The School of Architecture and Planning presents “The U.S. Housing Crisis: The Role of Design,” featuring nationally recognized architect Michael Pyatok, Monday, Feb. 2, 5:15 p.m. in Pearl Hall auditorium, room 101. Pyatok, a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects, has 40 years of experience as an architect, advocate and professor.
Photo: Michael Pyatok
He established Pyatok Architects in 1984. Pyatok has designed over 30,000 units of affordable housing for low-income families and has been a leader in the development of participatory community design methods.
In addition to actively participating with the firm’s urban design projects, Pyatok is a professor of architectural design and recently served for three years as the founding director of Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family at Arizona State University in Phoenix.
Pyatok has served the AIA on its National Affordable Housing Task Group. The National Endowment for the Arts sponsored him to facilitate housing design workshops in many U.S. cities and awarded him a grant to write a book about how to design higher density affordable housing titled, “ Good Neighbors: Affordable Family Housing.”
In 2002, Pyatok Architects was chosen as Architecture Firm of the Year by “Residential Architect Magazine,” and “Professional Builder Magazine” identified Pyatok as one of the 12 thought leaders in the field of development. In 2007, he was identified by “Builder Magazine” as one of the 50 most influential people in the development industry.
The event, sponsored by the New Mexico Finance Authority, is part of the School of Architecture and Planning spring lecture series. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM Sr. Communication Rep. Carolyn Gonzales interviews Africana Studies Director Sherri Burr about UNM's Black History Month events, current academic initiatives in the program, news about a recent intersession course that took students to Egypt, and an introduction to Kadeshia Matthews, new faculty in English and Africana Studies. To hear the podcast visit: Black History Month 2009 at UNM.
Photo: Sherri Burr, director, Africana Studies
For a complete list of events at UNM visit: Black History Month.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Andrea Polli recently assumed the position of director of the Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program at the University of New Mexico. She joins UNM after serving as an associate professor of film and media and director of the Integrated Media Arts Masters of Fine Arts Program at Hunter College. She received a Master of Fine Arts in time arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Photo: Andrea Polli, director, Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program
As a digital media artist, Polli’s projects often bring together artists and scientists from various disciplines. She has exhibited, performed and lectured nationally and internationally. Her work has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Greenwall Foundation.
She was recognized by the UNESCO Digital Arts Award in 2003. She is currently co-chair of the Leonardo Education Forum, an affiliate of the MIT Press and the College Art Association of America that promotes the advancement of research and academic scholarship at the intersections of art, science and technology.
Her recent collaborations include: “Atmospherics/Weather Works,” a spatialized sonification of highly detailed models of storms that devastated the New York area; “Heat and the Heartbeat of the City,” a series of sonifications of actual and projected climate in Central Park, the heart of New York City and one of the world’s first locations for climate monitoring; and “N.,” a real-time multi-channel sonification and visualization of weather in the Arctic. She recently spent seven weeks in Antarctica on a NSF funded project titled 90 Degrees South.org.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
University of New Mexico students are now able to receive advice and encouragement from professionals in industry, government and university systems thanks to a new mentoring program launched this week at UNM. MentorNet is an e-mail based network allowing students one-on-one mentoring with professionals across the nation. The program is open to undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students and untenured faculty.
The program is available to all UNM students, but is particularly useful to those studying science and engineering because MentorNet recruited mentors from these areas to improve the science and engineering workforce.
To join, go the program’s Web site and fill out a mentor profile. The students are then matched with a mentor who is best able to address their interests. Faculty can join the program as mentors, using the same process as students.
Once matched, the mentor and the student maintain a mentoring relationship by e-mail. The official program lasts for the academic year calendar.
MentorNet provides other services, including an e-forum with web-based discussion groups for those interested in topics such as work and life balance, job searching and graduate school, and a resume database for students.
The program was brought to UNM because of the university’s interest in student retention and career placement.
Nora Domínguez, director of the UNM Mentoring Institute, said, “A program such as MentorNet provides an additional tool for students by expanding their access to the professionals in their fields of study, so they can learn about opportunities and how to prepare for them.” .
This program is sponsored by Title V program and is coordinated through a partnership with the NM-PAID Program.
For more information, contact Dominguez, at (505) 277-1484, or to sign up, visit www.mentornet.net.
Joe Kee, UNM-Gallup’s new full-time Navajo language instructor, understands the challenges of learning to read and write the language, even for a native speaker like himself. He made the journey years ago. He is passionate about the difference literacy makes in ensuring the survival of Navajo culture. Now he is ready to help others in the Gallup area acquire those skills.
Photo: Joe Kee
Kee comes to UNM-Gallup after spending three years at home in Steamboat, Ariz., where he returned after a long teaching stint at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. An NAU graduate with a master’s degree in Navajo literacy, Kee devoted those years to “non-academic” research, attending local events, observing ceremonies, attending chapter meetings and social functions and even herding sheep. During that time, he developed a new approach to teaching Navajo.
“I introduce students to where I come from, and engage them in learning by talking about how I came to be the person I am today,” he said. “I stress family, relationships and kinships inside the classroom to make learning fun. I try to help students learn not just words, but to learn through the meaning and context behind the vocabulary.”
Kee recalls a very traditional rural upbringing, in which he spoke Navajo as his first language. Later, at school, he picked up English, as did his classmates, at around eight or nine. He describes the process as “relatively painless,” compared to struggles older American Indians recount, when they were sent far from home to boarding schools, forced to speak only English and to forget their native tongues.
By the time he got to college, Kee knew he wanted to study the Navajo language. But studying Navajo literacy was something new.
“Although I was a fluent speaker, it took me four and a half years to grasp Navajo literacy,” he says. “But afterward, I felt proud and empowered that I could speak, read and write my language.”
Kee traces the history of Navajo literacy for his students from the 19th century. Linguists traveling through Dinetah listened to the language in various parts of the reservation, and began to write it down. A written alphabet was standardized.
But this process was interrupted by two factors, according to Kee: the introduction of the boarding school system – where students were forbidden to use Navajo so that they might be more easily assimilated into the dominant culture – and World War II—when the language was used by the military to transmit secret tactical messages via Navajo Code Talkers in the Pacific Theater.
“The language became classified,” Kee said. “The government wanted care taken about how the language was taught, and to whom it was taught. We had to accommodate these circumstances, although Navajo remained strong inside the home, regardless of what was going on outside.”
It would be at least 20 years after the war before the government relaxed its strictures against teaching Navajo; but when it did, the effort to spread Navajo literacy began to gather momentum.
As an advocate of Navajo literacy, Kee has come to UNM-Gallup well prepared to answer questions from traditional Navajos about why an oral tradition should be written down.
“Older people would share with me that our tradition should remain intact as an oral history, and that to write things down is not right,” Kee says. The elders point to the example of the Anasazi, who, some believe, wrote too much. “They believe that writing things down exposes you to the outside world, and then you’re sharing too much. I have to explain to them that we are losing a lot of the history and the language, and that writing it down can help us document it and help it continue.”
Students in Kee’s classes –Navajo 101 and 102, and the literacy course, Navajo 105 – will become familiar with such paradoxes as they learn not only how to speak, read and write Navajo, but also learn the stories of the people. Currently, most taking the classes have done some work in Navajo; in the future, he hopes to design classes to reach out to beginners and non-Navajos.
Kee is greatly impressed with the reasons his Navajo students give for wanting to learn the language of their people.
“Navajo students want to communicate with their great-grandparents before it’s too late, to show appreciation to their elders,” he said.
Kee says he sees great potential for UNM-Gallup to grow its Navajo language and studies program.
“I am really excited to be here at UNM-Gallup, in a town I visited as a child,” Kee said. He was born into the Black Streak Wood People Clan for the Mexican People Clan. “I hope to build a program where students will come to Gallup to take the language. And, I am really thankful that I am able to use my language and make my living by it.”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Their goal is to become digital artists, writers, gamers, entrepreneurs, engineers, critical thinkers, scientists, film and video makers, animators, storytellers, designers, computer scientists or educators using or developing the tools of digital media. Students in the University of New Mexico’s proposed Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program are getting closer to achieving those goals.
During today’s meeting, the Academic, Student Affairs and Research Committee of the UNM Board of Regents approved a Bachelors of Fine Arts in interdisciplinary film and digital media. The degree will be considered for approval by the full board on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
IFDM, offering courses since fall 2007, was designed to foster near-term employment opportunities and long-term economic development while responding to the state’s call to develop a sustainable film and digital media industry.
Kirby Ann Witte, UNM sophomore and National Merit Scholar majoring in business administration, decided she wanted to work in the film industry in her senior year of high school. “I am a terrible actress, but I have a great mind for business. For this reason I want to be a producer,” she said.
After taking an introductory IFDM course, Witte added to this goal an interest in computer animation. Samples of her work in the program can be viewed at http://www.kirbyann.com. She said one over her favorite projects was “a cartoon featuring a character named Lars Honeytoast, who becomes the worst super villain ever, Mad Cow.”
Opportunities in the kinds of careers Witte and other IFDM students are interested in are growing in New Mexico. According to a report recently prepared by Ernst & Young for the New Mexico State Film Office, film production activities in New Mexico created 2,220 direct jobs in 2007, including approximately 1,670 below the line employees earning $49,500 annually and 550 actors, directors and producers.
IFDM is designed to serve growing media industries by giving faculty and students the necessary critical, creative and technical skills to apply digital technologies in innovative and productive ways. The program was created by linking the existing strengths at UNM in the Colleges of Fine Arts, Engineering, Arts & Sciences, Anderson School of Management and other schools and colleges. This interdisciplinary, collaborative approach led Sony Imageworks to name UNM as a partner in their IPAX (Imageworks Professional Academic Excellence) Program.
The proposed bachelor’s degree joins with new concentrations and a minor from three schools and colleges that are each built on an innovative core of classes. In addition to existing classes, a core of ten new interdisciplinary courses will be required for all IFDM students. The core will provide a common set of knowledge and practices that the students will deepen in their chosen major and then put to use in the concluding team-based capstone classes.
The pending B.F.A. offers concentrations in production or critical studies. Students can currently focus in the IFDM curriculum with a Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts in communication and journalism, Bachelor of Science in computer engineering or as a fine arts minor in computer science.
The formal approval process for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is expected to be completed this spring.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Applications to the University of New Mexico have increased substantially as of Jan. 25. Compared with the same period last year, undergraduate applicants have increased by 13 percent, from 2,923 to 3,313, and graduate applicants by 24 percent, from 1,584 to 1,970.
The greatest growth occurred among freshman applicants, with an increase of 59 percent from 396 to 630, followed closely by growth in first time applications to graduate programs, an increase of 53 percent from 627 to 962. Transfer applications increased by nine percent and re-admits by six percent. The only area that shows a drop off is undergraduate non-degree applications, which decreased by six percent.
Vice President for Enrollment Management Carmen Alvarez Brown attributed the increase in part to improvements in communication and new recruitment strategies with current students and applicants, including regular emails providing information and reminders.
The Division of Enrollment Management is also implementing new transfer initiatives, including a transfer hotline for prospective students, calling campaigns to incomplete applicants and admitted students, and increased visits to community colleges and branch campuses, including weekly visits to Central New Mexico Community College throughout the spring semester. The division is developing a simplified process to allow on the spot admission during community college visits.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
This week on “New Mexico in Focus” co-host David Alire Garcia will sit down with Federal Communications Commission District Supervisor Keyla Hernandez Ulloa and Andrea I. Quijada, executive director for the New Mexico Media Literacy Project to talk about the eventual transition to DTV. “New Mexico in Focus,” KNME-TV, channel 5’s weekly one-hour news show, will air on Friday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. and will repeat on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 a.m.
Throughout this week, lawmakers in Washington, D.C. have been considering whether they should delay the official deadline for the transition to digital television from Feb. 17, 2009 to June 12, 2009.
Additionally, on New Mexico In Focus this week, the idea of Albuquerque’s west side splitting away from APS has once again been brought up. Alire Garcia will also sit down with APS board members Marty Esquivel and Robert Lucero, and Dan Serrano, the president of the Westside Coalition of Neighborhood Associations to talk about this latest effort.
Then co-host Gene Grant and the panelists for “The Line” will give their opinions on these topics, in addition to discussing the hot topic of webcasting the New Mexico Legislature, a proposed tax hike on cigarettes, and the President’s push for greener cars. Grant is joined this week by regular panelist Jim Scarantino and guest panelists Barb Armijo, a reporter for the New Mexico Independent, attorney Marco Gonzales, and 94 Rock host TJ Trout.
Producers of ‘New Mexico In Focus’ are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. 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
Senior Research Coordinator at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology and Research Associate Professor with the Department of Anthropology Dr. Bruce Huckell is the featured speaker tonight at the Hibben Center, room 105. His 7:30 p.m. lecture is “Coping with change at the End of the Pleistocene: A Clove Cache in North Dakota.”
Huckell says Almost 40 years ago a pheasant hunter in southwestern North Dakota found the first artifacts from a large cache of stone artifacts exposed in a plowed field. The nature of the artifacts and their age remained uncertain until 2006 when they were recognized as Clovis bifaces and a few other tools. Now designated the Beach Cache, the setting and contents of this large cache--perhaps 140 artifacts--are described, and it is compared to the 20 or so other known Clovis caches.
Huckell received his Ph.D. in 1990 from the University of Arizona, Tuscon. His research has focused on the subsistence-settlement systems of hunting-gathering societies in arid and semiarid environments, particularly in the North American Southwest and the western portion of North America.
His experience includes the study and interpretation of lithic artifacts, geoarchaeology, and zooarchaeology, and the organization of traditional farming systems in the New World. Dr. Huckell has published extensively on these topics in books, scholarly journals and articles.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy at the University of New Mexico has created a new national institute for the Study of “Race” and Social Justice. Led by co-directors Laura E. Gómez, UNM School of Law and American Studies; and Nancy López, sociology, the institute was established to find ways to measure “race” and ways people impose a racial interpretation. A goal of the institute is to develop strategies to address and eliminate race-based inequality.
Gómez and López place “race” in quotes to underscore its nature as a socially constructed category of social status in historical contexts.
Despite the fact that “race” isn’t rooted in biology, racial inequality persists and often remains at the root of socio-economic inequality, health disparities and other measurements of social stratification in the United States.
“Racism is a major factor in determining one’s health in our society, as it translates into persistent stress, associated illness and prolonged suffering or premature death,” said Robert Valdez, executive director of the RWJF Center. “Over the centuries, American Indians, African Americans, and Latinos have suffered from severe racism in various forms, and they experience the poorest health status as a result.”
