Jennifer Landau is a 2006 graduate of the UNM School of Law. Now she’s adjunct faculty at the UNM School of Law committed to providing clinical training to rookie attorneys interested in understanding, and perhaps practicing, immigration law. Her full-time job is working as a staff attorney at Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services, Inc.
Photo: Jennifer Landau
Undocumented immigrants travel a difficult road. Hers wasn’t so easy either. The UNM Law School offered limited training in its law clinic in immigration issues. The State of New Mexico had a dearth of trained immigration attorneys.
Landau graduated, got a fellowship and a following and came back to teach because alone she couldn’t help all the immigrants in need of legal services.
Coming to study law close to the border was a natural progression from her work at the Immigration Institute of New Jersey. There, she worked on refugee resettlement, social services and legal matters for immigrants. The immigrants she saw were mostly from Africa, Cuba and Russia, she said.
She saw a need in this state. The need wasn’t just for more immigration attorneys, but social and legal services for immigrants, too. “There are only 20 attorneys who specialize in immigration in New Mexico, with most of them being in Albuquerque and a couple in Santa Fe. There are none in Las Cruces,” she noted.
The immigrant population is low income, she said, and a few organizations and non-profits provide limited services, particularly for family-based petitions, but there are not many places for people to go.
As a third year law student Landau conducted a research project on access to justice for immigrants in New Mexico and developed a special interest in the immigrant detained in Albuquerque’s downtown detention center, the Regional Correctional Center. “No one was representing the immigrant detainees,” she said. She addressed her concern with the State Bar of New Mexico. “Others were concerned about the situation, as well,” she said.
Following graduation she went to Spain for eight months through a Ministry of Education program. She went as a language assistant to improve her Spanish and work in public education abroad. “I was also waiting to hear about a fellowship application I’d submitted,” she said.
In January 2007, she received a fellowship from the Equal Justice Works Foundation in Washington, D.C., to provide representation for immigrants in New Mexico. They give 50 fellowships each year for those engaged in public interest law work. Landau partnered with Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, Inc., a Catholic non-profit organization in El Paso, Texas.
She spent that summer defending people in deportation cases. “I was interviewing detainees in El Paso, screening them to see if they qualified for services and representing those clients in court,” she said. Landau added that the El Paso Immigration Court, an administrative court under the Department of Justice, has jurisdiction throughout New Mexico.
What she discovered is that many of the immigrants had been transferred from other places, like New York and California. “Bed space was less expensive in El Paso and in Chaparral, but the transfer often meant that detainees were unable to receive visits from family members and access resources available in their ‘home’ states. The long distance also made it difficult for detainee to gather documents necessary for their cases.”
“What also makes access to legal defense difficult for immigrants is that they have no right to government paid counsel since immigration infractions are civil, not criminal,” Landau said.
She said that the stakes are particularly high for those who have been in the United States their entire lives. “It is heart-wrenching. These people have lots to lose, including separation from their families. Sometimes they don’t even speak the language of their home country or have family ties there.”
She recalled a case of a man from Ecuador who was driving without a license in Ohio, where it’s illegal to get a license without documents. “He was cited and because he was undocumented, he was arrested and transferred from Ohio, away from his wife and two-year-old son, to El Paso. He didn’t qualify for any legal remedy. He didn’t get to say goodbye to his son. After five years in the U.S., he had no goodbyes, no closure, no legal remedy,” she said sadly.
When people are ordered deported by an immigration judge, they are barred for 10 years from applying for admission to the United States, Landau said. “Sometimes there are humanitarian forms of relief available – for example, if they have been victims of crime, domestic violence or suffered from abuse/neglect, as in the case of children,” Landau said.
Individuals will try to gain legal status through family-based options, if they have a qualifying relative providing them with the legal means, or they may try to get a petition from an employer, she said.
Sometimes immigrants in deportation proceedings are granted voluntary departure, Landau said. “This form of relief allows individuals time to collect their belongings before they have to depart. If they depart the country within the period of time specified by the judge, they aren’t subject to the 10 year bar,” she said.
For those who are considered to have “unlawful presence” in the U.S. for six months to a year, when they leave, they are barred from seeking admission for three years. For those here unlawfully for one year or more, the penalty is a 10 year bar, she said.
