Donation will complete the creation of the Student Center at the Anderson Student and Financial Services Center
Local real estate developer Steven P. Jackson wanted to remember and honor his father, Paul R. Jackson, in a way that would recognize all he had done for his community in Albuquerque throughout the years. The elder Jackson, who passed away in 1982, was a respected local insurance businessman, former board member at Citizen’s Bank and influential leader in Albuquerque who believed in giving back to his community through education. Today, he would be proud to know that his son is following in his footsteps with the announcement of a generous donation to the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management.
Photo: Steven P. Jackson
Steven Jackson grew up in Albuquerque, and is a graduate of the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently works with Argus Development.
“I lost my father when I was very young,” said Steven. “He did a lot for me and this is something I really wanted to do for him.”
The generous donation is the centerpiece gift toward funding the $1.64 million Anderson Student Center and Financial Services Center. The recently completed project provides Anderson students a “home” where they can study and socialize together and attend a broad range of events.
The younger Jackson chose the Anderson School in part because the donation will allow UNM to memorialize his father by naming the new Anderson Student Center in his honor. Plans call for a dedication ceremony to officially name the center the Paul R. Jackson Student Center in late-January.
“This expression of faith in our students and their future gives encouragement to all of us at Anderson,” said interim ASM Dean Amy Wohlert. “We are very, very grateful to Mr. Jackson for providing the right help, at the right time to make an immediate difference in the success of Anderson’s mission.”
“We had always wanted to do something like this,” said Alistair Preston, professor of Accounting at Anderson and a long-time friend of Steven’s dating back 30 years when they met and went to school together in England. “The timing finally came together on this idea which we had talked about for a long time. It really is an indication that the Anderson Schools are worth investing in. One of the points of the gift is to stimulate the community to give back to the university.”
The donation, which was recently finalized, will also assist the school in providing students with greater access to services, more engagement and collaboration between students and faculty, and in leveraging new and additional donors to help support the mission of the Anderson School of Management.
The center, which is touted as a destination rather than a stopping point for students, also provides a venue for community events and outreach, including lectures, dinners and receptions, recruitment activities, informal interaction between faculty and students, a meeting place for student clubs and organizations, a gathering place for study groups and information distribution.
Media Contacts: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu or Leslie Venzuela, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: venzuela@mgt.unm.edu
ITS Communications Network Services is planning a telephone system outage on Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 10 p.m. that will intermittently affect all inbound and outbound calls for UNM Main and North Campuses including UNM Hospital. Service could be affected for up to two hours.
Arrangements have been made with UNM Hospital, Campus Police, Poison Control and other entities requiring service during the outage to have alternate means of communication. The outage is necessary to synchronize the telephone systems after a software upgrade is installed.
ITS-CNS utilized information from previous projects to help identify critical communication areas on campus. If emergency communications may be necessary in your area during the late night outage, contact Margaret Krawic at 277-6750 or e-mail at, mkrawic@unm.edu immediately to discuss the available options.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
What if there was a convenient, secure and easy to use Web site to manage personal information as an employee of UNM? What if you could reduce the time it takes to update emergency contacts, direct deposit bank account selections and income tax withholdings? What if you could track leave balances, benefit selections and beneficiaries without having to call Human Resources or Payroll? What if you could always find a copy of your pay stub, no matter what time of the day it was?
On Wednesday, Jan. 2, these things and more become a reality. When employees return from winter break, the Banner Human Resources/Payroll system will be up and running.
One of the biggest touch points of the new Banner HR/Payroll system is LoboWeb for employees. Beginning in January, all university employees, including faculty, staff and students, will be able to view and manage personal information 24/7 from home, work or anywhere with Internet access.
Employees will be able to view...
*benefits and deduction information including retirement plans, health benefits, donations and flexible spending accounts
* pay stubs, earnings and deductions history
* tax information, including calendar year 2008 W2 (available in 2009)
* job summary information
* leave balances and usage
* time entry records
Employees will also be able to manage the following online...
* emergency contacts
* direct deposit bank account information
* annuities (403Bs and 457Bs)
* Federal Income Tax withholdings via the electronic W4
Sound interesting? Check out current information on the project at Banner/HR Payroll. Under the link to Banner HR/Payroll, find answers to frequently asked questions, project communications, presentations and resources.
Story By Helen Gonzales, vice president for Human Resources
Contact: Jessica McKenna, (505) 277-5824; e-mail: jmckenna@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Development Office is sponsoring a grant-writing workshop Jan. 28 – Feb. 1, 2008 conducted by The Grantsmanship Center (TGCI). The workshops will all be held at UNM’s Continuing Education Conference Center, Room G.
The workshop is designed for both novice and experienced grant seekers. The workshop will cover all aspects of searching for grants, writing grant proposals, strategies for securing government and foundation grants, corporate contributions and negotiating with funding sources.
The Grantsmanship Center (TGCI) is the world’s oldest, largest and most respected fund development training organization. Since 1972, TGCI has trained more than 100,000 staff members of nonprofit, government, and academic institutions around the world.
Registration is limited to a total of 30 participants per session, and a limited number of seats have been reserved for UNM employees. The program fee is $875. Early enrollment is encouraged as TGCI workshops often fill to capacity. UNM faculty and staff are eligible to use UNM’s tuition remission benefit to attend.
To register for the workshop contact Sherry TenClay in the Continuing Education office at (505) 277-0723 or via e-mail at, sherrytc@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The UNM winter break began Monday, Dec. 24 and continues through Tuesday, Jan. 1. Regular university hours resume Wednesday, Jan. 2.
Certain critical facilities and departments, such as police and those involved in patient care, will remain open. Other major campus departments and facilities have special intersession hours.
• Zimmerman Library will be closed Dec. 22-Jan. 1. Excluding those dates, Zimmerman will be open 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday during intersession.
• Zimmerman’s Center for Southwest Research will be closed Dec. 22-Jan. 1. The center will be open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday during intercession.
• The Centennial Science and Engineering Library will be closed Dec 22-Jan 1. The library will be open 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Thursday, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday during intersession.
• The Parish Memorial Library will be closed Dec. 22-Jan. 1. The library will be open during intersession 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday.
• The Law Library will be will be closed Dec. 24-Jan. 1. The library will be open during intercession 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, and noon-6 p.m., Sunday.
• The Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center will be closed Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1. The library will be open 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Dec. 22 and 26-29, and noon-6 p.m., Dec. 23 and 30. Regular hours resume Jan. 2.
• The Fine Arts Library will be closed Dec. 16-Jan. 21 for the move to George Pearl Hall. It will reopen as the Fine Arts & Design Library in its new premises Jan. 22.
• Information Technology Services will be closed Dec. 17-Jan. 1 and Jan. 21. ITS will be open 7 a.m.-midnight, Dec. 14, and 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Dec. 15-16 and Jan. 2-20. To report a problem, call 277-4646 and leave a message. All computer systems, networks and dial-up lines will be available during the break. Technical staff will be on call for system problems. Break schedules for all computer pods are available at Computer Pod Break Schedules.
• The UNM Bookstore will be closed Dec. 24-26 and Dec. 29-Jan. 1. The bookstore will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Dec. 27-28. Regular hours resume Jan. 2.
For information on closures due to inclement weather, call the snow hotline, 277-SNOW (277-7669).
UNM’s Department of Native American Studies is partnering with Walatowa High Charter School in Jemez Pueblo and the Seattle-based Center for Native Education to develop dual enrollment opportunities for Native students.
Funded in part by a $12 million, eight-year Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant, with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Lumina Foundation for Education, early college high schools aim to increase the number of Native students who graduate and go on to college. Partnerships between tribal, high school and college stakeholders allow early college students the opportunity to earn up to two years of college credit while still in high school.
“On behalf of the Native American Studies program at the University of New Mexico I want to extend our congratulations to the Jemez Pueblo Walatowa High Charter School for the award of an early college grant,” said Greg Cajete, NAS chair. “We are proud to be one of the institutional partners with Walatowa High Charter School on this project. We look forward to our collaboration and the future success of the Early College Initiative at Walatowa.”
Walatowa High Charter School fills a need in a district that struggles with only 29 percent of its 11th grade American Indian students meeting or exceeding proficiency on state reading assessments – a figure that compares to an overall 58 percent in New Mexico. On state math assessments, 18 percent of the district’s Native students were proficient, compared with 31 percent of all New Mexico 11th graders.
On average, students in early colleges for Native youth experience a 32 percent increase in state reading scores and a 15 percent increase on math scores.
“Our hope is that through this early college exposure, our youth can make a seamless adjustment after high school, be successful in the college and field of their choice, and develop the tools and skills to preserve and protect our culture and language while advancing the interests of our tribe into the future,” said Jemez Pueblo Governor Raymond Gauchupin.
UNM Continuing Education has been honored for excellence in the Best Management Practice category by the Learning Resources Network (LERN), an international association in lifelong learning. The winning entry, which was submitted by UNM's Rita Martinez-Purson, was included in a showcase of internationally exemplary programs at the LERN Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida in November.
Photo: Rita Martinez-Purson
Information about the organization was on display in the conference Hall of Learning throughout the three-day conference. In addition, the winning programs will be featured in future LERN publications and on LERN’s Web site.