The mission of the Institute for the Study of “Race” and Social Justice is to establish empirical, theoretical and methodological clarity about “race” that draws on cutting-edge thinking from multiple disciplines and diverse traditions. Among the major goals of the institute is to understand the complexity of “race” and the ways people perceive and respond to races in their socio-historical context and particular social spheres.
The Institute for the Study of “Race” and Social Justice is one of several initiatives within the RWJF Center addressing pressing social and economic issues affecting the health and well-being of all Americans,” Valdez said. The institute will bring together scholars spanning the social and health sciences. Institute scholars will collaborate with policymakers at the national, tribal, state, county and local levels to share expertise and promote social justice in education, criminal justice and health care.
During the first year, the co-directors will organize a study group to discuss the scientific study of race. The institute also plans to organize two conferences and publications: “Does ’Race’ Still Matter in New Mexico?” and “Best Practices for Conceptualizing and Researching ’Race.’”
The RWJF Center for Health Policy is the only health policy center dedicated to increasing the number of leaders from Latino and American Indian communities to help shape the future of our nation's health and health care. A collaboration of the University of New Mexico and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the RWJF Center for Health Policy focuses on inserting the voices of Latino, American Indian and other underrepresented groups into the most pressing health policy debates today.
For additional information visit: RWJF Center for Health Policy or contact (505) 277-0130 and or e-mail: rwjf@unm.edu.
For additional information about the Institute for the Study of “Race” and Social Justice contact Nancy López, nlopez@unm.edu, (505) 277-3101 and Laura Gómez, lgomez@unm.edu (505) 277-2113.
Media Contacts: RWJF, Victor E. Cornejo (505) 276-9342; e-mail: victor@cornejocommunications.com or UNM, Carolyn Gonzales (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM is searching for Ph.D. students who want a serious challenge. Fellowships are available in the area of Integrating Nanotechnology with Cell Biology and Neuroscience. The fellowships will begin in Fall 2009.
A fellowship candidate must:
· Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States
· Be admitted into a Ph.D. program at UNM
· Be committed to interdisciplinary research
· Have a record of academic excellence
The fellowships are funded through the National Science Foundation, and are offered for a one year period with a possible extension for an additional year. That is contingent upon satisfactory research and academic progress.
Students currently on fellowship are engaged in projects such as finding a way to improve gene delivery to the spinal cord by using nanoparticle platforms as part of a long term effort to halt or slow the progression of ALS. Others are working on new techniques to map DNA or researching nano-patterned surfaces as a way to control the release of molecule therapies.
Applications will be reviewed as they are received, beginning February 2, 2009. Early applications will have a better chance of acceptance, and women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.
For more information about the fellowships visit: CHTM IGERT Fellows
or contact Linda Bugge at the Center for High Technology Materials at (505) 272-7942 or lbugge@chtm.unm.edu.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The recent Banner Finance Self-Service system upgrade was completed successfully on Saturday, Jan. 17, enabling faster and more accurate reporting of data within the Finance system and increasing speed of data processing.
The upgrade, which was completed without affecting any Banner users, created a more user-friendly and real-time interface with the system, similar to interface within Budget Planner and Employee Self Service systems. The interface enables additional transactions such as approving purchase requisitions, a new journal voucher entry function, and Excel download capabilities.
For additional information visit: Finance Self-Service.
KUNM radio 89.9 at the University of New Mexico now offers live Internet audio stream from the New Mexico Senate chambers when the Senate is in session. The live audio stream will continue through the current NM Legislative session.
The audio is a free service available at KUNM's website - www.kunm.org. Audio is only available when the Senate is in session. KUNM's award-winning news reports are also available on the KUNM website.
KUNM General Manager Richard S. Towne explains, "KUNM has a studio at the Roundhouse. For more than a dozen years, we have had live audio feeds from the Senate and House chambers for use by KUNM reporters.
"When News Director Jim Williams suggested we plug the audio into our website, we all saw a real opportunity to increase our public service to the community."
KUNM radio is licensed by the FCC to The Regents of the University of New Mexico. KUNM is New Mexico's largest public radio station with service in:
Española (91.9),
Santa Fe (89.9)
Taos (90.9),
Eagle Nest (91.9),
Las Vegas (91.9),
Cuba (91.1),
Socorro (88.7),
and
Nageezi (91.9).
For more information, contact Richard S. Towne (505) 277-8009 or richardtowne@kunm.org and Jim Williams (505) 277-8015 or news@kunm.org.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Sylvia Rodriguez, University of New Mexico professor of anthropology, presents the 2009 Richard W. Etulain lecture, “Acequia Communities and the Struggle for Water,” Thursday, Feb. 19, 5:30 p.m. in the UNM Student Union Building, Santa Ana Rooms A & B.
Rodríguez is also Director of the Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies at UNM. She has conducted ethnographic research in northern New Mexico for nearly three decades, and published prize-winning articles and books on the impact of tourism on ethnic relations; the politics of identity, place and representation; identity and ritual; and conflict over land and water.
Her most recent book is Acequia: Water Sharing, Sanctity, and Place (School for Advanced Research Press, 2006). In 2008 she received the UNM Sarah Belle Brown Community Service Award for her work over the past two decades on behalf of New Mexico’s community acequia associations.
This event is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the lecture. The Etulain Lecture is co-sponsored by the Center for Regional Studies.
Professor Emeritus of History Richard Etulain, for whom the lecture is named, is the 1991 recipient of the UNM Annual Research Lectureship, the highest honor bestowed on faculty. He is author of more than 40 books.
For more information on the 2009 Etulain Lecture, or other events sponsored by the Center for the Southwest, call 277-7688, or e-mail: cntrsw@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The Center for the Southwest, within the University of New Mexico Department of History, announces the 2009 Borderlands Lecture Series, four lectures by scholars working in the United States and Mexico. The first lecture combines the work of two Mexican historians, on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. in the Student Union Building Santa Ana rooms A&B.
Lucila del Carmen León Velazco of the Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, presents, “Los Indígenas de Baja California a finales de la etapa misional: Una revisión de las Fuentes.”
Martha Ortega Soto of the departmento de filosofia, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Izapalapa present, “Estrategias españolas para la colonización de Alta California y la respuesta de sus nativos.” Both scholars will present their work in Spanish.
For more information on the 2009 Borderlands Lecture Series, or other events sponsored by the Center for the Southwest, call 277-7688, or e-mail: cntrsw@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The UNM Africana Studies Department kicks off Black History Month with a brunch on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 11 a.m. in the Student Union Building, ballrooms A and B. The brunch features a lecture by influential civil rights activist and comic Dick Gregory. The lecture, titled “From Civil Rights Activism to the Election of Obama: Has the Dream Been Fulfilled,” will discuss current equality and race issues in the African American community.
Photo: Dick Gregory
A leader from the 1960s civil rights movement, Gregory is a comedian, social activist, entrepreneur and author who has conveyed his political message on civil rights to both white and black audiences.
Tickets for the brunch are $35 for adults or $25 for UNM students and are available at unmtickets.com or by calling (877) 664-8661 or (505) 925-5858.
For more information, contact Africana Studies at 277-5644 or afamstds@unm.edu or visit Africana Studies.
To listen to a podcast featuring Africana Studies Director Sherri Burr discussing UNM's Black History Month visit: Black History Month 2009 at UNM
Story by Jazmen Bradford
College students’ intimate relationships and how they influence academic success is the topic of the University of New Mexico’s Parent Connection Workshop Wednesday, Feb. 4, from 6-7 p.m. in the Student Services Center, Dean of Students conference room.
Jessica Taylor Spurrier, UNM Student Health and Counseling Center, and Jeremy Jaramillo, Agora Crisis Center, are the presenters.
“Although relationship problems, distractions or loneliness can put a strain on a student’s well-being and academic performance, most young adults do make it through,” Spurrier said. “We will cover some of the basics of what parents can look for and how they can help as well as campus support resources and how to keep a sense of humor through it all.”
Check-in begins at 5:30 p.m. UNM’s Student Services Center is located east of the Student Union at the rear of Mesa Vista Hall. Parking is available in the Cornell Structure for $1.75 per hour.
Co-sponsored by the Dean of Students Family Connection Program, Parent Relations Office and Parent Association, the series provides a regular opportunity for parents to gain new insights from campus experts and to network with other parents to improve their students’ experience.
Upcoming workshops include:
Wednesday, March 4: Academic Support
Most students have a class they struggle with all semester. Learn what UNM has to offer in terms of tutoring programs, mentorship opportunities and other support services to help students succeed in the classroom.
For more information on the workshop series, call 277-5915 or 277-3361.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Five Taos High School graduates have been elected to key undergraduate student government leadership roles at the University of New Mexico, via the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico.
Photo: Alex Riebli, seated. Standing (l. to r.):, Ana-Alicia Romero, Zoe Riebli, and Lazaro Cardenas Jr. Not pictured: Lawrence Bustos.
Alex Riebli, a 2005 graduate of Taos High, is currently serving as the student body vice president, and leadership runs in the Riebli family. Alex’s sister, Zoe Riebli, a 2007 graduate is serving as a student senator. Anne and Jonathan Riebli are their parents.
Lawrence Bustos, a 2006 graduate, and son of Joseph and Lisa Garcia, was recently elected to the undergraduate student senate and 2007 graduates.
Lazaro Cardenas Jr., son of Lazaro and Ramona Cardenas, and Ana-Alicia Romero, daughter of Bob and Alice Romero, join Zoe Riebli in serving as student senators. In addition to their current student government positions, each is also involved in a variety of other campus activities.
Debbie Morris, director, UNM Student Activities Center, said, “I’ve been extremely impressed by the quality of student leaders coming from Taos over the past few years. Their leadership and participation has proven invaluable to the university.”
For more information contact Dorene DiNaro, 505-277-5299.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
“Its more important than ever that we concentrate our efforts on the things that matter most” ~ David J. Schmidly
University of New Mexico President David J. Schmidly today announced a series of moves to focus resources into teaching and research and away from non-academic administration. The moves will reduce non-academic administrative spending on the University’s Main Campus by 15 percent over the next three years, while adding at least 10 additional full-time tenure-track faculty positions during the same period.
“In today’s difficult economic climate, it’s more important than ever that we concentrate our efforts on the things that matter most – teaching and research,” Schmidly said.
Besides cutting administrative costs, Schmidly announced an indefinite freeze of pay increases for himself and the University’s Executive Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents on Main Campus, and through fiscal year 2009-2010, a freeze of all increases in compensation for all Main Campus non-academic administrative staff earning more than $125,000 annually.
In addition, Schmidly pledged a comprehensive new University-wide policy on the award of “deferred compensation” for submission to the UNM Board of Regents in April. Deferred compensation refers to payments made to an employee’s tax-deferred retirement savings account in lieu of salary.
“At other Universities, deferred compensation is allowed only with the approval of the Regents, and we want to examine whether UNM should adopt a similar policy,” Schmidly said.
Reaction to Schmidly’s initiative was swift and positive.
“This is a great first step and good news for those of us who have been concerned about executive compensation. The University’s willingness to assess and adjust its business model is appreciated by all,” said State Senator Cisco McSorley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and represents the Albuquerque neighborhoods immediately adjacent to UNM.
“Though I had concerns about executive compensation, I am heartened to see that the Univesity is taking the lead and revisiting old policies,” added State Representative Larry Larranaga of Albuquerque.
Schmidly noted that the University’s early and rapid response to the mounting economic crisis last November appear to “have succeeded in allowing us to meet the mid-year revenue adjustments that will likely be contained in the State’s Solvency Plan.” Those moves included spending reductions and an across-the-board suspension in University hiring, pay raises and promotions.
Calling UNM “one of the most powerful economic engines in our State and in Albuquerque, Schmidly called on the University community to “join together to communicate the vital importance and contributions of UNM in this increasingly difficult economic climate.”
A copy of Schmidly’s statement to the University community follows:
Communication to the UNM Faculty, Staff and Students
From UNM President David J. Schmidly - January 26, 2009
Last November, as the economic crisis deepened, the UNM community responded immediately with a reduction in spending and an across the board suspension in hiring, pay hikes and promotions. While not easy, these steps have allowed us to continue our core missions of education and research while preparing to meet the possibility of a legislative rescission of 2008-2009 fiscal year funding.
From what we now understand, these measures have succeeded in allowing us to meet the mid-year revenue adjustments that will likely be contained in the State’s Solvency Plan.
This is critical because higher education is our best hope to secure a brighter economic recovery in our state.
UNM employs more than 22,000 people and continues to be one of the most powerful economic engines in our state and in Albuquerque. With the support of the Governor, the Legislature and our fellow citizens, we will continue to concentrate further on our teaching and research missions while keeping tuition affordable.
We are taking the following steps:
· We will reduce non-academic Main Campus administrative spending by 15% over the next three years to concentrate our resources on our teaching and research missions.
· At the same time, we will accomplish a net increase of at least 10 new full-time Main Campus tenure-track faculty positions.
· We will indefinitely freeze executive compensation of the President, Executive Vice Presidents and main campus Vice Presidents, including salaries, allowances and deferred compensation.
· We will develop a comprehensive University-wide policy on deferred compensation, which we will submit to the UNM Board of Regents at the April 2009 regular meeting.
· Through the end of fiscal year 2009-2010, we will freeze all increases in compensation for all Main Campus non-academic administrative staff earning more than $125,000 annually.
We have finalized these steps over the past several days and have shared our intentions with members of the Legislature. I am gratified to receive the following messages of support:
From Sen. Cisco McSorley: "This is a great first step and good news for those of us who have been concerned about executive compensation. The University's willingness to assess and adjust its business model is appreciated by all."
From Rep. Larry Larranaga: “Though I had concerns about executive compensation, I am heartened to see that the University is taking the lead and revisiting old policies.”
We are fortunate to have the most dedicated and talented faculty and staff of any higher education institution in the country. Each of you have made and are willing to make significant sacrifices to protect our core missions.
What is most important now is that all of us in the University community redouble our efforts on behalf of our students, and that we join together, as one, to communicate the vital importance and contributions of the University of New Mexico in this increasingly difficult economic climate.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1807; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
The students in Professor Rich Brody’s forensic accounting class will start off the spring semester by working on a case study presented by KPMG. KPMG is an international network of member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
On Thursday, Jan. 29 experts from KPMG Forensic in Texas will work with the Anderson students on a case based on a fictitious entity and situation called Lots of Books, Inc. The case is designed to provide an introduction to the forensic accounting process and to challenge student teams to analyze evidence as part of an earnings management investigation.