“Expedited removal sometimes takes place for those caught at the border. In these cases, the person receives a deportation order without a hearing in front of an immigration judge and they are barred from seeking admission for five years,” Landau said.
A stipulated order of removal, she explained, takes place when the immigrant agrees to deportation and waives their right to a hearing and a judge reviews and approves the immigrant’s stipulated order, Landau said.
If it sounds difficult, to understand, it is. “Even attorneys who don’t practice immigration law don’t understand all aspects of it,” she said.
What makes the situation more perilous for the immigrants is that the process looks “deceivingly simple,” Landau said. “Anyone can download an immigration form from the web. But, the questions can have serious implications if the individual is not aware of the ramifications,” she said.
She said that those who apply not knowing they’re ineligible can be deported, as well. People think they can petition for themselves. They hire notarios to do the paperwork, but they aren’t licensed to practice law. If there’s no way to remedy an error, an individual will end up in deportation proceedings.
Getting through the immigration process is costly and helps fund Homeland Security, the recipient federal agency. To file a relative petition is $355, Landau said. “If the individual is approved, to apply for a green card costs $1,100. Plus, each member of the family must have a medical exam, which costs several hundred dollars per person.”
Attorney fees generally run several thousand per person for residency, although some attorneys might pro-rate for a family.
What’s most costly is deportation defense. “The cases are complicated and require travel and high stakes. Fees run between $5,000 and $20,000,” she said. This is where the importance of her work comes in. The New Mexico State Bar wants all attorneys to do 50 hours of pro bono work per year. “If they become engaged in this as students, they may wish to continue to do so once they graduate,” Landau said.
Landau said that the human side of the equation creates another set of circumstances. “It is difficult just to focus on immigration law when there are so many other social issues that affect families with relatives in deportation proceedings,” she said. She has to focus on what she can and lets immigrants know about other agencies that can help with issues such as access to health care, education questions, social service and psychological issues.
She said that she advises immigrants to make contingency plans in case they get picked up and deported. Organizations such as El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos in Albuquerque and Somos un Pueblo Unido in Santa Fe, tell them about how to arrange for someone to have power of attorney. “They need to make sure someone with legal status can handle their property and care for their children if they are detained by immigration officials or deported,” Landau said.
Landau sees a strong need for case managers to provide holistic support and resources. And she’s frustrated by limited legal remedies and resources.
By 2008, Landau has acquired the knowledge and networking to make a difference, but she’s still just one person…and the system she’s trying to move is both monolithic and unfriendly. She uses her time now to educate the next generation of immigration attorneys. She’s created two classes in the law school where students get the opportunity to practice immigration law.
She oversees the work of the students – about eight in a class. She is the attorney of record on each case, but the students get to represent the clients in court. She is teaching an Immigration Practicum for the second time, teaching it for the first time last fall. “It’s a hybrid class where student engage real cases with real clients to receive substantive training in the law,” Landau said.
She limits class size so each case gets the attention it needs. And because the clients receive student representation, the services are free to the clients, while the students get an understanding of the practical application of the law, she said.
“I appreciate the UNM School of Law providing an opportunity for students to get their hands on real legal work,” Landau said. She added that the class is part of a growing trend at the law school to offer hybrid clinical classes and provide students with more opportunities to assist in the representation of real clients.
In the spring, she started a class that focuses on the intersection of criminal and immigration law. “Immigration and criminal law are intertwined and criminal defense attorneys need to understand the immigration consequences of crimes and vice versa. This is one of the most complicated areas of immigration law,” she said. And, she added, it is the duty of criminal attorneys to explain the immigration consequences of a crime. Other legal matters often impact immigration cases, as well, including adoption and divorce proceedings.
She and her students interviewed clients at the jail and analyzed cases. “Immigrants can be deported just for being undocumented, but a criminal conviction can affect whether or not they will be permitted to seek admission in the future. Also, many immigrants with green cards don’t realize that they can be placed in deportation proceedings due to a criminal conviction. Before they agree to a plea agreement, they need to understand what the consequences are of that decision,” Landau said.
Immigration law is now more complicated to decipher than the tax code. These fresh, wet-behind-the-ears attorneys who desire to serve this overworked, overlooked and underrepresented population, have their work cut out for them. And they still have to study for tests and prepare briefs.
