent abroad. Valle joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1980 as an economic officer. He served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire from 2004 to 2007. Between 2002 and 2004, he was deputy director of the Office of Central African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Previously, he served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Asmara, Eritrea from 2000 to 2002. He was detailed to the Office of the United States Trade Representative from 1998 to 1999, where he was director for Africa.
Vicente served as DCM at the U.S. Embassy in Brazzaville, Congo, in 1996-97. In previous assignments, he served as Economic officer in Caracas, Venezuela and Paris, France and at the Department’s Bureau of Inter-American Affairs. He was consul and economic officer in Medan, Indonesia and Maputo, Mozambique, vice consul in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and financial management and security assistance officer in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Valle earned a bachelor’s in psychology and social relations from Harvard College, a diploma in public administration from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration in Paris, France, and a master’s in national security studies and strategy from the National War College in Washington, DC. In addition to English, he speaks Spanish, French and Portuguese.
“I am happy to share my perspectives of living and working abroad and interacting with a wide variety of government, non-government and international institutions,” he said.
Valle’s office is in Career Services. His number is 277-7801. His email is vvalle@unm.edu
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Andrew K. Sandoval-Strausz, assistant professor of history in the University of New Mexico College of Arts and Sciences, has published “Hotel: An American History,” by Yale University Press, 2007. It will be featured among titles in this Sunday’s New York Times Book Review.
It has already been featured in the “Economist,” The Economist and on Slate.com at: http://www.slate.com/id/2178062/.
Through his research, Sandoval-Strausz learned that hotels are an American creation.
“I thought they were European because of their architecture and because of European hospitality, but I found it wasn’t so. Hotels as plDavid Brookshire of transience and centers of public life began in the United States,” he said.
He notes that the hotel form began in the 1790s. “That generation of hotels went bankrupt, so people didn’t build them. In fact, the first backer of hotels ended up in debtors prison,” he said.
Between the 1820s and 30s, hotels become economically viable and many sprang up along the eastern seaboard in New York, Baltimore, Boston, D.C. and Philadelphia, he said.
Sandoval-Strausz, on faculty at UNM since 2001, said that the idea to study the history of hotels for his dissertation came to him while sitting in Chicago’s Palmer House Hotel lobby. Thinking lots of books must have been published about hotels, he was surprised to find very few.
He turned to archival collections at the New York and Massachusetts historical societies, the Huntington Library and even UNM’s Center for Southwest Research. “They have a great collection of ‘Harpers Weekly.’ I got many of my images from them,” Sandoval-Strausz said.
Sandoval-Strausz’s next project is titled, “Latino Landscapes,” a look at architecture and urban evidence to understand the past, particularly how immigrants leave a footprint on 20th century urban history.
A randomly selected sample of New Mexico ranchers will soon receive a survey administered by the economics department at the University of New Mexico regarding the management of invasive weeds on ranchlands. The survey, funded through a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture, will aid in the prevention of invasive species and effective weed management.
Photo: Russian Knapweed
This survey will focus on two weeds that pose a particular problem for New Mexico ranchers, Russian knapweed and yellow starthistle, and will ask how ranchers make weed management decisions.
A sampling of questions includes the type of ranch, weed management practices currently used, and reaction to hypothetical infestations on the respective ranch. The information gained will be extremely useful in shaping weed management programs and policies.
“We tried to make the survey educational, helpful and informative,” said Assistant Economics Professor Jennifer Thacher, who is coordinating the survey. “Ranchers should be able to use the color brochure that is included in the survey packet to identify whether either of these weeds are on their land. In addition, we’ve included lots of resource contacts, in case they do find these weeds and have questions about how to get rid of them.”
Participants are strongly encouraged to complete the survey, which should take about 15 minutes of their time. A high rate of response from ranchers who receive the survey is critical to the validity of the findings, said researchers.
“One of the problems facing invasive weed management in New Mexico has been the lack of economic data,” said Thacher. “Because ranches in different parts of the state differ so much in climate, economics, type of land ownership, and culturally, getting responses from a wide cross-section of ranchers is essential.”
The survey is part of a grant titled “Strategic Behavior, Incentives, Heterogeneity and Invasive Species” jointly written by Professors Janie Chermak, Kate Krause, Kristina Grimsrud, and Jennifer Thacher. It will examine ranchers’ incentives for invasive species prevention and management, and will evaluate the potential effectiveness of public prevention and management strategies implemented before a critical level of establishment. Other UNM researchers involved include graduate students Frannie Miller, Jason Hansen, Justin Smith and Michael Milligan.
The annual economic impact of invasive species in the United States is estimated to be in the neighborhood of $137 million annually. Economic costs from invasive species can include increased cropping, grazing costs and recreational costs. Water quality and quantity, and soil quality can also be impacted negatively. Additional factors can also include watershed damage, displacement of native vegetation and increased livestock costs.
The two species’ being studied, Russian knapweed and yellow starthistle, can cause year-round problems for ranchers. Yellow starthistle is a winter annual and a member of the sunflower family. In its early stages (March-May), it resembles a dandelion or mustard rosette. During this time, its taproot grows to over five feet long.
Russian knapweed is a bushy perennial that is known to live more than 75 years. It typically starts to come up in May and June, and it produces pinkish, purple flowers in the early fall. The plant grows to about three feet tall and has silvery green leaves.
Both can alter the landscape considerably, physically crowd out other grasses that livestock and other animals eat, and produce chemicals that prevent other plants from growing, thus increasing cattle management costs. They are also toxic to horses and cause chewing disease.
Helpful resources…
• Your local cooperative extension agent. To find your local coop visit: Local coops
• Jim Wanstall - Noxious weed coordinator (505) 646-2642
• Idaho Weed Awareness.
• NM Department of Agriculture (Click on Food, Animals & Plant Programs - Noxious weeds)
• Invasive Weeds
• Russian Knapweed
• Yellowstar
• UC Davis
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The final phase of the Yale Boulevard Roundabout project on the University of New Mexico’s north campus is scheduled to begin on Saturday, Dec. 1, and the project will be completed on Jan. 11, 2008.
In this phase of the project, Yale Boulevard will be opened from Lomas to Camino de Salud. Yale will then 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.
By starting this phase on a Saturday, instead of Monday, Dec. 3, the contractor will be able to reconfigure the construction site with lighter traffic in the area. The detour road will be established when regular pedestrian and vehicular traffic return to campus that Monday.
Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
UNM Parking and Alternative Transportation Services (PATS) announced that beginning Saturday, Dec. 1, and lasting through the expected completion of the Yale Boulevard roundabout construction in mid-January, the shuttle routes for the G and Q parking lots and the Redondo shuttle route will be adjusted to accommodate the needs for the final phase of construction.
The G and Q lot shuttles will no longer stop for students at the intersection of Tucker and Yale Boulevard. Students needing to stop at that location will need to take the Redondo shuttle. Both routes will stop on Camino de Salud, just west of Yale Boulevard. The remaining bus stops on each route will remain open.
A map detailing the changes will be available at www.unm.edu/parking.
PATS also announced that the South parking lot will also be closed from Dec. 15-Jan. 21. The South Lot shuttle route will not be in service during this time. All South Lot permit holders are encouraged to park in the G and Q parking lots during this time. South Lot will re-open and shuttle service will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 22.
If you have questions or need additional information about either of these items, please check the PATS Web site at Parking and Alternative Transportation Services, call 277-1483 or email parktran@unm.edu.
The University of New Mexico School of Law is ranked among the top 25 law schools both for Hispanic enrollment and granting degrees to Hispanics, as reported in the December 3 issue of Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.
UNM ranks 22 in Hispanic enrollment. Of UNM’s 344 law school students, 93, or 27 percent, are Hispanic. They are balanced by gender – 47 are male, 46 are female.
In graduating Hispanics, UNM’s law school ranks 24. Of the 117 students receiving their juris doctorate, 25, or 21 percent, are Hispanic. Again, at UNM the gender balance is virtually equal –13 males and 12 females received their degrees.
Suellyn Scarnecchia, dean of the UNM School of Law, said, “We take great pride in striving to reflect in our student body the population of our state and the clients our graduates will serve. The rich ethnic diversity of our students, faculty and staff creates one of the best learning environments among law schools nationally.”
St. Thomas University School of Law in Florida conferred the most law degrees to Hispanic students in 2006, while Florida International University had the greatest percentage of Hispanic law school graduates.
UT-Austin topped the list of law schools enrolling the most Hispanics, while Florida International University had the greatest percentage of Hispanics enrolled in law school. The state of Florida also has more schools on the list, with seven total.
According to the lists, nationally, Hispanic women outpace Hispanic men both in enrollment and degrees granted. Hispanic women outnumber Hispanic men in 15 of the 25 schools listed for total enrollment.
“The numbers for women are even higher for the top 25 schools with degrees granted, with Hispanic women outnumbering Hispanic men in 19 of the 25 schools,” the article reports.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Questions abound about how Albuquerque should handle its growth. Developer incentives are one approach, but making it is both a complicated and important issue for the future of the Duke City. This topic, and the use of aliens to promote New Mexico tourism, are the issues featured on ‘New Mexico In Focus,’ on KNME Channel 5 on Friday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. and repeated on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 6:30 a.m.
This week’s guests are Gerry Bradley, researcher, NM Voices for Children; Michael Cadigan, Albuquerque city councilor; Chuck Gara, New Mexico chapter chairman, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties; Dan Serrano, vice president, Westside Coalition of Neighborhood Associations; and panelists Javier Benavidez, outreach director, Conservation Voters New Mexico; and Jeffry Gardner, columnist, The Albuquerque Tribune
‘New Mexico in Focus’ is KNME, Channel 5’s prime-time news magazine show covering events, issues and people shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest. The one-hour show concentrates on bringing viewers important topics, and opinions and insight in an integrated and cohesive package.
Co-hosted by Santa Fe Reporter’s David Alire Garcia and Albuquerque Journal columnist Gene Grant, ‘New Mexico in Focus’ takes a 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.”
The Producer of ‘New Mexico in Focus’ is Kevin McDonald. Support 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
University of New Mexico Executive Vice President for Administration David W. Harris has announced the appointment of Helen Gonzales as Vice President for Human Resources. Gonzales was selected in an internal search.
“The University is fortunate to have a number of senior human resource professionals with solid experience. Helen is exceptional in that she has extraordinary operational and management skills coupled with solid understanding of how organizations work,” said Harris.
Harris created a five-member search committee to assist in the interview process, and all applicants received an interview. The committee unanimously recommended Gonzales.
Gonzales has been with UNM since 1993, serving as associate director of Human Resources. She has also taught a wide range of graduate and undergraduate courses at the Anderson School of Management and the College of Education. Prior to coming to UNM, Gonzales conducted training and organizational development for a number of health care, aerospace, state and federal government organizations. She has worked in the human resources field for 25 years.
Gonzales has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University, Los Angeles and a Master of Business Administration from California State University, Long Beach. She has also earned a Higher Education Management Development Program Certificate from Harvard University.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
Former house of noted UNM archaeologist to be devoted to education, research and community outreach
Brothers Dennis and Douglas Lutz, whose family homesteaded to New Mexico Territory a century ago, have announced plans to restore the Frank C. Hibben property in Albuquerque. The Hibben property, which is located at 3005 Campus Blvd. N.E. in the Nob Hill area, will be an exhibit, and education and research center available to the public when completed. It will feature the famous Hibben collection of world wide animal head mounts and be developed in a manner that is consistent as possible with Dr. Hibben’s original bequest.
Photo: A stuffed hippopotamus head in the Hibben House.
Dr. Hibben (1910-2002) was a noted archaeologist, prolific author, outdoor adventurer, big-game hunter, philanthropist and larger-than-life friend and inspiration to many. The legendary, charismatic, popular and sometimes controversial University of New Mexico anthropology professor spent nearly 70 years on the UNM faculty and directed the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology for half of its 75-year existence. Most of all, Hibben was a passionate educator, researcher and conservationist whose legacy will energize the project.
Dr. Dennis Lutz, a professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, is an alumnus of the UNM School of Medicine. He’s a noted expert on Montana place names and postal history, and the founder of the Old Soo Depot Transportation Museum and Western History Research Center in Minot, N.D.
His brother, Douglas, is president of High Desert State Bank in Albuquerque and president-elect of the Independent Community Banker’s Association of New Mexico. The brothers share the same enthusiasm and dedication for western historical preservation, research and education.
“It is hoped that upon completion the Hibben House can serve as a model for collaboration between the private and public sector, including other museums and universities,” said the Lutz brothers. “Much work remains to make this ambitious and visionary project a reality.”
Devoted to education, research and community outreach, the Hibben House will be dedicated in late-2010, the 100th anniversary of Frank Hibben’s birth.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The 44th annual ASUNM Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair runs Wednesday, Nov. 28 through Friday, Nov. 30 in the UNM SUB Ballroom. More than 90 booths featuring arts and crafts including jewelry, pottery, t-shirts, soaps and more on display. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 28-29 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30.
Photo: A sampling of arts and crafts at one of the many booths at the ASUNM Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair.
All of the crafts in the fair are original works. No commercial or handmade procuts that have been imported are allowed. The guidelines, which are set by the ASUNM Crafts Studio, are designed to celebrate the diversity of handmade goods within the state of New Mexico.
For more information call 277-6544.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The 13th Annual UNM Print Sale runs Thursday and Friday, Dec. 6 and 7 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Arts Building printmaking lab, room 142.
Graduate student high-end work is interspersed with undergraduate pieces for a nice mix. Hundreds of prints reflecting all printmaking methods will be available, including examples of lithography, intaglio, relief and screen-printing. Prices range from $1 to $200 depending upon the experience of the printer.
The print sale is always a great and affordable way to buy “real” art as holiday gifts.
Tau Sigma Delta honors top 20 percent of students of architecture and allied arts
Virginia Raybon, a 2000 graduate of Cibola High School, was recently inducted into Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society in the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning. She is an undergraduate architecture student.
Photo: Virginia Raybon
The school’s dean, Roger Schluntz, announced induction of eight graduate and two undergraduate students into UNM’s Gamma Lambda chapter of the national organization.
Raybon, daughter of Virginia and Grady Raybon, plans to continue her architectural education by pursuing a master’s degree. “In the future as a licensed architect, I hope to design a wide variety of spDavid Brookshire with a focus on affordability,” Raybon said.
Tau Sigma Delta National Honor Society is the only honor society recognized in the fields of architecture and the allied arts, which includes landscape architecture and community and regional planning.
Undergraduate inductees working toward a bachelor of arts in architecture are Mark Paz and Virginia Raybon.
Tau Sigma Delta, founded in 1913 at the University of Michigan, is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies, giving Tau Sigma Delta the high rating of most distinguished honor societies in other educational fields.
Inducted students, who are nominated by the director of their respective programs, are in the top 20 percent of their class.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The Maxwell Museum of Anthropology’s Director’s Lecture Series features museum director James Dixon, Thursday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. Dixon will discuss global warming and its effect on archeological remains.
View exhibits in archeology, ethnology, osteology, photography and the Office of Contract Archeology at the recent acquisitions exhibit opening Friday, Dec. 7, from 6-8 p.m.
Looking for that perfect holiday gift? The Maxwell Museum Shop’s annual sale is Friday, Dec. 7, from 6-8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 8, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Museum Association Members save 30 percent while the general public saves 20 percent on all items.
“On behalf of all staff at the museum I would like to thank all who have supported the Maxwell in this anniversary year and all the years leading to it. Without the help of our supporters we could not have accomplished the many exhibits, events, education programs, fine collections and research that have made the museum a local and regional treasure,” Dixon said.