Professor Brody says this is a fantastic opportunity for his class.
“We in academia always talk about preparing students for the real world. This is a perfect example of the students getting a chance to participate in a realistic situation that they might encounter in their accounting career. They will be actively participating in this case under the guidance of the KPMG professionals. The interactive format will challenge the students to use their judgment much more than a standard textbook problem.”
By having a KPMG Forensic professional in the classroom Brody’s students will learn first hand how to identify and evaluate evidence related to the Forensic Accounting Investigation, perform data analysis, research legal accounting and accounting concepts related to the investigation, apply professional skepticism in an investigative setting and collaborate in a team environment.
“We are so fortunate that KPMG is willing to make a commitment like this,” says Brody. “KPMG has made other excellent educational materials available for classroom use but this is really going above and beyond for us. I was thrilled that not only were they willing to come to Anderson, but they were willing to do so early in the semester so that the students in the forensic accounting class will be able to relate our classroom material back to an actual investigation they participated in.”
The students in Professor Brody’s classes have collaborated with other outside entities in the past such as the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service and the Tax Fraud Investigations Division of the New Mexico Taxation & Revenue Department.
The University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management Foundation Board has announced its 2009 Hall of Fame inductees. The inductees include: Amy Susan Boule (MBA, 1983), Leonard Sanchez (BBA, 1968), and George Stanfield, (BBA, 1977).
Anderson School of Management 2009 Hall of Fame Inductees (from l. to r.): Amy Boule, Leonard Sanchez and George Stanfield.
These candidates are selected for their professional success, contribution to community involvement and an ongoing commitment to continuing education," said Anderson Foundation Board Advancement Committee Chair, Sheri Milone.
"This year we received nominations for an extremely talented pool of business leaders that made the selection process very difficult. They were all very deserving, but these three candidates came to the top of the committee's list."
The Anderson Foundation Board also recognizes three young alumni under the age of 40. Raul Anaya (BBA, 2003); Jason Burns (BBA, 2006 and MBA, 2008) and Victor Garcia (BBA, 1992) have already distinguished themselves early in their careers and show promise of continued growth in the years ahead.
"This annual tradition allows us to celebrate the very best the Anderson School of Management has to offer," says Anderson Foundation Board Chair Carol Cochran.
"And it confirms what we already know, that Anderson graduates are making a difference in New Mexico and beyond."
Professor Rich Brody is the recipient of the 2009 Faculty Community Leadership Award. All full-time faculty members are eligible, with the exception of Deans, Sr. Associate, Associate and Assistant Deans. Faculty must have demonstrated leadership in enhancing the Anderson School of Management's visibility and relations with the business community by creating connections, providing leadership and being actively involved.
"Our faculty create the foundation for our students' success, and some achieve a very high standard for community engagement, too. This award is an important way to recognize those multi-talented faculty leaders," said Anderson Interim Dean Amy Wohlert.
The Anderson Hall of Fame honorees will be recognized at the 20th Anniversary Hall of Fame reception and dinner awards presentation on March 12, 2009 from 6 - 9 p.m. at the Student Union Building on the UNM main campus.
Corporate sponsorship opportunities are available ranging from lead sponsorship level of $5,000 to table sponsors at $700. Individual tickets are $75. To make reservations or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, call the Anderson School of Management Development Office at (505) 277-6413 or e-mail at, armijo@mgt.unm.edu by Friday, Feb. 27, 2009.
Media Contact: Leslie Venzuela, (505) 277-7117 e-mail: venezuela@mgt.unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Alumni Association will host its annual awards banquet Thursday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. at the Hotel Albuquerque. Four individuals will be recognized: Gustavus Simmons, James F. Zimmerman Award; Orcilia Zúñiga-Forbes, Bernard S. Rodey Award; George Friberg, Erna S. Fergusson Award; and Susan Tiano, Faculty Teaching Award.
If you are interested in attending the event, please contact the Alumni Relations Office at (505) 277-5808.
Gustavus Simmons, James F. Zimmerman Award
Gustavus Simmons is a retired cryptologist and a Senior Fellow at Sandia National Laboratories. He pioneered the theory of authentication, used to verify adherence to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty for nuclear weapons. All e-commerce now depends upon Simmons' work in authentication.
Simmons received the E.O. Lawrence Award in 1986, one of the highest scientific honors bestowed by the U.S. government, often called the American Nobel Prize.
Simmons received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of New Mexico. He has written more than 180 professional papers and books, including the comprehensive text "Contemporary Cryptology. He wrote the entry on cryptology in the Encyclopedia Brittanica.
The James F. Zimmerman Award is given to an alum of the University of New Mexico who has made a significant contribution, which has brought fame and honor to the University of New Mexico or to the State of New Mexico.
Orcilia Zúñiga-Forbes, Bernard S. Rodey Award
Orcilia Zúñiga-Forbes was the vice president for University Advancement at Oregon State University and is now retired. She was also an administrator at Portland State University and serves as a Trustee of the Meyer Memorial Trust. She earned her BS degree in Nursing from UNM, and her MS and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Oregon, and an M.P.H. degree from UC-Berkeley. Zúñiga-Forbes is a long time donor to UNM’s College of Nursing and the College of Arts & Sciences.
Zúñiga-Forbes served in the capacity of VP Institutional Advancement at UNM in 1996. Her involvement in community affairs and cause-related work is distinguished by her participation on the board of the Hispanic Cultural Foundation, the National Science Coalition Management Team, the American Leadership Forum in Oregon, the World Forestry Center and the Providence Health System. Zúñiga-Forbes is one of the newest members of the UNM Foundation Board of Trustees.
The Bernard S. Rodey Award is given to those individuals who have devoted an unusual amount of time in a leadership capacity and whose efforts have contributed significantly to the field of education. The recipient need not be an alumnus of UNM.
George Friberg, Erna S. Fergusson Award
George Friberg is the senior director of Technology Ventures Corporation and has been involved in technology business endeavors for most of his career as an engineer, manager and executive. He has senior management experience in space, satellite, and missile electronics manufacturing; voice communications and remote control systems for use in steel production and mining applications.
Friberg sits on the UNM Foundation Board of Trustees and is an Adjunct Professor for Anderson Schools of Management. He has been actively involved in the UNM Lettermen and Lobos for Legislation committees and is a Past President of the Alumni Association and a recipient of the Association’s Zia Award in 1998. Friberg received his MBA from UNM in 1983 and his BSME (Mechanical Engineering) in 1962.
The Erna S. Fergusson Award is given in recognition of exceptional accomplishments, or for commitment or distinguished service to the University of New Mexico. The recipient need not be an alumnus of the University.
Susan Tiano, Faculty Teaching Award
Susan Tiano is a professor and chair of Sociology at UNM. She earned a Ph.D. in 1979 from Brown University, with a specialization in the Sociology of Development. Her work focuses on gender and development, with a particular emphasis on the impacts of capitalism, economic restructuring, and globalization on women's lives and gender roles and identities.
Tiano spent two decades working on women maquiladora workers in Mexico, research published in her book, “Patriarchy on the Line (Temple, 1994)” and various other book chapters and journal articles.
The Faculty Teaching Award recognizes outstanding teaching and service to students. The recipient shall be a faculty member currently employed full-time in any school or college at the University of New Mexico.
NOTE: The UNM Alumni Association’s Board of Directors’ meeting is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 13 at Hodgin Hall in the Bobo Room from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Jeff Martinez-Spelich holds the distinction of being the first student to graduate from UNM-West. Martinez-Spelich, from Santa Fe, discovered UNM-West when looking at the UNM schedule of classes online in 2004.
Photo: Jeff Martinez-Spelich
“I was searching for the classes I needed to take and found the offerings for UNM-West by accident,” he said. The first class he took was taught by Paul Lesnik, part time faculty member in psychology. “There were only eight of us in that class, but by the time I finished my degree, the UNM-West classes were packed and sometimes hard to get into,” he said.
Martinez-Spelich graduated with a degree in criminology and psychology. The only classes he had to take at main campus were criminology 101, 281 and the statistics class, 481. “UNM-West allowed me to do more than meet my goals, I exceeded them,” he said. Because he didn’t have to factor in commute time to main campus from his Rio Rancho home, he was able to work and carry a full load or nearly full load of classes each term, he said.
UNM-West is located in the old Don Chalmers building going up the hill on 528 to Rio Rancho. UNM-West offers both 8- and 16-week upper division courses through a variety of delivery methods including face-to-face, interactive television, online and also through correspondence. Martinez-Spelich said that all his courses were face-to-face and that he took advantage of some 8-week offerings.
Martinez-Spelich graduated from St. Michael’s in Santa Fe in 1999. He then earned an associate’s degree from Santa Fe Community College before moving to Rio Rancho. He took criminal theory from Alexis Padilla, adjunct faculty in sociology. “I appreciated his method of teaching through writing papers,” he said.
He also learned about the career he wants to pursue from Commander Conrad Candelaria from the Albuquerque Police Department. Candelaria teaches criminology at UNM-West. Martinez-Spelich credits his UNM faculty with preparing him to further his educational and professional pursuits. He is pursuing a master’s in criminal justice and administration and plans to become a police officer.
Knee surgery sidelined Martinez-Spelich from immediately applying to the Albuquerque Police Department, but he was released from doctor’s care in early December and plans to apply to APD in March. “I am also applying to the Dallas Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency,” he said. His long-term goal is to be a SWAT officer.
He thinks the dual nature of his education will serve him well. “Studying psychology as well as criminology will help me deal with people. I will be able to empathize with criminals and victims, talk to them, protect them and the public,” he said.
The Spanish he learned growing up in Santa Fe will serve him well, too. He’s learning Tagalog, the language of the Philippines. He may not get much call to use it in Albuquerque or Dallas, but it impresses his girlfriend, Chearie Alipat, because it is her native tongue.
Martinez-Spelich developed relationships with the UNM-West staff. Academic advisor Sherri Barrett helped him get the letters he needed for financial aid and others encouraged him, he said.
Martinez-Spelich still has family in Santa Fe. His mother Elizabeth Martinez and stepfather Paul Ortiz and sister Jamie Chavez reside there.
“I discovered UNM-West by accident, but I have told a number of my friends because they didn’t know it existed. They attend now, too,” he said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Once upon a time, Burns was as popular in the United States as he was in his native Scotland. Jan. 25, 2009 is the 250th anniversary of the poet’s birth. One of his biggest fans was Abraham Lincoln, born 50 years after Burns. Their lives never overlapped – Burns died in 1796 at the age of 37, more than a dozen years before Lincoln’s birth. Following closely behind Burns’ anniversary is Lincoln’s 200th, on Feb. 12.
Photo: Ferenc Szasz, Regents' professor of history
Ferenc Szasz, Regents’ professor of history, has written “Abraham Lincoln and Robert Burns: Connected Lives and Legends,” published by Southern Illinois University Press, 2008. Themes of Burns’ poetry – equality, human empathy over judgment, and religious skepticism with a deep appreciation for the Bible – are mirrored in Lincoln’s work and legacy.
“Each shared a semi-Calvinistic faith – God is using every activity for his own purpose that humankind can’t fully fathom,” Szasz said. Both took the Bible seriously, but not literally, he said.
In the 1850s, Americans loved Burns. His line “A man’s a man for all that,” proclaims the same ideal set forth in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal.” Burns came from the peasant class, something Lincoln, with his farm life upbringing, could understand. “His humble background and egalitarianism is why Lincoln was so taken by Burns,” Szasz said. Similarly, Szasz said, the Scots view Burns as the embodiment of their nation’s hopes and ideals, much as Americans view Lincoln.
“Burns may have faded from the American pantheon of great poets, but he is upheld in Scotland,” Szasz said. People may not recognize Burns’ work, but almost everyone is familiar with some of his lines, particularly those that were later set to music, he said. Auld Lang Syne; My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose; and “the best laid plans of mice and men…” are familiar Burns lines. Another of his poems, “green grow the rushes, oh!” was put to music and often sung by American soldiers. “Mexicans heard them singing and started referring to them as ‘gringos,’” Szasz said.
“Lincoln had a photographic memory and Burns’ poems stuck in his mind. Without consulting a book he could recite his lines,” Szasz said. Lincoln not only borrowed some of Burns’ ideas, but also his rhyme scheme with its powerful rhythmic beat, Szasz said. Evidence of the rhythm is found in Lincoln’s state papers, particularly in the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address, where he said, “Fondly do we hope -- fervently do we pray -- that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.”
The legends of the two men overlap. A statue of Lincoln was erected in Scotland in 1893. “In 1880, a statue of Burns was erected in New York. There are 12 Burns statues in the United States because he embodied the same social goals as America,” Szasz said.
The 150th anniversary of Burns’ birth was celebrated with great fanfare in the United States in 1859, Szasz said. “Americans celebrated his birthday with lots of drinking, toasts and reading his poetry,” he said. And although Lincoln and Charles Darwin share the exact same birthday, Szasz hopes Americans won’t forget to acknowledge Burns. “Make a toast and celebrate his influence on one of America’s great figures,” Szasz said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Suleiman “Sul” Kassicieh, Anderson School of Management Endowed Chair in Economic Development, and Regents’ Professor of Management of Technology, was recently named Distinguished Professor of Management, the first in the history of the Anderson School. He has a local, national and international reputation in technology-based economic development. He is the founder of UNM’s Management of Technology Program and directs the UNM Center for Support of Economic Development (CSED).
Kassicieh, originally from Jerusalem, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UNM after his uncle, a local physician, recommended he attend UNM. He earned his doctorate in operations research and international business from the University of Iowa. He’s been on the Anderson faculty since 1981.
“New Mexico has many scientific research operations in the labs and universities. The path to economic prosperity for the state is commercialized use of that technology,” he said. Kassicieh said that the management of technology program, established in 1994, was created by combining existing courses with new ones.
The business plan competition started as an internal ASM initiative. It became a campus-wide endeavor several years ago when UNM competed for a Kauffman Foundation grant. “We saw the benefit in getting the campus energized because of the wealth of ideas that could be developed using New Mexico technologies for business,” Kassicieh said.