The 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform Act created much more stringent and draconian immigration enforcement measures, she said. Landau noted that the law has become so strict that there is no room for discretion when the court is moved by individual cases. “I wish there were a legal remedy for so many wonderful, hard working people who come to me looking for assistance, but don’t qualify for any of the forms of relief available under the current law,” she said.
Landau is left with questions for those deported and those left behind. What happens to those who are deported, particularly if they don’t speak the language of their home country and don’t have relatives to support them? What are the costs for a family that has been ripped apart? What happens to families that lose their primary breadwinner? Do these families end up on public assistance? What happens when people are deported and they don’t speak the language?
People who are returned to their countries of origin often are at a loss and isolated. “We’ve heard stories of people who are tattooed being perceived as gang members and ostracized in their communities,” Landau said. In some countries, when people are deported, the public assumes that they have committed a serious crime. “Yet, in my experience, the vast majority of people are in removal proceedings due to an immigration violation, not the conviction of a crime,” she said.
The hostile political environment doesn’t do much to improve immigrant situations. “A policy change has taken place that has reduced workforce raids, but ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officers are working closely with jails to identify undocumented people. As a result, we’re seeing increased numbers being placed in deportation hearings,” Landau said.
Of all the changes that Landau could make to improve the lot for immigrants, she said, “I hope to improve access to representation for low-income immigrants in deportation proceedings. The stakes are too high and the law is too complicated for people to present their case to an immigration judge without assistance.”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Several UNM history professors have made programmatic adjustments and provided historical expertise for the Teaching American History Program, an Albuquerque Public Schools initiative. The program is made possible by a U.S. Department of Education grant – the Teaching American History Program. Martha Fenstermacher, TAH grant project director, secured the nearly $1 million grant. Fenstermacher earned a master’s in American Studies from UNM in 1986.
Photo: Barbara Sanders
Some APS participating teachers have worked on master’s degrees in history from UNM.
Associate Professor of History Elizabeth Hutchison said, “The TAH program has been a tremendous benefit to the UNM history department, which has always enrolled mostly secondary teachers in the MA.” Hutchison said that it was difficult for the teachers to complete their master’s degrees because of scheduling conflicts, which the department addressed.
Hutchison added, “TAH students are a committed group of students, whose experience as teachers makes them keenly insightful into, and enthusiastic about, historical study at the graduate level. Though few of them will be able to develop MA thesis projects because of severe time constraints, I'm confident that the MA program has allowed them fresh exposure to historical materials and methods that will shape their course designs in years to come. As a mom of APS elementary students, I can think of few better ways for the History Department to contribute to the greater Albuquerque community.”
The TAH teachers also have had the opportunity take part in five-day summer travel and study sponsored by the American Institute for History Education. Sites they visited include Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta/Savannah. “Traveling to D.C. gives New Mexico teachers access to sites on the east coast,” Fenstermacher said.
Barbara Sanders is a TAH teacher from Wilson Middle School. She said that social studies is under fire because of intense focus on math and reading. “What is overlooked is that we teach literacy through history. The students read journals, letters and maps – things that support standards-based assessments,” she said.
“The grant impacts on students across the city. Teachers from every cluster [high school and its feeder schools] are involved in grant activities and share their work and knowledge with peers,” Fenstermacher said. They recently shared what they’ve learned in a Social Studies Fair presented at Montgomery Complex.
“Teachers from elementary through high school came to the fair to learn how to use hands-on materials. The participating teachers showcased their strategies and how they implement use of primary resource materials in the classroom,” Fenstermacher said. She added that although the grant’s focus is on American history, many of the strategies are readily adaptable to world and New Mexico history. The teachers set up and shared with their colleagues how they teach content. UNM College of Education Associate Professor Lynn Oshima attended the fair. She said, “Science teachers can recreate experiments, but there is only one Gettysburg. History and social studies teachers are finding ways to jazz it up – make history real. Programs like this improve the quality of teaching.”
Fenstermacher said that students see history come to life when presented with primary resource materials. “In a lesson about the Civil War they might see a letter from President Lincoln to his wife about money she can spend in New York. He might learn about son Tad’s goat loose in the garden. They learn something about the person behind the office,” she said.