Judges indicated that there was a very high level of excellence in this year’s field of nominees. Julie Coates, vice president of Information Services for LERN, said that this year’s award nominees were among the highest quality ever submitted. Coates also noted that there were more winners selected this year than in any previous year, due to the excellence in quality of the nominations.
In selecting programs to be recognized for excellence, Coates said the primary criteria judges used for those selected was the quality of being at the leading edge in the field of lifelong learning, as evidenced by their nomination. In addition, judges also applied the following criteria: originality, innovation, appropriateness as a model for other programs, replicability, and measurable outcomes.
The awards selection process is very competitive, Coates said, and it is truly an honor to be selected. UNM Continuing Education’s entry was selected from more than 100 nominations from four countries.
Dr. Rita-Martinez-Purson, dean of Continuing Education at the University of New Mexico, has been elected to the Board of Directors for the Learning Resources Network (LERN), a national education association.
Construction on campus nears $900 million
Two University of New Mexico building projects have won awards from the New Mexico chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP). UNM President David J. Schmidly sees these awards as emblematic of a campus in transition - one that has made great strides over the past five years in providing space for its academic, research and patient care missions.
The NAIOP awards, announced Dec. 14 in Albuquerque, recognize excellence in eight different categories. The first phase of the Domenici Center for Health Sciences Education was recognized in the Public category, while the UNM Children’s Hospital was recognized in the Medical Facility category.
Since 2002, there has been $879 million in building projects on the UNM campus - $298 million have been on the central campus, $362 million at Health Sciences and $93 million at Athletics, with the balance consisting of projects at our branch campuses or for infrastructure that benefits all campuses.
Schmidly notes that new buildings, like Architecture and Planning, and building renovation have significantly improved the learning experience of UNM students. At the same time, patient care and research are greatly enhanced with the new hospital and cancer centers.
“There is also a parallel impact in the New Mexico economy,” said Schmidly “Every dollar UNM spends is multiplied many times over in construction wages and materials procurement.”
At their December meeting, UNM regents approved a $136.7 million institutional bond issue that will renovate academic classroom space, expand parking and continue improvements to University Stadium and the Pit.
“We’ve had to become more self-sufficient when it comes to our building needs,” said Schmidly. “We greatly appreciate what the State has been able to do for us, but the needs of New Mexico are great and its funds are limited. In order to move projects forward that will directly impact and engage faculty and students, we’ve had to issue institutional bonds.” Schmidly added that state and independent audits both show the university being financially stable and fiscally sound.
Feeling overrun by spam? ITS is looking for volunteers with University of New Mexico e-mail addresses ending in @unm.edu or @salud.unm.edu to join the battle against spam.
ITS already blocks what amounts to 50 spam e-mails per person per day, that's approximately three million total spam e-mails per day. You've seen the spam tag, similar to [SPAM?? 61%] in the subject line of your e-mail that shows that the probability is high that the e-mail is spam, but it doesn't meet enough criteria to be blocked. As the filtering is refined fewer spam e-mails will appear in UNM in boxes.
You can help by forwarding your untagged spam to spamdrop@unm.edu. Please only forward spam that is not tagged. See FastInfo answer 3708 or go to: Spam E-mail for forwarding instructions.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Show airs Friday night, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. on KNME, Channel 5, and repeats Sunday, Dec. 30 at 6:30 a.m.
'New Mexico In Focus' is KNME, Channel 5’s 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 on 'New Mexico In Focus' include: The holidays are a time of giving and great stress to make ends meet. This week, advice on how to get your finances in order to start the new year. Also, the countdown of the top stories in 2007 continues. Which story is No. 1?
Guests:
· Jon Knudsen, Blogger
· Colin Hunter, Former Legislative Director for Congresswoman Heather Wilson
Guest Panelists:
· Nathalie Martin, UNM School of Law
· Vicki Van Horn, New Mexico Project for Financial Literacy
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
Show airs Friday night, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. on KNME, Channel 5, and repeats Sunday, Dec. 23 at 6:30 a.m.
'New Mexico In Focus' is KNME, Channel 5’s 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 on 'New Mexico In Focus' include: Water. It is New Mexico's most precious resource. What do regular citizens think needs to be done to protect our water? Citizen suggestions will be put to use by the Office of the State Engineer. Additionally, The panelists at N.M. In Focus are counting down the top stories of 2007.
More on this week’s topics:
** Water is New Mexico's most precious resource. State and local leaders are looking at new and creative ways to avoid a water shortage in the coming years. But, what do regular citizens think needs to be done to protect our H2O? The local public policy group, New Mexico First, toured the state recently looking for the answers to that question. Find out what they discovered, plus how those citizen suggestions will be put to use by the Office of the State Engineer.
** The panelists are counting down the top stories of 2007. Over the next two weeks they will run down the top 10 issues that defined the year that was. This week, find out numbers 10 through 6 on New Mexico In Focus.
This week’s guests include:
* Heather Balas, Executive Director, New Mexico First
* Anne Watkins, Office of the State Engineer
Guest panelists:
* Colin Hunter, Former Legislative Director for Congresswoman Heather Wilson
* Jon Knudsen, Blogger
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
Jesse Alemán, associate professor of English at the University of New Mexico, recently co-edited, “Empire and the Literature of Sensation: An Anthology of Nineteenth-Century Popular Fiction,” with Rutgers University Press, 2007. “Empire” is an anthology of five 19th-century sensational novels about the United State’s imperial encounters in Texas, Mexico and Cuba during the era normally associated with American romanticism, 1830s-1860s.
The popular novels, republished for the first time, capture the excitement, anxiety and ambivalence about the U.S.’s emerging empire through sensational plotlines featuring cross-dressed escapades, captivity stories, interracial romances and gothic adventures set exotic locales – Texas, Mexico and Cuba – that tantalized Manifest Destiny's expansionist appetite.
The book also includes a critical introduction, chronology and endnotes.
“Empire demonstrates that the culture of U.S. imperialism began much earlier than the late 19th century and found explicit but ambivalent expression in the popular, low-brow literature published during the American renaissance,” Alemán said.
The anthology is co-edited with Shelley Streeby, associate professor of literature at University of California, San Diego.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
John (Jack) McIver has been appointed as the Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development at UNM by Interim Provost Viola Florez. His previous position was Senior Associate Vice President for Research and Economic Development. McIver is a professor of physics whose research interests include laser physics, non-linear optics, quantum optics and nonlinear science.
UNM will begin advertising nationally for a new Vice President for Research after the winter break. A search committee will be formed in January to begin the search process.
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
UNM.STC has just awarded gap funding to three UNM research groups to advance their technology from early-stage research to a proof-of-concept stage of development. The purpose is to attract corporate and investment capital to further grow the research into a product ready for commercialization.
“Inhibition of Dialysis-Induced Inflammation” is a proposal that seeks to identify compounds that can be added to dialysis medium that will protect leukocytes from pro-inflammatory stress during hemodialysis. The intended result is that after dialysis, patients will receive back leukocytes that are in a normal state rather than a pro-inflammatory state. It is the chronic pro-inflammatory state that leads to the cardiovascular diseases associated with end-stage renal disease.
The principal investigators, David J. VanderJagt emeritus professor in biochemistry and molecular biology, Vallabh O. Shah, an associate professor in biochemistry and molecular biology, and Loraine M. Deck, professor of Chemistry, will use the $25,000 award to continue their research.
A group of principal investigators including Associate Professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Plamen Atanassov, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Gabriel Lopez, Research Professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Dmitri Ivnitski, Research Assistant Professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Ravil Sitdikov and Research Associate Professor in Pathology at the UNM School of Medicine Stephen Young are working on “Multiplex Immunosensors for Rapid Diagnostics of Infectious Disease.
Their project is a flow-through biosensor that has significant potential to address clinical needs in point-of-care testing. The sensors may be used to perform quantitative assays not only of respiratory viruses but also a wide range of other analytes in real time. The flow-through immunosensor combines the analytical power, versatility, integration and reagent economy of micro-fluidic devices with the selectivity and sensitivity of antibody-antigen interactions.
The technology can ultimately be applied in a variety of patient-care settings, from primary care clinics and community outreach programs to emergency departments and hospitals. There is a significant opportunity to implement multiplexed assays in a variety of ways for treatment of infectious diseases, including screening, diagnostics, prognostics and therapy monitoring.
Another valuable aspect of the technology is its economy of scale. Multifunctional tests may be sold for many purposes, thus increasing units of sale and decreasing manufacturing costs. They will share the $25,000 award to further their research.
Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Bryce Chackerian will use his $25,000 award on his project “A New Virus-Like Particle Display System for Vaccine Development.” His technology is an improvement of traditional vaccine development. It uses virus-like particles based on vaccines that are highly immunogenic (able to elicit an immune response) and non-infectious.
Additionally, because virus-like, particle-based vaccines do not rely on viral replication for scalability, these vaccines can be made quickly and inexpensively. Furthermore, since this researcher has shown that virus-like, particle-based immunogens can be used to target self-antigen mediators of chronic diseases, allergies, asthma, and cancer are all good candidates for vaccine production using this system. This proposal also seeks to develop virus-like particles to develop a vaccine against allergy and asthma.