The competition continues to thrive because of business support, he said. Michael Gallegos, president and CEO of American Property Management Corporation (APMC), funds the first place Michael Gallegos Prize for Entrepreneurship. Technology Ventures Corporation (TVC) sponsors the second place TVC Lockheed Martin Prize. The third place award is currently sponsored by vSpring Capital, and Kassicieh notes that a total of $40,000 in prize money is given out each year.
“Venture capital firms have provided seed money for the projects in their areas, too,” Kassicieh said of the more than $100,000 venture capital partners offered as additional incentive for students looking to form their own high-tech startups in New Mexico.
Through CSED, Kassicieh sees opportunities to help the community create new businesses. “Major groups already enhance and recruit businesses to Albuquerque and New Mexico. But we focus on creating new businesses based on technology in our quest to create higher paying jobs and wealth in the community,” he said.
Students have both pursued and been pursued by venture capitalists. “It isn’t a short term endeavor. These projects have to build momentum, a market for a product has to be identified, funding must be secured and capacity developed,” he said.
One such product is a diagnostic tool for tuberculosis being commercialized by Advanced Pulmonary Solutions . “It requires animal testing, then limited human testing , followed by a larger test group,” he said. “High technology startup firms are not get-rich-quick schemes. “ Another product, chosen by UNM team Surya Suncare, uses quantum dot technology to block the entire ultra-violet spectrum. “Surya is building a foundation for early market tests.”
It’s a long journey from scientific discovery to market. “The activities are incremental. You can’t achieve everything at once. Early stages burn a lot of cash with nothing to show for it. This high-risk venture isn’t for everyone, but you get to be your own boss,” Kassicieh said.
He notes that poor economic times are a good time for investing in the future. “It’s a hard time for students to find jobs. An alternative is to invest energy in these activities. There are opportunities for young, energetic people to start businesses,” he said.
Kassicieh said that the United States cannot compete with cheap labor sources in other countries. “But what we have is innovation. We can develop high-end products via technology. That’s how our country can compete and be successful.”
Kassicieh and the CSED work with groups all over the state through small business assistance programs at Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories. One project involves Rancho de Santa Fe, an apple orchard in Velarde, New Mexico.
“They supply apples for school districts across the state. The apples must be refrigerated from harvest through June, requiring high electric usage. We looked at ways solar, wind or bio-fuels could be used to meet their energy needs,” he said.
Kassicieh said they are putting the final touches on their report. “There isn’t enough wind in the area, but solar looks very promising. With Department of Agriculture rebates, prices will come down, making green concepts competitive with traditional energy sources,” he said.
The apple orchard project not only helps that business owner, Kassicieh said. “That research will evolve to help meet alternative energy needs in communities,” he said.
Kassicieh said, “The University of New Mexico receives $300 million in research money. If just five percent of that money were spent to develop meaningful products, that would be good for both the New Mexico and U.S. economies. Where else can UNM get such a big bang for its buck?”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Distinguished Professor of Physics Carlton M. Caves was one of 32 American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows recently elected in the Physics section. Caves was elected for advances in understanding the physical laws governing information and in quantum information theory. He joins a long list of AAAS Fellows in a tradition that dates back to 1874.
Photo: Distinguished Professor of Physics Carlton Caves
Caves, who came to the UNM in the fall of 1992, was named a Distinguished Professor in August 2006. His research specialties include Physics of information: including entropy and complexity; quantum information theory; quantum metrology; and quantum chaos. He also specializes in Quantum optics including theory of non-classical light and Theory of quantum noise, which includes quantum theory of measurement.
Caves will be recognized for his contributions to science and technology at the Fellows Forum at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Chicago in mid-February. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has awarded the distinction of Fellow to 486 of its members this year. These individuals have been elevated to this rank because of their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.
The new Fellows will receive a certificate and a blue and gold rosette as a symbol of their distinguished accomplishments. The AAAS is an organization with a long history of advancing science, engineering and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Anderson School of Management Professor Steven Walsh has been identified as one of the top-50 ranking researchers in the Technology Innovation Management field by Elsevier Limited, the world’s leading publisher of science and health information serving more than 30 million scientists, students, and health and information professionals worldwide.
Photo: Steven Walsh
The Technology Innovation Management Research Award is based on the number of articles published by an author over the last five years in the top-10 academic TIM journals. The list includes journals such as: Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, Research Policy, Research Technology Management, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, and Technovation.
The winners of this quantitatively based award are among the top-50 ranked researchers in a field that includes thousands of authors that have published during the last five years. Researchers from 14 different countries have qualified this year.
Walsh, who teaches finance and international technology management, has not only won this award for the most recent five-year period, but is one of seven researchers that has maintained this status for an entire decade. Walsh will be recognized at The International Association for the Management of Technology’s (IAMOT) annual conference in Florida in April.
Nancy “Rusty” Barceló, foremost authority on equity and diversity, visits the University of New Mexico for a university-wide forum to enhance thinking about diversity, Thursday, Jan. 29. The event kicks off with a student forum in the UNM Student Union Building Acoma rooms A&B from 10-11 a.m.
Photo: Nancy “Rusty” Barceló
Barceló, vice president and vice provost for equity and diversity at the University of Minnesota, will make introductory remarks and facilitate the forum.
Faculty is invited to a luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m. To attend, RSVP at 277-1481. Seating is limited.
Barceló presents a keynote address, “Institutional Transformation & Diversity,” from 3:30 – 5 p.m. in the Student Union Building Lobo rooms A&B. Following her presentation, an open forum allows the campus community to contribute insights for developing UNM’s future.
“Transformation involves creating a campus climate that nurtures, appreciates and supports diversity,” Barceló said.
A series of five faculty-led workshops move diversity issues forward. The first coincides with Black History Month, Thursday, Feb. 12, from 3:30-5 p.m. in the SUB Acoma rooms A&B.
The forum is sponsored by Title V, OSET and the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Evolutionary biologist Jerry Dragoo will be featured in part of an upcoming PBS Nature documentary titled “Is that Skunk?” The show will broadcast on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. on KNME Ch. 5. The show will cover a variety of skunk-related segments including an introduction to skunks, tell us your skunk tales, do skunks make good pets, Mephitidae – this family stinks and will also highlight additional web and print resources.
Additionally, the show will repeat Thursday, Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 1 at 11 a.m.
People discover and or encounter skunks nearly everywhere. They can be found in the evening digging through our garbage, hiding under our houses, or walking through our yards, streets and parks. Skunks seem perfectly adapted to life around us. But we are less comfortable around them, for fear of their potent spray.
As we expand our urban areas, many skunks find themselves increasingly unwelcome neighbors. It seems everyone has their own skunk story. But what do we really know about these infamous black and white creatures?
Dragoo is an evolutionary biologist who runs one of the few sanctuaries for skunks. His segment will tell what life is like for Dragoo and his friends at the sanctuary. Other segments include a California town overrun with skunks and how they deal with their furry problem, a researcher on the sandy shores of Martha’s Vineyard who stalks her striped specimens at night, and a woman in Ohio who runs a shelter and adoption agency for abandoned pet skunks.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The Latin American and Iberian Institute is currently accepting applications for the 2009-2010 Richard E. Greenleaf Graduate Fellowship. The deadline is Monday, March 23 at 5 p.m. at LAII, 801 Yale Blvd NE. One fellowship is awarded annually to a graduate student in the field of colonial Latin America, with a preference for Mexico or New Mexico.
The fellowship honors Dr. Richard Greenleaf, distinguished scholar of colonial Latin American history, and his extensive career in teaching, research, service and mentorship at locally, regionally and internationally.
The Richard E. Greenleaf Graduate Fellow will review and work with printed materials from the Greenleaf collection in preparation for scholarly publications. At the conclusion of the academic year, the fellow will present a report of work accomplished to the LAII director.
The award includes a stipend of $6,000 plus six hours of graduate, resident tuition and student health insurance for the 2009-2010 academic year. The fellow will work 10 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters, except during university holidays.
Forms are available at Richard E. Greenleaf Graduate Fellow. Questions may be directed to Keira Philipp-Schnurer, 277-7049 or via e-mail at kphilipp@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
“The Linguists,” an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival, is about two linguists who race around the globe to document languages on the verge of distinction. It will be shown Friday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m., at UNM in the College of Fine Arts room 2018. Following the screening, Gregory Anderson, one of the linguists, will be available for a question and answer session. Anderson collaborated with David Harrison on the project.
Scientists estimate that of the 7,000 world languages, half will be gone by the end of the century. On average, one language disappears every two weeks. Of the film, Vanity Fair reported, “The excitement of these two professors proves contagious, and as the film reveals how cultural shame and colonialism have factored in the loss of these languages, their incredible dedication becomes all the more compelling.” It was also reported to be “funny, enlightening and ultimately uplifting,” according to the Kansas City Star.
Anderson is director of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, a non-profit organization dedicated to documenting, revitalizing and maintaining endangered languages.
To view a trailer of the film visit The Linguists.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The sponsors of the event are the UNM departments of linguistics, cinematic arts, foreign languages and literatures, and the International Studies Institute.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (505) 277-6353.
Gil Gonzales brings a new vision of information technology to UNM. He joined UNM in August as chief information officer and was previously CIO at California State University, Monterey Bay. Improving customer service to students, faculty and staff on an increasingly limited budget is a challenge for everyone. Gonzales aims to establish information technology as a service as much as a tool.
Photo: Gil Gonzales
“I want everyone to know that in Information Technology Services, we are service providers first and foremost. As CIO, I will advocate for our customers and positive change, but I also want to establish and demonstrate good practices. I want to clearly articulate not just what ITS does but how and why,” Gonzales said.
He sees ITS and UNM becoming leaders statewide and nationally – not just in information technology but in higher education across the board – by providing end-to-end services reactively and proactively that not only fix problems but prevent them from arising in the first place.
Gonzales intends to make UNM the best IT service provider by “improving our infrastructure, applications and customer service for everyone. It’s my hope and intention to help my staff do this by creating and facilitating relationships with students, faculty and other staff. Our challenge right now is how to continue providing services and solutions within our budget.”
“Ultimately, technology is a tool for students to gain knowledge and achieve their academic and professional goals,” Gonzales said. “If we are successful at helping them accomplish that, we’ll be successful at everything else.”
Media Contact: Vanessa Baca, (505) 277-0987; e-mail: vjbaca1@unm.edu
On Saturday, Jan. 24, at the N.M. Museum of Natural History and Science, KNME-TV’s “Science Café” will host a discussion of the groundbreaking recent robotic expedition of the planet Mars with Dr. Larry Crumpler, Research Curator of Volcanology / Space Science with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.
As a scientist on the NASA Mars Exploration Rover Mission, Dr. Larry Crumpler has examined data collected from the “Opportunity” and “Spirit” rovers during this five-year exploration of the Mars surface. The two golf-cart-sized rovers have traveled several miles across Mars, retrieving data from opposite sides of the planet -- the first true geologic exploration of another planet.
“Opportunity” explored a large impact crater while “Spirit” examined one of Mars’ mountains. Both discovered evidence of water in Mars’ ancient geologic history. For five years, beyond their expected life spans, they continued exploring and we can actually track the Rovers as they roam the planet due to new images from the HiRISE orbiter.
Science Cafés are designed for the whole family and are presented with support from New Mexico Tech, Lockheed Martin/Sandia National Labs, Applied Research Technologies and The Online NewsHour Science Reports. Admission is free, however a RSVP is required. Contact Ed Ulman at (505) 277-8296 for more information.
The 2009 New Mexico Legislative session started earlier this week, and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson’s influence will be felt throughout the political spectrum. On this week’s “New Mexico in Focus” co-hosts David Alire Garcia and Gene Grant will analyze the governor’s top priorities for the 60-day session. “New Mexico in Focus,” KNME-TV, channel 5’s weekly one-hour news show, will air on Friday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. and will repeat on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 6:30 a.m.
In addition to the legislative session, “New Mexico in Focus” will check out Tricklock theater company’s “Revolutions International Theatre Festival,” now in its ninth year. Viewers will find out what makes the event so special, and why the artists are willing to travel to New Mexico from all over the world to be a part of it.
“New Mexico in Focus” is co-hosted by David Alire Garcia, in the interview segments, and Gene Grant, who leads the panel discussion. Joining Grant on the panel are regular panelists Jim Scarantino and Whitney Waite Cheshire, and this week’s guest panelists, former state representative and senator Pauline Eisenstadt, and Lorene Mills, the host for “Report from Santa Fe.”
Producers of ‘New Mexico In Focus’ are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. 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 GroupWise e-mail system was restored Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 5:30 p.m. Some users with NetIDs beginning with K - Z were unable to receive messages or calendar appointments from Monday, Jan. 19 through Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. Out of the 70,000 e-mail users at UNM, 3,200 GroupWise users were affected overall and some of these users may continue to experience sporadic e-mail problems as system repairs continue.
Contact the ITS Support Center at 277-4848 with any technical questions or problems you may continue having. Once ITS complete its investigation of the root cause analysis, the department will communicate that information campus-wide. The ITS Department understands the impact to productivity, and sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience caused by this e-mail outage.
The UNM Smoke Free Environment Committee will conduct two town hall meetings on Tuesday, Jan. 27, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Santa Ana A&B at the Student Union Building. The second will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 12 to 1 p.m., in SUB Ballroom B.
The town halls will provide an opportunity for students, staff, and faculty to give feedback on the pending UNM smoking policy. The goal of the committee, which is comprised of students, employees, and community members, is to recommend policy to the UNM community on establishing and implementing a smoke free and/or tobacco free campus.
For more information visit UNM Smoke Free. A list of smoking cessation resources is also available on this web site.
Shortly after noon on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. President Obama then gave an 18-minute inaugural address, talking about the problems that America currently faces and what he will try to do to address those problems as America goes through what he called the “gathering clouds and raging storms” the country finds itself in.
Photo: Political Science Professor Gabriel Sanchez
Political Science professor Gabriel Sanchez watched the inauguration speech and shared his thoughts at the dawn of the Obama era:
“I felt as though President Obama very directly communicated to the American public that the next several years are not going to be easy, as we are facing some tremendous challenges as a nation,” Sanchez said. “Despite the very serious tone of the speech I thought that President Obama did an excellent job of instilling confidence among the population that he can lead us out of this dark period of American history.
“Obama needed to be honest with the American public regarding the challenges we face, but also needed to sustain the sense of hope and energy around a sense of change that he so effectively captured during his campaign. I think that he pulled this off in his speech today, and this does a great job of setting the stage for his first 100 days in office.”
Another theme Sanchez saw in President Obama’s inaugural speech involved Americans taking collective responsibility for the problems the nation is now facing.