History Professor Virginia Scharff said, “I have been involved with these grants from the beginning, and I think they’re great. It's been a pleasure and an honor to talk to the ‘crème de la crème’ of history teachers, people who are so motivated to get more content and pursue more sophisticated analyses that they seek out these opportunities for intellectual and professional development. Speaking for myself, but I think also for all of us who've participated from UNM, I'm eager to see K-12 teachers do an excellent, professional job of teaching history to their students, and I think this program furthers that goal.”
Last fall, UNM History Professors Frank Szasz and Margaret Connell-Szasz conducted a workshop for the TAH teachers on 20th century history.
“We met at the old National Atomic Museum for Friday all day and Saturday morning, with the teachers touring the Museum in the afternoon. I distributed several handouts – such as Victorian puzzles – that could fit a number of levels. I know that Margaret has had several of the teachers in her graduate seminar, and she spoke well of them. It is a challenge to make history relevant at any level and the focus was on local and regional themes, so as to entice the students into an increased awareness of the past that they encountered every day.”
He added, “The UNM history department has taken the position that we have a duty to serve the needs of New Mexico public school teachers. These programs are means to that end.”
American Indian Student Services, Native American Studies and other student organizations invite the campus community to attend and participate in American Indian Heritage Month throughout November. Educational, social, cultural, and artistic programming is offered to celebrate the heritage of the first Americans.
Although the first ‘American Indian Day’ was declared by the State of New York in 1916, a month-long recognition of Native peoples was not achieved until 1990 when President George Bush declared the first National American Indian Heritage Month. Consequently, what started at the turn of the century as an effort to establish a day of recognition of significant contributions the first Americans made to establish and grow the United States, has now resulted in an entire month’s designation.
The UNM groups have collaborated to engage the university community in learning and discovering more about the indigenous experience and perspective. UNM Kiva Club sponsors a Sunrise Ceremony on Monday, Nov. 2 at 7 a.m. at Johnson Field to get events started.
An American Indian Heritage Month Kick-off event co-sponsored by American Indian Student Services and Beta Sigma Epsilon Fraternity is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 10 a.m. at the SUB Atrium. The event features guest speakers, cultural performances by the Jemez Pueblo Headstart Program, and the presentation of a proclamation by the UNM Office of the President declaring the institution’s celebration.
All events are free and open to the public. For a complete list visit: American Indian Heritage Month.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Using mathematical models, researchers at the University of New Mexico and University of Michigan have revealed that whooping cough immunity can last at least 30 years and perhaps as long as 70 years after natural infection. Once thought to be under control, whooping cough (pertussis) has been on the rise since the 1980s in the United States and several other countries with high rates of routine pediatric immunization.
Photo: Assistant Professor Helen Wearing
The increase has led to concerns over the possible reemergence of pertussis, the effectiveness of current vaccination practices and whether or not whooping cough can ever be eradicated.
“There’s been a lot of interest in the United States and other countries about the resurgence of whooping cough cases,” said Helen Wearing, UNM biology and mathematics assistant professor and lead author on the paper published Oct. 23 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens. “Using mathematical models, we discovered that immunity from natural infection can be long lasting. ”
"This is surprising because clinical epidemiologists currently believe the duration of pertussis immunity is somewhere between four and 20 years," said UM’s Pejman Rohani, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.
Several explanations have been proposed for the surprising increase in cases, and one leading idea is that the immunity enjoyed by vaccinated or previously exposed people is simply wearing off. It's been documented that in some individuals immunity has waned over time, but the exact details of how long protection typically lasts and how its waning affects disease transmission have not been clear.
Wearing and Rohani took a mathematical approach, using models to explore various scenarios and comparing the predictions generated by those models to data on whooping cough incidence. The researchers constructed two models, a basic model and an immune-boosting model, with different assumptions about what happens when a person whose immunity has lapsed is exposed to pertussis and how much that person contributes to transmission.
The basic model assumes individuals may experience repeat infections in a manner similar to primary infections. In the immune-boosting model, re-exposure may boost an individual's immunity whereupon they revert to being temporarily protected from natural infection.
The researchers then compared the models' predictions to whooping cough incidence data from England and Wales from both the pre-vaccine era (1945-1957) and the vaccine era (1958-1972). In particular, Rohani and Wearing looked for matches in two key measures: the number of years between big outbreaks and the frequency of "extinctions" – periods of time when no whooping cough cases were reported in the population.