For more information call 277-1400 or visit Maxwell Museum.
From experimental art to “Beowulf” in 3-D, fulldome productions go beyond the planetarium. Two of the world’s leading experts in fulldome production will present the history, current state and possible future of the fulldome medium on Friday, Nov. 30, 2-4:30 p.m. at the University of New Mexico ARTS Lab Garage, 123 Pine St. NE., near the intersection of Central Avenue and University Boulevard.
Fulldome – large-format, immersive, high-resolution, digital dome theater – is a young, powerful and rapidly diffusing medium. New Mexico is a major focal point for fulldome production, education and research.
In “Fulldome: The State of the Medium,” ARTS Lab Immersive Media Director David Beining and Multimedia Development Specialist Hue Walker will describe and demonstrate the state of fulldome technology, market, productions and programming. To demonstrate the state of fulldome production, clips from DomeFest and other programs will be screened in the gDome.
For more information and registration, visit: ARTS Lab Fridays
The University of New Mexico’s Center for Science, Technology, and Policy is a co-sponsor of the Santa Fe Council on International Relations’ fall 2007 International Lecture Series on “Safety in a Nuclear World: Fears, Hopes, and Realities.” The fourth and final speaker, Richard L. Garwin, presents, “Getting the Best Deal We Can: A Practitioner’s View,” on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 3 p.m. at The Forum, College of Santa Fe.
Garwin is IBM Fellow Emeritus at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY. He has served as director of the Watson Laboratory, director of Applied Research at the Watson Research Center and a member of the IBM corporate technical committee. He has been professor of public policy at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
From 1994 to 2004 he was Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow for Science and Technology at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York. Dr. Garwin has testified before many Congressional committees on matters involving national security, transportation, and energy policy and technology.
He is author or coauthor of Nuclear Weapons and World Politics (1977), Nuclear Power Issues and Choices (1977), Energy: The Next Twenty Years (1979), Science Advice to the President (1980), Managing the Plutonium Surplus: Applications and Technical Options (1994), and Megawatts and Megatons: A Turning Point in the Nuclear Age?, with Georges Charpak, 2001.
Garwin received a B.S. in physics from Case Institute of Technology, Cleveland, in 1947, and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago in 1949.
Following Garwin’s talk, a panel including Michael P. Peters, president, St. John’s College and former executive vice president of the Council on Foreign Relations; Maurice Katz, former science advisor to the US Ambassador to the IAEA; and Andrew L. Ross, director, Center for Science, Technology, and Policy, UNM, will join Garwin in addressing questions from the audience.
For more information, contact Andrew L. Ross, at aross@unm.edu or (505) 277-7391. For reservations go to www.santafecouncil.org or phone (505) 982-4931.
Feel that chill in the air? See the sparkle in your co-workers’ eyes? It must be that time of year again - time to celebrate the University’s longest standing tradition - "Hanging of the Greens." On Friday, Nov. 30, enjoy thousands of glowing luminarias lighting beautiful paths throughout campus, thanks to hundreds of students and the coordination of the UNM Mortar Board Senior Honor Society. The event starts outside of Popejoy Hall at 5:45 p.m.
Or if a roaring fire is more to your liking, join the entire campus community for an open house at University House with hot chocolate, a steaming cup of posole and Lorraine’s famous biscochitos starting at 6 p.m.
Student organizations will spend the day decorating main campus with thousands of luminarias. Students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to meet at Popejoy Hall to begin a caroling tour that will conclude with a reception at University House and the traditional presentation of the wreath to President and Mrs. David Schmidly.
Interim Provost/Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Viola Florez will accept this year's wreath for President Schmidly, who will be in Guadalajara giving a keynote address.
Attendees are asked to bring an unwrapped children's book to place under the University House tree. Books will be donated to UNM Children's Hospital.
Hanging of the Greens has been a tradition since the 1930's started by Lena C. Clauve, a former UNM student and UNM Dean of Women. The tradition started with students driving to the Sandia mountains, where they would gather greenery which they would use to decorate the Student Union Building.
Mortar Board began sponsoring Hanging of the Greens in the 1950s and added the luminarias as decoration. The buildings of the main campus at the University of New Mexico are outlined with luminaria for the event. The Mortar Board organizes the event each year as a part of its mission to promote service and community outreach.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Volunteers sought to help with event
UNM students, faculty and staff have the opportunity to recycle old personal computers, cell phones, clock radios, cords, TV sets, DVD Players, VCRs and other electronic items in an environmentally safe way on Saturday, Dec. 1. The event, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will be held at the far west end of the T Lot on the corner of Lomas and University N.E.
The UNM Staff Council Environs Committee, UNM Recycling and UNM Information Technology Services are sponsoring the electronic recycling event, which is meant for “personal” electronics only. UNM departmental electronics cannot be discarded and will not be accepted at this event.
Additionally, all personal data must be removed or overwritten on both personal computers and cell phones because they may be commercially refurbished and reused.
To remove personal data from a PC visit: PC Data Removal.
For information regarding the removal of cell phone data visit: Cell Phone Recycling Data.
The staff council Environs Committee is searching for volunteers to help with the event. If interested, call Linda McCormick at 269-6131 or via e-mail at, lindamcc@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The University Libraries Indigenous Nations Library Program’s Native Pathways Lecture Series will host Robert Robideau, prominent AIM leader, in two events on Wednesday, Nov. 28. Robideau will participate in an informal brown bag discussion from 12 - 1 p.m. in the Herzstein Room on the second floor of Zimmerman Library.
Robideau will also present a lecture, “AIM: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” at 3 p.m. in the Willard Reading Room on the first floor of Zimmerman Library. Robideau, a member of the White Earth Ojibwe tribe, is a prominent AIM activist.
In 1975, he was accused of killing two FBI agents, along with Darrell Butler and Leonard Peltier. Butler and Robideau were acquitted in 1976, but Peliter was convicted.
Since being acquitted of the charges, Robideau has worked to free Peltier. He has served as the director of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee and continues to lecture around the country.
His lecture will cover the founding of AIM, what they are doing today, and what they have planned for the future. He will also speak about the Leonard Peltier case.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Kristi Michelle Merdler, a 1993 Santa Fe High School graduate, was recently inducted into Tau Sigma Delta National Honor Society at the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning. The school’s dean, Roger Schluntz, announced induction of eight graduate and two undergraduate students into UNM’s Gamma Lambda chapter of the national organization.
Photo: Kristi Michelle Merdler
Tau Sigma Delta National Honor Society is the only honor society recognized in the fields of architecture and the allied arts, which includes landscape architecture and community and regional planning.
Merdler, daughter of Stephen and Margaret Merdler, will receive her master’s degree in architecture in December. She earned her undergraduate degree in criminology from UNM in 1997.
“I always longed to follow my father – a designer in Santa Fe –but chose a different path of study as an undergraduate. After graduation, I became more interested in design and architecture through photography and travel. I began my architectural education at the Santa Fe Community College by taking some introductory classes in design, CAD and art,” she said.
After three semesters at SFCC, she applied to various architecture schools to continue her studies with one goal in mind – to become an architect.
Within the next six months Merdler plans to begin an internship with a firm in Santa Fe to become better informed about the field and practice of architecture as well as to prepare for the architecture licensing exam.
Although her father was her original inspiration, Merdler had another mentor.
“Deborah Auten, an architect in Santa Fe, has been my mentor since I began my graduate studies at UNM. She has offered me ideas and suggestions regarding school, my work, internship decisions as well as informing me about her practice and her philosophy,” Merdler said.
Tau Sigma Delta, founded in 1913 at the University of Michigan, is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies, giving Tau Sigma Delta the high rating of most distinguished honor societies in other educational fields.
Inducted students, who are nominated by the director of their respective programs, are in the top 20 percent of their class.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Tau Sigma Delta honors top 20 percent of students of architecture and allied arts
The University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning recently inducted 14 members into Tau Sigma Delta National Honor Society. The school’s dean, Roger Schluntz, announced induction of eight graduate and two undergraduate students into UNM’s Gamma Lambda chapter of the national organization.
Tau Sigma Delta National Honor Society is the only honor society recognized in the fields of architecture and the allied arts, which includes landscape architecture and community and regional planning.
Undergraduate inductees working toward a bachelor of arts in architecture are Mark Paz and Virginia Raybon.
Graduate inductees working toward a master of architecture are Andrew Werth, Maria Morrisey, Kenneth Marold, Terry Schreck, Garoline Itoi and Kristi Merdler.
Julie McGilvray and Amos Arber are working toward a master of landscape architecture.
Kileen Mitchell, Aaron Sussman, Nathania Tsosie and Michael Furze are pursuing a master of community and regional planning.
Tau Sigma Delta, founded in 1913 at the University of Michigan, is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies, giving Tau Sigma Delta the high rating of most distinguished honor societies in other educational fields.
Inducted students, who are nominated by the director of their respective programs, are in the top 20 percent of their class.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
University of New Mexico President David J. Schmidly and Sara Koplik, President of the North Campus Neighborhood Association, have named the members of the North Golf Course Community Advisory Board. The advisory board will provide UNM’s President and Board of Regents with parameters and recommendations for future uses of UNM’s north golf course.
“I have said from the beginning that I am seeking a win-win scenario when it comes to the north golf course,” said Schmidly. “UNM will one day have to make use of this property, but it will be with community agreement as to the footprint of the golf course and input on potential uses.”
Koplik will chair the nine-member board. “I look forward to resolving this long-standing issue between the university and the community,” Koplik stated. “I believe that by working together we can preserve this cherished green space, protect urban wildlife, and further the educational goals of the university.”
The membership and charge of the North Golf Course Community Advisory Board follows:
NORTH GOLF COURSE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD COMPOSITION
The North Golf Course Community Advisory Board shall be comprised of nine (9) representatives of organizations and individuals who, as neighboring residents, will be most affected by the project, who use the golf course and/or the periphery path, or whose unique knowledge of development, preservation or negotiation could be especially beneficial.
Matt Barnes, Vice President of the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico
Sara Koplik, President of the North Campus Neighborhood Association (Chair)
Cara McCulloch, A.I.A.
Garret Price, Vice President, Pulte Homes
Paul Kienzle, J.D.
Tim Davis, Member North Golf Course Association
Ted Martinez, President Emeritus, Central New Mexico Community College
Mardon Gardella, President, Federation of University Neighborhoods
Norton Kalishman, MD, Program Director, McCune Foundation
UNM Staff – Andrew Cullen and Kim Murphy (non-voting)
CHARGE...
The Community Advisory Board will provide the President of the University of New Mexico, its Board of Regents, and any potential future developers with recommendations and the parameters for:
Determining the footprint for a regulation nine (9) hole golf course;
Enhancing and improving the North Golf Course and periphery jogging/walking/bike path including: water conservation, habitat restoration, utilization of native plant species, and sustainable golf course management techniques;
Suggesting funding sources to cover enhancements and improvements;
Establishing the North Golf Course as a teaching environment for sustainability, conservation, and habitat restoration; and
Constructing a legal framework between the University and the people of New Mexico, to preserve the golf course and agreed upon green space and to determine the available footprint for UNM’s future building needs.
Any agreement reached will pertain only to the North Golf Course.
TIMELINE...
The Advisory Board will work as expeditiously as possible, to bring about a resolution that is beneficial to all parties. Final recommendations will be submitted to the President of the University of New Mexico.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
Nathania Tsosie, a 1996 graduate of Navajo Preparatory School, has been inducted into Tau Sigma Delta National Honor Society at the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning. The school’s dean, Roger Schluntz, announced induction of eight graduate and two undergraduate students into UNM’s Gamma Lambda chapter of the national organization.
Photo: Nathania Tsosie
Tau Sigma Delta National Honor Society is the only honor society recognized in the fields of architecture and the allied arts, which includes landscape architecture and community and regional planning.
Nathania Tsosie, who earned her undergraduate degree in anthropology from UNM, is pursuing a master of community and regional planning. Tsosie is the daughter of Nathan and Laura Tsosie of Piñon, Ariz.
Tsosie currently works for the Masters in Public Health Program at the UNM School of Medicine. Her interest in public health is a motivating force.
“I am interested in working in public health, particularly in tribal communities where infrastructure for basics such as plumbing and roads is lacking,” she said. Tsosie said she is considering launching her own public health research and consulting firm following graduation.
Tau Sigma Delta, founded in 1913 at the University of Michigan, is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies, giving Tau Sigma Delta the high rating of most distinguished honor societies in other educational fields.
Inducted students, who are nominated by the director of their respective programs, are in the top 20 percent of their class.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM President pledges independent audit to certify strength of university finances
The University’s $143 million institutional bond issue took a major step forward today with approval by the New Mexico Board of Finance. The university got further good news with word today that bond rating agencies Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s have given the university a strong Aa3/AA rating.
“This is an excellent bond rating and signals to us that now is the time to go after these institutional bonds. This is the best window of opportunity,” said UNM President David J. Schmidly.
“We understand that UNM must become more self-sufficient in our capital improvement program for there is much to get done. Given its many competing needs, we cannot expect the state to finance this work for us in a timely manner nor should we.”
The heart of this institutional bond issue is the work proposed for UNM’s academic facilities. Classroom modernization, the renovation of the Lockheed-Martin building for the Student Success Center, and phase two of the College of Education - UNM’s highest capital priority - all directly impact the student experience.
The bond issue also features major work on the university’s two premiere athletic facilities – the Pit and University Stadium – among others projects.
“Each and every one of these projects relates back to our mission,” said Schmidly. “Our first priority is to the success of our students. So we want to assure them that these projects will not impact on their tuition or fees or on UNM’s operating funds.”
In response to questions from some Board members, President Schmidly is requesting the university’s outside auditors, Moss Adams and KPMG, to publicly present their independent audit of 2007 university finances in an open session of the UNM Board of Regents as early as January. He is also directing the independent auditors to undertake a long-term projection of the University’s future finances that will also be made public.
“When public doubt is cast about our finances, that is harmful to the institution. I want to dispel any lingering doubts,” said Schmidly. “ I am very mindful that, during my tenure as president, I intend to leave the University of New Mexico in the strongest financial position possible.”
President Schmidly and other UNM officials presented Board of Finance members with details on how the debt service on the bond issue will be paid.
They stressed that several projects can move forward with the understanding that revenues generated as part of the university’s commercial real estate development initiative be dedicated to fund the associated debt service.
They expressed confidence that the potential revenues that will be generated from the development of these real properties will far exceed the commitment of debt service for the 2007 bond issue. They also stressed that the bond issue does not make use of the north golf course property as a revenue source.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
Joe G. Maloof has announced funding for the James Bell Scholarship, which will be awarded annually to a University of New Mexico football student-athlete who has exhausted his eligibility but still requires coursework to graduate. The first scholarship will be awarded for the 2008-09 academic year.
James Bell, a 1977 Albuquerque High graduate, was a UNM football letterman in 1978-79, and ’81. A defensive back, Bell went on to play professionally with the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League.
On Sept. 19, 1986, in a game against the British Columbia Lions, Bell suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed.
Current University of New Mexico head coach Rocky Long was Bell’s position coach at UNM during the 1979 season. And, ironically, when Bell was injured, Long was on the opposite sideline, serving as an assistant coach for the B.C. Lions.
After extensive rehabilitation, Bell eventually regained the ability to walk on his own. He currently lives in Albuquerque where he serves as the director of Bell Community Development Corp., a non-profit program that assists low to moderate-income families who are first time home buyers or are looking for a home to rent.