STC.UNM is a non-profit corporation formed and owned by UNM to protect and transfer its faculty inventions to the commercial marketplace.
For more information contact Denise Bissell (505) 272-7310; e-mail dbissell@stc.unm.edu or technology contact Lisa Kuuttila, CEO and President of STC.UNM at, (505) 272-7900 or via e-mail at, info@stc.unm.edu
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Executive Vice President for Business and Finance David Harris has announced the appointment of Steve Beffort as vice president of Institutional Support Services. The search was internal and conducted by a five-member committee. Beffort has been at UNM since 2002.
He was the executive director of the Center for Support of Economic Development at the Anderson Schools of Management until 2004 when he joined Facilities Management. Prior to that, Beffort was the General Services Department Cabinet Secretary for the State of New Mexico.
Beffort has significant management experience and is the President of Lobo Energy, a Board Member of Lobo Development, and a Board member of the Popejoy Leadership Team.
The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNM HSC) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS) to officially announce a collaborative effort intended to prepare SFIS students for possible admission to the UNM School of Medicine and provide educational guidance and opportunities to Native American students interested in becoming health professionals.
The signing ceremony, which took place in the Francis Abeyta Memorial Gymnasium at the SFIS in Santa Fe, represented a commitment from both parties to being of greater service to the Native American communities of New Mexico.
The UNM HSC is dedicated to developing and implementing programs designed to reach out to various areas and diverse communities in New Mexico that are focused on improving the health status of New Mexicans and the people of the Nations, Tribes and Pueblos.
As a flagship school in Indian education, SFIS strives to provide a challenging and stimulating academic program of excellence which shares the responsibility with students and their parents in developing their potential to meet obligations to themselves and their communities.
Principals at the signing included the 19 Pueblo Governors and Tribal Officials, State of New Mexico Representatives, including Speaker Ben Lujan, UNM Regent President James Koch, UNM Regent Carolyn Abeita, Dr. Paul Roth, executive vice president for the HSC and dean of the UNM School of Medicine, Dr. Valerie Romero-Leggott, vice president of the HSC Office of Diversity, Dr. Gayle Dine’Chacon, director of the UNM Center for Native American Health, SFIS Superintendent Joseph Abeyta, AIPC Chairman Joe Garcia, SFIS Parent Advisory Council and the SFIS Board of Trustees.
The University of New Mexico’s Physical Plant Department Ford Utilities Center Cogeneration Unit was recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for its commendable “combined heat and power generation” and will be presented with a 2008 Energy Star Combined Heat and Power award.
Cogeneration – also called “combined heat and power” (CHP) – occurs when a power station or heat engine is used to create heat and energy at the same time. Conventional power plants emanate heat as a byproduct of creating energy. Cogeneration plants capture that heat and put it to use. CHP generation is an efficient, clean, and reliable approach to generating power and heat from a single fuel source.
To earn this award, an energy project must meet EPA criteria for energy efficiency and fuel savings, and must make an outstanding contribution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation.
The EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation noted “Through the recovery of otherwise wasted heat to produce steam to support campus demands, the University of New Mexico has demonstrated exceptional leadership in energy use and management. The CHP system operates at approximately 64 percent efficiency and uses approximately 18 percent less fuel than equivalent separate heat and power. By this comparison, we estimate that the CHP system effectively reduces CO2 emissions by 8,200 tons per year.”
The six megawatt gas-turbine generator and heat recovery system was completed in April, 2005 and produces approximately 18 percent of UNM’s main campus electricity needs and 28 percent of its steam requirements.
The world’s largest geoscience exhibit at one of the world’s grandest geologic landscapes is being installed under the leadership of scientists at UNM – a nearly three-mile interpretive timeline trail using Grand Canyon vistas and rocks to tell the geologic story of the Southwest.
Photo: UNM Earth and Planetary Sciences Professors Laura Crossey and Karl Karlstrom take a break on a hike to the Colorado River along the South Kaibab Trail at Ooh Aah Point at the Grand Canyon.
UNM is collaborating with the National Park Service and National Science Foundation on the project, funded by a $2.1 million NSF grant. This “Trail of Time” will help visitors explore, ponder and understand the magnitude of geologic time and the stories encoded by Grand Canyon rock layers and landscapes.
Professors Karl Karlstrom and Laura Crossey in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences conceived the project in 1995 and are now leading the planning and installation of the exhibit along the south rim of the Grand Canyon.
“The Grand Canyon National Park has about five million visitors every year, and through the Trail of Time exhibit, we are making a major effort to catch people at a moment when they are inspired with the grandeur of the canyon and want to understand more about how the landscape was shaped by geologic events,” Karlstrom said.
The Trail of Time will begin at the Yavapai Observation Station. Walking west, each step takes visitors back in time one million years. The carving of the Grand Canyon is completed in the first six steps, the equivalent of six million years. The trail continues through the formation of Grand Canyon rock layers
to the oldest rock in the canyon – recording a geologic history dating back more than 1.8 billion years.
“Our department has been dedicated to promoting undergraduate research in many forms,” Karlstrom said. “We’ve used classes to help formulate ideas. In Phase 1, students helped place 4,500 tick marks along the trail. Students lay on a skateboard and were pulled along the trail to each spot where a marker was
placed. The actual markers will be bronze insets into the Trail – we are trying to create an unobtrusive exhibit that does not detract from the beauty of the Grand Canyon.”
A “Time Accelerator” portion of the trail will help visitors through a gradual transition in timescales from Yavapai Point to Grandeur Point. A Web-based Virtual Trail of Time will provide additional resources.
“It’s like a trail of bread crumbs,” Karlstrom said. “The vast majority of visitors can’t go down into the canyon. The Trail of Time makes the Grand Canyon more accessible in a spectacular walk along the trail; the trail is completely handicapped accessible.”
Completion of the Trail of Time exhibit is scheduled for 2009.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The United Way incentive prizewinners have been selected in a random drawing. The top prizewinners include Shannon D. Garbiso - two tickets to The Chieftains at Popejoy Hall, Monday, Feb. 18, 2008, 7:30 p.m. and Joseph E. Davis, who will receive two tickets to the men's basketball game at The Pit, Sunday, Dec. 23, at 1 p.m.
Other winners include Cynthia King, Jeffery A. Zumwalt, Cindy L. Shue, Miranda S. Eastham, Terry Babbitt and Teresa M. Ortiz. Each will receive a $25 Starbucks gift certificate.
Remember to turn in your United Way pledge forms to be qualified for a drawing to win either men's or women's basketball tickets. President David J. Schmidly will join the lucky winner.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The babble of Boulder Creek running through Basia Irland’s backyard at her childhood home linked art and the environment in her mind from an early age. Her lifelong fascination with the intersection of water and art is the basis of “Water Library,” recently released from UNM Press and available at the UNM Bookstore. The book consists of nine sections focused on projects Irland created during the last 30 years in Africa, Canada, Europe, South America, Southeast Asia and the United States.
Irland, a UNM professor of art, is also showing selected works in “Water Library: Volume by Volume,” an exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History continuing through Jan. 27.
Like water itself, Irland’s work captures the tension between permanence and impermanence inherent in art. “I’m really interested in the ephemeral,” she said, “Nothing actually lasts forever.”
One example is “receding/reseeding,” shown above. The intrinsically ephemeral 250 pound sculpture composed of ice, riparian seeds and small stones has long since melted, yet it has also found comparative longevity in a photograph displayed in museum and book.
The sculpture is part of a larger work, “A Gathering of Waters: Boulder Creek, Continental Divide to Confluence,” a collaborative project connecting hundreds of people along Boulder Creek’s 47 miles. Irland said the creek is threatened by the recession of the Arapaho glacier.
Creek water collected in a canteen by participants was frozen, carved into the form of an open book, and embedded with a “text” of columbine, blue spruce and mountain maple seeds. “It’s an international ecological language,” Irland said.
As the ice melted, it released the seeds into the current, generating trees that carry a legacy of the work born from its disintegration.
The Boulder Creek project was one of four “Gathering of Waters” series, each centered on a different river. “It’s important that people connect with the river and connect with people downstream, to recognize that we are a human river,” Irland said.
She said the international scope of her work is important “because everywhere in the world has its own water problems” – including too much or too little water, poor water quality and waterborne disease.
Irland has been working over the past 10 years on art in which she transfers images relating to waterborne disease to fabric related to treatment or prevention. For example, she transferred a microscopic view of e-coli onto hospital sheets. She said a child dies every eight seconds from water-related diseases, many of which are preventable.
Irland is also developing an art and ecology curriculum. She said many courses on the topic are already offered in a variety of disciplines.
One such class is “Southwest Water,” which Irland taught this semester with students from biology, community and regional planning, and art. “What I enjoy is having students from across campus,” she said. “It makes for a really rich dialogue.”