“We found the best agreement between data and model predictions when immunity lasts, on average, at least 30 years, and possibly much longer. Our analysis also suggests that the duration of natural immunity is inherently variable, so that some people quickly lose immunity while others experience lifelong protection after an infection,” Wearing said.
In addition, repeat infections appear to contribute relatively little to the transmission cycle, the researchers found. And when people whose immunity has waned are re-exposed to whooping cough, they rarely become infectious. In fact, their immunity to the disease may be boosted by re-exposure, the study suggests.
If correct, the results represent encouraging news, Rohani said. "They suggest that loss of immunity may be playing a less significant role than is currently thought. And at least in these historical data, vaccination seems to interrupt transmission substantially."
Still, the researchers are cautious about drawing conclusions about current day vaccination practices from their study of historical data.
"It's worth pointing out that in the past 20 years or so, the nature of the vaccines that have been used has changed quite fundamentally," Rohani said. "The data we're using are from a time when a whole-cell vaccine was in use; now an acellular vaccine, which stimulates a different part of the immune system, is typically used, especially in North America."
“Ultimately, to understand recent trends in whooping cough incidence we should also examine variation in vaccination coverage, age structure and population movements,” Wearing said. “Using more recent data from the U.S., our mathematical framework can be modified to investigate the importance of these other factors.”
The paper is available at: PLoS Pathogens.
For more information Helen Wearing and her research visit: Wearing's Research Group.
Media Contacts: UNM, Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu or UM, Nancy Ross-Flanigan, (734) 647-1853; e-mail: rossflan@umich.edu
Classes designed to raise cancer awareness among Hispanic/Latina women
In honor of October Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the UNM College of Education's Comadre a Comadre Program has expanded its community outreach efforts to help raise awareness of the early detection of breast cancer. To do so, Comadre will bring more than 90 classes to community centers, churches, public institutions, businesses, medical facilities and the UNM ENLACE Program through August 2010.
The primary focus of these efforts is to increase early screening practices among Hispanic/Latina women. The classes will focus on the three methods of early detection forbreast cancer and how to prevent cervical cancer. The classes are free of charge and are taught in either Spanish or English. Additionally, free educational materials are also provided at each class.
“These classes are offered in a linguistically and culturally competent manner which allows Hispanic/Latina women to dialog freely or “platicar” about breast health,” said Elba Saavedra, program director for Comadre a Comadre.
According to the 2007 New Mexico Cancer Facts and Figures, the most common cancer among Hispanic/Latina women in New Mexico is breast cancer. They are also more likely to report never having had a mammogram. Sixteen percent of Hispanic women over 40 in New Mexico have never had a mammogram, compared to 10 percent for non-Hispanic white women.
Several of the reasons why Hispanic/Latina women under-utilize health care services include: a lack of knowledge about cancer screening and treatment; lack of health insurance; limited knowledge about cancer related risk factors; fears related to immigration status; mistrust of the medical community; and embarrassment and language barriers.
The Comadre a Comadre program seeks to improve breast cancer outcomes among Hispanic/Latina women through advocacy, education, resources, and support about breast health and breast cancer. All program services are free and provided in both Spanish and English by experienced staff. Peer Mentor Comadres are breast cancer survivors who are trained to provide navigation services and lend support from someone who "has been there."
Comadre Program efforts are funded by Con Alma Foundation, the McCune Charitable Foundation, and the central New Mexico affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Other collaborative partners include: National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service, the Breast Cancer Resource Center, the New Mexico Department of Health Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, Mexican Consulate’s Ventanilla de Salud and UNM ENLACE Program.
For a copy of a calendar of where these classes are being held call, (505) 242-1222 or visit: Educational Platícas.
For more information on Comadre A Comadre visit: visit: Comadre A Comadre.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Sergio ValencÍa Cordova, Rodrigo López and Sergio Saavedra from the Universidad Privada Boliviana presented their automated agricultural robot as part of the student competition at the Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC) conference taking place on campus this week.
The robot is a prototype that could be used to plot map points on a field, and drill into soft soil to examine what nutrients need to be added for efficient agriculture. The students say the government could buy the robots for villages around the country and local farmers could borrow the robots to tell them exactly how much nitrogen or potassium should be added to support a particular crop.