"I wanted to do something special to recognize a former teammate who has a wonderful spirit," said Maloof, who was a teammate of Bell's and a three-year Lobo letterman in the 1970s. "I really appreciate James Bell and how he has carried himself through some really tough times. I want this scholarship to live on in his name. I'm proud to know James and it's fantastic what he has accomplished in his life."
“We really want to thank Joe for establishing such a generous and meaningful scholarship,” said Long. “James Bell was a great competitor and a great person. Earning a college degree is the most important aspect of attending a university. It’s great that future Lobo football players will have this opportunity.”
“It’s amazing to have an individual who was a former teammate and a good friend just to remember you and show that he cares,” said Bell. “It means a great deal to me and I know it does to coach Long, who I care for greatly. I can’t thank Joe enough for the contribution that will benefit a fellow Lobo, and eventually, a UNM graduate. The scholarship keeps me tied to UNM.”
Preparations are under way for the third annual conference, “Success in the Classroom: Sharing Practices that Work,” planned for a full day, Thursday, Feb. 21, at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building.
“Fifty-eight faculty members presented on various aspects of teaching effectiveness in the past two conferences,” said Gary Smith, professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences, and director of the Office of Support for Effective Teaching (OSET).
“This multi-disciplinary conference focusing on university-wide teaching has experienced tremendous success in previous years,” he added.
For the 2008 conference, proposed presentations focus on physics, math, business education, computer sciences, online learning, medical education, course design and assessment practices.
“It’s an exceptionally rich feast focusing on aspects of teaching and learning from many different perspectives,” Smith said.
This year, Deana Richter, director, Teacher and Educational Development at the UNM School of Medicine, joins Smith and James Burbank, English, in organizing the conference.
Richter said, “This partnership shows the spirit of cooperation and shared interests between the north campus and main campus and between the humanities and the sciences.”
A special focus this year will be a number of presentations on use of writing assignments to enhance learning in different learning contexts. This conference thread will demonstrate how writing provides a key approach to teaching critical thinking skills across all academic disciplines.
Faculty members who have topics they wish to present during the conference are encouraged to visit the OSET web page to sign up. The process is very simple and takes only a few minutes. Prospective presenters may sign up at the following link-- OSET Success. Everyone is encouraged to save the date on their calendars and come to learn fresh ideas for enhancing student learning.
For more information, contact Gary A. Smith, director, Office of Support for Effective Teaching, 277-2348, gsmith@unm.edu; James Burbank, English, 277-7436, jimbu@unm.edu; Deana Richter, director, Teacher & Educational Development (SOM), 272-5858, DRichter@salud.unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzlaes, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Anderson School of Management to offer application fee waiver
Interested in getting a graduate degree from UNM's Anderson School of Management? ASM will host a Graduate Programs Information Fair on Wednesday, Nov. 28 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The fair will give those interested in pursuing a higher degree from the Anderson School the opportunity to learn about the MBA, EMBA, MACCT and Post-Masters Certificates programs. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.
Current students, alumni, faculty, career services, and academic advisors will be on hand to answer questions and offer advice. There will also information about upcoming GMAT prep workshops and GMAT classes and, as an added incentive, everyone who attends will receive a $50 Anderson application fee waiver.
The Graduate Programs Information Fair will take place in the new Anderson Student Center at 1924 Las Lomas NE, just west of the Anderson School on the UNM campus.
For more information go to: Student Prospects.
Effectively immediately, a security system is in operation for access into the Basic Medical Sciences Building (BMSB) and the Basic Research Facility (BRF) buildings. Any persons requiring access into these buildings before 5:30 a.m. and after 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and all day on the weekends, will need to use their HSC School of Medicine ID badge.
The doors which will be in operation on the card system are: BMSB Plaza doors on the East side, as well as the double doors into the BRF located on the North side. Please note, keys will no longer work.
Your badge needs to have been properly coded by Hospital Security; you can check this by trying your badge during business hours. The badge should be swiped over the square black box located next to the doors for access. If properly coded the doors will automatically open.
When there are special events occurring after business hours or on the weekends, the process would be to send an e-mail to Randy Talley, Mgr Technical Security Ops, RTalley@salud.und.edu and/or Vito Capobianco, Director of Security UNMH, vjcapobianco@salud.unm.edu. It is best to give at least a 48 hour notice if possible so they can schedule the opening and re-locking of the doors.
For more information contact Kathryn Doodeman, administrative coordinator, Executive Dean's Office, School of Medicine at, 272-2321.
New Mexico In Focus panelists look at the implications of Tom Udall’s apparent decision to enter the U.S. Senate race. What will it mean, not only for that race to replace Pete Domenici in Washington, but also the three other congressional rDavid Brookshire that are now up for grabs? ‘New Mexico In Focus’ airs Friday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. and repeats on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 6:30 a.m. on KNME TV 5.
Other topics this week include the battle over oil and gas drilling in the Galisteo basin and a preview of the Santa Fe Film Festival, which kicks off on Wednesday, Nov. 28.
‘New Mexico In Focus’ is co-hosted by Santa Fe Reporter’s David Alire Garcia and Albuquerque Journal’s Gene Grant. Guests this week are Stephen Rubin, deputy director, Santa Fe Film Festival and filmmaker John Lore. Guest panelists are Scott Darnell, New Mexico Republican Party, and Duke City Fix blogger Sophie Martin.
‘NM In Focus’ takes an in-depth, critical look at social, political, economic, health, education and arts issues, to give them context beyond “news of the moment.”
‘NM In Focus’ is KNME, Channel 5’s prime-time news magazine show covering the events, issues and people shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest. The one-hour show brings viewers important topics of our time in an integrated and cohesive package.
Kevin McDonald is ‘NM In Focus’ producer. Support for the program is provided by MCune 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
Filmmaker Sterlin Harjo will attend the screening of his film, “Four Sheets to the Wind,” on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. in the UNM Student Union Building Theater. A native of Holdenville, Okla., and a member of the Seminole and Creek nations, Harjo will be at the screening to introduce the film and answer questions.
Photo: Sterlin Harjo
Harjo studied painting at the University of Oklahoma before tackling screenwriting and film theory at the university’s film and video-studies program. Harjo completed development on “Four Sheets to the Wind” through the Sundance Institute’s Filmmakers Lab. In 2004, the Sundance Institute awarded him an Annenberg Fellowship, and “Four Sheets to the Wind” was a finalist for the NHK Award.
“Four Sheets to the Wind” begins with Cufe Smallhill’s father, who never has much to say, but one day, he is quieter than usual. When Cufe finds his father dead beside a bottle of pills, he does as he promised and drags the body out to the family pond, unceremoniously sinking it to the bottom. But everyone in the community is expecting a big funeral, so Cufe, his cousin, and his mom decide to fake one. In the midst of mourning, Cufe realizes he is compelled to explore the world outside the reservation and find a more fulfilling life. His sister, Miri, comes from Tulsa for the funeral and invites him to visit her in the big city. She opens the door for Cufe into a new world.
Harjo’s wonderfully crafted first feature is a fresh and delightful film about healing and the ties that bind people together. Harjo creates a rich Oklahoma atmosphere with its rural landscapes and easy country rhythms, infusing the entire film with a warm sense of humor, while Cody Lightning and Tamara Podemski give charming performances as Cufe and Miri.
The UNM native community hosts Indigenous Day/Sterlin Harjo potluck before the screening, at 4 p.m. in Native American Studies, Mesa Vista Hall 3080. Native American poet and UNM English professor Joy Harjo brings Sterlin Harjo to UNM in conjunction with a graduate seminar course on indigenous film she is co-teaching with Lurline McGregor.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzlaes, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Albuquerque author Rudolfo Anaya’s latest children's book, “The First Tortilla” has been chosen for the Land of Enchantment Book Award, an award designed to encourage New Mexico youth to read books of high literary quality. The award is sponsored by the New Mexico Library Association and the New Mexico International Reading Association and includes master reading lists for children and young adults.
“The First Tortilla” is the story of a young Mexican girl who saves her village by making the first tortilla with the help of the Mountain Spirit. Taos artist Amy Cordova illustrated the book.
Rudolfo Anaya, widely acclaimed as one of the founders of modern Chicano literature, is professor emeritus of English at the University of New Mexico. Anaya was presented with the National Medal of Arts for literature in 2001 and his novel “Alburquerque” won the PEN Center West Award for Fiction.
He is best known for the classic “Bless Me Ultima,” now being read nationwide as part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Big Read” program. The Albuquerque Museum Foundation named him its “Notable New Mexican” in April 2007.
“The First Tortilla” is available at bookstores, online, or directly from the University of New Mexico Press: 800-249-7737 or UNM Press.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzlaes, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Big names have already announced plans to run for the U.S. Senate when Pete Domenici retires next year. Along with Tom Udall, Martin Chavez, Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce, the field includes other candidates voters may not have heard much about. This week, ‘New Mexico In Focus,’ which airs Friday night, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. and repeats Sunday, Nov. 18 at 6:30 a.m., introduces two lesser known candidates -- one a small town newspaper publisher and the other a high school English teacher.
Find out why they want to run and what lesson educator Zack Boatman hopes to teach his students by venturing into national politics.
Protecting our young people from the onslaught of alcohol advertising is also a topic on NM In Focus this week. The alcohol industry spends an estimated $2 billion annually on advertising, much of it targeting teens. Host Gene Grant sits down with one of the leading experts on alcohol advertising impacts, to find out what state leaders can do to shield young people from countless TV, radio and magazine ads.
Co-Hosted by Santa Fe Reporter staff writer David Alire Garcia and Albuquerque Journal 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.”
This week’s guests are Zack Boatman, and Leland Lehrman, U.S. Senate candidates; and Santa Fe High School students John Biddle, Louis Demella and Elena Valdez. Also featured is Dr. David Jernigan, executive director, Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth.
New Mexico In Focus, KNME, Channel 5’s prime-time news magazine show covers the events, issues, and people shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest. The one-hour show concentrates on bringing viewers important topics of our time, and all the opinions and insight they are used to, in an integrated and cohesive package.
Producer of ‘New Mexico In Focus’ is Kevin McDonald. Support for has been provided by McCune Charitable Foundation. Closed Captioning of has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1218; e-mail: etodd@knme.org
UNM United Way campaign co-chairs Viola Florez, Interim Provost/Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs are leading the charge in this year's UNM United Way campaign drive. Along those lines, the UNM United Way committee has announced several incentive prizes to encourage potential donors to turn their pledge forms in during the month of November.
Photo: United Way campaign co-chairs Viola Florez and Paul Krebs fill in the UNM United Way thermometer near the Duck Pond indicating how much money has been pledged to UNM's United Way campaign.
Prizes include a pair of tickets to sit with President David J. Schmidly at a men’s and or women’s basketball game, a pair of tickets to see the traditional Irish folk band, The Chieftains, and Lobo wear and tickets to the men’s basketball game against Weber State.
To be eligible, pledge forms must be turned in to the University Controllers office at the UNM Business Center by Friday, Nov. 30. The mail stop code is MSC 01 1300.
If you did not receive a pledge form or need a replacement, forms may be picked up at these locations:
* Office of the Provost, Scholes Hall 2nd floor, suite #240 reception desk
* Executive Dean’s Office for School of Medicine & Health Sciences Center, Basic Medical Science Center, rm. 177 reception desk
* Office of the Vice President for Research & Economic Development, Scholes Hall 3rd floor, suite #327 reception desk
* The Student Union Building, student help desk
* Athletic Administration Building, reception desk
For more information on UNM's United Way campaign visit: UNM United Way.
For a Mini Giving Box display visit: Mini Giving Box.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Katherine “Kak” Slick, one of the most accomplished historic preservationists in the country, presents, “Linking Preservation and Sustainability,” Friday, Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. in George Pearl Hall, the new home for the School of Architecture and Planning, located on Central Ave. and Cornell NE. The event is free and open to the public.
Slick was appointed State Historic Preservation Officer by Governor Bill Richardson in 2003 after 30 years of community involvement in historic preservation.
Chris Wilson, director, historic preservation and regionalism program in the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, said, “Kak Slick has worked at every level of government agencies and non-profit organizations – from the Citizens Committee for Historic Preservation in Las Vegas to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the President’s Council for Historic Preservation.
“She is a visionary who understands how the 40-year-old grassroots historic preservation movement is about the sustainability of the built environment and of our communities.”
Slick, one of two Pearl Fellows this year, was a close personal friend of George Pearl, the architect for whom the UNM School of Architecture and Planning and Fine Arts and Design Library building is named. She valued his advice on the restoration of the plaza and the Montezuma Hotels in Vegas, and they worked together to develop the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance.
“George Pearl was a marvelous person to spend time with reflecting on what makes a detail, building, place, landscape, tradition or community work,” Slick said.
“I would love to be able to discuss with him the intersection, and for some disconnect, between sustainability and preservation in caring for and sustaining those aspects of ‘place’.”
Slick said the concept of sustainable development first occurred internationally in the 1980s and was initially viewed as an environmental issue. But preservationists, she said, recognized their work as going hand-in hand with the concept.
“For those of us involved in preservation, the idea of being sustainable goes well beyond “greening” buildings. It is about being environmentally and culturally responsible, and recognizing the past as an integral part of the present, so that communities continue to be viable.”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzlaes, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Linda Melville, international advisement specialist in the Office of International Programs and Studies, has been named the 2007 recipient of the Bruce Tracy Award, given for excellence in the field of international education. The Bruce Tracy Award is given to a NAFSA – Association for International Educators – member whose professional and personal contributions to the field of international education go beyond normal job expectations.
Photo: Linda Melville
The award was granted by the NAFSA Region II award selection committee. Region II, the largest geographic region in the U.S., is an eight state region that includes New Mexico.
Melville said, “Looking at the letters of recommendation, I am truly overwhelmed by all of the extremely kind words – as well as the number of people who wrote letters on my behalf. I am really fortunate to have such wonderful colleagues and friends in international education and in higher education.”
Melville was recognized as a professional who devotes a great deal of personal time to programs for international students and toward campus internationalization efforts, provides significant leadership at the regional and national level, and as a member who reflects the ideals and goals of the professional association through her professional commitment and dedication to the field of international education.
Melville was nominated by her colleagues Heather Greene and Christina Rosado-Maher, who collected letters of support across campus. Vice President for Student Affairs Eliseo Torres wrote, …”Since the U.S. government implemented dramatic changes in the issuance of student and scholar visas post September 11th, the University of New Mexico has relied heavily upon Ms. Melville’s expertise in visa laws to ensure that we follow the regulations.”
Tom Bogenschild, director, Office of International Programs and Studies, wrote, “Linda’s contributions to international education have been profound, and have reached students, scholars, and colleagues locally, statewide, region-wide, and nationally.”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzlaes, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The annual Viola F. Cordova Symposium will be held Monday, Nov. 19, 1-6 p.m., in celebration of Native American Heritage Month. The editors of “How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V.F. Cordova” will give a lecture at 1 p.m. followed by a book signing at 4 p.m. in the UNM Student Union Building Acoma room.
Viola Cordova was the first Native American woman to receive a Ph.D. in philosophy. Even as she became an expert on canonical works of traditional Western philosophy, she devoted herself to defining a Native American philosophy. Although she died of a brain aneurysm before she could complete her life’s work, some of her colleagues have organized her pioneering contributions into this provocative book.
The speakers include Kathleen Dean Moore, distinguished professor of philosophy at Oregon State University; Kurt Peters, associate professor of ethnic studies and director of the Native American Collaborative Institute at Oregon State University; Ted Jojola, UNM regents’ professor of community and regional planning; and Amber Lacy, graduate student in the Department of Philosophy at Oregon State University.