“When he asked us all to confront our ‘collective failure to make hard choices’ I think President Obama gave us a preview of what the next several years may look like under Obama’s presidency.
“Righting the ship and overcoming the huge obstacles we face will take a collective effort from all of us, and I think we must be prepared to make personal sacrifices in the years ahead in order to improve our situation. This segment of the speech reminded me of the classic line from JFK’s inauguration speech – Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
The speech also gave a hint to the starkly different approach to domestic and foreign policy President Obama plans to take, compared to President Bush’s policies.
“I think (Obama) clearly indicated that his administration will base its policy decisions on research and efficiency and not ideology,” Sanchez added. “When Obama noted that ‘the question we should be asking is not whether government is too big or too small, but whether it works,’ he, to me, is indicating that public policy that is not working well will be cut, regardless of the partisanship of those who created the policy. This reflects the need for prioritization that will be apparent in these tough economic times.”
As the speech ended, Sanchez was left with a feeling of trepidation, yet hopeful optimism for the future.
“We face some significant challenges as a nation, but I think that with the inauguration of President Obama today, we can confidently say that we have the right person to lead us forward.”
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, the Department of Geography will host a talk on the use of satellite imagery and GIS in conservation decision-making. The talk, titled "Re-assessing the effect of protected areas in conservation: Park geography leads to success or failure," features Duke University's Lucas N. Joppa. The talk will be held from 12 to 1 p.m. in Bandelier West, rm. 104.
Joppa is a doctoral candidate in conservation ecology at Duke University¹s Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences. He studies the use of satellite imagery in conservation decision-making, working in Stuart Pimm's laboratory group.
This presentation brings together research he has published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, and Public Library of Science.
As federal funding dwindles and jobs are scarce, a state’s role in international trade, especially with Canada and Mexico, can increase much needed economic growth. UNM’s Latin American and Iberian Institute presented “Strengthening Our Border Economy: Promising New Developments in U.S.-Mexico Trade” to discuss New Mexico’s trading potential as well as the barriers to increasing trade with Mexico.
The symposium surveyed the North American Free Trade Agreement and its implications for New Mexico.
“The first six years of NAFTA, there were only two U.S. states whose trade with Mexico decreased, West Virginia and New Mexico,” said Jerry Pacheco, executive director, International Business Accelerator. “We rank about 35th in terms of exports to Mexico.”
Pacheco and Juan Massey, director, New Mexico Economic Development Department Office of Mexican Affairs, explained a plan to develop the New Mexico-Mexico border by building road and rail networks and further developing Santa Teresa, one of three New Mexican ports of entry, which would directly connect New Mexico with Mexico’s maquiladora capital, Juarez.
“The maquila industry is the economic development stream for New Mexico,” Pacheco said. “There’s about 420 maquilas. Almost all of the Fortune 500 companies have a presence in northern Mexico.”
The Mexican maquiladora, or maquila, industry is manufacturing that imports materials and equipment on a duty-free basis for assembly and then re-exports the assembled product to the initial country.
Pacheco said that companies like Electrolux and Foxconn, a Taiwanese industrial giant, have already invested millions to create their maquiladora base and will need a port of entry and dependable transportation at the United States border to facilitate trading. He and Massey proposed that New Mexico, namely Santa Teresa, be that facility.
Some are concerned that such a massive overhaul of border trading would lead to poor air and water quality, violence and increased demands on social resources such as schools and hospitals.
Sanford Gaines, director, UNM Utton Transboundary Resources Center, said that a rural community like Doña Ana County may not have the necessary resources to handle the expense of development and a population surge.
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Gaines said. “If the visions that have been laid out materialize, this does not come without consequences. We need to plan now, not wait for the consequences to be on us, for meeting those kinds of demands.”
Story by Jazmen Bradford
Each year, the Division of Human Resources enters into health insurance negotiations with the goal of improving the health and wellness of UNM’s employees while holding down costs and protecting the benefits that all enjoy. Significant progress has already been made for the coming fiscal year.
Potential vendors have answered UNM’s health care insurance request for proposals (RFP) and a committee of representatives from Faculty Senate, Staff Council, UNM Hospitals, Finance, Risk Management, Purchasing and Human Resources are reviewing proposals.
Throughout this process, participation from the UNM community has been welcomed and encouraged. In September 2008, the Division of Human Resources, in collaboration with the Faculty/Staff Benefits Committee, requested feedback from all benefits-eligible employees. Respondents asserted that the most valued features were low premium contributions and lower out-of-pocket expenses, followed by services covered by the insurance provider and prescription drug coverage.
Based on this input, UNM’s RFP asked potential vendors to provide a fully-insured, as well as a self-insured, proposal. Under a fully-insured financing mechanism, the vendor establishes a premium that covers claims and administrative costs as well as the risk the vendor assumes. Under a self-insured financing mechanism, the employer funds the claims and purchases stop loss insurance to cap the employer’s risk. Typically, this model lowers administrative fees and offers employees lower premiums. The funding mechanism does not impact the benefits offered to employees.
As we approach the final stages of the RFP process, please share any thoughts with the Division of Human Resources or Faculty Senate or Staff Council representatives. Additional information will be sent to the UNM community as it becomes available.
Story by Helen Gonzales, vice president, Human Resources
The University of New Mexico’s Karl Hinterbichler, professor of music, will present a lecture on 13th century Spanish King Alfonso X at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Spanish Resource Center on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 10:30 a.m.
Photo: Karl Hinterbichler
Alfonso X contributed to the advancement of society through religious tolerance, the arts, science and philosophy. Hinterbichler will give an audio-visual presentation of “Cántigas de Santa María” or “Songs to the Virgin Mary,” music manuscripts written during Alfonso X’s reign.
Admission is free, but seating is limited and reservations must be made with Fernando Martín, director of the Spanish Resource Center. Call (505) 246-2261.
The University of New Mexico’s Children’s Chorus is accepting new members. To give prospective new members an introduction to the chorus, two open rehearsals will be held Wednesday, Jan. 21 and 28 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1100 Indian School NE, 4:30-7 p.m.
Photo: UNM Children's Chorus
The Children’s Chorus is a non-auditioned chorus for children grades K-8 in the Albuquerque Metro Area. The chorus meets once a week and focuses on vocal music and choral singing. The chorus will perform a concert on Saturday, May 9, 3:30 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church.
Primary Chorus, for kindergarten and first grade children, and Intermediate Chorus, grades 2-5, will have open rehearsals 4:30-5:30 p.m. on Jan. 21 and 28. Senior Chorus, grades 6-8, will hold open rehearsals 5:45-7 p.m.
Dues are $100 per child per semester, with discounts for families. A limited number of part and full tuition waivers are available. Inquire at registration for eligibility requirements for this financial assistance.
To register, call the UNM Music Prep School at 277-8816. For more information, contact Children’s Chorus Manager Jennifer Warner at jwclar@aol.com or visit UNM Children Sing.
Each year, kindergarteners across America take delight in exploring new worlds through reading. Yet for many Albuquerque children, these worlds elude them. The Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce partnered with Albuquerque Public Schools to launch Albuquerque Reads in 2003 at Bel-Air Elementary.
Photo: Raquel Martinez, UNM financial aid officer, tutors a young girl at Atrisco Elementary.
“You would be surprised at the number of kids who have never held a book,” said Michael Gaylor, vice president of Albuquerque Reads. “It is a challenge for APS. There is an achievement gap, particularly in some of the higher risk schools,” Gaylor said. “Before we started, fewer than five percent of kids were coming into kindergarten prepared to read. At the end of kindergarten year, only 38 percent were ready to go to first grade.”
After participating in Albuquerque Reads, Bel-Air saw drastic increases in students’ literacy. “At the end of the year, 85 percent were reading at or above grade level,” Gaylor said. This early success led the program to expand to Atrisco and Wherry Elementary.
The program pairs students with volunteers to practice reading in a one-on-one setting that addresses their specific needs. The tutors come from throughout the community. “This year, we have a total of about 25 tutors that have some affiliation with UNM,” said Nena Perkins, program administrator for Albuquerque Reads.
UNM has been a continuous part of Albuquerque Reads’ volunteer base. “Faculty, staff, students and even administrators from UNM tutor,” said Cathy Britain, UNM campus recruiter.
“My first day, I was paired with a little girl. It was the first book she had ever read herself. I do not know who was more proud, her or me,” said Chris Jaramillo, development specialist at the UNM School of Medicine, Khatali Physicians Alumni Association.
Despite its remarkable success, the program still faces recruitment challenges. “We’ve got about 600 volunteers in three different schools and we are not fully staffed in all of them; there are some tutoring slots that are still open,” Gaylor said.
“We would like to expand, but our greatest challenge is recruiting enough volunteers,” Perkins said. “If we go to a fourth school, it would require another 300.”
Contact Perkins at 764-3736 or nperkin@abqchamber.com or visit Albuquerque Chamber.
Story by Jazmen Bradford
Shows will be heard across the U.S. and Abroad
Five students from the University of New Mexico’s Communications and Journalism and Political Science departments will help produce a radio talk marathon from Capitol Hill in Washington Monday and Tuesday that will be heard across the United States and abroad. The “Talk Radio Row” will feature some of America’s best-known talk show hosts, who will converge on Washington to interview more than 100 celebrity guests including governors, members of Congress, Martin Luther King III and incoming Obama administration officials.
The UNM students participating in the program include Dr. Christopher (“Coffee”) Brown, M.D.; Christina Lovato, Michael Ruhl, Candyce Torres and Suzia VanSwol. Besides assisting in day-to-day news gathering and production, the UNM students will take part in weekly private lectures with Washington journalists, publicists and newsmakers.
Their reports will be heard on TRNS' network of stations and on the web at Talk Radio News and on UNM Live! at UNM Live. Broadcasts will take place Monday and Tuesday from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. EDT from the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel at 415 New Jersey Avenue, N.W.
"This will be the third inauguration where the Talk Radio News Service brings together America's most popular syndicated and local hosts so that they can do live, in-person interviews with Washington's most important newsmakers and internationally-known celebrities -- and the first with production assistance from the University of New Mexico Talk Radio News Service," said Ellen Ratner, Washington Bureau Chief for TRNS.
"The 'Radio Row' is a marathon of our own creation," said Talkers Magazine founder Michael Harrison, a 30-year veteran of radio broadcasting and long-time radio trade journalists. "It allows hosts from all over the world to do their shows live from the center of the Inaugural action, with in-person guest appearances by celebrities from government, politics, the arts and entertainment."
Among the 100 confirmed guests are Virginia Governor Tim Kaine; Rev. Joseph Lowry; Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), the newly-elected Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; Russell Simmons, Sen. Deborah Stabenow (D-MI), Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH); Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH); Israeli Ambassador Daniel Ayalon; and a number of future Obama administration officials such as Chief of Protocol designate Capricia Marshall.
Production assistance for this year's Inaugration Radio Row will be supplied by interns from the University of New Mexico Talk Radio News Service, who arrived in Washington last week for ahands-on, semester-long Washington internship in partnership with TRNS, during which they will serve as credentialed journalists covering the House, Senate and White House.
The Talk Radio News Service is the only information, news booking and host service dedicated to serving the talk radio community. TRNS maintains a Washington bureau that includes studio facilities at the White House, Capitol Hill and the Pentagon, as well as a New York bureau at the United Nations. The Service provides daily White House and Capitol Hill news reports, daily MP3 interviews and news segment feeds and other services to the talk radio news industry.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
Public safety has long depended on the quick availability of information about criminals to law enforcement officers, and members of the general public. In fact, in order to provide this information in a more timely fashion, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson had asked public safety agencies throughout the state to reduce redundancies in providing this information. As a result, the New Mexico Sentencing Commission created the New Mexico Justice Network, a central online database consolidating information from various New Mexico state and local criminal justice and juvenile justice agencies and quickly providing that information.
The New Mexico Sentencing Commission was established in early 2003 at the University of New Mexico’s Institute for Social Research. The organization provides information, analysis, recommendations and assistance from a coordinated cross-agency perspective to the three branches of New Mexico’s government, and interested citizens, so they have the necessary resources to make policy decisions benefiting the criminal and juvenile justice systems.
The New Mexico Justice Network gives the public quick access to basic New Mexico criminal justice agency information, while a secure offender query program has been established to give law enforcement officers detailed offender information that previously resulted in hours of searching and compiling.
“I recently had to use it to find out about a warrant that was issued on a subject for failure to appear,” New Mexico State Police Sergeant Ted Collins said. “We found that the person’s original charges were violent felonies and our officers were on foot pursuit with the guy. He was ultimately caught but the information was very useful.”
Organizations using the database include the UNM Campus Police, New Mexico State Police, Albuquerque Police Department, Santa Fe Police and Sheriff’s offices, Children, Youth and Family Department, State District Attorney’s offices, and the New Mexico Homeland Security Department.
Media Contact: Michael Hall, executive director, NMSC (505) 277-3494; e-mail: nmsencom@unm.edu
Ravinder K. Jain, a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics Departments at UNM, has been appointed as a Fellow in the American Physical Society. The honor, which is given only to a small portion of the society’s membership, is in recognition for Jain’s outstanding contributions to the field of physics.
Photo: Ravinder K. Jain
The citation of the fellowship reads:
“For pioneering contributions in several areas of applied physics, including discovery of plasmon-mediated light-emission from tunnel junctions, seminal studies of nonlinear optics in semiconductors and optical fibers, and the invention of several important ultrashort pulse lasers and fiber lasers.”
In addition, Prof. Jain is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA), Institute of Electical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE-LEOS), and the Society for Photo Instrumentation and Engineering (SPIE).
Jain received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and has been on the faculty at UNM since 1992. He currently conducts research on nonlinear optics in semiconductor quantum dots and advanced optical fibers, and on nonlinear optical fiber devices and fiber lasers at the Center for High Technology Materials, areas in which he has generated several noteworthy publications and patents assigned to UNM.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The UNM Bookstore's popular sale, '3-Point Thursdays,' continues Jan. 29 through Feb. 26, 2009. Save 30 percent off regularly priced Lobowear with a purchase of $30 or more, tax not included. This is the largest discount the bookstore has ever given on Lobowear. The remaining sale dates are Jan. 29, Feb. 5, Feb. 12, Feb. 19 and Feb. 26.
Also, save 10 percent on Lobowear purchases of less than $30, tax not included. This is a great time to get outfitted for Red Fridays and save big at the same time.