Another group of students from Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Campus Cuidad de Mexico - David Monnara, Marco Ruiz and Rafael Mendoza - put together a prototype of an automated wheelchair that navigates via the user’s eye movements. The system also contains autonomous navigation that allows the chair to avoid obstacles and move without human instruction. It can also be moved using a simple hand controller. In addition the chair contains a system that can access a menu to use pre-recorded audio files.
The ISTEC conference has drawn about 200 participants from throughout Latin America and the U.S. The annual conference brings educators and business people together to discuss projects of mutual interest.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The Fall Qualitative Café Brown Bag lecture, hosted by the College of Nursing, has been scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, from 12 to 1 p.m. The featured speaker is Dr. Jennifer Averill, who will present an overview of a new class titled, “Critical Ethnography and Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) in Health Care Research." The lecture will be held in the UNM College of Nursing/Pharmacy building, rm. 368.
Averill will provide a basic content outline of the class she will teach next spring. The talk will be follwed by a discussion as well as a question and answer session. All students, faculty and staff are invited to attend and to bring their lunch.
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories, the University of New Mexico, the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Novozymes, and North Carolina State University’s Center for Integrated Fungal Research (NCSU-CIFR) have received a DNA sequencing award from the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI) to study microbial genes in arid grasslands. The research combines interests in fundamental microbial ecology with DOE goals to exploit microbes in the production of biofuels.
“This award positions a very talented team to collaboratively apply DOE’s unique facilities in genomics and systems biology to the important challenge of sustainable bioenergy production,” said Grant Heffelfinger, biofuels program lead for Sandia. “We normally think of biofuels-relevant ecosystems as those where substantial amounts of biomass is produced and broken down, but this is an excellent example of the relevance of biodiversity across ecosystems — both for the advancement of systems biology as well as biofuels production.”
Microorganisms in aridland ecosystems have evolved high-efficiency recycling systems to cope with severe nutrient scarcity, extreme temperatures and low water availability. Genes underlying these adaptations offer great potential in industrial-scale processes designed to convert plant material cheaply and efficiently into biofuels.
The project’s sequencing effort will focus on microorganisms associated with the roots of a common grass species, blue grama, and will interface with ongoing environmental change experiments at the UNM’s Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research site in central New Mexico.
“This award will enable us to better understand the metabolic potential of microbial communities native to extreme environments,” said Don Natvig, professor of biology at UNM. “This understanding can in turn be applied to real-world problems, such as biofuels production inefficiencies and greenhouse gas management technologies.”
Biofuels research and environmental change studies are united by the urgent need to develop sustainable energy sources, and to understand and mitigate the environmental effects of spiraling greenhouse gas emissions. In terms of renewable energy, the study will drive the commercial development of new products useful in the breakdown of lignocellulosic biomass, the starting material for production of biofuels.
From an environmental sciences perspective, the award will enable researchers to study and monitor the effects of altered patterns of fire, precipitation, increasing temperatures and atmospheric pollution on ecosystem structure and function.
The scientific team includes Amy Powell and Bryce Ricken from Sandia; Don Natvig, Scott Collins, Robert Sinsabaugh, Andrea Porras-Alfaro and Diego Martinez from the Department of Biology at UNM; Blake Simmons of Sandia and JBEI; Ralph Dean of NCSU-CIFR; and Randy Berka of Novozymes.
The total sequencing resources allocated to the project by DOE will be the equivalent of that required to analyze several microbial genomes or a significant fraction of the human genome, which contains approximately three billion base pairs of DNA.
Established in 2005, the JGI’s Community Sequencing Program (CSP) provides the scientific community at large with free access to high-throughput sequencing at DOE JGI for projects of relevance to DOE missions. Sequencing projects are chosen based on scientific merit — judged through independent peer review — and relevance to issues in bioenergy, global carbon cycling and biogeochemistry.
For more information visit: http://www.jgi.doe.gov/CSP/index.html.
It took seven days and nearly $400,000, but lawmakers finally came up with a plan to balance the state budget. But, did they do enough to stave off even more massive cutbacks when the regular session starts in January? This week, hear from the lawmakers themselves. Host Gene Grant sits down with both representatives and senators to get their reaction to the special session and it's lasting implications. “New Mexico In Focus” is KNME-TV’s weekly hour-long public affairs show airing on Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. on KNME-TV channel 5.1 and repeating on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 a.m.