In the spring, Irland will co-teach ARTS 467/567: “Arts and Ecology” with William Gilbert, professor of art and art history.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Last week’s performance of the Verdi Requiem, featuring special Italian soloists and conductor, is already available in a two-CD set, said Bradley Ellingboe, who directed the nearly 300 performers from the UNM University Chorus and UNM Concert Choir. Also featured is the UNM Symphony Orchestra, directed by Jorge Pérez-Gómez.
The live recording can be purchased for $18 at the UNM Bookstore and Music Mart of Albuquerque, 3301 Carlisle NE. All proceeds benefit the UNM Music Department, Ellingboe said.
The UNM performers were joined by an Italian guest conductor, Stefano Vignati, and soloists Ilaria De Francesco, soprano; Laura Brioli, mezzo soprano; Gian Luca Pasolini, tenor; and Mirco Palazzi, bass.
“We record all our performances for archival purposes, but because of the special guest artists and the combination of the chorus and concert choir, we used eight microphones to capture the event. The sound quality is exceptional, especially for a live performance,” Ellingboe said.
Ellingboe said that they created the CDs quickly so that they would be available as holiday gifts.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Rodents and insects are keen at detecting and exploring areas that lose heat and moisture, so steps to pest proof the home are similar to those that increase energy efficiency: sealing cracks and crevices, caulking around window frames, fitting outside doors with weather stripping, and plugging small holes. Utility openings such as gaps around outdoor faucets, gas meters, dryer vents, electrical wiring and plumbing under sinks and behind washing machines should be sealed.
If rodents are a concern, stuff the gaps with steel wool first and seal with expandable foam. For nuisance insect pests – such as elm leaf beetles and red-shouldered bugs that can congregate in large numbers inside – install insect screening behind attic and crawl space vents. If beetles congregate outside, cleaning with a mild detergent will remove material that may attract other beetles to the site.
Store garbage in a sealed container and rinse out recyclables such as cans and replace the lids on plastic bottles. Eliminate piles of debris and leaves, and stack wood off of the ground on pallets.
Eliminate moisture sources in the home – such as repairing leaky pipes, improving ventilation in the attic and crawl space, picking up pet dishes at night, and checking the condensation pan under the refrigerator. Drain covers placed over drains at night can reduce cockroach and mothfly incidences – a plastic bag filled with water and placed over the drain is a good substitute.
The next step in deterring pests is to keep the area free of dust and debris by vacuuming on a regular basis. A vacuum with a HEPA filter removes fine debris and traps particles, which may otherwise be a source of allergens. Sweeping pushes debris into cracks and crevices instead of permanently removing them. Counter tops and inside cabinets should be wiped with detergent to remove scent trails left by pests, and food should be kept in sealed plastic containers.
Story by R. Gary Smith, associate director, Environmental Services
Dr. Philip A. May, professor of Sociology and Family and Community Medicine from the UNM Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions (CASAA) and director of the New Mexico Access to Research Careers program, recently received the Wayne S. Fenton Undergraduate Research Educator Award presented by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He is the second individual to receive the award, which was initiated last year.
Photo: Dr. Philip A. May
The award is named in honor of the late Wayne Fenton, M.D., a truly dedicated psychiatrist from NIMH who was killed while delivering mental health services to persons with severe mental illness.
The plaque for the award reads: "for outstanding achievement as a mental health research educator dedicated to teaching and supporting undergraduate honors scholars embarking on the career pathway of mental health research."
“I am very grateful to NIMH for supporting New Mexico students and me over the many years,” said May. “Furthermore, I accepted the honor on behalf of the wonderful staff and colleagues that I have had supporting me and our training programs over the years.
“The list includes Phyllis Trujillo, Thomas Atencio, Judith Arroyo, Paul Amrhein, Marita Brooks, Kathy Deeschinni, Jan Gossage, Wendy Kalberg and David Buckley.”
May’s accomplishments have been noteworthy over the course of his 30-year career as a professor training both graduate and undergraduate students in mental health and behavioral research at UNM. In addition to the many National Institutes of Health and other research grants that Professor May has written and obtained for UNM projects over the years, he has secured six major training grants from NIMH totaling more than four million dollars that are specifically for the support of student research training.
For the past 18 years he has directed the New Mexico Access to Research Careers program, which is funded by NIMH as part of their undergraduate research training initiative, Career Opportunities in Research (COR). In the program, qualified honors undergraduate students receive full tuition and fees, a substantial stipend, research project support money, and opportunities to study with the best researchers in mental health at UNM and at institutions around the country.
In addition, Alfredo Aragon, Ph.D. and Tassy Parker, Ph.D., two of the more than 120 former trainees who have graduated from the UNM COR program, completed their professional training several years ago, and are back at UNM as faculty, NIH grant-funded employees at CASAA, and are very actively engaged in training current COR students with May.
This past November, the COR program at UNM and the Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Government and the Laguna Department of Education partnered to host the entire NIMH-COR program for a national colloquium. More than 200 students and faculty from 15 universities from around the country and the federal government participated.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Albuquerque City Council Rift, Romney’s Chances Also Discussed
This week on ‘New Mexico In Focus’ guests and panelists look at the U.S. Senate race now that Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez has dropped out. Panelists will also discuss what was behind Chavez’s decision as well as what is next for him, on Friday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. and repeated on Sunday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 a.m. on KNME, Channel 5.
The Hispanic voting block is apparently ready to back Democrats in election 2008. Panelists will discuss what the major parties need to do to win the vote.
Also discussed will be reasons why New Mexicans are falling behind on giving their time. Find out where New Mexicans rank when it comes to volunteering, and what local officials are doing to boost civic engagement.
Guests this week are Gregory Webb, executive director, New Mexico Commission for Community Volunteerism; Jean Block, ABQ The Magazine’s 2007 Humanitarian of the Year; Kerrie Copelin, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central New Mexico; and Brenda Wolfe, clinical psychologist
Guest panelists are Pat Frisch, AM operations manager, Citadel Communications; and Barbara Wold, blogger, Democracy for New Mexico.
‘New Mexico In Focus’ is a 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 of our time, in a cohesive package.
Co-hosted by Santa Fe Reporter staff writer David Alire Garcia and Albuquerque Journal columnist Gene Grant, ‘NM 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. This episode is co-produced by Karl Swanson, UNM intern. 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
The National Museum of the American Indian and the ART in Embassies Program recently produced “We Are All Knots,” a print portfolio by five influential Native American artists from across the United States. Norman Akers (Osage), Mario Martinez (Yaqui), Larry McNeil (Chilkat Tlingit), Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Flathead Indian), and Marie Watt (Seneca) worked with printers from Tamarind Institute at the University of New Mexico to create this important lithography collection. Collaborating printers were Sharon Lee, Aaron Shipps, Brooke Steiger and Jim Teskey.
Photo: Tamarind Institute Director Marjorie Devon with First Lady Laura Bush at the unveiling of "We Are All Knots."
The project’s goal is to broaden international understanding and appreciation for contemporary Native American art. The artists donated 20 prints to the Smithsonian and 20 to ART in Embassies, to be exhibited in American embassies throughout the world. In these prints, the artists reveal both the legacy of ancestors and the contemporary Native American struggle for individual expression.
Tamarind is a center for fine art lithography that trains master printers, engages in teaching and research and houses a professional collaborative studio for artists. It is recognized internationally for its contributions to the growth of contemporary printmaking around the world.
First established in Los Angeles, Tamarind became a division of the UNM College of Fine Arts in 1970. With the move to New Mexico came a commitment to reflecting the state’s diversity. The institute’s first New Mexico publishing venture was a suite of eight lithographs titled “Indians Forever” by Native American artist Fritz Scholder. Other indigenous artists from New Mexico that have collaborated with the institute include T.C. Cannon, Patrick Swazo Hinds, Dan Namingha and R.C. Gorman.
Tamarind has previously worked with some of the artists in “We Are All Knots.” Jaune Quick-to-See Smith has collaborated with the institute on numerous projects since 1979. Larry McNeil and Marie Watt appear in “Migrations: New Directions in Native American Art,” a traveling exhibit and a book released in 2006 by UNM Press. The book addresses the need for serious critical consideration of Native American art by juxtaposing the work of emerging artists exploring printmaking processes with critics’ responses.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is an institution of living cultures dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of the life, languages, literature, history and arts of the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere.
The U.S. Department of State ART in the Embassies Program blends art and diplomacy by displaying the work of U.S. artists in the public rooms of 180 U.S. Embassy residences and diplomatic missions worldwide.
Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Researcher helped New Mexicans understand deadly disease
UNM Vice President for Research and Economic Development Terry L. Yates has died after a brief illness. “It was his exuberance you remember most about Terry,” said UNM President David Schmidly. “He was one of the first graduate students I taught at Texas Tech in the mid-1970’s, and he was always ready to examine a new idea or take a trip to the field to explore a theory. I think he was happier out in the field than he was behind a desk.” Yates was 57 years old.
Yates was best known for his groundbreaking research on the source of Hantavirus, a serious respiratory disease that is frequently fatal. When people in the southwest began dying from an unknown viral disease in 1993, Yates worked with researchers from the National Centers for Disease Control to track down the cause.