Support Your UNM Bookstore – where your dollars stay on campus! For more information call, (505) 277-5451
With recent changes to the New Mexico Rail Runner train schedule, the UNM Parking and Transportation Services Department has altered their shuttle schedule to and from the Alvarado Transit Center to both the UNM main campus stop located at Yale and Las Lomas, and the UNM north campus stop located at the UNM Hospital canopy stop. The schedule changes are effective immediately.
In the early morning, the shuttle will leave the Alvarado Transit Center at 6:40 a.m. for passengers of the 6:20 a.m. northbound train and the 6:30 southbound train arriving at the center.
For passengers of the 7:33 a.m. northbound and 7:41 southbound train, the shuttle will leave the transit center at 7:47 a.m.
Shuttles will leave the two UNM stops at 3:45 p.m. for members of the UNM community taking the 4:15 p.m. northbound and 4:25 p.m. southbound trains. The UNM Hospital shuttle will leave at 4:50 p.m. and the UNM main campus shuttle will leave campus at 5 p.m. for those taking the 5:21 p.m. northbound and 5:35 p.m. southbound trains.
In addition, another shuttle will leave the UNM Hospital canopy stop at 6:10 p.m. for riders of the 6:35 p.m. northbound and 6:42 southbound trains.
For more information visit: UNM Parking and Transportation Services.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
UNM will host a spring Welcome Back Day on Thursday, Jan. 22 in the SUB Ballroom to help welcome students back for the spring semester. Campus departments and student organizations will host information tables from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Additionally, there will be free green chile chicken cheese soup served at noon until its gone and live music from 12 to 1 p.m. For more information, or to RSVP for a table, call 277-4706.
Anthropologists explored the genetic and linguistic diversity in Northern Island Melanesia, in the Pacific islands off the east coast of Papua New Guinea, and discovered that humans from different populations shared genes much more easily than cultural or linguistic information. A team of anthropologists, including Keith Hunley, University of New Mexico assistant professor of anthropology, published their research in the journal PLoS Genetics.
Hunley collaborated with colleagues from Temple University, Radboud University, Stockholm University and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics.
The team found that even though people frequently move between villages through marriage, the villages more genetically similar to one another over time, but linguistically the villages are much more resistant to change.
The islands have long been of interest to anthropologists and linguists because they harbor remarkable biological, linguistic and cultural diversity, in part because they hosted one of the earliest migrations of humans from Africa as well as a much more recent migration of biologically and linguistically diverse peoples from East Asia. The larger islands have extensive coast lines and extremely rugged interiors.
The team looked at genetic information from the family groups in the interiors, where generations of individuals have tended to marry someone from the closest small village, as well as from families on the coast where marriage partners may come from distant lands. They found that, although the long history of intermarriage has obscured genetic signals from the early history of the region, the genetic data, and especially the linguistic data, still harbor information about the initial migrations into the region thousands of years ago.
Read the paper here: Genetic and Linguistic Coevolution in Northern Island Melanesia
Hear Keith Hunley discuss his work: Humans More Apt to Share Genes than Language
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Female inmates to be focus of teaching research
Behind prison walls seems like a most unusual place to study teaching and learning. But with an ever-increasing population of inmates, and a research subject with a prison background, it’s the place University of New Mexico Associate Professor of Teacher Education Diane Torres-Velásquez decided to conduct research that delves into the realm and power of literacy workshops with female inmates.
This study, at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Facility for women in Oklahoma, will lead to a larger study that Torres-Velásquez aims to develop on a broad and rich model of teaching.
Torres-Velásquez has taken a unique approach to the study by conducting her research on well-known poet, award-winning author and former inmate Jimmy Santiago Baca. A native New Mexican born of Chicano and Apache descent, Baca was raised by his grandmother, ended up a runaway at age 13 and in a federal prison at 21 on charges of drug possession.
That’s where Baca began to turn his life around behind the concrete walls of prison where he spent five years, including four in solitary confinement. That’s where he learned to read and write, while discovering a passion for poetry, the power of literacy, and seeing firsthand how becoming truly literate can change lives.
“The first time I read something on paper I tasted and smelled and sensed that same power evident in words,” said Baca. “I was like ‘wow, there it is.’ I could trace that power back to what made people really, really good and I could trace that power back to what made people really, really destructive.”
Since then, Baca has devoted his post-prison life to writing and teaching others who are overcoming hardship with themes including American Southwest barrios, addiction, injustice, education, community, love and beyond. He has conducted hundreds of writing workshops in prisons, community centers, libraries and universities throughout the country.
Torres-Velásquez met Baca when she was a teacher at Longfellow Elementary School in Albuquerque and while his son was a student at the school. She encountered Baca one day in the hall and was terrified. She stayed away from him because he looked so angry.
“At that time, my own kids were about to enter middle school and I was really tired of hearing about how Hispanics were always in prisons,” said Torres-Velásquez. “Of course that wasn’t going to happen to my sons. As they grew older it was really hard for me to see what they did experience in this town as teenagers and young adults. So I became much more open to that type of work.”
The more she heard Baca talk and through his teachings, Torres-Velásquez discovered she liked Baca’s approach and the way he interacts with his students.
“As a teacher, I knew I was reaching my kids, but I thought I’m missing something,” she said. “I knew I still didn’t know everything. Reading Jimmy’s work and continuing to know him over the years, opened my eyes. I got to hear about all the work he was doing in prisons and I was really, really interested in his work. He invited me to participate and I invited him to come and talk to my classes.”
The research will look at the factors that make Baca’s teaching powerful. Torres-Velásquez will examine his assumptions about his teaching, his interactions, and his reflections on student learning. Questions will include underlying assumptions Baca makes about his students, interaction with his students, life lessons Baca teaches through his writing, skills and methodology including critical theory, constructivism and direct instruction, as well as the writings the women produce as a result of Baca’s teachings. Understanding what is typical in the prison educational system will be of significance to setting the context.
Baca and Torres-Velásquez will work with approximately 40 female inmates ranging in age from 25 to 60 who are incarcerated for ‘Crimes of Passion.’ Their stories include tales of abuse and tragic history that have shaped their lives and led them to where they are today. She’ll examine his employed methodology that portends to promote changes in perceptions and lives of the inmates, many of whom are women serving life terms, some with no prospect of parole.
The data will be collected in various forms including written and videotaped notes from pre-workshop planning sessions and debriefings with Baca, written notes of investigator observations and workshop interactions, videotape analysis of daily workshop interactions (includes analysis of language interactions and instruction, and patterns in any interactive behaviors), daily written feedback from participants and post workshop interviews with participants asking how the workshops have affected them as writers and as individuals.
“I like Jimmy’s approach to working with adults and kids and I’ve seen what he does. He may or may not have a name for it, but it fits the model I’ve been looking for,” Torres-Velásquez stated. ”I want to look at what he does when he’s teaching and what he communicates to his students whether they are inmates, unwed mothers or kids at risk. I want to see the dynamics between him and his students using this model. “
“I want to analyze what he communicates as he teaches. What does he say verbally and nonverbally? What support does he give them through his body language and how does he scaffold their learning? What does he tell them, what does he do to take them up to the next level of writing? I also want to ask the inmates firsthand what they see that they are getting from Jimmy’s teaching.”
After completion of the research, which is slated to take place through October 2009, Torres-Velásquez plans to present the results at upcoming national conferences of the American Educational Researchers Association (AERA) and the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE). A major goal of this study is to pilot the methods and data analysis procedures.
“We do anticipate finding significant results. We expect to find that teaching and learning are complex. We expect to identify and more deeply explore some of those complexities. We anticipate that this pilot study will provide the groundwork for a Spencer Foundation research grant as well as a proposal to the U.S. Department of Justice,” said Torres-Velásquez.
Video story: The Pedagogy of a Poet
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
One of the questions floating around Albuquerque political circles is “will Martin Chavez run for another term as Mayor of Albuquerque?” This week, on “New Mexico in Focus,” co-host David Alire Garcia sits down with Mayor Chavez to ask him that question, and talk about Albuquerque’s past, present and future. “New Mexico in Focus,” KNME-TV, channel 5’s weekly one-hour news show, will air on Friday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. and will repeat on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 6:30 a.m.
Also, the panel this week will debate Governor Richardson’s plans for New Mexico budget crisis, the latest news in the housing authority scandal, and President Bush’s legacy. Joining co-host Gene Grant are regular panelists Jim Scarantino and Whitney Cheshire, and guest panelists Antoniette Sedillo Lopez with the University of New Mexico School of Law, and GOP political consultant Doug Turner.
Producers of ‘New Mexico In Focus’ are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. 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 School of Architecture and Planning offers a brownbag presentation, "Civilizing Two Downtown State Highways: SR-527 and SR-522 in Bothell, Washington,” on Friday, Jan. 23 from noon to 1 p.m. in Pearl Hall Auditorium. Featured speakers are Dave Boyd, senior planner, City of Bothell; and Greg Tung, principal, Freedman Tung & Bottomley. The event is free and open to the public.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM-Gallup asks local voters to be mindful of the college’s contributions to the local community when they go to the polls Tuesday, Feb. 3 to vote on an $8 million General Obligation Bond issue.
Barry Cooney, interim executive director, is taking the campaign to the community, speaking to local service organizations and urging media support.
“UNM-Gallup’s most obvious service to the community is in providing education. Not only do we offer certificates and associate degrees to ready our graduates for the local work force, we also prepare those students who wish to go on to a four-year university,” Cooney said.
Cooney’s other thrust in the campaign concerns the estimated $20 million the college generates in the local community. With an annual budget of more than $16 million, UNM-Gallup is one of the area’s largest employers. The college and its employees fuel tax dollars, tuition and grant money back into the local economy by buying local goods and paying for local services.
The college also acts as a community center, offering free space to nonprofit organizations for meetings, workshops and conferences. Further, the college allows the community to use its library and computer labs at no charge. UNM-Gallup also provides a number of free concerts, cultural events and art exhibitions each year.
The bond money, if approved, will go toward several projects to improve the campus facilities, including rehabilitation of Gurley Hall, razing and replacing the aged Lions’ Hall, building a new childcare facility and a new maintenance facility.
It is not expected that the general obligation bond will increase taxes; it will simply replace the bonds set to expire in the near future.
“UNM-Gallup recently celebrated its 40th year of providing educational opportunities to the local community,” Cooney said. “While we have much to be proud of in our facilities, we realize the current economic downturn may offer challenges to our ability to maintain the excellence the community has come to expect in the campus complex.
"That’s why we want local voters to understand how important it is to continuously improve our campus. Buildings age, and need rehabilitation and replacement. This rather modest bond request, if approved, will go a long way in helping us maintain and improve the level of service our students and other patrons have enjoyed in the past.”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up for the W.O.W. pass at Recreational Services. Recreational Services and EHPP have come together to give UNM Faculty and Staff a $90 pass that enables UNM benefits eligible staff and faculty to use their tuition remission to take a variety of fitness classes from both Recreational Services Fitness Programs E-Fitness (Employee) and The "Works." Stay in shape with more than 20 classes a week.
Interested participants can get a free pre and post fitness assessment performed by UNM Exercise & Physiology Lab. You can sign up at Recreational Services daily and there will also be a registration table for W.O.W. at the Welcome Back Days table in the SUB on Thursday, Jan. 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information visit: W.O.W. Fitness Pass or contact Sam Fernandez 277-5648 or via e-mail, sam47@unm.edu
In celebration of the election of Barack Obama as the next President of the United States, the University of New Mexico Africana Studies Department co-hosts the “People’s Inauguration Celebration” on Tuesday, Jan. 20, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Sheryl Williams Stapleton African American Performing Arts Center at gate 3 of the New Mexico State Fairgrounds.
The event is being sponsored by the following organizations:
UNM Africana Studies Department
African American Performing Arts Center
Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission
Office of African American Affairs
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
Isshin Ryu Karate Club
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
Afro-Gospel Praise Ensemble
Tickets for the event are $10 for adults and $5 for children, and are available at the African American Performing Arts Center, the Isshin Ryu Karate Club, or at the door.
On Wednesday, Jan. 21, V-me moves to KNME digital Channel 5.2 (PBS – Albuquerque / Santa Fe). Previously, V-me was located on KNME Channel 5.3, and is still located on Comcast Digital Channel 203. V-me provides PBS Programming in Spanish – 24 hours a day. V-me is the first U.S. public television broadcast network featuring the best of PBS in Spanish with smart, engaging and empowering entertainment for America’s Latino families. V-me is the fastest-growing Hispanic TV Network in History.
Through its relationships with world-class content producers and a unique partnership with American public television stations, V-me (pronounced "veh-meh " ) offers a fresh alternative in Spanish television that engages, entertains, empowers and inspires its viewers.
V-me is programmed for the more than 30 million bilingual and Spanish-language dominant US Latinos, and is distributed in basic digital cable and as a digital broadcast in more than 33 markets including, Albuquerque/Santa Fe, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, San Antonio, San Diego, Sacramento, Fresno, Denver, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Sacramento, Tampa, Tucson, Harlingen, Orlando, and more.
The name V-me comes from the Spanish veme, which means see me. “This name speaks volumes,” saidMario Baeza, V-me founder and executive chairman. "Latinos contribute so much to our country, culturally and economically. Yet quality programming in Spanish that reflects that experience, showcases those contributions, and entertains and educates our families, is sorely missing from the landscape. Through V-me, investors can do well for their businesses while doing good for the community. Few investments allow you to meet these two missions simultaneously and V-me is solid on both fronts.”
V-me’s programming features a mix of original productions, exclusive premieres and acquisitions, and the best of public television adapted for American Latinos.
Online classes offer flexibility for daily planning. Students choose their optimum time and setting for learning. Students report that they enjoy a variety of interactions with their instructors and classmates through chats, e-mail and other learning activities in their online courses. Instructors also believe this can enrich the students' learning experience and report that in the online format, they elicit great writing skills and communication from students.
Use the tuition remission benefit to register for an online class for Spring 2009 and the course fee will be waived.
"The response from staff using tuition remission for online classes has been terrific," said Debby Knotts, director of New Media and Extended Learning (NMEL).
"In fact, it was decided to waive the course fee for ALL staff and faculty who use the tuition remission benefit for ONLINE courses during this spring semester," Knotts continued.
Contact the Online Program Coordinator at online@unm.edu.
Three University of New Mexico professors are spearheading an effort to develop blast resistant composite materials. The group is delving into ways to change the structure of materials – like concrete – into something that would be a good building material, more resistant to corrosion and specifically tolerant to blast.