The event, sponsored by the Department of Native American Studies, is free and open to the public. For more information contact NAS at 277-3917 or nasinfo@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Department of Parking and Transportation Services (PATS) is currently offering an online customer service survey to measure and improve the department’s services to UNM students, staff and faculty. The survey will include questions related to the specific services students, staff and faculty have used in the previous year.
For example, people who select “Alternative Transportation” will be asked about the methods of alternative transportation (carpooling, bicycling, etc) they use, while people utilizing the PATS Web site will be asked to provide feedback to later improve the site.
All members of the UNM community participating in the survey will be entered into a drawing for the following prizes:
1st prize - $100 gift certificate to the UNM Bookstore (one winner)
2nd prize - $50 gift certificate to the UNM Bookstore (one winner)
3rd prize - $32 of coupons to park at the Cornell Parking Structure. This equals 20 hours worth of free parking (five winners).
For more information, please contact the Department of Parking and Transportation Services at 277-1928 or visit Parking Survey to take the survey.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
International Studies at the University of New Mexico is offering its first “Journey to the Sacred Traditions of India,” a spring semester 2008 course. The fully accredited tour is scheduled for March 15 – 30, during spring break; UNM students who participate would miss one week of regular classes. The trip is open to the public.
The purpose of the trip is to experience spirituality as it is practiced in northern India. Emphasis will be on understanding the major religious and sacred traditions, their practices, beliefs, history and their relationship to modern Indian society.
Tour members will observe and participate in rituals and ceremonies of the various traditions in their historical plDavid Brookshire of worship.
Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh and Yogic traditions originated in India; Islam, Baha’i and Christianity are imported. All are uniquely influenced by Indian culture and people. Students will meditate with the Buddhists, do Puja with the Hindus, do Seva with the Sikhs, pray with the Christians, visit Muslim mosques and do yoga with the yogis.
Kirpal S. Khalsa, sociology and yoga professor at UNM-Taos has organized the trip and course. Khalsa said, “Spirituality is best understood through practice and experience.”
Khalsa lived in India for 11 years during which time he conducted numerous trips throughout the subcontinent. The trip will cost approximately $3,500: includes airfare from Albuquerque, lodging, local travel, special classes and meals.
If interested in learning more about the trip, an informational meeting with Khalsa, including yoga, a Power Point presentation and chai, spiced Indian tea, is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 1, noon, at the Med 2 building in Taos: Medical Arts Plaza, 1398 Weimer Road, across from Holy Cross Hospital.
For more information about the trip visit: India Trip or contact Khalsa at kirpals@kiit.com.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
University of New Mexico-Gallup will light up the night Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 5:30 p.m. in front of Gurley Hall when the college turns on the electric luminarias outlining the buildings to mark the official start of the holiday season. The “Illumination Celebration” is free and open to the public.
Hot apple cider and hot chocolate will be served in Gurley Hall Commons and a special visit from Santa Claus is planned for children.
For more information call Linda Thornton at (505) 863-7565.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Dr. Willard Sakiestewa Gilbert, a professor at Northern Arizona University, elected to serve as the 2007-2008 National Indian Education Association (NIEA) President. He was sworn in during the NIEA’s 38th Annual Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii. Last year, he served on the NIEA board of directors, and was elected by the board to be the president-elect in 2006.
Photo: Dr. Willard Sakiestewa Gilbert
He succeeds Verli-Ann Malina Wright, a Native Hawaiian, who ended her one-year term as president on the last day of the convention, according to the NIEA by-laws.
Gilbert is an enrolled member of the Hopi Tribe and is from the village of Moenkopi in northeastern Arizona. Dr. Gilbert is a Professor of Education at Northern Arizona University (NAU), Flagstaff, Arizona.
He also served as Chair of the Educational Specialties Department (Special Education, Gifted Education, Bilingual/Multicultural Education, Career/Technical Education, and Educational Technology) in the College of Education at NAU.
His expertise is Curriculum and Instruction, American Indian education and Bilingual/Multicultural education and has extensive experience as an administrator, faculty and researcher in higher education.
There were three expiring terms for the Board of Directors; Verlie Ann Malina-Wright (Native Hawaiian), Vice Principal of Kula Kaiapuni `O Anuenue, Hawai`i, who served this past year as president, Cameron Cuch (Northern Ute/Wampanoag), and Shirley Begay (Navajo Nation), Superintendent of Apache County, Arizona.
The National Indian Education Association, a 501(c) (3) organization, was founded in 1969 to support traditional Native cultures and values, to enable Native learners to become contributing members of their communities, to promote Native control of educational institutions, and to improve educational opportunities and resources for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians throughout the United States.
As a 38 year old membership-based, nonprofit organization, NIEA registration for the convention includes a full year of member incentives, updates and a quarterly newsletter.
For more information concerning registration and membership call (202) 544-7290 or visit National Indian Education Association.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
How many judges, district attorneys and public defenders does New Mexico need to properly run its justice system? Researchers at the University of New Mexico and the New Mexico Sentencing Commission presented the findings of a workload study designed to answer that question to the Legislative Finance Committee.
The New Mexico Sentencing Commission is a state agency that is located on the UNM campus and shares facilities with the UNM Institute for Social Research (ISR) and the ISR Center for Applied Research and Analysis. The research head for the workload study is UNM/ISR researcher Linda Freeman, M.A.
The report – entitled “A Workload Assessment Study for the New Mexico Trial Court Judiciary, New Mexico District Attorneys’ Offices and New Mexico Public Defender Department" – was conducted by the New Mexico Sentencing Commission and the UNM Institute of Social Research. Vital to the research was the expertise of the National Center for State Courts and the American Prosecutor’s Research Institute. The project was funded by the New Mexico Legislature.
This study is the first in the nation in which all three components of the justice system were studied simultaneously. While the Legislative Finance Committee and New Mexico Department of Finance staffs determine the net need of each case based on the existing judges, attorneys and staff members, this report includes an assessment of current and potential future staffing needs of the New Mexico Judicial system.
This assessment leads to statewide findings that under current level of cases in New Mexico courts, the trial courts need an additional 24 full-time District Court judges, four Metropolitan Court judges, seven Magistrate Court judges. New Mexico District Attorney’s offices need an additional 41 attorneys, nine investigators, three victim witnesses, 16 full-time and one half-time support staff, while Public Defenders offices in New Mexico need an additional 41 attorneys and 45 full-time support staff.
In addition to determining current personnel resource needs for the New Mexico judiciary, prosecutors and defenders, this workload assessment created a model that will allow Sentencing Commission staff members to forecast staffing needs and make annual updates of the results presented in the published study.
“Accurate information about our justice system is the Sentencing Commission’s first step in making rational adult and juvenile justice policy,” said New Mexico Sentencing Commission Chair Joe Caldwell, who served as both a district attorney and district court judge before being appointed by Governor Richardson to head the Sentencing Commission.
The judiciary and the district attorneys had independently conducted similar workload studies in the past. No assessment has ever been done of the resource needs for indigent defense in New Mexico, as provided by the Public Defender Department. The result has been what Supreme Court Chief Justice Edward Chavez called "a three legged stool with two legs."
According to Caldwell, every year legislators – led by Rep. Henry "Kiki" Saavedra – introduce legislation to correct this problem. Saavedra has been a leader in including public defender and district attorney staffing in all judge bills. This study gives New Mexico Legislators a clearer idea about the exact needs of these three parts of the justice system.
“Planning which involves every branch of government should always be done this way,” said Caldwell.
The New Mexico Sentencing Commission, which also oversees the state’s Sex Offender Management Board and Justice Information Sharing Council, produces as many as 12 research reports each year. This study, as well as over 50 other research reports can be found at New Mexico Sentencing Commission.
Role of culture in therapy addressed
Joseph Gone, American Indian psychologist, presents “Keeping Culture in Mind: Exploring Aboriginal and Western Therapeutic Integration in a First Nation Treatment Center,” at the UNM Psychology Colloquia, Friday, Nov. 16 from noon to 1 p.m. in the Bobo Room of Hodgin Hall. This event is free and open to the public.
Gone is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, clinical area, and the Program in American Culture, Native American Studies, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He earned his bachelor’s in psychology at Harvard University in 1992 and his doctorate in clinical and community psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2001.
As a cultural psychologist, Gone addresses in his research the key dilemma confronting mental health professionals who serve Native American communities, namely how to provide culturally appropriate helping services that avoid the neo-colonial subversion of local thought and practice. He has published articles and chapters concerning the ethnopsychological investigation of self, identity, personhood and social relations in American Indian cultural contexts vis-a-vis the mental health professions.
For more information, call Steven Verney, 277-0633.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzlaes, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
University of New Mexico pediatrician Dr. Andrew Hsi has been honored by New Mexico Voices for Children (NMVC) as the 2007 Voice for Children award winner in the Medical Professional category. Hsi is a professor and the director of the Division of General Pediatrics at the UNM Health Sciences Center.
Photo: Dr. Andrew Hsi
As an experienced pediatrician, he has focused on developing systems of care for children and families affected by prenatal alcohol and drug exposure, family violence, parental mental illnesses, and unsupported teen parenting. His research interests has included investigation into how primary care providers can structure patient encounters for primary and secondary prevention of complicated behaviorally-involved problems such as illicit drug use and domestic violence.
This is not the first award Hsi has received for his work in pediatric care. In 1999, he received the first national Humanism in Medicine Award from the American Association of Medical Colleges, the accrediting organization for U.S. medical schools, and as an advocate for children in Albuquerque, he was awarded the Children’s Champion Award in 2001 from All Faith’s Receiving Home.
NMVC is celebrating its 20th anniversary by honoring 20 outstanding individuals or organizations that have made important contributions to the well-being of New Mexico’s children over the past 20 years.
Founded in 1987 by a group of pediatricians, NMVC is a progressive, nonpartisan, statewide advocacy organization. NMVC works to eliminate child poverty and improve the health and well-being of New Mexico's children, families and communities by shaping public policy. For more information on NMVC, visit New Mexico Voices.
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
The 32nd annual Turkey Trot, sponsored by UNM’s Recreational Services, is set for Saturday, Nov. 17 at University Arena. A children’s half-mile event is scheduled for 10 a.m., while a three-mile adult run is set to begin at 10:45 a.m. Pre-registration continues through Friday, Nov. 16 for $13. On race day, late-registration will be held, but the fee will be $14.
Exclusively designed T-shirts will be awarded to the first 200 participants who register. Children’s age divisions are 6-7, 8-9 and 10-12, while adult divisions are 13-16, 17-23, 24-30, 31-37, 38-45 and 46-54. Prizes include turkeys, chickens and Cornish hens in each age division.
The Pit is located on UNM’s South Campus at University Blvd. and Avenida de Cesar Chavez near The Pit.
Additionally, a food drive will be conducted as part of the event. Participants and spectators are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item on race day for donation to a local food bank.
Registration may either be completed in person or by mail. Recreational Services is located on the UNM campus in Johnson Center, rm. 1102. Office hours are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Completed registration forms and checks, payable to Recreational Services, may be sent to: UNM Recreational Services, Johnson Center, Rm. 1102, MSC04 2600, Albuquerque, N.M., 87131.
For more information or for a registration form call 277-0178.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The Provost’s Committee for Staff (PCS) is seeking scholarship applicants for its Staff Academic Support Scholarship for the Spring 2008 semester. The scholarship, in its third year, is designed to help support staff who utilizes their tuition remission benefit. This is an opportunity for UNM staff to apply for limited financial support to be used to help cover the cost of academic books, course fees and supplies. Three $250 scholarships will be awarded.
Eligibility requirements include: course(s) must be used toward degree or certificate completion or professional development; passed UNM Employment Probationary Status; Be at least a .50 FTE UNM employee; Must have a “Meet expectations” or better on most recent Performance Review.
Application guidelines include a completed application form available online at: Staff Academic Support Scholarship. A statement outlining academic path and benefit of these funds towards your academic degree are also required as part of the application process. The deadline to submit a completed application is Friday, Nov. 30, 2007.
A fund to help support the scholarship has been established through an account at the UNM Foundation. UNM employees interested in contributing to this fund will have the option to do so through payroll deductions. The goal is to grow the fund and provide increased financial support to our staff.
The United Way is another avenue in which you may give to the scholarship award by designating your donation to the UNM Provost Support Scholarship fund, which will continue to increase the number of awardees per semester.
This is the sixth semester the scholarship award has been in existence and the staff’s need in financial assistance is apparent by receiving more than 50 applicants for the Fall 2007 semester.
For more information contact Lina Sandve at 277-1326 or via e-mail at: lsandve@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
One Fish. Two Fish. Red Fish. Blue Fish, wrote Dr Seuss. But what about Sick Fish? Sometimes even little aquarium fish need surgery. Fish surgery is the focus of KNME Science Café, Saturday, Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Albuquerque Aquarium – Biopark near Old Town.
Science Café kicks off with “Fish Surgery,” a short TV segment from an episode of the PBS national series NOVA scienceNow, which looks at how veterinary medicine has caught up with Americans’ love for their number one choice of pet: the fish. Café participants can then engage in an interactive discussion with a local expert about how the Albuquerque Aquarium handles fish surgeries: what goes on, the difficulties involved, and answers questions about anything with fins. Come prepared for a lively discussion.
Admission is free, however a reservation is required and seating is limited to the first 70. Please call 848-7180 to RSVP.
This 13th KNME Science Café is presented with support from New Mexico Tech, Lockheed Martin/Sandia National Labs and the American Chemical Society - Central New Mexico Local Section.
KNME-TV presents Science Café six or more times per year at various locations. The concept is to show clips from an episode of NOVA scienceNOW or a comparable program, with an expert on that topic on hand to answer questions, and have an open discussion with the audience in a café atmosphere. Take part or listen to the discussion. It’s fun, casual and laid back... Be curious, amazed and have fun at KNME Science Café. For more information call: (505) 277-1218 or (505) 848-7180.
East of Albuquerque, the Sandia Mountains magnificently rise up as a jewel in the crown of Albuquerque’s natural treasures -- the bosque, the Rio Grande and the volcanos. There is perhaps no other American city so dominated by a natural icon. Endlessly beautiful, awe inspiring, ever changing and timeless; they leave an indelible mark.
KNME presents an hour-long special local production, “The Sandias,” which premieres Monday, Nov. 12 at 9 p.m. and will be aired throughout the month: Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 22 at 9 p.m.; Sunday, Nov.25 at 1 p.m.; and Monday, Nov. 26 at 9 p.m.
View “The Sandias” at: The Sandias. Partial funding for the production of “The Sandias” was provided by the Albuquerque Tricentennial Committee.
This 60-minute high definition documentary by KNME focuses on the remarkable light show on Sandia Crest along with the fascinating ecology, geology, rich history and overall appreciation of the Sandia Mountains.
Cities prize the attributes that make them distinctive and foster community. And in most cases they have created one: St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, Paris’ Eiffel Tower, and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. As Albuquerque grows into a big city, it needs an icon. Looking east, the choice is obvious.
“Along with the Rio Grande, the bosque and the volcanos, the Sandia Mountains frame Albuquerque in a magnificent way,” said Michael Kamins, KNME executive producer.
“We are blessed with environmental assets found in few other urban areas. No wonder we are so popular. Urban sprawl, dwindling water supply, and other growth problems continue as threats, making the same old questions even more relevant today. What will it be like to live in Albuquerque in the next few decades? How do we preserve the things we love, that make us unique? How do we educate residents about the importance of our natural resources so they sustain our community for future generations?