Using specimens Yates had collected over the years and placed in the museum of Southwestern Biology, they were able to pinpoint a species of deer mice as the carrier of the Sin Nombre Virus. The National Science Foundation named research done by Yates and his collaborator Robert Parmeter on the Hanta Virus as one of its “Nifty 50” discoveries – projects funded that have had the biggest impact on the lives of Americans.
His most recently published paper explored the relationship between weather and deer mice populations. Yates and his co-authors were able to predict increased risk to humans in specific parts of the Four Corners area after studying satellite photos of vegetation growth. In 2006 his work gave the New Mexico Department of Public Health the scientific evidence it needed to give advance warning to New Mexicans living in certain areas of the state that that they faced an increased risk for exposure to hantavirus.
Yates was appointed Vice Provost for Research at UNM in 2001, and served as Vice President for Research and Economic Development from 2004 to the present. He was also the Curator of Genomic Resources for the Museum of Southwestern Biology at UNM, and a professor of biology and pathology, and he helped create the Long Term Ecological Research site near Socorro, used by UNM students involved in a wide variety of research projects.
Yates came to UNM in 1978 as an assistant professor of biology. During his tenure as vice-provost and vice-president for research, the total amount of research awards rose from $247 million to nearly $300 million.
He was a member of the Board of Life Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences, and an honorary member of the Society of Mammalogists, the highest honor that professional society bestows. He published 126 research papers in refereed outlets, and chaired 17 Ph.D. students. In August the UNM regents gave Yates a Regents Meritorious Service Award.
A memorial service to celebrate the life and work of Yates will be held on Friday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. in Popejoy Hall in the Center for the Arts on the UNM campus.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that contributions be made to the Terry Yates Endowment for Field Mammalogy at the University of New Mexico. Please sent contributions to the Yates Endowment in care of the UNM Foundation, Inc., MSC07 4260, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-0001.
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; email: kwent2@unm.edu
This past semester, five students at the Anderson School of Management developed a program to educate and raise awareness on how to safeguard information at the University of New Mexico. They also plan to provide the program to Albuquerque and New Mexico businesses and institutions.
The five graduate students, all involved in the Security Education Training and Awareness (SETA) project, created a comprehensive online content and delivery system to assist employers, managers, and supervisors in educating, training, and assessing their staff in the proper handling of information.
The project provides information regarding best practices in protecting computer systems, common threats from social engineering, and technology used in protecting commercial transactions. The students’ project was sponsored by UNM’s Center for Information Assurance Research and Education (CIARE). The SETA modules will be available for download later this month from the center’s Web site at http://ia.unm.edu.
CIARE was established in 2006 by the UNM to advance the regional application, management, and knowledge of information assurance (IA) and information security (InfoSec) through educational programs, business practice development and scholarly research.
Its mission is also to assist with the emerging information assurance and information security needs of the local and regional constituents and the university community. UNM received the designation as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance by the NSA and DHS last spring and was a unique selection with its multidisciplinary approach between technology and management.
The students will present their project to the CIARE’s directors and the University's Chief Information Officer Barney Maccabe on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 10:30 a.m. at the Anderson Schools.
Maccabe has already expressed interest in implementing the student’s project for the entire university. The CIO is charged with strategic leadership for the integration of Information Technology (IT) related functions across the UNM campus. Once accepted, the information would be easily accessible to all UNM staff, faculty and students via the website and eventually there are plans to make it available to other Albuquerque businesses and government institutions with slight modifications to fit their needs.
Contact: Leslie Venzuela, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: venzuela@mgt.unm.edu
The Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network has released its new Decadal Science Plan, which maps out the Network’s science agenda for the next 10 years. Titled “Integrative Science for Society and the Environment: A Plan for Research, Education, and Cyberinfrastructure in the U.S. Long-Term Ecological Research Network,” the plan makes an ambitious call for research that extends the Network’s foundational strength in ecology and environmental biology to also embrace the sociological sciences relevant to human-environment interactions.
Through the leadership of the Scientific Task Force and Science Council chair, the plan is the culmination of three years of network-wide planning activities financed by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which sponsors the Network.
The plan outlines how LTER will direct its research and education activities to address environmental grand challenges in three topical areas: land and water use change, particularly with respect to working landscapes and urban systems; climate change including variability and the changing frequency of extreme events; and changes in nutrient mobilization and biodiversity, as particularly related to species introductions.
“Through this effort we were able to achieve our goal of designing a one-of-a-kind long-term, multi-site research plan that genuinely integrates social-ecological research,” said Scott Collins, University of New Mexico biology professor and task force chair.
The plan, available at LTER Decadal Plan, has seven parts including an executive summary:
1.) an Integrated Research Plan that provides a blueprint for the next phase of LTER science and describes plans for network-level research into fundamental questions about socio-ecological relationships in important U.S. and international ecosystems;
2.) description of the EcoTrends project, a compendium of long-term ecological trends at and across LTER sites;
3.) strategic plan for education in the Network;
4.) strategic plan for Network cyberinfrastructure;
5.) new governance structure for the Network; and
6.) new social-ecologial research framework known as Integrated Science for Society and the Environment.
Phil Robertson, chair of the LTER Executive Board and Science Council and professor at Michigan State University, noted that “hundreds of scientists have been actively engaged in the development of the plan, which is truly a broad-based effort that represents the community’s collective vision.”
Robertson added that the ecological community was “particularly excited about the potential for the plan to address important questions about the sustainability of ecosystems on which we all depend—questions that are not now being addressed in any comprehensive way.”
Since planning began almost three years ago, the Network has held scores of workshops and planning meetings that included scientists from the 26 LTER sites as well as many from outside the network.
Participants included ecologists, geoscientists, oceanographers, and other environmental scientists; social scientists including geographers, economists, sociologists, and cultural anthropologists; information scientist experts in cyber infrastructure design and implementation; and educators at the university, K-12, and public outreach levels.
Bob Waide, executive director of the LTER Network Office and UNM biology professor, observed that the most exciting and significant element of the plan was the involvement of many different disciplines, and particularly social scientists, to address urgent national needs from a socio-ecological perspective.
The LTER Network is comprised of 26 sites funded by NSF to pursue basic research in ecology and environmental science. Since 1980 the sites have conducted research to better understand ecological phenomena in both natural and managed ecosystems. A broad variety of ecosystems are represented in the Network, including tundra, forest, grassland, desert, urban, and marine sites, among others. For further information, including a list of current sites and principal investigators, see www.lternet.edu.
The Mission of the LTER Network is to provide the scientific community, policy makers, and society with the knowledge and predictive understanding necessary to conserve, protect, and manage the nation’s ecosystems, their biodiversity, and the services they provide.
Contacts: McOwiti O. Thomas, (505) 277-2638; e-mail: tmcowiti@lternet.edu or Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Engineers and paving professionals will meet on Jan. 7, 2008, to discuss unconventional intersections, street redesign in Albuquerque, pavement problems and solutions, and rail transport issues. The 45th Annual Paving and Transportation Conference will explore the many technical issues involved with transportation in the southwest at the Marriott Pyramid North Hotel and Convention Center in Albuquerque.
The conference features a keynote speech by the Federal Highway Administration Director Butch Wlaschin titled “A Sense of Urgency: America’s Aging Infrastructure.” Other speakers include New Mexico Secretary of Transportation Rhonda Faught and Rio Rancho Zoning and Planning Commission Chairman Pat D’Arco.
Conference attendees can participate in technical sessions ranging from alternative funding strategies to concrete and asphalt pavement performance, design and evaluation. A vendor’s area in the hotel’s atrium will display a range of transportation related products and services.
Online registration forms and a detailed program are available at: http://www.unm.edu/~civil/. For more information, please contact Program Committee Chair, Jim Brogan at (505) 277-1314 or jbrogan@unm.edu
Dr. Ned Godshall, successful high-tech entrepreneur, will talk with students at a free lunch and seminar on Friday, Dec. 14, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in The Anderson School’s GSM 302. Godshall will speak as part of the UNM Technology Business Plan Competition events on “Lessons from the Front: One Entrepreneur’s Experience with Business Planning.”
Photo: Dr. Ned Godshall
The UNM Technology Business Plan Competition seeks to involve students from across campus in partnering to create viable business plans and compete for more than $100,000 in prizes and seed funding.
Overseen by The Anderson School Endowed Chair in Economic Development, Dr. Sul Kassicieh, this year’s competition will take place on Friday, April 11, 2008, and a series of speakers will be brought to campus to share their experiences with students beforehand.
Open to all UNM students taking at least six credit hours in the Fall 2007 or Spring 2008 semesters, the competition fosters economic development within New Mexico by supporting students in generating sound, innovative business plans.
Godshall, president and chief executive officer of Altela, Inc., has founded and led four high-tech start-up companies since 1995. At these companies, Godshall negotiated seed-round financing with venture capital firms and established the company’s accounting, payroll, budgeting, tax, project management, and corporate legal systems. He is one of New Mexico’s first ‘serial entrepreneurs.’
Godshall’s most recent efforts have been with companies in the ‘clean-tech’ space: the hydrogen economy (MesoFuel, Inc.), photovoltaic solar cells (Advent Solar, Inc.), and water desalination (Altela, Inc.).