Photo: Graduate students Eslam Soliman and Michael Sheyka conducting research in the Structures Lab under the direction of Mahmoud Taha.
“I don’t know what kind of material we will end up with. As you change its microstructure, is it concrete at all?” asked Mahmoud Taha, associate professor and Regents’ Lecturer in civil engineering. Joining Taha from UNM are assistant professors of mechanical engineering Marwan Al-Haik and Claudia Luhrs, distinguished national lab professor Jonathan Philips and graduate engineering students. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Texas as San Antonio are also involved.
Luhrs’ approach is to train and co-advise students on how to generate nanofiber in fiber microstructures. They are focusing on growing nanostructures that fit specific requirements – such as improving the flexibility of concrete structures, so that concrete cracks rather than crumbles when hit by a pressure wave from a blast.
“People in the last century used to design structures and use existing materials to build them, but we are going one step further, asking why do we need to use existing materials? Can we design our own?” Taha said. He envisions altering composite materials like glass fibers or metals like steel at the microstructure level into something that would be capable of resisting blasts – and lasting indefinitely – rather than deteriorating in 30 or 40 years.
The Army Research Office is providing $800,000. Other grants, $1.12 million from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and $230,000 from the National Science Foundation, will explore different areas of the core problem.
The research will be conducted in the School of Engineering’s new structural lab, and the mechanical engineering laboratories, where, Taha said, undergraduates are encouraged to participate in the project. So far five undergraduates are participating through a separate Undergraduate Research Experience Grant from the NSF.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
UNM ARTS Lab presents the fifth annual New Mexico Media Industries Conference, or MIX, on Saturday, Jan. 17, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Student Union Building. This year, UNM faculty and staff can receive tuition remission for the conference fee.
MIX serves the need to connect, inform and educate New Mexico’s media industries community, to share information about activities and opportunities, and to strategize ways to improve the creative business environment for all New Mexicans. Workshop topics for 2009 include high definition, mobile games, virtual communities, media business, animation and more.
The conference fee, including lunch, is $50 general or $25 for students and members of partner organizations. For more information and registration, visit: New Mexico MIX.
To receive tuition remission for MIX, fill out a UNM tuition remission form and send it by campus mail, fax to 277-1990 or deliver to UNM Continuing Education Registration, 1634 University Blvd. NE.
Information that must be included on the form:
Course Name: Media Industries (MIX) Conference
Course Number and Section: C93100 RZ1
Course Date: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009
Course Time: 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Student Fee: $65
Location: UNM Student Union Building, 301 Cornell Dr. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Scholars from the University of New Mexico received seven awards for their work on several posters at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in the Sciences (SACNAS) national meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The theme of the conference, the International Polar Year, shed light on the status of Earth’s polar ice caps and included a panel discussion with elders from many Alaskan tribes (Aleut, Yupik, Inupiat, Gwich’in and Athabascan) who expressed cultural and ecological concerns about the regions.
Of the 39 students in attendance from UNM, 29 were Initiative for Minority Student Development (IMSD) scholars, 10 were Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) scholars and three were mentors and staff.
Winners included Antonio Abeyta (MARC), Billy Edelman (IMSD), Thai Lee (IMSD), Charles Sanchez (IMSD), Phillip Tapia (IMSD), Nick Santistevan (MARC) and Alex Washburne (MARC). Topics for the winning posters involved mathematical models of viral infections, DNA repair, heart muscle development, bioinformatics, evolution and functional genomics.
SACNAS encourages Chicano/Latino and Native American students to pursue graduate scholarship and acquire an advanced degree in science, research, leadership and teaching areas.
IMSD, a student research-support program funded by the National Institutes of Health, encourages minority students to pursue a doctorate in biomedical and behavioral sciences.
MARC, also funded by NIH, offers research training support to four-year minority-serving colleges and universities to increase the competitiveness of underrepresented groups in biomedical research by strengthening the science curriculum at these institutions and increasing the research training opportunities for students and faculty.
For more information, contact Maggie Werner-Washburne, UNM biology professor, at (505) 277-9338 or maggieww@unm.edu.
Media Contacts: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu or Jazmen Bradford, e-mail: jazbradford@gmail.com
With the city’s neighborhoods doubling as film sets, it may come as no surprise to residents that Forbes recently named Albuquerque one of “Hollywood’s Favorite Cities.” The Forbes article said at least 22 films were created in Albuquerque last year, bringing the city $130 million.
Since New Mexico began offering incentives like a 25 percent rebate to lure filmmakers and stimulate the state’s economy, UNM stepped up to prepare New Mexicans to play an active part in the new Chiléwood.
UNM created ARTS Lab (Art, Research, Technology and Science Lab) in response to the governor’s Media Industries Strategic Plan to foster advanced digital media research, education and production and to build networks connecting business and media professionals. One way ARTS Lab cultivates networking is by producing the annual New Mexico Media Industries Conference, or MIX. The next MIX will be held Saturday, Jan. 17, at the UNM Student Union Building. Visit http://www.nm-mix.org for more information.
“There’s a great deal of talent both here at UNM and throughout New Mexico, but one thing we saw was that the networks to connect those people to their peers – and real jobs – were either missing or immature. As a result, too many of our best people felt they had to leave to do the kinds of work they love to do,” said Eric Renz-Whitmore, program coordinator. “Through supporting professional groups in areas like games and animation – and bringing all groups together through events like MIX – we think we’re creating an environment where our students don’t have to leave to succeed.”
Since fall 2007, UNM has offered courses through the Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program to develop a workforce for the growing film industry and other media. Through IFDM, students gain a holistic understanding of the industry while preparing for a specialty among a wide range of fields – from directing to computer animation to movie marketing.
Last November, voters passed General Obligation Bond D, which included funding for a new film and digital media building at Mesa del Sol. UNM is also requesting $4.5 million from the New Mexico State Legislature to complete the project. Planned to open in 2010, the facility will be a hub for advanced teaching and research where students can gain practical experience, collaborate with professional media producers like nearby Albuquerque Studios, and showcase their work at a high-end digital theatre.
UNM Provost Suzanne T. Ortega announces four finalists for dean of the School of Law. On campus interviews will take place late-January and early February.
The search committee is chaired by Brenda Claiborne, dean, College of Arts & Sciences. Vice chair is Laura Gómez, associate dean for faculty development, School of Law.
Gregory A. Hicks earned his J.D. in 1978 from the University of Texas. He currently serves as interim dean at the University of Washington School of Law. Previously he served as associate dean for faculty and associate dean for academic administration at the University of Washington. He teaches courses on property, water law, federal public lands and natural resources, and a seminar on land and American culture. Hicks is a member of the Washington State Bar and has served as a trustee with The Nature Conservancy and the Pacific Forest Trust.
Michael A. Olivas is the William B. Bates Distinguished Chair in Law and director of the Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance at the University of Houston Law Center. Olivas earned his J.D. from Georgetown University in 1981. He has served as associate dean for research, and associate dean for students at the University of Houston Law Center. He teaches on education law, professional responsibility, immigration law, legislation, and administrative law. In the 1990s, he served as general counsel to the Association of American University Professors. Olivas is a board member and trustee of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.
Antoinette Sedillo López earned her J.D. from UCLA in 1982. She is currently professor of law and associate dean for clinical affairs at the UNM School of Law. She teaches courses on civil procedure, election law, family law, community property, land use regulation, and bioethics, among others. She has directed the UNM/Southwestern/Texas Tech/Universidad de Guanajuato Summer Law Institute in Guanajuato where she co-taught NAFTA and Trade in the Americas. Sedillo López has served as president of the national Clinical Legal Education Assocation. She is licensed to practice in New Mexico the District of Columbia.
Kevin K. Washburn is the Rosenstiel Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. He teaches contracts, criminal law, Indian law, and gaming law. He earned his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1993. He previously served as the Oneida Indian Nation Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School. Washburn served as general counsel for the National Indian Gaming Commission in Washington, D.C., and before that as an assistant U.S. attorney in Albuquerque. He is licensed to practice in Minnesota and New Mexico.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Artist Shirley Crow and Rex Jung, UNM assistant research professor of Neurology, Psychology and Neurosurgery and Research Scientist at the MIND Research Network, will present a talk Wednesday, Jan. 14 from 12 to 1 p.m. in the fifth floor lobby of the UNM Hospital Ambulatory Care Center. Titled, "Now What," Jung will join Crow for a discussion of how the artist approaches creativity. Jung will also talk about his current research studying creativity with artists. Admission to the talk is free.
Crow’s exhibition, "Images for a New World," will also be on display in the adjoining Jonathan Abrams MD Art Gallery through Friday, Jan. 30. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parking is available at the UNM Hospital Patient Parking Structure.
“In a world of instant communication, global warming and the merging of human and machine, we are faced with a constantly transforming reality," said Crow. "My work is about the miracle of being human amidst all the pain and beauty that surrounds us. I find myself immersed in the process of creating what I call, “Chunks of the Universe” - ambiguous, organic forms that are powered by my sense of a hidden layer, an energy that can be felt, but not seen.
"I am forever paying homage to a great mystery I call life force. I strive to communicate the sense of awe and mystery that I experience in a society that is changing at an ever increasing pace.”
Albuquerque’s Mind Research Network (MRN), a world-renowned neuroimaging research facility, and NM MESA (New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) has announced plans for their spring 2009 SCOREseries for educators. The seminars are free, but registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 13. Space is limited to 50 total attendees on a first-come/first-serve basis.
This is the second year that the series has taken place. SCORE (a Scientific Collaboration on Research in Education) is a free, three-part professional development series that will provide New Mexico educators with information on neuroscience discoveries that can be incorporated into the classroom.
All three sessions will be held in one of the most advanced neuroscience facilities in the world, the Mind Research Network, 1101 Yale NE on UNM North Campus. Attendees will be encouraged to discuss educator challenges and successes with peers in attendance and presenters. Individuals may attend a single session or all three.
Mike Weisend, director of the MEG Core at MRN, isSCORE’s lead presenter. Weisend earned his Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience at UNM in 1997 and trained as a clinical neurophysiologist at the Veteran’s Administration in Albuquerque. Other experts will join Weisend for each session.
· SCORESession I – Learning Disorders - Thursday, February 19, 5 - 8 p.m. Includes Open House-Networking session (5-6 p.m.), and introduction to MRN and MESA)
· SCORESession II – Effects of Substance Abuse on the Brain - Thursday, March 19, 6 - 8 p.m.
· SCORESession III – Brain-Based Learning: Fact or Fiction - Thursday, April 16, 6 - 8 p.m.
The seminars are free, but registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 13. Space is limited to 50 total attendees on a first-come/first-serve basis.
Interested individuals can register via NM MESA’s web site at: www.nmmesa.org or by contacting Julie Cervantes at (505) 366-2510 orjcervantes@nmmesa.org.
About MRN
The Mind Research Network is a nucleus of preeminent neuroscientists who are dedicated to the discovery and advancement of clinical solutions for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness and brain disorders.
MRN integrates state-of-the-art imaging, modern genetics capabilities and progressive informatics processes in its translational research efforts. For information on the Mind Research Network, please call (505) 272-5028 or visit: Mind Research Network.
About NM MESA
New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering Science Achievement (NM MESA), Inc., is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower and motivate New Mexico's culturally diverse students with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) enrichment. NM MESA, in partnership with schools and universities,prepares pre-college students for collegeand careersin mathematics, engineering, science and related fields.
For more information on NM MESA, call (505) 366-2500, toll-free (800) 544-2617, or visit: NM MESA.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Center for Health Policy at UNM will award 10 fellowships of $24,000 each with full tuition remission and student health insurance for a total value of more than $31,000 (for non-resident students) and three new dissertation fellowships of $12,000 with similar benefits for the academic year 2008-09. All awards are annual (12 months) with the possibility of renewal for students in good academic standing. The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 6.
Nominees for the fellowship must demonstrate an interest in health services research or policy analysis that aligns with the mission of the RWJF Center. The RWJF Center was founded in 2007 to serve as a national resource for educating Latinos, American Indians and individuals from other underrepresented groups to become leaders in our nation’s health policy discussions.
The RWJF Center for Health Policy is the only health policy center dedicated to increasing the number of leaders from Latino and American Indian communities who will help shape the future of our nation’s health and health care. The RWJF Center for Health Policy focuses on projecting perspectives of Latino, American Indian, and other underrepresented groups into health policy debates today.
Doctoral Fellowships
Students must be accepted or currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in a social science department at UNM to be nominated for this award. Six of the ten new awards are reserved for students in a Ph.D. program in economics, political science or sociology. Prospective and current students should contact their department graduate advisor or the department chair to discuss eligibility for the award and for additional information on the nominating process.
Students who are notified by the department that they will be nominated for the award should submit a current curriculum vitae (CV) and a written statement (maximum of 2 pages) that highlights any prior experience or background in the research or study of health services or policy analysis as it relates to the mission of the RWJF Center.
Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships
Nominees must be accepted or currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at UNM, and demonstrate an interest in health services research or policy analysis. Preference will be given to students who are ABD (all coursework and qualifying exams successfully completed), and working on a dissertation that is associated with the mission of the RWJF Center.
Other Benefits
The RWJF Center for Health Policy provides fellows with opportunities to engage in a variety of experiences to enhance their scholarship skills, including travel for research purposes and/or to attend national workshops or meetings.
Depending on their stage of doctoral study, all fellows are expected to work a regulated number of hours per week following departmental guidelines for student awards or support. These activities may include research projects with department faculty affiliated with the Center, or other Center-sponsored projects. Fellows may also choose to participate in educational experiences such as special courses or career development workshops to advance their skills.
The particular program of study is designed by each fellow as part of an educational plan developed in consultation with the fellows’ department advisor and RWJF Center staff prior to the start of the award year.
All students accepting awards for 2009-10 must be enrolled full-time in their department (minimum 9 graduate credit hours for doctoral fellows and 3 graduate credit hours as ABD for Dissertation Fellows).
Renewals
Current RWJF Center Graduate Fellows must be in good academic standing by the end of the previous academic year to be eligible to renew their fellowships in 2009. The department nomination letter should list the names of current fellows recommended for renewal, so please contact your department chair or department graduate advisor to coordinate your renewal process.
Deadlines
The deadline for the department nomination letter to the Center is Friday, March 6, 2009. The department nomination letter will list the names of all nominees in ranked order, and must be accompanied by the requested documents. This packet should be sent to rwjf@unm.edu. Awards will be announced in early April.