“Although Albuquerque has been wise to preserve many things, the job is not done and probably never will be,” Kamins said. “Fortunately we still have options. Albuquerque is not a place to be treated carelessly and New Mexicans’ quality of life is dependent on how well we all treat the natural gifts around us. Perhaps ‘The Sandias’ will help New Mexicans find a deeper respect for these mountains.”
In appreciation of these mountains, KNME follows the story of environmental lighting designer Jito Coleman creating the crest lighting for the Tricentennial.
In “The Sandias,” Geologists Sean Connell, New Mexico Tech, and Jayne Aubele, New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, give fascinating insights into billions of years of geologic history. UNM paleontologist Barry Kues conducts a fossil tour of the crest’s 300 million year old sea life.
Author Mike Smith shares stories gathered for his new book Towns of the Sandias, while Robert Julyan, co-editor, Field Guide to the Sandia Mountains, explores the mountain’s life zones, which vary as much as going from Albuquerque to British Columbia. Learn also about the Sandia’s reclusive rattlesnakes and renowned rosy finches. Painter Wilson Hurley and others share their love of the mountains.
The magnificent Sandias also speak for themselves. Raging snowstorms, tranquil autumn afternoons and spring blooms are photographed in HD video motion pictures. Taken from different perspectives, at different times of day and year, “The Sandias” captures the presence of the mountains.
Professor of Music Bradley Ellingboe will receive a Faculty Acknowledgement Award from University Libraries on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. in the Willard Room of Zimmerman Library. He will also present a short talk titled, “A Life in Music.” Ellingboe will discuss his compositions and the path that led him to become a composer of choral music.
Ellingboe and the UNM Concert Choir have just release a CD, “Fast Falls the Eventide” a collection of sacred and familiar songs as well as pieces specially written and arranged for the choir. The CD features an original composition by Ellingboe, “Be Music, Night”.
The event is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow the lecture.
UNM Graduate Student Sushmita Roy spent last summer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the lab of Manolis Kellis, an assistant professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, who specializes in developing computational algorithms for decoding the information present in the genomes of organisms.
Photo: Graduate Student Sushmita Roy
As part of her internship, Roy played a small part in a large project analyzing the genomes of 12 fly species. The paper describing the project and its results was released this week in the journal “Nature.”
In her summer project, she analyzed statistical properties of the fly regulatory network, computationally predicted by Kellis’ lab, with nodes representing genes and edges representing regulatory control exercised by a “regulator” gene on a “regulate” gene.
This led to the identification of network nodes with different types of connectivity. Nodes with high-connectivity were themselves regulators controlling important events in the growth and development of flies.
Roy says the edges in the network also had non-random properties. Edges had a higher chance of existing between genes functioning in the same fly tissue, rather than in different tissues.
The identification of these statistical properties helped the researchers to clarify the biological significance of the predicted regulatory network of developing flies, which can provide insight into important developmental events in higher organisms.
The title of the journal article is “Discovery of Functional Elements in 12 Drosophila Genomes Using Evolutionary Signatures.” Roy is listed as one of the co-authors on the article.
Roy is working on her Ph.D. in Computer Science applying statistical algorithms to understand living systems. Her advisors, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Terran Lane and Professor of Biology Margaret Werner-Washburne are guiding her efforts to apply statistical algorithms to understand living systems.
Her internship in the MIT summer program was sponsored by the Program in Interdisciplinary Biological and Biomedical Sciences (PIBBS) at UNM and (Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) InterfDavid Brookshire program and was arranged by Bruce Birren, director of the Microbial Sequencing Center and co-director of the Genome Sequencing and Analysis program at the Broad Institute at the MIT and UNM Biology Professor Margaret Werner-Washburne.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
UNM scientists play active role in research
Scientists of the Pierre Auger Collaboration, which includes researchers in the University of New Mexico’s Physics and Astronomy Department in the College of Arts and Sciences, announced today that Active Galactic Nuclei or AGNs, are the most likely candidate for the source of the highest-energy cosmic rays that hit Earth. The results will appear in the Nov. 9 issue of the journal Science.
Using the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina, the largest cosmic-ray observatory in the world, a team of scientists from 17 countries found that the sources of the highest-energy particles are not distributed uniformly across the sky.
Instead, the Auger results link the origins of these mysterious particles to the locations of nearby galaxies that have active nuclei in their centers.
Supermassive black holes that are devouring large amounts of matter are thought to power AGNs. They have long been considered sites where high-energy particle production might take place. They swallow gas, dust and other matter from their host galaxies and spew out particles and energy.
While most galaxies have black holes at their center, only a fraction of all galaxies have an AGN. The exact mechanism of how AGNs can accelerate particles to energies 100 million times higher than the most powerful particle accelerator on Earth is still a mystery.
“We looked at our cosmic rays and tried to see if they correlated with a category of astrophysical sources [the AGNs] because there aren’t enough of them to come from any one source,” said UNM Professor John Matthews. “Normally you would say it should be some bright object in the sky. The trouble is they aren’t. We’re stuck trying to correlate what we actually measure with possible sources. The AGNs are supermassive black holes and that’s what’s cool about them.”
“There are very few events to measure to help make the correlation,” said graduate student J. Doug Hague, another researcher from UNM. “Imagine your telescope only gives you one photon a month. How would you determine where the stars are? Here it takes a year or more with one single light pulse [one cosmic ray] at a time.”
Cosmic rays are protons and atomic nuclei that travel across the universe at close to the speed of light. When these particles smash into the upper atmosphere of our planet, they create a cascade of secondary particles called an air shower that can spread across 40 or more square kilometers (15 square miles) as they reach the Earth’s surface.
“It turns out that supermassive black holes tend to be everywhere and they are incredibly efficient at converting gravitational energy into other forms of particle beams,” said Matthews.
Other UNM scientists participating in the research include Professor Michael Gold, Instrumentation Specialist Bill Miller and Post Doctorate Bernie Becker.
This particular field of study at UNM was initiated by Physics and Astronomy Professor John Linsley in the early-1960s when he set up an experiment on the West Mesa in Albuquerque. His concept of placing detectors spread out over a certain area is similar to the method used by the Pierre Auger group which captured records of cosmic ray showers through an array of 1,600 particle detectors placed 1.5 kilometers (approximately one mile) apart in a grid spread across 3,000 square kilometers (1,200 square miles).
In the Auger experiment, 24 specially designed telescopes [also] record the emission of fluorescence light from the air shower. The combination of particle detectors and fluorescence telescopes provides an exceptionally powerful instrument for this research.
“We looked at one set of data for a two year period from 2004-06,” said Becker, who also enlisted the assistance of Tim Thomas at the UNM Supercomputing Center to examine the data. “Then we looked at another [independent] set of data from that date on forward and found that it repeats. The conclusion was that there was a one percent probability of that repeating at random.“
While the observatory has recorded almost a million cosmic-ray showers, only the rare, highest-energy cosmic rays can be linked to their sources with sufficient precision. Auger scientists so far have recorded 77 cosmic rays with energy above 4 x1019 electron volts, or 40 EeV. This is the largest number of cosmic rays with energy above 40 EeV recorded by any observatory. At these ultra-high energies, the uncertainty in the direction from which the cosmic ray arrived is less than one degree, allowing scientists to determine the location of the particle’s cosmic source.
“The big open question is how are these extremely high energy cosmic rays produced,” said Gold. “This [result] gives us a big clue with a class of objects that seem to be the source. When we combine modeling of this type of source with measurements of the energy spectrum, hopefully it will give us more information to find out exactly what the mechanism is.”
“We took the obvious catalog of objects, mainly nearby supermassive black holes and asked if our cosmic rays seem to be from the same region of space? Miraculously, the answer was yes,” said Matthews. “I’d say we’ve had a fantastically good time doing the research.”
Scientists think that most galaxies have black holes at their centers, with masses ranging from a million to a few billion times the mass of our sun. The black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy weighs about three million solar masses, but it is not an AGN.
Galaxies that have an AGN seem to be those that suffered a collision with another galaxy or some other massive disruption in the last few hundred million years. The AGN swallows the mass coming its way while releasing prodigious amounts of radiation. The Auger result indicates that AGNs may also produce the universe's highest-energy particles.
The Auger collaboration discovered that the 27 highest-energy events, about one per month over two years, with energy above 57 EeV, do not come equally from all directions. Comparing the clustering of these events with the known locations of 318 Active Galactic Nuclei, the collaboration found that most of these events correlated well with the locations of AGNs in some nearby galaxies, such as Centaurus A.
“When I started working on the project, John had been designing a system for calibrating the [Auger] telescopes,” Miller said. “So we’ve been designing and installing many little pieces over the years [to assemble the complete] detector. In addition to the physics analysis, you actually have to build the experiment. Now that part kind of takes a backseat as it functions flawlessly as I understand.”
A team of more than 370 scientists and engineers from 17 countries is building the Pierre Auger Observatory. The collaboration is truly international with no country contributing more than 25 percent of the $54 million cost of construction. The Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation have provided funding in the United States for the project.
Groundbreaking for the southern hemisphere site of the Pierre Auger Observatory took place on March 17, 1999, in Argentina’s Mendoza Province. Following a period of detector deployment and testing, scientific data collection began in January 2004.
Because of the observatory’s size, which is similar to the state of Rhode Island, the Auger Observatory can record about 30 ultra-high-energy events per year. The Auger collaboration is developing plans for a second, larger installation in Colorado to extend coverage to the entire sky while substantially increasing the number of high-energy events recorded.
The observatory is named for French scientist Pierre Victor Auger (1899-1993), who in 1938 was the first to observe the extensive air showers generated by the interaction of high-energy cosmic rays with the Earth’s atmosphere.
Photos and background information:
Pierre Auger Collaboration.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The Native American Student Club at the University of New Mexico-Gallup hosts a week of activities during Native American Week, Nov. 12-15.
The activities are as follows:
Monday, Nov. 12, 10 a.m.: Invocation; Honor Song by the Cedar Lodge Drum Group; posting of colors; welcome address by Paul Kraft; schedule announcement by Kimimila Simms, NASC adviser, including the Unveiling of the Showcase in Gurley Hall Commons. These events will be followed by a fun run sponsored by NASC and the Zuni Diabetes Group at the UNM-Gallup running trail.
That evening from 7 to 9 p.m., Sunny Dooley, a Navajo Storyteller, will give a presentation in Calvin Hall Auditorium. Dooley, who comes from Chi Chil’ Tah, Where the Oaks Grow, tells stories that have been told for generations from her matrilineal Saltwater People Clan. With Diné as her first language, Dooley interprets her peoples’ stories into English, explaining the culture, traditions and history that lie behind the stories. The storytelling session is free, and is sponsored by funding from Achieving the Dream, an initiative by the Lumina Foundation to improve college success of under-represented students nationwide.
On Tuesday, Nov. 13, a Fry Bread Contest, sponsored by NASC and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, will take place in the courtyard from 10:30 to noon. From noon to 3 p.m. there will be a Native Fear Factor Knowledge Bowl in Gurley Hall Commons, and at 3 p.m., a documentary about children using their cultural identity in a time when Native language and tradition are being lost to drugs and alcohol and other debilitating influences will be shown.
“When Your Hands Are Tied” will be introduced by co-producer Marley Shebala, who will also give out copies, and at 6:30 p.m., “Canary Effect,” another documentary about Colonial Native America and winner of the Stanley Kubrick Film Award, will follow. Both films will be shown in Calvin Hall Center Auditorium.
On Wednesday, Nov. 14, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting in the courtyard with an Apache Skateboard Presentation showing various skateboard techniques and music DJ’d by Micah Wesley (Kiowa). Painter/designer Chanupa Huska Lugar (Lakota) will follow with a demonstration of spray paint on canvas. Douglas Miles is next with an art presentation in Gurley Hall Commons, and at 6:30 p.m., “Canary Effect” will be shown again in Calvin Hall Center.
On Thursday, Nov. 15, Comedy and Story Telling will be held at 5 p.m. in Gurley Hall Commons, followed by a comedy show featuring Drew Lacapa from 7 to 9 p.m. in Calvin Hall Auditorium.
All events are free to the public. For more information contact Kimimila Simms, 863-7500.
Show airs Friday night, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. on KNME, Channel 5, and repeats Sunday, Nov. 11 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 - Money - it's running out for road projects in New Mexico, and lawmakers may soon be asking you to foot the bill as the state is looking at an estimated 500 million dollar shortfall for construction projects; Is Gov. Richardson's plan to reform health care just what the doctor ordered?; and a shocking new poll about the front-runners in the race to replace Sen. Pete Domenici.
This Week’s Guests:
* Johnny Cope, Co-Chairperson, Highway Construction Task Force
* Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, Co-Chairperson, Highway Construction Task Force
Guest Panelists:
* Paul Gessing, Executive Director, The Rio Grande Foundation
* Scott Darnell, NM Republican Party
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."
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
Four UNM professors contribute essays
Phillip B. Gonzales, professor of sociology and associate dean for faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences, edited a new anthology, “Expressing New Mexico: Nuevomexicano Creativity, Ritual, and Memory,” a 2007 University of Arizona Press publication. The anthology presents a fresh examination of New Mexico’s varied, deeply historical and highly contested Hispanic culture.
“The impetus behind the project came from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, part of which called for original studies of such rituals as the matachines, acequias, the Santa Fe Fiesta, as well as film representation, creative writing, and identity politics including Albuquerque’s Oñate controversy,” Gonzales said.
Four other UNM faculty members are among the contributors: Sylvia Rodriguez, anthropology; Enrique Lamadrid, Spanish and Portuguese and Chicano/ Mexicano/Hispano Studies; A. Gabriel Melendez, American Studies; and Tey Diana Rebolledo, Spanish and Portuguese.
The rich and diverse cultures of Nuevomexicanos were forged by Spanish speaking residents over the course of many centuries. Expressing New Mexico contributes to a present-day renaissance of research on Nuevomexicano culture by assembling eleven original, noteworthy essays.
They are grouped under two broad headings: “expressing culture” and “expressing place.” Expressing culture derives from the notion of “expressive culture,” referring to “fine art” productions, such as music, painting, sculpture, drawing, dance, drama, and film, but it is expanded here to include folklore, religious ritual, community commemoration, ethnopolitical identity and the pragmatics of ritualized response to the difficult problems of everyday life.
Intertwined with the concept of expressive culture is “place” in relation to New Mexico itself. Place is addressed directly by four authors and is present in varying degrees in the rest. Place figures prominently in Nuevomexicano “character,” contributors argue. They assert that Nuevomexicano/as construct and develop a sense of self that is shaped by the state’s geography and culture as well as by heritage.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University Boulevard-Camino de Salud entrance to the “Q” parking lot on the north campus will be closed starting on Thursday, Nov. 8 due to construction of a tunnel underneath the Camino de Salud-University Boulevard. The construction project is expected to last through mid-January 2008.
To access “Q” Lot parking, or the UNM Children’s Campus, please use the alternate “Q” Lot Entrance north of Camino de Salud and south of the Citadel apartment complex. Access to “G” Lot will remain unchanged.