MesoFuel developed a new product that enables widespread use of hydrogen fuel cells to facilitate tomorrow’s hydrogen economy dream – environmentally-friendly non-polluting fuel and greater energy independence from foreign oil. MesoFuel was sold to an international company less than two years after Godshall founded the company in 2002.
Advent Solar completed two successful rounds of venture capital investment totaling $38 million during his tenure as Board Chairman.
Godshall’s most recent start-up company, Altela, is developing a new kind of low-cost water desalination technology which removes the high costs and environmental liability of dirty water disposal.
Godshall’s first company, Silicon MicroDevices, Inc., established several patents for a new method of transdermal drug delivery using microsystems technology.
Prior to founding his first company, he was a scientist at Sandia National Laboratories, where he co-initiated Sandia’s highly successful MicroSystems program.
Godshall has Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of New Mexico.
Friday's event is open and everyone is welcome to attend. More information can be found at Tech Business Plan or by writing to bizplan@mgt.unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
As the United States closes in on the 2008 presidential election, immigration has become one of the key issues at the forefront of the political debate. Immigration has remained a hot topic in the media, especially since the failure of President Bush’s June 2007 immigration reform legislation.
During this time, media on both sides of the United States-Mexico border provided stories, editorials, position papers and narratives about the trials, tribulations, successes and heartbreaks of people who have entered the United States.
Those stories, and their impact on the people of the United States and Mexico, have been under the legal microscope of UNM Law professors Antoinette Sedillo Lopez and Gloria Valencia-Weber.
In mid-July, the pair went to London to present their research at the Once Upon a Legal Time: Developing the Skills of Storytelling in Law Conference. Their upcoming paper, entitled Immigration Stories and Narratives in Mexico and the United States: Framing Rhetoric and Realities, will draw upon research done since this presentation, focusing on additional stories to come out of the United States and Mexico.
This project began when Professor Sedillo Lopez noticed the different tone of immigration stories during her two summers teaching at UNM’s Guanajuato Summer Law Institute in Guanajuato, Mexico.
“I was listening to stories in the media during the 2006 Mexican Presidential Election,” Sedillo Lopez said. “The rhetoric used in Mexico about immigration, or more appropriately called migración (migration), was so different and I began collecting those stories.”
After collecting these stories Sedillo Lopez and Valencia-Weber began studying the use of language and mental images to provide the immigration narratives used on both sides of the border. Among their findings were stories about immigration in the United States have been inconsistent – on one hand immigrants were seen as taking jobs from Americans, but on the other hand they were doing jobs that Americans did not want to do.
Another aspect of the immigration and border issues that Prof’s Sedillo Lopez and Valencia-Weber studied was the oft-missed issue of transnational tribes – those Native Americans whose land crosses the U.S.-Mexico border.
One example of this was the story of Pablo Lewis of the Tohono O’odham tribe. Lewis, a former U.S. marine who served in World War II, could not prove his U.S. citizenship because he was born on Tohona O’odham land in Mexico.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security requires members of these tribes to get passports and provide additional documentation of their legal status – previously only tribal documentation was necessary. This tightening of the border has put additional stress on their lives.
“We’re not talking about once-a-year trips,” Valencia-Weber said. “This impacts people going to school, visits to health facilities, to perform cultural ceremonies on sacred sites. This is everyday life for them.”
The three Reserve Officer Training Corps Units at UNM, Army, Navy and Air Force will hold a joint commissioning ceremony for new officers on Friday, Dec. 14 at the Continuing Education Auditorium. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.
The candidates to be commissioned are:
Cadet Jonathan K. Bender
Cadet John T. Brasher
Cadet John P. Brooks
Cadet Gilbert C. Jaramillo
Officer Candidate James S. Ball
Cadet Tyler D. Christensen
Cadet Nathan E. Lucero
Cadet Luis E. Rivera
Cadet Jeffrey A. Van Horn
Cadet Alexander M. Wilkie
Event to be held Friday, Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. in the University Arena
About 1,536 students are projected to receive degrees, as follows: 1,114 bachelor’s degrees, 341 master’s degrees, 5 post-master’s, 52 doctorates, 12 juris doctorates, 3 medical doctorates, 7 pharmacy doctorates and 2 education specialists. An official degree count is determined following commencement.
Photo: Michael “Mikki” Carroll to give student address.
New Mexico Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish will be the keynote speaker. During her time in office she has fought to improve education, increase access to health care, crack down on criminals who endanger children and create more economic opportunities for New Mexicans.
Graduate Michael “Mikki” Carroll will give the student address. She is graduating with a bachelor’s in elementary education from the College of Education.
Carroll was a former graduate and faculty member of UNM-Gallup in the area of cosmetology and barbering instruction. Making a difficult decision to leave her full-time job and family in pursuit of education, she moved to Albuquerque to attain a higher degree. She has become an advocate for multicultural education within UNM’s College of Education. Her inspiration to succeed comes from her son, Domenicio Miguel Carroll.
UNM President David Schmidly will be the master of ceremonies. The University Brass Ensemble with Zane Meek, conductor, will play a selection of music for the ceremony’s prelude and processional. Graduate Heather Pedelty, receiving a master of music, will sing the national anthem and the alma mater.
President Schmidly will offer congratulatory remarks, confer degrees and recognize honors graduates.
The Alumni Association and the president’s office sponsor a reception for graduates, their families and friends on the east concourse of the arena following the ceremony.
Several schools, colleges and departments have scheduled convocations for Friday and Saturday, Dec. 14 and 15. For more information, visit the commencement Web site, Fall Commencement.
For Wynn Goering, UNM vice provost for academic affairs, and his wife, Ardie, the familiar song works better in the plural: “Oh, Christmas Trees!” They think Tannenbaum all the time. Owners of Pine Creek Farm, a 15 acre Christmas tree farm nestled near Goessel Kan., the Goerings can be found this time of year selling Scotch and Austrian pine trees, Fraser firs, fresh wreaths, tree stands and all tree supplies.
Photo: Wynn Goering at his Pine Creek Farm in Kansas.
“People come in, select a tree and cut it down themselves,” Goering said, adding that he and Ardie also bring in cut Fraser firs from Michigan. They also sell lotions and soaps made by a local woman, log cabin cans of maple syrup supplied by New York retirees they know, and pistachios from Cloudcroft, N.M. “A little piece of New Mexico in Kansas,” he remarked, adding, “We tried selling chile ristras, but people in Kansas didn’t get it.”
While Wynn works on his inbox at UNM, Ardie’s at work on the farm. “Seventy-five percent of our business is the weekend after Thanksgiving and the following two weekends,” Goering said.
But they can’t just show up to sell the trees. The process starts each year in the spring when they arrive for a week to hand plant some 2,000 seedlings; hand planting because the clay soil can create conditions that bog down machinery designed to plant the 8” to 18” seedlings.
“That work makes me appreciate my day job,” Goering said. About 65 percent of the seedlings survive the first year; about 50 percent survive to adulthood. “But some of those don’t become nice trees,” he explained.
The Goerings rely on rain to quench the trees’ thirst. They return for a week in the summer to trim the trees. In fall they tag them to prepare them for sale. “It takes seven years to grow a 5’-6’ tree,” he said.
Is the farm lucrative? “There’s an economic theory among farmers that they make a little money, but they don’t put a price on their labor. I use my annual leave to tend the trees. Does it pay? No, but it pays in other ways than dollars and cents,” he said.
Goering said that the workload in his Scholes Hall office looks the same day to day. “But on the farm you can see what you’ve done at the end of the day or the year. Where once stood an empty field, you now see trees growing,” he said.
Both Wynn and Ardie grew up in Kansas farm country. Wynn’s roots are in Moundridge, Kan., about 10 miles from Goessel, in central Kansas. His family raised wheat. Pine Creek Farm belonged to Ardie’s parents’, but three years ago, the Goerings bought it from them, “With the 8,000 trees that came with it,” he said.
Vacationing in New Mexico brought the Goerings to Albuquerque and Wynn to UNM.
“We feel at home here, regardless of the differences from rural Kansas. There is an attachment to land and a sense of place that comes from many generations residing on the same land. And, there’s a shared sense of the importance of how land is used,” he said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Inspired by a son they lost to cancer in 1985, George and Diana Trujeque have now raised more than $3 million for the Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico. They were recently honored for their efforts by the Valencia County News-Bulletin as the 2007 Citizens of the Year during a ceremony held on the UNM-Valencia campus.
Photo: George Trujeque
They will be the first to point out that they are not the real heroes. In a written statement, the Trujeques said their son Erin was the real hero, “whose strength, courage and selflessness inspires us to do what we can to help others. Secondly, there are the children and families that have faced and are facing the challenge of their lives as the result of the cancer diagnosis.”
George is the director of golf at the UNM Championship Course, a position he has held since 2001. Both he and his wife Diana have strong ties to UNM. Both are alumni. For more than 14 years, Diana worked in the Lobo’s men’s basketball office. She is currently a member of the board for the CCFNM.