For more information contact RWJF Recruitment Coordinator Dr. Gabriel Sanchez at sanchezg@unm.edu
(505)277-3337
Visit http://healthpolicy.unm.edu for further information.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Changes to tuition benefits for faculty and staff more than two years in the making were approved by UNM President David Schmidly, effective at the beginning of the month. Separate policies on tuition remission and dependent were combined to form the updated policy 3700, “Education Benefits.” UNM’s Staff Council initiated the changes in fall 2006 with a resolution proposing to clarify and simplify the policy.
The resolution included a revised draft of the policy that would reduce exceptions to tuition remission, extending use for personal and educational purposes as well as professional development.
Specific changes in the approved policy include:
• The Dependent Education Scholarship is now available to regular part-time employees after one year of employment in a regular position.
• The spouse/domestic partner benefit is now in addition to the employee benefit and is for up to four credit hours per semester, no longer limited to one course.
• The personal enrichment allowance of up to two credit hours per semester is now in addition to the employee’s allowance for academic or professional development courses – eight credit hours per semester in the fall or spring and four credit hours in the summer.
• The policy outlines IRS requirements considering certain education benefits as taxable income, including graduate courses taken by a spouse, all courses taken by a domestic partner and personal enrichment courses taken by the employee.
Schmidly also approved changes to policy 3790, “Domestic Partners” to explicitly include legally recognized same-sex marriage.
The 2009 session of the New Mexico state legislature begins at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 20, and the government relations team has been preparing for the challenge. A new web site outlines the priorities for UNM, supplies a legislative calendar and provides a way to receive frequent updates on your computer. The web site can be accessed at Government Relations.
If you would like to receive frequent updates about the progress of UNM related bills during the 60 day legislative session, you can opt in to a list serve at Legislative Updates.
This will be an important legislative session because a shortfall in projected revenues for the current fiscal year may cause the legislature to adjust current budgets. There is also great concern about future revenues and the budget for the fiscal year beginning in July is uncertain. Since UNM is a state institution, a substantial portion of the revenue that funds the core mission of the university, including salaries and operating funds, is determined by the legislature.
If you need to reach the government relations team during the legislative session, please contact Renee Santillanes at (505) 277-1670 or rsantill@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
University of New Mexico College of Nursing lecturer Andra Davis was awarded a $30,000 scholarship from the American Cancer Society (ACS) for her dissertation work as a Ph.D. student at the University of Utah. As an oncology nurse of 25 years, Davis’ area of research is in cancer disparities, specifically cancer-related pain among Hispanics.
Davis has been teaching at UNM for five years and is currently completing her Ph.D. at the University of Utah.
Davis received her bachelor’s of science in nursing from the University of Arizona, and her master’s from the University of Washington. This is Davis’ second ACS scholarship as she also received one for her master’s education.
Davis’ areas of teaching and oncology practice have included general oncology care, pain management and end of life care.
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
New Mexico has the highest proportion of children in the nation enrolled in Medicaid. An article published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS One highlights research showing that childhood immunization rates in the state suffered when barriers increased to children’s receiving Medicaid coverage. Researchers at the University of Toronto, University of New Mexico, and New Mexico Department of Health conducted the study.
Dr. Michael Schillaci from the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, and his colleagues analyzed immunication and Medicaid enrollment statistics for New Mexico between 1996 and 2006.
The article’s authors argue that ensuring childhood access to Medicaid enrollment actually is more important for immunizing New Mexico’s children than are the benefits provided by programs that focus narrowly on improving immunization practices.
Their study revealed a strong correlation between immunization rates and Medicaid enrollment among those receiving financial support through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. When Medicaid enrollment increased, so did childhood immunization rates.
In 2004, the state government decided to require recertification for Medicaid every six months and to close automatically Medicaid cases that did not complete the eligibility certification process. These policy changes led to lower Medicaid enrollment levels. Overall Medicaid enrollment in New Mexico decreased by approximately 4.7%, by far the largest drop during that time period in the nation. The 2004 reduction in TANF Medicaid enrollments was associated with a similar reduction in immunization rates.
One of the authors of the study, Dr. Howard Waitzkin from the University of New Mexico, explained: “The results of the study show that state-level changes in Medicaid policy can have unanticipated consequences on the delivery of preventive care. Barriers to public insurance coverage under Medicaid overshadowed New Mexico’s laudable campaign to improve immunizations.”
Because childhood immunizations are tied to well-child visits, a change in immunization rates may indicate a change in the level of early childhood preventive care. Due to New Mexico’s high proportion of children enrolled in Medicaid, policy changes that reduce Medicaid enrollment also reduce the likelihood that primary care practitioners will provide adequate preventive care, including immunizations.
For more information or contact with the authors, please call Howard Waitzkin at 505-277-0860, or Michael Schillaci at 416-287-7328, or send an e-mail message to waitzkin@unm.edu or schillaci@utsc.utoronto.ca.
Media Contact: Cindy Foster, (505) 272-3322; e-mail: cindyf@salud.unm.edu
The South Gym at the University of New Mexico Carrie Tingley Hospital (CTH) has been fully renovated thanks to donations from several businesses. Shary Adams of Studio Southwest Architects, one of the architecture firms that worked on the UNM Barbara and Bill Richardson Pavilion design, was the driving force behind the South Gym renovation.
During the construction of the Barbara and Bill Richardson Pavilion, Adams gave birth to twin girls who were small for gestational age and was referred to the UNM CTH Neonatology Developmental Care Program.
While at CTH, Adams was shown the South Gym where patients play and receive rehabilitation services. Adams saw that the gym needed renovating and began to work on collecting donations.
Jaynes Construction offered support for general contracting and coordinating all the construction. Other businesses that donated included, Studio Southwest Architects, Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers, Inc, AG Supply, Robert Cohen Company, LLC, Mondo America, Inc, McDade Woodcock, Inc, Yearout Mechanical, Inc, Calply New Mexico, Variance Acrylic Finishers, Roadrunner Waste Service, Inc, F&R Painting, Sherwin Williams, Concrete Systems, Inc, and Sports Surfaces Distributing.
CTH is the only pediatric rehabilitation hospital in the state, providing healthcare to children and adolescents with complex musculoskeletal and orthopaedic conditions, rehabilitation needs, developmental issues and long-term physical disabilities.
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
It is time to recycle last year’s telephone books. On main campus a large bin is located at the southeast corner of Johnson Field. On north campus there is a bin on the north side of M lot near the corner of Tucker and Yale, just across the street from the construction site at the north golf course.
Last year UNM recycled 20,900 pounds of paper in the telephone book collection. The bins will be in place through the end of February. For more information, call Linda McCormick at (505) 269-6131.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627; kwent2@unm.edu
Earlier this month, Governor Bill Richardson dropped a political bombshell on New Mexico and the nation by withdrawing his name for consideration to serve as the Commerce Secretary for President-Elect Barack Obama. This week’s edition of “New Mexico in Focus” will look at the impact Richardson’s decision will have on his future, the upcoming legislative session, and on Lt. Governor Diane Denish. “New Mexico in Focus,” KNME-TV, channel 5’s weekly one-hour news show, will air on Friday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. and will repeat on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 a.m.
When Richardson withdrew from consideration, he said that he did not want to be a distraction to the beginning the Obama presidency while an investigation into “pay-to-play” allegations involving his administration linger.
This week, co-host David Alire Garcia sits down with Steven Allen, executive director for Common Cause NM, Trip Jennings, senior writer for the New Mexico Independent, and University of New Mexico Political Science Professor Gabriel Sanchez to discuss what will happen next for Gov. Richardson and New Mexico.
The panel will also discuss Richardson’s decision, along with the state’s new congressional delegates being sworn in, the upcoming Albuquerque mayoral race, and answer the question “is a cold cheese sandwich for some APS students a stigma or a solution?”
Joining co-host Gene Grant are regular panelists political consultant Whitney Cheshire and Jim Scarantino, moderator for NewMexicoLiberty.com, and guest panelists Jon Knudsen, with DukeCityFix.com and UNM political science professor Lonna Atkeson.
Producers of ‘New Mexico In Focus’ are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. Closed captioning has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1812; e-mail: etodd@knme.org
The Mind Research Network (MRN) announces a $1,000 dollar to the Domenici Discovery Fund by The Chicago Community Trust. The Chicago Community Trust donation comes from the Bruce L. and Gwill L. Newman Fund. Mrs. Newman is a member of the MRN Board of Trustees; the Newman’s are widely recognized for their work to accelerate brain research and help erase the stigma of mental illness. Mrs. Newman is also the author of "My Son's Name Was Fred" – a book about raising a son who developed schizophrenia.
“This donation helps us advance our research and ultimately find better ways to diagnose and treat mental illness and other brain disorders,” said MRN President Dr. John Rasure. “The Newman’s contribution is especially important because it shows they have confidence in what we expect to be tremendous breakthroughs in the near future through the research funded by the Domenici Discovery Fund.”
The Domenici Discovery Fund is named in honor of retired U.S. Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM). Domenici founded MRN over ten years ago, and continues his passionate work with MRN to bring hope and peace of mind to the individuals and families who live every day with mental illness, brain disease and brain injury. The Fund provides matching dollars to scientists to help them further their study of schizophrenia, addiction, epilepsy, autism, alcoholism and traumatic brain injury.
Researchers at the MRN also hold faculty appointments at UNM and MRN partners with main campus and Health Science Center researchers on a regular basis.
About MRN
The Mind Research Network is dedicated to the discovery and advancement of clinical solutions for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness and brain disorders. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Albuquerque, MRN consists of in-house scientists, as well as an interdisciplinary association of research partners located at universities, national laboratories and research centers around the country. For more information on the Mind Research Network, please call 505/272-5028 or visit www.mrn.org.
Media Contact: Dolores Gonzales (505) 925-4747; cell (505) 259-9736
As of Tuesday, Feb. 17, all TV station transmitters must cease analog service and broadcast exclusively in digital format, also known as DTV. DTV provides higher quality picture and sound and more programming options through multiple broadcast streams under one channel. With the right equipment, DTV looks and sounds better than analog television.
KNME recognizes that this is a major transition and many people have questions. In its 50 year history of providing service to the New Mexico community, KNME is once again responding to your concerns by presenting both a live call-in broadcast program, as well as holding an open house - a month prior to the transition.
“COUNTDOWN TO DIGITAL TV: ARE YOU READY?” hosted by Polly Anderson, KNME’s new general manager & CEO, along with KNME experts, airs Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. on Channel 5.
KNME’s Digital Television Open House, is set for Saturday, Jan. 10, from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. to give viewers the chance to meet these experts in person, and ask questions face-to-face, at KNME.
Digital transition also provides “multiple broadcast streams,” meaning that under one channel number, up to five different streams of programming will be available. In KNME’s case these will be 5.1, 5.2, 9.1 & 9.2 - giving viewers even more of a choice of PBS programs. Channel 5.1 and 9.1 will be HD (High Definition) Channels.
Visit KNME for information about installing converter boxes and programming.
Media Contact: Evy Todd (505) 277-1218; etodd@knme.org
Provost Suzanne Ortega has announced the names of three finalists for the post of dean of the Anderson School of Management. Finalists include Ali R. Malekzadeh, Douglas M. Brown and James C. Wetherbe. Each will visit UNM in January for interviews.
Ali R. Malekzadeh, dean and professor of management of Williams College of Business at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, will be on campus for interviews on Tuesday-Wednesday, Jan. 20-21. Malekzadeh previously served as dean and professor of strategic management at G.R. Herberger College of Business at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn., and as assistant and associate professor of strategic management in the School of Management at Arizona State University.
He cites active cultivation of alumni and local executives to mentor students and the start of construction for a new building at Xavier University as accomplishments in his current position. He serves on the board of directors of Bio/Start, a life sciences incubator at the University of Cincinnati Medical School and on the board of directors of the Bistro Group Corporation.
Douglas M. Brown, principal in Brown and Brown Ventures, L.L.C., a real estate holding and Internet company will be on campus for interviews on Thursday-Friday, Jan. 22-23. Brown is a former UNM regent and was appointed to fill a vacancy as New Mexico state treasurer in 2005. Prior, Brown was president and CEO of Tuition Plan Consortium, an association of private colleges and universities offering subscribers a prepaid tuition plan redeemable at any of the participating schools.
Brown also served as president, CEO and co-founder of Talbot Financial Services through 1999. He served as a director in a number of commercial and mortgage banking companies and is currently lead director of the California Water Service.
James C. Wetherbe, associate dean, Robert Stevenson Chaired Professor of Information Technology and director of the Institute of Internet Buyer Behavior at the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University, will be on campus for interviews Monday-Tuesday, Jan. 26-27.
Wetherbe has held academic positions at the University of Memphis, the University of Minnesota, the University of Houston, Idaho State University and New Mexico State University. He has also acted as a consultant, lecturer and has served on the board of directors for several major corporations including Best Buy and Ciber.
The provost looks to offer the position to an applicant by mid-March and have the new dean in place for the fall 2009 term.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1807; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
Gary Harrison, University of New Mexico professor of English and Presidential Teaching Fellow, and his emeritus colleagues Paul Davis, David M. Johnson and John Crawford co-edited a new compact edition of their two-volume anthology, “The Bedford Anthology of World Literature/ Compact Edition.”
The anthology was released late last month and, like its six-volume predecessor, will be used at colleges and universities across the U.S. in introductory courses on world literature, a growing new field.
“"The Bedford Anthology of World Literature/Compact Edition’ brings into a two-volume anthology a selection of texts that structure the teaching of world literature as a conversation among key and influential works from a variety of the world’s literary traditions including China, Japan, India, the Arabic world, Africa, Europe, and the Americas from the ancient world to the present,” Harrison said.
To help students develop historical awareness of the transformations within and across those traditions and to help them experience the rewards, while recognizing the problems and limits of reading across time and place, across cultures and languages, the anthology contains extensive historical, cultural, biographical and critical introductions and headnotes, as well as extensive footnotes and supplemental materials, including illustrations and maps.
This anthology grew from the editors’ teaching of UNM’s world literature courses, English 292 and 293, since the late 1980s. Although it offers fewer selections than its six-volume predecessor, the compact edition adds some new material, updates translations of many works, and offers newly revised introductions and headnotes, Harrison said.
For more information, visit the Bedford/St. Martin website.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales (505) 277-5920 or cgonzal@unm.edu