A map of the construction area and alternate entrance is available at the UNM Parking and Transportation Services Web site, Parking and Transportation Services.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
Friends of Art presents a gala holiday ornament auction to raise funds for the University of New Mexico Art Museum on Friday, Nov. 16, 6-8 p.m. at the Richard Levy Gallery, 514 Central Avenue SW. The auction features ornaments made by more than 70 artists, including Constance DeJong, Barbara Grothus, Holly Roberts, Ed Haddaway, Suzanne Sbarge and Patrick Nagatani. Champagne and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Friends of Art is the community support group for the University Art Museum. The group has helped with hundreds of acquisitions on behalf of the University Art Museum and the Jonson Gallery for more than 40 years, including works by Albrect Durer, David Hockney, Georgia O’Keefe, Andy Warhol, Goya and Jasper Johns.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information call Anne Engelhardt at 255-3534 or Lou Liberty at 345-3254.
Giving to the United Way has quickly become a tradition at the University of New Mexico. The “Giving Makes Life Better” employee campaign began Monday, Oct. 8 with campaign co-chairs Vi Florez, Interim Provost/Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs leading the charge.
UNM President David J. Schmidly has announced a campaign goal of $515,000, an increase of more than $40,000 from last year’s goal of $475,000 and $18,000 more from last year’s record-setting mark of $493,600.
Each year, UNM’s support for United Way has increased. In 2003 more than $220,000 was raised. In 2004 that figure climbed to $310,526. In 2005, UNM raised $432,000. And last year’s campaign was no exception in terms of donor generosity with $493,600 pledged in United Way support.
The University’s campaign is one of the largest in the state and demonstrates UNM’s support for friends, family, community and causes we support around the world. One of the many benefits of your donation exists right here at UNM. Donors can designate their gift to any number of UNM departments or programs. United Way opens the door to many educational possibilities through donor support of scholarships and undergraduate education.
Donors may also choose to direct their contribution to the United Way Community Fund or any 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization of choice that helps support dozens of local organizations throughout Central New Mexico working with at-risk children, the elderly, victims of family violence and other neighbors in need.
Thanks to the Corporate Cornerstones Program, which underwrites administrative costs, 100 percent of the money you donate will go to help the people in this community who need it most. None of your donation goes to pay for administration.
UNM’s “Giving Makes Life Better” United Way campaign drive continues through the end of November. Many of the campaign pledge forms have already been delivered. If you do not receive your form this week or have any questions, please contact the United Way team at 277-0649.
For more information on UNM's 2007 United Way campaign visit: UNM United Way Campaign.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Public historian Yolanda Chavez Leyva will present “Voces del Segundo Barrio,” her oral history project in an El Paso, Texas neighborhood where Mexicans and Mexican Americans have resided for several generations, on Tuesday, Nov. 13, from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. in the Willard Reading Room in Zimmerman Library.
Photo: Public historian Yolanda Chavez Leyva
El Segundo Barrio is one of the oldest and most historic Mexican American neighborhoods in El Paso and the U.S. Leyva recovers history from both sides of the border and her work is especially significant because the neighborhood is currently being sought by developers who hope to remove the residents.
Chavez Leyva is associate professor of history at the University of Texas, El Paso. She is a public historian who specializes in U.S.-Mexico border, Chicana/o and public histories. In addition to sponsoring and developing community-based oral history projects, she has published numerous articles and booklets on these topics. She is completing her manuscript, “Calling the Ancestors: Chicana/o History, Pedagogy, and Healing.” She will be joined by UTEP history graduate students who are working with her.
This presentation is sponsored by the UNM Department of History, Latin American/Iberian Institute, Southwest Hispanic Research Institute and Native American Studies.
For more information, contact Jennifer Denetdale, history, UNM, 277-4138 or jdenet@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Roger Schluntz, dean, UNM School of Architecture and Planning, is leading a campus development master plan visioning charrette and design workshop Sunday, Nov. 11, through Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the plaza level of George Pearl Hall, on the corner of Central Ave. and Cornell N.E.
Photo: Roger Schluntz
UNM President David J. Schmidly requested the charrette, both to update the existing 1996/97 Campus Development Plan as well as to demonstrate to future planning consultants, and other stakeholders, future options for the physical development of the main campus.
Schluntz has assembled a charrette team that includes faculty and students from the School of Architecture and Planning as well as UNM’s campus architect, planner and landscape architect. He has also drawn in professionals locally and nationally.
On Sunday, starting at 9 a.m., the charrette team will review various aspects of the old master plan, including transportation and parking, historic structures, the academic core, north and south campuses and student housing.
The team will then interview, in closed sessions, various individuals and groups representing the Health Sciences Center, Science and Technology Park, Athletics, Housing, Sustainability, Historic Preservation, Student Affairs and Recreation and others.
On Monday, Nov. 12, the design work begins with a session on alternative concepts development. At 4 p.m., the first “pin up” session of concepts and directions is scheduled.
On Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 9 a.m., an informal critique by UNM administrators and staff is scheduled. The afternoon work schedule will be followed by a closed interim review session.
On Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m., in Pearl Hall auditorium, the formal presentation of the charrette concepts will be presented.
“A well designed campus is a crucible for social engagement, one that facilitates and enhances engagement and discovery. A variety of events, experiences – formal and informal interaction – routines and personal relationships may be sustained in a campus environment in ways that enrich societal discourse as well as contribute to intellectual inquiry and discovery. The well planned campus provides memorable plDavid Brookshire that promote community and collegiality,” Schluntz said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The first phase of the “roundabout” to replace the Yale Boulevard and Camino de Salud intersection on the north campus is scheduled to end this week. Phase two of the Yale-Camino de Salud project is scheduled to start on Saturday, Nov. 10.
During this phase of the project, Camino de Salud will be closed west of the intersection and south of Tucker. Access to the “M” parking lot will be available on Camino de Salud south of Tucker and access to the Physical Plant and Office of Capital Projects buildings will be available on the AMAFCA Channel service road.
Traffic on Yale between Camino de Salud and Lomas Boulevard will be redirected around the construction area, through the Physics/ITS parking lot onto Camino de Salud, east of Yale, and back to Yale Boulevard north of the construction area. Yale will be open north to Tucker, where through traffic can access north campus and the “G” and “Q” parking lots.
By starting this phase on a Saturday, instead of Monday, Nov. 12, the contractor will be able to reconfigure the construction site with lighter traffic in the area. The detour road will be established when regular pedestrian and vehicular traffic return to campus that Monday.
Phase two is expected to last from Nov. 10 through mid-December. A map of the project is available at: Phase 2.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
UNM staff are encouraged to use tuition remission to increase professional and personal development through education and training. The Staff as Students Fair on Monday, Nov. 19, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in Student Union Building ballroom C will provide a fast and easy one-stop shop to help staff become students.
Academic advisors, UNM Extended University and the Office of Graduate Studies will be on site to answer questions about specific programs. Representatives from the Admissions, Registrar’s and Bursar’s offices will be available to process admissions applications, class registration and tuition remission forms.
All UNM benefits eligible staff can receive free tuition for up to eight credit hours for spring 2008. Tuition remission can be used for professional, academic and personal enrichment classes.
Class schedules are available online at: http://schedule.unm.edu/. For more information, call 277-MYHR (277-6947).
On Saturday, Nov. 3, approximately 30 students and faculty members from the UNM School of Law and other graduate programs participated in a “toxic tour” of communities around the Albuquerque area that are affected by environmental injustice. The purpose of the tour was to raise awareness and build connections between law and graduate students and members of these communities, with a long-term goal of inspiring students to consider working in social justice fields, and increasing the communities’ access to legal and political resources.
Environmental justice is the principle that that all people, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or ethnicity, should be able to live, work, and raise their children in a safe, clean, healthy environment. Unfortunately, many of New Mexico’s low-income communities and communities of color are exposed to disproportionate environmental burdens, including excessive air and water pollution, hazardous waste sites, and a lack of basic infrastructure such as running water and electricity.
Sites visited on the tour included the South Valley community of Mountain View, which is 73 percent Hispanic and home to 76 junkyards, seven chemical facilities, 35 hazardous waste facilities, and a sewage treatment plant, among other environmental hazards, and the community of Pajarito Mesa, whose residents lack access to running water and electricity and are exposed to heavy truck traffic and dust from the Southwest Landfill. The tour concluded at Petroglyph National Monument, a sacred site for many of New Mexico’s indigenous peoples.
The toxic tour was hosted by the SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP), the Sacred Alliance for Grassroots Equality (SAGE Council), the South Valley Community of Pajarito Mesa, and the South Valley Partners for Environmental Justice (SVPEJ), grassroots community organizations that have spent many years fighting for social and environmental justice.
A collaboration of UNM law student organizations came together to organize the tour, including the Environmental Law Society, the Mexican American Law Student Association, the Native American Law Student Association, the Association of Public Interest Law, the student chapter of the ACLU, the Student Health Law Society, the Women’s Law Caucus, and the Student Bar Association, as well as the Graduate and Professional Student Association.
Chris Melendrez, a third-year law student and member of the Mexican American Law Student Association (MALSA), said: “As an organization dedicated to supporting the Hispanic community in New Mexico, MALSA supports efforts to promote environmental equality within our communities so that all of our children and families are afforded the opportunities to grow, thrive, and pursue higher education without the additional burden of poor community health and quality of life.
The opportunity to drink clean water and breath clean air is easily taken for granted, but touring areas afflicted with unhealthful conditions serves as a reminder of the work that still must be done in order to bring equal opportunity to all New Mexico communities.”
For more information, contact Kristin Casper, Vice-President of the Environmental Law Society, at casperkr@law.unm.edu or (303) 594-0004.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
Former director of Vatican Observatory to talk about the Universe
Dr. George Coyne, S.J., a Jesuit priest and astronomer, and a former director of the Vatican Observatory, will present a talk titled “The Dance of the Fertile Universe,” Thursday, Nov. 15, at 4 p.m. in Northrup Hall rm. 122, the Earth and Planetary Sciences lecture hall. The talk, in part an exploration of the necessity for intelligent design, is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and is hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy. It is free and open to the public.
Photo: Dr. George Coyne, S.J.
A research astronomer with a Ph. D. from Georgetown University, the sometimes-controversial Coyne will pose the question: Did we come about by chance or by necessity in the evolving universe?
The first thing Coyne states is that the problem is not formulated correctly. It’s not just a question of chance or necessity because, first of all, it is both. Furthermore, he adds, there is a third element here that is very important. It is what Coyne calls the "fertility" of the universe. This is the dance of the fertile universe, a ballet with three ballerinas: chance, necessity and fertility.
What this means is that the universe is so fertile in offering the opportunity for the success of both chance and necessary processes that such a character of the universe must be included in the search for our origins in the universe. In this light, Coyne will try to present in broad strokes what he thinks is some of the best of our modern scientific understanding of the universe. In the end he will ask the question: Can we conclude that there is an Intelligent Design to the universe?
Coyne’s research interests include polarimetric observations of planetary bodies, stars and galaxies. He was a motive force in the relatively recent (1979 - 1992) re-opening of the Galileo Affair, resulting in the Church iterating the necessity for its learning from that experience and concluding that “faith and science, properly understood, can never be at odds.”
Pope John Paul I appointed Coyne Director of the Vatican Observatory in 1978. As director, Coyne oversaw many new programs, including a highly successful summer school and building of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope on Mt. Graham, Arizona. The observatory’s research group is based at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He remains on the staff of the Vatican Observatory and continues as president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
Coyne will also present the Physics and Astronomy department colloquium on Friday at 4 p.m. in Dane Smith Hall. This conversation, presented at an introductory level, will be on “Determining the Age of the Universe.” The public is welcome to attend the colloquium.
Fr. Coyne will also attend a pre-colloquium gathering at 3:30 p.m. in the atrium of Dane Smith Hall. For more information on the colloquium contact Professor John McGraw at jmcgraw@as.unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The UNM Senior Health Center and UNM LOBO Care Clinic will celebrate their new location at Building 4, Suite A, 1101 Medical Arts Ave. N.E., with an open house Friday, Nov. 9. As part of the open house, free flu shots for all interested attendees from 2 to 5 p.m.
For more information call, (505) 272-1754.
Media Contact: Cindy Foster, (505) 272-3322; e-mail: cfoster@salud.unm.edu
Dedication Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 10 at the Bill and Barbara Richardson Pavilion to feature entertainment and dignitaries
UNM Hospital and the New Mexico Children,Youth & Families Department (CYFD) will host a dedication ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 10 for the first permanent Heart Gallery exhibit in the U.S. The celebration will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. in the lobby of the Bill and Barbara Richardson Pavilion of UNM Hospital at 2211 Lomas Boulevard N.E.
The Heart Gallery features portraits of children in the custody of CYFD who are in need of permanent homes. This acclaimed initiative was born in New Mexico and has become the model for Heart Galleries in almost every state in the nation.
CYFD Cabinet Secretary Dorian Dodson lauded this historic partnership. “This outstanding venue will capture the attention of hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, ensuring that the message about New Mexico’s foster children who are available for adoption is always in the public eye.”
"A permanent exhibit like this is a perfect fit for UNM Hospital and Children's Hospital of New Mexico," said Robert Katz, M.D. UNM Health Sciences Vice President for Clinical Affairs. "Our physicians and staff see so many kids who are having a hard time or in tragic circumstances and need a good home. This exhibit allows us the opportunity to participate in seeing some of those sad situations turned into happy endings, both for the children and for the people who want to welcome them into their homes and lives."
The dedication ceremony will include entertainment by Ballet del Fuego and inspirational words from the first Heart Gallery family, the Somervilles.
Media Contact: Cindy Foster, (505) 272-3322; e-mail: cfoster@salud.unm.edu
On Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town more than 860 people shared in honoring the excellence in nursing our state enjoys. The Third Annual New Mexico Nursing Excellence Awards honored nurses in 22 categories, and named nursing legends as well.
During last year’s awards process, there were more than 50 nominees from UNMH, and eight came away with awards. This year, UNMH proudly reported 68 nominees. On Saturday, an impressive nine category awardees were from UNMH, not including an additional College of Nursing and Nursing Legend award!
UNMH winners
Advanced Practice: JoAnne Wright, RN • UNM Children’s Hospital
Behavioral Health: Donna Robertson, RN, MS • Psychiatric Counseling
Critical Care: Alicia Bruno, RN • STARS
Charge Nurse: Theresa Newton, RN • Peri-anesthesia
Nursing Management: Christopher O’Donnell, RN • School-Based Health
Nurse Executive: Judy L. Spinella, MSN, MBA, RN • Chief Nursing Officer
Pediatrics: Pamela Lantz, RN • Pediatric Cardiology
Perioperative Care: Kathleen Cramer, RN • Perioperative, OSIS
Women’s Health: Julie Taylor, RN • Women’s Health/Prenatal Clinic
Education/Research: Dr. Mona P. Ternus, UNM College of Nursing
Nursing Legend: Agnes Marshall Walker, RN, BSN, MS • Neuroscience Nursing
Diana Shomaker: former College of Nursing Faculty Member • Associate Dean for Distance Education and Community Outreach
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
Did you know that having a Flexible Spending Account is like getting a pay raise? A Flexible Spending Account provides a way to pay eligible health care and dependant day care expenses with pre-tax money. Participating in a FSA increases take home pay, which in turn increases buying power.
You have an opportunity to get pre-tax savings for most health care expenses that are not covered by other benefit plans, including:
- deductibles and co-payments not covered by medical or dental insurance
- eye care, such as laser eye surgery, exams, glasses, contacts and saline solution
- dental care, including brDavid Brookshire and dentures
- over the counter medications that alleviate or treat injuries or sickness
- dependant care
FSAs allow two options for payment. You can pay expenses at the point of service and submit a claim for reimbursement, or use a Flexible Convenience Card or Flex Card. The Flex Card is available for employees to use wherever MasterCard or Visa are accepted. Approved expenses are automatically deducted from your medical flexible spending account or dependent care account. The Flex Card provides instant access to account funds and reduces the need to wait for reimbursement.