“The cancer fund helps all kids who go through treatment at the UNM Cancer Center,” George said. He said the children receive bravery bucks, just as his son did, for going through some of the painful procedures and diagnoses associated with cancer treatment. Children also receive toys, and the families are assisted in various ways.
“The families receive gas and food vouchers,” he said. “The fund pays for stays at the Ronald McDonald House.”
One family the fund helped was going through some very difficult financial trouble. They had no means of transportation to visit their child at UNM Hospital. “So we bought a used car for the family so they could travel from Grants to be with their child.”
George is very proud of one particular project – a scholarship program. Any child who goes through treatment at the UNM Cancer Center and graduates from high school can apply for a scholarship funded by the CCFNM. The amounts started at $500, but now the program has grown to $1,500 stipends.
“We’ve had two doctors come out of our program,” George said.
The Trujeques have raised funds through an annual golf tournament held in July at the Championship Course. This summer 570 golfers participated in the two-day event.
“We expanded to two days some time back, and we still have too many players,” he said. “I don’t know what we’ll do next year.”
Next year’s tournament will be held July 10-11. George pointed out that the bulk of the money raised is not from the actual tournament fees but from sponsorships. A gala affair is held at the Sandia Casino and Resort on the first night of the tournament where both a live and silent auction raises the real dollars. Various companies donate large-ticket items or travel packages, such as a golfing trip to Pebble Beach.
“The first year we held the tournament (1986) we raised $21,000 and we thought we had done something, but this last year we raised $397,000.”
All proceeds go to the Erin Trujeque Memorial and the sole beneficiary of the memorial is the CCFNM.
The Trujeques lost their only child to cancer, but since then they have been inspired to help 100-150 children every year. “That’s how many children are diagnosed at the cancer center annually,” George said. He added that a cancer diagnosis has a sobering effect on children faced with the reality that their lives may be cut short.
“Erin was 12 when he died,” George said. “But it was like talking to a 25-year-old man. Cancer makes them grow up fast.”
As for their success, George said it is the generosity of the community. “We have had such encouragement from the community. To be successful, you have to have a good committee working on the project, and you have to have a good cause.”
Media Contact: Chad Perry, (505) 925-8547; e-mail: cperry@unm.edu
For the UNM Foundation, “Our job is all about linking people and money,” said Michael Kingan, vice president for advancement at UNM. Kingan, as president of the UNM Foundation, and his colleagues around campus solicit private funding for projects in the UNM community. The Foundation receives millions of dollars in donations each year.
Photo: Michael Kingan
“We mostly get donations from corporations and foundations, but the $100 donations help too,” Kingan said.
The Foundation focuses primarily on scholarship funding. Kingan said only about half of students receive lottery scholarships, and students need financial support for more than just tuition. Many students don’t qualify for lottery scholarships because they are in graduate school, from out of state, did not begin college within a year after graduating from high school, or have failed to maintain academic requirements.
Faculty support is also central to the foundation. “We have some of the best professors in the nation,” Kingan said. “We work to keep them here.”
Universities nationwide compete for professors, and private funding helps give faculty reasons to stay. The funding contributes to research and field work as well as salaries.
“A professor might have a great research project for their students, but it costs money,” Kingan said. “We have a great anthropology and geology department. It costs for students to go out and do research in their field.”
Private funding served as a catalyst for the creation of the Freshman Learning Communities, now supported by state funding.
The Foundation and Office of Advancement serve as facilitators, putting donors in touch with the colleges they want to contribute to. The UNM Foundation receives donations from alumni, Lobo fans and other community members.
Kingan said, “One guy, 40 years ago, was in a car accident on Route 66. He was taken to the Bernalillo County Hospital and they basically put him back together. He just donated $2.5 million to the new emergency room at the hospital.”
Each year, priorities change and a new campaign is set for all UNM campuses. The latest fundraising campaign is kicking off. Kingan said he expects it to be active over the next six years.
Story by Caitlin Lanigan
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The health and well-being of university employees is integral to the success of the organization. In February 2007 UNM completed the World of Wellness (WOW) Rapid Redesign to support the highest level of employee health and wellness at UNM.
The WOW goals are currently about 72 percent complete and we have several key achievements to recognize and celebrate.
Healthy Food Options in the SUB
Find this heart on Student Union Building menus for healthy choices. The full menu is available at hr.unm.edu under “Eating Healthy at the SUB!”
New Employee Wellness
Wellness has been woven into new employee orientation and a new employee campus tour. The tour is also open to current employees. Sign up on Learning Central at learningcentral.health.unm.edu/elms/learner/login.jsp.
Mini Grants
All are invited to attend the mini grant announcement event, congratulate mini grant recipients and celebrate the efforts of all those engaged in advancing our World of Wellness. The event will be held Tuesday, Dec. 11, 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the SUB Lobo room, with light refreshments of vegetable and fruit platters.
Leadership Support
President Schmidly has taken an interest in the WOW initiative and has agreed to champion this endeavor. In his vision statement he wrote “If UNM is to succeed, we must create and sustain the conditions under which all of the people in the institution can succeed. Investments in our human capital, including … an environment that supports wellness and productivity are foundational to our success.”
We have many wellness accomplishments to celebrate this year and are well on our way to achieving the original WOW goals.
These advances are due to the investment UNM and each employee is making toward improving the health and wellness of our community.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
In the last five years, students from the UNM Department of Theatre and Dance dramatic writing program have claimed seven national playwriting awards. If 2007 is any indication, the program’s success will only grow. Once again, UNM playwrights have brought home national awards, but they have also added to that list with renowned fellowships and attendance in reputed national programs.
Leonard Madrid and Don Garcia, both third year M.F.A. students, were awarded the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) Award for Latino Playwrights. Garcia received the award for his play “A Kiss for Death.” Madrid received the award for his one-act play “Perla.” Both plays were part of UNM’s Words Afire New Play Festival in 2006.
It is only the second time in the history of the award that two playwrights have received this honor in the same year. Madrid and Garcia were given fellowships to attend the KCACTF in Washington D.C., a cash prize, membership to the Dramatists Guild and the Playwright’s Center, and a fellowship to a summer program.
Madrid’s play “Perla” was also a finalist for the John Cauble short play competition. The four finalists in the competition were given concert readings at the Kennedy Center.
M.F.A. student Lou Clark received the regional SSDC/KCACTF award for directing. Clark was recognized for directing her thesis play “Searching for Calliopeia” at UNM’s Words Afire Festival. In Washington D.C., she was in contention with regional directing winners from around the Unites States. She received an honorable mention.
Graduate student Kristen Simpson’s thesis play “Four Days in the Delta” and Madrid’s play “Volver Volver Volver” were selected for the nationally renowned University Playwright’s Workshop, along with the plays of graduate students from Brown University, University of California-San Diego, New York University, Julliard and Carnegie Mellon.
M.F.A student Terry Gomez was one of four students nationwide to be awarded an American Indian College Fund – Mellon Faculty Career Enhancement Fellowship for 2007-08. The $30,000 award is given to Native American graduate students in the final year of a terminal degree.
The Words Afire Festival has a slate of new plays lined up for the spring.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Laura Burton, a master’s degree student in Communication and Journalism, is working on a way to expand her research into a project she undertook as part-time work. She and another graduate student, Santhost Chandrashekar, contracted with SafeTeen Inc. to do a preliminary study of the effectiveness of the SafeTeen Safe Driving Assemblies, an annual program presented in Albuquerque area high schools to deter teenage driving and drinking. One part of the assembly also addresses driving while distracted.
Photo: Laura Burton
Burton gave students a pre-test to evaluate their level of awareness about drinking and driving; then conducted a post-test after the students attended the assembly. She also tested a control group of students who did not see the assembly. Part of the test also explored student awareness of other driving distractions.
While the results did not indicate a statistically significant change in awareness of the danger of drinking and driving, they did indicate that the SafeTeen program demonstrated considerable success at addressing what is essentially a new set of problems with teen driving – the problems of distracted driving. The SafeTeen assemblies teach students that distractions from cell phone use, text messaging and in-car music adjustments pose similar risks as driving while intoxicated for young drivers.
“They originally assess driving and talking on the cell phone as a safe behavior,” said Burton “but after the program at the high school, they rated it as a more risky behavior so it did change their attitudes, which was a significant thing.”
The research also found had an unexpected result. The high school students knew drinking and driving was dangerous – the message by SafeTeen and other information sources was getting through even before the assemblies - but the researchers were surprised by the results of a question included as a general assessment of the student’s environment.
More than one-third of high school students surveyed in Albuquerque said they had ridden with an adult driver who had been drinking or taking drugs. And many of those students were engaging in risky driving behavior themselves because they assessed it as safe.
“What we found was a correlation to if they had ridden with an impaired adult driver, they rated all those measures as more safe that the other population,” said Burton. “So if they answered yes, they had higher frequencies of driving themselves while impaired with alcohol, with drugs, and other types of risky driving behaviors.”
This is a preliminary survey. SafeTeen has requested that Burton and Associate Professor of Communication and Journalism Richard Schaefer conduct further research to re-examine the SafeTeen program in the light of the findings from the previous study. She and Schaefer have applied for further funding from local health and highway sources in order to conduct further research.