You can put up to $5,000 per year in a health care FSA and another $5,000 can be contributed annually to a Dependant Care Spending Account. Look at the qualifying expenses you plan for in the coming year and calculate carefully. Any unused funds remaining in an account after the deadline to submit claims will be forfeited to the plan. The annual contribution amount is divided into equal amounts and deducted each pay period; however the full amount is available on Jan. 1, 2008. In addition, you have until March 15, 2009 to incur claims for the 2008 plan year.
Eighty-eight percent of UNM employees aren’t currently taking advantage of this benefit. Open enrollment for 2008 is set for Nov. 7-21. To learn more visit hr.unm.edu or call 277-MYHR.
The above article was provided by Helen Gonzales, acting vice president for Human Resources
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Charles Daniels, a graduate and former professor of the University of New Mexico School of Law, has been appointed to serve as a justice on the New Mexico Supreme Court by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.
Daniels replDavid Brookshire Justice Pamela B. Minzner, who passed away in August from cancer.
"The law school community congratulates Charlie Daniels as he assumes his new role on the New Mexico Supreme Court,” said UNM School of Law Dean Suellyn Scarnecchia. “He has been an important and integral part of the law school community for many years. We have great respect for his intellect and his dedication to improving our system of justice."
Daniels is a criminal defense lawyer and senior partner with the Freedman, Boyd, Daniels, Hollander, Goldberg & Ives law firm in Albuquerque. He started the firm with two of his former students more than 30 years ago. His experience in the courtroom is vast – from criminal defense to business and securities litigation, civil rights cases, and lawsuits impacting constitutional law. He has been featured on 20/20, Dateline and Court TV.
“Charles Daniels exemplifies the qualities necessary to serve on New Mexico's highest court,” Governor Richardson said in a press release. “I am confident that Charles Daniels' leadership, work ethic and impeccable integrity will be a tremendous asset to the state Supreme Court.”
Daniels received his bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the University of Arizona while completing his service in the Air Force. He graduated first in his class from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1969.
After passing the New Mexico Bar exam, Daniels left New Mexico for a Prettyman Fellowship at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he also received his masters of law in trial advocacy. The Prettyman program was established in 1960 to train a handful of outstanding law school graduates in the academic and practical aspects of courtroom advocacy to better prepare them for entry into the criminal justice system.
Daniels spent six years at the UNM School of Law as a full-time professor, and continues to teach in a part-time capacity – focusing on litigation-related topics at the law school and in professional seminars throughout the United States. His appointment to the New Mexico Supreme Court is effective until the 2008 general election.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
The Design-Build Institute of America conferred its annual Distinguished Leadership Award for excellence in higher education on Phillip Gallegos, research associate professor, University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning.
Photo: Research Associate Professor Phillip Gallegos
The award was given to Gallegos based upon his accomplishments in creating a graduate certificate program at the University of Colorado Denver for the department of architecture, where he was both a faculty member and former chair.
The certificate program included extensive classroom work, fieldwork and an architecture design studio that terminated in award of a certificate after four courses. It currently is one of five national programs, including the DBIA program, to award certification in design-build project delivery.
Gallegos was recently appointed director of community outreach in the UNM School of Architecture and Planning where he directs community design and design-build programs in New Mexico communities as well as to the architecture and construction professions.
The Design-Build Institute of America is the nation’s most significant organization advocating innovation in the design and construction industry by combining multi-disciplinary teams in providing single source project delivery.
In the summer of 2008 Gallegos and others in the UNM School of Architecture and Planning plan to provide professional course work in establishing design-build theory, practice and tools.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Ribbon cutting set for Friday, Nov. 9, at 3 p.m.
From an old, dark basement to a shiny, newly renovated and well-lighted facility, the transformation in the basement of the UNM biology department’s Castetter Hall in the College of Arts and Sciences is remarkable. The basement renovation project, now virtually complete, has reconfigured and remodeled sections of space in the oldest parts of the building.
Photo: One of the new labs in the basement renovation of Castetter Hall awaits use by students. The funding for the renovation was part of a student-funded capitol bond issue last year.
Relocated to the CERIA Building is the Museum of Southwestern Biology. In its place is a state-of-the-art teaching complex for introductory-level biology classes including five new student teaching labs. The $7 million renovation, which was provided by the passage of a $135 million student-funded capitol bond issue last year, is set for occupancy later this semester.
Plans for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony have been set for Friday, Nov. 9, at 3 p.m. in the biology department, starting in the courtyard. Hors d’oeuvres will be served as part of the special occasion. In appreciation of the students’ support, the department will also hold a free raffle for students to win some valuable prizes. The ceremony is open to all faculty, staff, students and the public.
“People are starting to move in – it’s essentially finished,” said Eric Loker, chair of the Biology Department. “It’s all about undergraduate teaching with newly renovated student classrooms and labs.”
Additionally, utilities have been renewed and improved in the space. Along with remodeling adapted to the needs of current teaching and research methodologies, this has also helped to brighten the 55-year-old building. It was constructed in 1952 and expanded in 1967 to its present size of 126,871 square feet.
In 2003 the State of New Mexico provided the UNM biology department with $200,000 in funding to begin a construction master plan. That plan analyzed the department’s building needs, current space utilization and facility deficiencies and concluded it had a significant need for renovation at a projected cost of $31.4 million dollar for Castetter Hall.
This current project completely overhauls 18,000 SF in the basement to produce 5 teaching labs, 3 lecture halls, 2 study areas, an advising complex, a graduate student computer pod, and 7 lecturer offices. In addition, 3,160 SF has been converted into an Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory in Microbiology that includes a 24-station wet laboratory, warm and cold storage rooms, specimen preparation and transfer rooms, equipment wash and sterilization rooms, and laboratory equipment support space and storage.
With the Castetter basement renovation completed, the biology department can turn its attention to Phase 1 of its expansion, which includes a Castetter addition, also funded by student bond passage of $5.6 million.
“The design is complete,” said Associate Biology Chair Steve Stricker who has played a major role in planning. “We hope to break ground in Jan. 08 on the two floor structure with approximately 15,000 sq. ft. for faculty research labs.”
The biology department has also obtained another $2.78 million from the State Legislature to initiate Phase 2, which will include putting a new research greenhouse on the roof to finish out the first floor of Phase 1. The latest version of Phase 2 will include another 30,000 sq. ft. structure with three floors, each with approximately 10,000 sq. ft. The goal for the biology department and UNM is to seek an additional $9.8 million, either from the State Legislature or as part of a GO Bond that would essentially enable completion of Phase 2.
“If successful, we’ll end up with a 45,000 sq. ft. structure in totality, not including the greenhouse, that will be given over to biology research activities,” said Loker. “If we get $9.8 million and finish Phase 2, the good news is we’d be done. We’ll have brand new labs and teaching lecture rooms, and we would have largely solved the more immediate problems of antiquated facilities in the biology department.”
It is envisioned that the activities currently located in the Biology Annex will eventually move to the first floor of Phase 2 of the addition project. National Institutes of Health -funded investigators working on the Center for Evolutionary Theoretical Immunology program will utilize the second floor of Phases 1 & 2. The third floor will be given over to other investigators in biology with the most active research programs.
“Our ability to excel in research has significant impacts on the state economy and brings academic prestige to UNM. It’s important to emphasize that research is critical for generating jobs and creating high levels of training that students don’t necessarily receive at non-research colleges,” said Loker. “It’s great training for students. For every research dollar generated, there’s a $3.30 return in the local economy.
“I’d also like to emphasize that this entire process has been a good example of great team-work including UNM’s Office of Capital Projects, biology, the College of Arts and Sciences and the UNM administration, working in conjunction with local architects and contractors.”
SMPC Architects in Albuquerque designed the basement renovation project and Brycon Corporation was the contractor.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico course Architecture and Children, taught by Anne Taylor, UNM Regents Professor in the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, is a service learning course where architecture students take visual and interdisciplinary processes they know well and go into schools and museums to teach architecture and design to children.
Photo: UNM Regents Professor Anne Taylor
Two UNM students, Amy Dukert and Beate Ortley, are teaching Thursday, Nov. 15, at 12:30 p.m. at Oñate Elementary School under the supervision of teacher David Dallas. The students are working with children to design a garden. Dukert is a landscape architecture graduate student.
Another UNM student, Noe Quiñonez, is teaching Architecture and Design in Spanish on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 8 a.m. at Rio Grande High School.
“These university students are like visual pied pipers. They can draw concepts from physics, math and social studies to explain concepts to children. They also provide an applied, hands on way of learning not offered in many schools,” Taylor said.
“UNM architecture students are a welcome sight to young students who stand up and cheer when they walk into the classroom,” Taylor added.
Taylor’s program is a form of environmental education using built, natural and cultural environments to give young students visual tools in two and three dimensions to solve real life problems creatively using math, science, technology and other subjects.
The design studio is a form of professional education, traditional in schools of architecture where students take on a design project under the supervision of a master designer. Its setting is the loft-like studio space where 12 to 20 students arrange their drawing tables, papers, books, pictures, drawings and models.
The design studio format is successful because:
• the studio population is small and workable
• students are responsible for their own learning The studio model revolutionizes learning, giving the power to student and prizing individuality.
• learning is based on creative problem solving
• learning is hands on and a real life education
• architecture and design integrate thinking from math, science, history and art
For more information, contact Anne Taylor at 277-1199.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM Regent Carolyn Abeita from Isleta Pueblo will be a featured speaker at the next Indigenous Nations Library Program Native Pathways Lecture on Nov. 14. There will be a brown bag lunch and informal discussion from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Herzstein Room on the second floor of Zimmerman Library. It will be followed by a formal lecture with questions and answers in the Willard Reading Room in the west wing of the Library from 3 to 5 p.m.
Photo: UNM Regent Carolyn Abeita
The lecture will focus on secondary and higher education for Native Americans. The speakers will also include a representative from the Native American Community Academy.
A reception will follow the lecture. All events are free and open to the public.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Department of Theatre and Dance announces the Words Afire Reading Series, a new addition to the Words Afire Festival, the centerpiece of its nationally acclaimed dramatic writing program. The series presents two weekends, Nov. 9-11 and Nov. 16-18, of readings of new works selected for the next Words Afire Festival, scheduled for April 2008.
Audiences will get a sneak peak into the development of individual plays and see actors and directors breathe life into these plays for the first time.
With the appointment of award-winning playwright Elaine Avila as the new Robert Hartung Endowed Chair of Dramatic Writing, the Words Afire Festival is ready for a new level of professionalism. As part of this new professionalism, there is the addition of the Words Afire Reading Series, a new emphasis on re-writing, a longer development process, and a greater involvement of Native American and Latino actors.
Playwrights and actors will be working with some of the best directors in the region as part of the development process. The Words Afire Reading Series will tap the talent of local directors who have worked in innovative theatres and with leaders in new play development from New York to Puerto Rico to Seattle.
Audience response and input is an important aspect of play development. With this in mind, there will be a greater ease for audiences to see more work. The reading series and the festival will both be condensed into two weeks, featuring the program’s strongest writers. The Words Afire Reading Series will be held at the National Hispanic Cultural Center the first weekend and at the Dickey Theatre in UNM’s Humanities Building the second weekend. All performances of April’s Words Afire Festival will be held on the UNM campus.
Tickets are free. To keep up to date about the Words Afire Reading Series or the Words Afire Festival visit: Words Afire.
The complete schedule for the Words Afire Reading Series follows:
Weekend 1 at the Wells Fargo Theatre National Hispanic Cultural Center
Friday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m.
“Pajaros de Mi Sangre” by Don Garcia, directed by Eduardo Andino
Saturday, Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m.
“Aurora” by Leonard Madrid, directed by JoRae Taylor
Sunday, Nov. 11, 2 p.m.
“The Medea Complex” by Patricia Crespin, directed by Brian Herrera
Sunday, Nov. 11, 6 p.m.
“Comanche Women” by Terry Gomez, directed by Valli Rivera
Weekend 2 at the Dickey Theatre (UNM Humanities Building)
Friday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m.
“Greek Row Tragedy” by Casey Mraz, directed by Paul Ford
Saturday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.
“Connect – an Evening of One-Acts,” directed by Rebecca Holmes, “Unravel” by Kamarie Chapman, “April Disappears into Thin Air” by Shannon Rodgers, and “The Politics of Hair” by Lou Clark
Sunday, Nov. 18, 6 p.m.
“Panic on Central” by Theo Jackson, Amber Cannon, Danae Lopez and Magdalene Gallegos, directed by the Blackout Comedy Troupe
Media Contacts: Kathleen Clawson, (505) 238-6029; e-mail: kclawson@unm.edu or Jim Linnell, (505) 277-7321; e-mail: jlinnell@unm.edu
The University Honors’ Honors Student Advisory Council presents the second Annual Art Battle at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7, in the University Honors Forum, Student Health Center basement.
Ten artists will compete in painting, interpretive dance, Karaoke and a fourth artist’s choice round. Artists are eliminated in each round by audience vote.
The event will collect art supplies to be donated to Art in the School, a nonprofit organization that provides art education to schools in the Albuquerque area. Tickets are $5 or $3 with a donated item. For more information contact unm.hsac@gmail.com.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
A film, scholarly talk and poetry reading tied to African presence in Cuba and Brazil are scheduled at the University of New Mexico on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 12 and 13. All events are free and open to the public.
William Luis, Vanderbilt University, presents, “Hurricanes, Magic, Science and Politics in Cristina Garcia’s The Agüero Sisters,” on Monday, Nov.12, 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Ortega Hall Reading Room, located on the third floor, room 335.
Then, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. a documentary film about Afro-Brazilian communities of resistance, “Quilombo Country,” will be shown in Ortega Hall room 153.
On Tuesday, Nov.13, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., Afro-Brazilian poets Miriam Alves and Conceição Evaristo will present a bilingual poetry reading in the Ortega Hall Reading Room.
Event co-sponsors are the UNM Latin American and Iberian Institute and the Departments of English, Africana Studies, American Studies and Foreign Languages and Literatures.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
A new exhibit featuring the work of Kathleen Keating, a University Libraries professor is opening on Nov. 12, in the Herzstein Latin American Reading Room’s conference room on the 2nd floor of Zimmerman Library. The exhibit, titled “Drawing the Body: Memory, mimesis and the Florence Academy” will feature Keating’s recent works, produced while training at the Florence Academy of Art.
Keating’s drawings demonstrate not only the technique that she learning while training at the Florence Academy, but also provide an excellent example of the curriculum taught, and materials employed through the Brague-Gérôme design course in late nineteenth-century French art and design schools.
The Florence Academy of Art continues this method of instruction, emphasizing a progression in drawing developed from the precise copying of antique engravings, then plaster casts, and finally, the live, nude model. Keating’s work, mostly charcoal on colored paper, marked a return to the European ‘academic’ tradition of drawing the body. As an artist, she pursued a course of training that plDavid Brookshire an emphasis on line, tonal value, memory and precision in rendering the human form.
The explanatory texts note the correspondences with academies of art and methods of drawing instruction utilized in Latin America during the same period. The exhibit is curated by Roland RodrÍguez, a Master’s candidate from the UNM Department of Art and Art History. RodrÍguez is the 2007-2008 recipient of the first-ever Chicano/Hispano/Latino Library Program (CHIPOTLE) Fellowship.