Media Contacts: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Albuquerque City Council Rift, Romney’s Chances Also Discussed
The North American Free Trade Agreements have been around now for almost 14 years with numerous economic and societal effects on New Mexico. ‘New Mexico In Focus,’ examines those effects on Friday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m., and repeats on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 6:30 a.m. on KNME Channel 5.
This week’s In Focus also looks at the rift in the Albuquerque City Council. Panelists will sound off on the boycott of Monday’s meeting and the long-term impacts of that walkout.
Also, panelists will discuss Mitt Romney’s pivotal “Faith in America” speech as well as his chances of being elected.
This week’s guests are Dante DiGregorio, assistant professor, UNM’s Anderson School of Management; Tomasita Gonzalez, Southwest Organizing Project; Jerry Pacheco, International Business Accelerator executive director; Alberto Solis, manager, Albuquerque International Trade Division. Panelists are Jeffry Gardner, Albuquerque Tribune columnist; and Joan Schlueter, Women Impacting Public Policy
‘New Mexico In Focus’ is KNME Channel 5’s primetime news magazine covering events, issues and people shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest. In Focus brings viewers important topics of our time, all the opinions and insight they want 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 with a critical eye to give them context beyond the “news of the moment.”
Kevin McDonald is the producer of ‘New Mexico In Focus.’ This episode is co-produced by Kaycie Robinson, UNM intern. 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
The University of New Mexico has established a Mentoring Institute to build up mentoring research and training at the university. The Mentoring Institute is setting up its offices and is set to begin research and benchmarking efforts. The institute will build partnerships with university and community organizations to provide support services to existing mentoring programs and to those who wish to create mentoring programs and relationships. It will conduct research and will provide both general and targeted mentoring training.
Photo: Nora Dominguez
The mission of the Mentoring Institute is to create a mentoring culture at UNM by sharing best practices information, research, training and mentoring networks. The institute is planning research into mentoring best practices and specific needs at UNM and in New Mexico. It will begin offering general mentoring training programs within the university and the surrounding community early in 2008.
“Long term, the Mentoring Institute seeks to offer recognized certification in mentoring, host a national conference for mentoring research and practice, and continue to develop a mentoring culture at UNM,” said Nora Dominguez, MI director.
UNM identified the importance of collaborative efforts in the Vision for UNM in the 21st century. The MI prioritizes developing a network of mentoring partnerships and learning communities with students, faculty, staff and executives at UNM, as well as with industry, academic and government sectors in New Mexico.
Dominguez, a doctoral candidate in UNM College of Education’s Organizational Learning and Instructional Technology program, was recently named MI director. She also holds an MBA degree and has 17 years of experience in the banking industry in Mexico, where she was involved in formal mentoring programs, both as a mentor and as one who was mentored. Prior to directing the Mentoring Institute, Dominguez collaborated with Student Services, working closely with Latin American and Outreach and Ronald E. McNair programs. She has also taught undergraduate OLIT courses.
Mark Smith, also an OLIT doctoral student, has joined the institute as a research assistant. Smith received his BS and MA degrees from Appalachian State University in North Carolina. He has held graduate, teaching and research assistantships at UNM, and has taught undergraduate OLIT courses. The staff will soon expand to a staff of four, adding two graduate students as teaching assistants.
The Mentoring Institute is funded by the New Mexico State Legislature as a component of the UNM Division of Student Affairs. A mentoring council, with members from university and community organizations, will support and advise the work of the Mentoring Institute. The institute is located at 608 Buena Vista Drive, alongside the Title V program.
For more information, contact Nora Dominguez, director, UNM Mentoring Institute, 608 Buena Vista, Room 108, 277-1484.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Richard Holder, deputy provost, academic affairs, has announced that Susan Tiano, UNM sociology professor, has been appointed acting director of the Latin American & Iberian Institute, following Cynthia Radding’s resignation. Tiano will serve as acting director for Spring 2008, pending a decision about how to fill the position with a regular appointment.
Photo: Susan Tiano
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The UNM School of Engineering is preparing to host the 2008 ASEE Gulf-Southwest Annual Conference in March. The conference focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning in engineering education and attracts faculty, staff and students throughout the region who are interested in the various aspects of the educational process.
The conference will be held at the Albuquerque Marriott and features a student technical paper competition with awards for the top three competitors as well as three Best Paper Awards in the faculty/staff category.
The deadline for abstracts is Dec. 14, 2007. Questions about the process may be directed to Conference Chair Tariq Khraishi at (505) 277-6803 or khraishi@unm.edu.
Anyone interested in the conference is invited to attend. More information is available at the conference Web site at www.unm.edu/~aseegsw.
Media Contacts: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Due to weather complications over the weekend, the transition to Phase 3 of the Yale Boulevard Roundabout project on UNM’s north campus will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4.
An updated map of the construction area is available Construction Area Map.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
The UNM Bookstore will hold its annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day Friday, Dec. 7. The Bookstore will feature 50 percent off holiday merchandise, and 25 percent off general books and calendars, Lobowear and gift items, art supplies, Lobo Spirals and Lobo binders. Some exclusions may apply. See store for details.
The main bookstore will offer extended hours from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., while the Medical Legal Bookstore on North Campus will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"Life in the Age of Risk Management," a talk by Kimberly Thompson, associate professor of Risk Analysis and Decision Science at the Harvard School of Public Health, will be held Thursday, Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. in Room G at the UNM Conference Center located at 1634 University Blvd. Science & Society Distinguished Public Talks will host the talk, which is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Thompson's research interests and teaching focus inlcude issues related to developing and applying quantitative methods for risk assessment and risk management, and consideration of public policy implications associated with uncertainty and variability in risk characterization. She is the author of the book, “Risk in Perspective: Insight and Humor in the Age of Risk Management”.
In the talk, Thompson will suggest that we are now in the age of risk assessment, a time in human history where we recognize that life is full of risks, choices often involve tough trade offs, and a good data and risk analysis play a critical role in the decisions we make as individuals and collectively.
Relying on both insight and humor, she will discuss the importance of understanding systems as a requirement for effective management, and the ability to analytically characterize variability, uncertainty, and dynamics as essential skills.
Using a number of real examples ranging from airbags and airplanes, to vaccines and video games, she will demonstrate the significant interactions between engineering and behavior and the critical role of improved risk communication and education for all stakeholders.
The talk is co-sponsored by the Albuquerque Section of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE), Sigma Xi (the Scientific Research Society), the Department of Physics & Astronomy, the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Engineering, the University Honors Program and the Division of Continuing Education.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
For the sixth consecutive year, the UNM Office of Institutional Advancement is coordinating the Spirit of Giving toy drive. In the past, many participants across campus have been generous to those in need in the greater Albuquerque metro area with thousands of toys and gifts. With the help of the Office of the President, which is participating in the toy drive for the fourth consecutive year, the annual event will build upon previous successes.
This year’s beneficiary will be the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, in recognition of the thousands of United States Armed Forces service men and women around the world. The wish list includes age appropriate gifts and toys for infants and children up to 12 years old.
The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys to distribute as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.
Drop off boxes are located at: Anderson School of Management, second floor, west wing, reception area; UNM Business Center; College of Arts and Sciences, lobby; Hodgin Hall; KNME; Staff Council office in Hokona-Zuni, room 302; Welcome Center; and the UNM Development/Foundation office, 2 Woodward Place off Lomas Boulevard.
The drive will culminate on Wednesday, Dec. 19 in the Student Union Building Atrium with a campus-wide thank you reception hosted by President and Mrs. David Schmidly. All attendees are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate.
For more information contact Senior University Communication Representative Steve Carr at 277-1821.
The University of New Mexico today signed an agreement with the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, to create a powerful research alliance to find causes and cures for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).
The signing ceremony, which took place in the Rotunda at the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe, signals a commitment to contribute to the research that will lead to advanced treatments for IBC.
New Mexico is leading a national effort to fight IBC, a very aggressive and often deadly form of breast cancer that more frequently strikes younger women. Less than 40 percent of IBC patients live longer than five years. As IBC can be more difficult to detect by traditional mammography and imaging techniques, it can be more difficult to diagnose and presents at an advanced stage.
Principals at the signing ceremony were James H. Koch, President of the UNM Board of Regents; UNM President Dr. David Schmidly; UNM Executive Vice President for Health Sciences Dr. Paul Roth; UNM Cancer Center Director Dr. Cheryl Willman; M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Research Program Director Dr. Massimo Cristofanalli; New Mexico State Senator Tim Jennings, and his wife, Patty.
Patty Jennings, a breast cancer survivor, and her husband, Senator Jennings, spearheaded the effort with the New Mexico Legislature to fund a research project solely for IBC. Lawmakers appropriated $3.2 million for IBC research.
Contact: Sam Giammo, (505) 272-3682; e-mail: sgiammo@salud.unm.edu
UNM’s Health Sciences Library & Informatics Center (HSLIC) and Maxwell Museum of Anthropology were recently awarded more than $400,000 in federal grant money from the National Library of Medicine to develop a de-identified, searchable, web-based version of a collection of orthodontic patient materials.
The physical collection is an extremely valuable set of dental casts, int