A reception for the opening of the exhibit will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 12. The exhibit will be open for viewing through Jan. 25, 2008.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Explore the intersection between art and ecology in a new book by UNM Professor of Art and Art History Basia Irland. She will have a book launch and signing for “Water Library” (UNM Press) at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and Art History on Sunday, Nov. 4, 1:30 - 4 p.m. In addition, the museum will exhibit “Water Library: Volume by Volume” Nov. 4 - Jan. 27.
“Water Library” consists of nine interconnected sections focusing on projects that Irland has created over the last 30 years in Africa, Canada, Europe, South America, Southeast Asia and the United States. Through her work, Irland offers a creative understanding of water while examining how communities of people, plants and animals rely on this vital element.
With a humanistic and artistic approach anchored in science, “Water Library” is a tribute to ecology expressed through art. Irland’s art projects explore practical ways to conserve water through rain harvesting systems, how to foster dialogue and cooperation along the entire length of a river, and the dangerous impact of waterborne diseases on human health.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Collaboration is part of national program in IRS’ Criminal Investigation Division
The Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (CID) will jointly participate in a mock fraud investigation on Saturday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in rm. 232 of the Graduate School of Management building. The event is sponsored by UNM’s Center for Information Assurance Research and Education (CIARE).
Approximately 15 individuals, including seven special agents form the IRS and eight UNM students are participating in the mock investigation, which is part of a national program.
The scenario for the investigation includes an anonymous informant who turns over information about a business owner who is skimming profits from the company without reporting them to the IRS. With direction from the special agents, students will try to figure out how the fraud is occurring utilizing various techniques. Students will also interact with each other to try and figure out what they should be doing to help crack the case.
“We’re excited the IRS’ Criminal Investigation Division is willing to make this commitment,” said Professor Rich Brody. “The CID is bringing in these special agents as well as some high tech equipment on a Saturday morning to participate.
"Local CID agents around the country use this program to showcase the opportunities available in this career field to high school and college students. For our students, all who have volunteered to participate, it will be an amazing experience and it fits in perfectly with what we talk about in our classes.”
The IRS’ CID investigates potential criminal violations of the Internal Revenue Code and related financial crimes in a manner that fosters confidence in the tax system and compliance with the law. While other federal agencies also have investigative jurisdiction for money laundering and some bank secrecy act violations, the IRS is the only federal agency that can investigate potential criminal violations of the Internal Revenue Code.
Directed by Chief Eileen Mayer, Criminal Investigation, and John Imhoff, Deputy Chief, Criminal Investigation, the CID oversees a worldwide staff of approximately 4,400 employees, including approximately 2,800 special agents who investigate and assist in the prosecution of criminal tax, money laundering and narcotics-related financial crime cases.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The UNM Department of Native American Studies will host an information session on Washington Internships for Native Students on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 1-2 p.m. in Mesa Vista Hall 3080.
WINS provides professional, real-world work experience that can jump start a career or enhance a graduate school application. Summer internships are available in a variety of fields within government agencies and other organizations, including local law firms.
Internships will be available for summer 2008 in Washington, D.C., hosted at American University. The sponsoring internship organization pays for tuition, books, housing, meal plan and transportation costs.
Application forms are available at: http://www.american.edu/wins. For more information, contact WINS at (202) 885-5934, 1-800-853-3076 or wins@american.edu
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1583; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Leadership Study Explores Roles of Race and Gender in 21st Century Politics
A team of political scientists recently completed the Gender and Multi-Cultural Leadership Project, an exploration into how race and gender affects 21st century politics. They will present their findings on Wednesday, Nov. 7, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.
Photo: Christine Marie Sierra, center, with principal investigators Pei-te Lien, Carol Hardy-Fanta and Dianne M. Pinderhughes.
The face of leadership is changing the political landscape of the United States, however, the nation knows little about elected officials of color. This groundbreaking study redefines leaders in the 21st century. The survey shows that people of color – especially those serving at the grassroots level – are the pipeline to the future of governance. The survey examines the personal backgrounds, paths to public office, representational roles, and policy stands on key issues of pressing importance to state and local elected officials.
The principal investigators are Christine Marie Sierra, University of New Mexico; Carol Hardy-Fanta, University of Massachusetts-Boston; Dianne M. Pinderhughes, University of Notre Dame; and Pei-te Lien, University of California-Santa Barbara.
“The study is an in-depth look at minorities in public office – who they are, their distribution nationally and their policy positions on topics such as the Iraq War, No Child Left Behind, Immigrant-Friendly Policies and the Voting Rights Act,” Sierra said.
Some findings:
· Black officials do not support drivers’ licenses for illegal immigrants but do support government services in multiple languages for non-English speaking clients.
· Eight in 10 agreed with the statement, “The US should bring its troops home from Iraq as soon as possible.”
· The strongest opposition to No Child Left Behind is among state legislators of color. More than 70 percent are opposed or strongly opposed to the act.
· The vast majority, 79 percent, of elected officials of color support Roe v. Wade
· Both male and female elected officials of color showed strong support for renewal of the 2007 Extension of the Voting Rights Act.
· Strong support across racial and gender groups was expressed for the Voting Rights Act provision to send federal observers to polling plDavid Brookshire where electoral discrimination based on race or color is suspected.
She said that the survey is, to date, the nation’s most comprehensive multiracial, multi-office national survey of Black, Latino, Asian and American Indian elected officials holding positions at state and local levels.
“Finding local officials – mayors, city councilors, county commissioners and school board members – was difficult,” she said.
The PIs built a database by verifying individuals in directories from three U.S. research centers: for Black leadership, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in D.C.; the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials; and the Asian-American Studies Center at UCLA. For data on American Indians in state legislatures, the researchers drew from scholarly sources and the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The researchers and their graduate assistants verified and expanded on the directory listings to construct a national database of over 10,000 public officials in federal and selected state and local office. The sample for the national survey was drawn from this database. “This is important baseline research for future study,” Sierra said.
“Oftentimes these leaders only receive local attention,” she said. They interviewed 1,354 officials, with slightly more than half the respondents being Black/African American, over one-third Latino/a, seven percent Asian and two percent American Indian.
Seventy-two percent of those public officials who were successfully contacted agreed to participate in the survey, which was conducted by UNM’s Institute for Public Policy.
Full details of the findings will be available on the Gender and Multi-Cultural Leadership Project Web site Nov. 7.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Mary W. Njoroge will discuss primary school education in Kenya Thursday, Nov. 1 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Student Union Building’s Fiesta rooms A and B. The event is free and open to the public. Njoroge’s presentation is hosted by the UNM College of Education. Mjoroge will be introduced by Nancy Pauly, associate professor, educational specialties.
Njoroge will discuss primary school education in Kenya and opportunities for U.S. citizens to support the Education for All Act introduced in Congress by Reps. Lowey (D-NY) and Bachus (R-AL) and Sens. Clinton (D-NY) and Smith (R-OR) on May 1.
The EFA Act calls for $1 billion for bilateral global basic education investment for 2008, scaling up to $3 billion by 2012. The EFA Act requires the President to develop a comprehensive integrated strategy for the United States government to follow in working to reach the 2015 goal of universal access to education.
Njoroge received a master’s in child development and early childhood education from the University of London, a bachelor of education from the University of Nairobi, and a certificate in early childhood education from the University of Leeds.
She is the former Kenyan director of basic education where she played a critical role in overseeing the Abolition of School Fees Initiative. She retired in 2006 after 26 years at the Kenyan Ministry of Education.
Njoroge is sponsored by RESULTS Educational Fund, a nonprofit organization committed to educating the public, media and leaders about issues related to poverty and hunger in the U.S. and abroad.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The Planning Accreditation Board has officially notified University of New Mexico President David J. Schmidly and Provost Viola Florez that the graduate professional degree – the master of community and regional planning – has received the maximum accreditation permissible, now seven years.
As the letter notes, “As the program has an exemplary record, the accreditation period granted is the longest term possible under current PAB rules.” The program previously held a five-year accreditation, then the maximum term.
“We are delighted with the report and it reflects well on several aspects of the program. The review team noted the collegiality across the faculty, the convergence and integration of the faculty and its ability to model that for students,” said David Henkel, chair, community and regional planning.
The PAB noted aspects of the master’s program that were also recognized in a report issued by the UNM academic program review team last spring. Both recognized the diversity in both the faculty and student bodies.
“They also both noted highly useful and credible work that we do within the community and around the state. The academic review team reported that our program is possibly the strongest community based program in North America,” Henkel said. He also said that the community and regional planning program is well known across campus and is often the “go to unit” for UNM when looking at how to connect with communities statewide.
Henkel said that the students and staff also pitched in. “Our colleagues in landscape architecture, architecture and the graduate certificate programs provided us with support, as well.”
Roger Schluntz, dean, UNM School of Architecture and Planning, said, “Congratulations to Director David Henkel and the CRP faculty, the exceptional CRP staff support, and amazing students for this extremely noteworthy accomplishment.”
He added that all the school’s programs – architecture, landscape architecture and planning – continue their accreditation for the maximum term.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
A grant of more than $750,000 from the National Science Foundation will allow the purchase and installation of a new focused ion beam system for nanofabrication and nanomachining of materials in the Electron Microbeam Analysis Facility in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences on the UNM main campus. The new instrument will vastly aid research and allow for the development of new courses.
The microscope will be regularly used by more than 50 professors from five departments at UNM, from New Mexico State University and New Mexico Tech. It will be available to other collaborators in academia and industry.
A team of researchers at the Center for Microengineered Materials led by Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Abhaya Datye, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Zayd Leseman, and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences Adrian J. Brearley, worked together on the grant proposal, which will directly benefit several departments.
Technical Capabilities and Uses
The dual focused ion beam system consists of an electron optical column for imaging (an environmental scanning electron microscope or ESEM) and an ion column that is used for nano-scale machining. The instrument is equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) system for microanalysis, and an electron back-scatter detector (EBSD) to obtain diffraction patterns of the sample. This combination of capabilities will enable research projects in materials science, engineering, and Earth and planetary sciences.
Faculty in Chemical Engineering will be able to study advanced catalysts for energy conversion and pollution control, durable fuel cells and defect free Ge/Si for low-cost photovoltaics. Other projects will include novel microfluidic devices, ion channels with potential use in DNA sequencing, cell-surface interactions in bio-films and aerosol derived particles for drug delivery.
Electrical Engineering faculty will use the instrument for increasing efficiency of lasers and infrared radiation detectors and to made advances in epitaxial growth of lattice-mismatched materials.
Civil and Mechanical Engineering faculty will use the instrument to improve understanding of scale effects on mechanical properties, particularly at the nanoscale and to enable research of the mechanics of grain boundary sliding and photonic band gap materials as sensors to detect damage in critical facilities.
Research by Faculty in Earth and Planetary Sciences includes studies of deformation and metamorphism in high-pressure metamorphic rocks formed during continental collisions and the nature of fluid/rock interactions in the Earth’s upper mantle. This research is essential for understanding the geochemical interactions between crust and mantle. Detailed studies of magnetic carriers in rocks will improve researchers' ability to understand the paleomagnetic record that is necessary for constraining the tactic evolution of complex geologic terrains around the world.
In addition the instrument will transform the ability of researchers to study site-specific regions of the earliest solids formed in the solar system and found in carbonaceous chondrites and comet particles returned by the NASA Stardust mission. The samples will be characterized structurally, chemically and isotopically to study their complex formational and thermal histories.
More information about the instrument and research is available by contacting Abhaya Datye (505) 277-0477; email datye@unm.edu or Zayd Leseman (505) 277-4940; zleseman@unm.edu or Adrian Brearley at (505) 277-4163; brearley@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Zimmerman Library reopened Thursday afternoon with limited services after it was closed Wednesday when a flange failed and a water pipe burst as part of a new sprinkler system installed in the basement level one. The affected area was under reconstruction following a fire in May 2006.
Photo: Workers help remove water as part of the cleanup after a pipe burst and flooded the basement level one in Zimmerman Library.
The water level reached approximately seven inches and as a result, the new carpeting is being removed and will be completely replaced. The drywall on the basement walls at the floor level was soaked and will be removed and replaced, textured and repainted. The insulation inside the walls at the floor level is being removed and replaced.
Between 75-100 publications damaged, most of them were part of the government information collection. A few drawings from the archival collections had some ink blurring when they got damp at the edges, but the books and materials in the collections in general were not affected. Materials from the rare book collections were not involved.
Dean of University Libraries Martha Bedard hopes to reopen the basement near the beginning of the spring semester in January.
New Mexico In Focus airs on Friday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. & repeats Sunday, Nov. 4 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 - the controversy surrounding the future of UNM's North Golf Course; the vote to expand Central New Mexico Community College to Rio Rancho; the ballooning accidents at this year’s Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta; and Gov. Richardson’s latest plans to reform New Mexico's ailing health care system.
Guests
* Jamie Koch, president, UNM Board of Regents
* Sara Koplick, North Campus Neighborhood Association
* David Schmidly, president, University of New Mexico
* Dr. Katharine Winograd, president, Central New Mexico Community College
Guest Panelists
* Scott Darnell, New Mexico Republican Party
* Mike Santullo, Talk Radio Host
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 group will discuss...
1. The battle over the future of UNM's North Golf Course - rumors have resurfaced that the Board of Regents is considering redeveloping part of the property into a retirement community for UNM Alumni, Staff and Faculty. Why is the land so special to so many people? Host David Alire Garcia gets to the bottom of the development plans with Board President Jamie Koch.
2. Central New Mexico Community College and UNM want to go west! But, they need voter approval to make that happen. Find out how your vote will help both schools build a new Rio Rancho campus.
3. Will this year's string of accidents change how organizers approach next year's Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta?
4. The Governor's latest plans to reform New Mexico's ailing health care system.
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."
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
The University of New Mexico-Gallup will present guitarist Michael Chapdelaine in concert on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m., Calvin Hall Auditorium. The concert is free. Chapdelaine, who appeared at UNM-Gallup last year in concert, is a professor of music and head of guitar studies at UNM.
He has won first prize in both classical and fingerstyle genres in top competitions, including the Guitar Foundation of America International Classical Guitar Competition and the National Fingerpicking Championships at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival in Winfield, Kan.
Previously on the faculties of the University of Colorado at Denver and Metropolitan State University, he has given master classes around the world, including in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Peru, Venezuela, Taiwan, Indonesia and at institutions such as the University of Miami, Mannes School of Music, University of Texas, and California State University. Among his teachers was the renowned Spanish maestro, Andres Segovia.
The guitarist has played venues from New York’s Lincoln Center to the Cactus Café in Austin, from Milano to Bangkok, and many others. He performs on steel string and classical guitars, and in styles ranging from blues to Bach, country to rhythm and blues.
Chapdelaine is the two-time winner of the National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist Grant, and took first prize in both the Guitar Foundation of Americas and the Music Teachers National Association’s Guitar Competitions. He also won the Silver Medal in Venezuela’s VIII Concurso International de Guitarra “Alirio Diaz.” He has toured four continents while giving hundreds of performances for Affiliate Artists Inc., and various arts promotion organizations.
In 1992 he recorded the Sonata Romantica CD (now re-released as “Mexico”), which many critics and connoisseurs of classical guitar consider to be one of the definitive recordings for the instrument. In 1994 Chapdelaine turned his attention to pop music, arranging, producing and recording Time-Life Music's Guitar by Moonlight collection, which sold 250,000 copies in its first two years in the stores. In 1998, he once again expanded his musical range and gained instant notoriety and credibility in the “acoustic music” world as a “fingerstyle” guitarist and composer, by winning the National Fingerpicking Championships at Winfield, Kans.