Guests include State Senators Dede Feldman and Sue Wilson Beffort, and State Representatives Larry Larranga and Al Park.
Also, artists discuss the giant LAND/ART project taking place this fall here in the Land of Enchantment. See some examples and hear what they have to say about this unusual genre.
Guests for the LAND/ART discussion include Bill Gilbert, Lannan Chair of the UNM Land Arts of the American West program; Ryan Henel, LAND/ART artist; Lea Rekow, executive director, Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe; and Suzanne Sbarge, LAND/ART project coordinator.
Hosted by Gene Grant, columnist for the Weekly Alibi, “New Mexico in Focus” takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic, health, education, and arts issues and explores them in-depth, with a critical eye to give them context beyond the “news of the moment.”
“New Mexico in Focus” is produced by Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer and 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
Information Technologies and Purchasing at UNM have announced a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Dell, Inc. to provide students, faculty and staff with discount prices on numerous Dell desktop computers, laptops, monitors and servers. UNM departments can take advantage of these significant discount prices by continuing to make their departmental purchases through LoboMart.
Students, faculty and staff can make personal-use purchases under the same agreement by visiting LoboMart.
The Strategic Partnership Agreement is part of IT’s Workstation Management (WSM) project, which implements campus-wide hardware, software and security standards on all UNM-owned computers. As well, there will be two WSM overview presentations November. The first presentation will take place at the IT Agents meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 9:30 a.m. at the SUB Mirage Thunderbird Room. The second presentation, for IT UNM, will take place Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 9 a.m. at the SUB Fiesta A & B. Additional presentations may be scheduled in December.
Updates and other information will be communicated on the WSM website, which will be updated regularly during the next few months as the project continues. For more information about the Dell partnership agreement or the WSM project, visit: WSM Project.
Media Contact: Vanessa Baca, (505) 277-0987; e-mail: vjbaca1@unm.edu
Effective Tuesday, Dec. 1, the Payroll reception area will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Telephone calls to the Payroll Department at 277-2353 will continue to be answered daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additionally, drop offs can still be delivered throughout the day by leaving paper work in any of the three window slots.
The Payroll Department encourages all university employees to continue using Lobo Web for the various options that are available online, including pay stub information, changes to their direct deposits, mailing addresses changes and changes to W4 information.
For more information contact 277-2353.
David Craven, distinguished professor of art history at UNM, was selected by faculty in the Department of Art & Art History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill to give the annual McLeod & Mildred Riggins Lecture in Art History. Craven will present a lecture titled, “A Trans-Atlantic Dialogue in the Arts: Fri(e)da Kahlo, Hannah Höch, and Tina Modotti,” on Monday, Nov. 2.
Photo: David Craven
A special endowed lectureship, the Riggins Lecture is awarded annually to a noteworthy scholar who has made a major contribution to the discipline of art history. Previous speakers have included Abigail Solomon-Godeau, Patricia Mathews and José Esteban Muñoz.
Craven has written 10 books and catalogues, along with more than 140 articles and review essays, which have appeared in leading publications of over 20 countries and been translated into more than a dozen languages. Among his more widely known publications are “Mythmaking in the McCarthy Period,” “Diego Rivera as Epic Modernist,” “Abstract Expressionism as Cultural Critique” and “Art and Revolution in Latin America, 1910-1990” – a book praised by Ernesto Cardenal, Minister of Culture in Nicaragua during the 1980s. Craven co-edited and introduced “Dialectical Conversions: The Art Criticism of Donald Kuspit,” forthcoming from Liverpool University Press in 2010.
Craven was awarded a Medal of Excellence from the State of New York in 1991 and was the 2007 Rudolf Arnheim Professor of Art History at Humboldt University in Berlin. He has won more than fifteen major grants and fellowships from such agencies as the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, American Council of Learned Societies, New York Council for the Humanities, Rockefeller Foundation, Ministry of Culture in Spain, and Instituto Nacional de Bellas Arte in Mexico.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Jacob Wellman, a new member of the University of New Mexico chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, was awarded the Merit Award, a $1,000 scholarship given to only 50 new NSCS members out of thousands of applicants nationwide.
Wellman is a UNM regents’ scholar majoring in political science. Originally from Atlanta, Ga., he moved to Albuquerque in 2003. He’s interested in politics and law and is considering law school.
In addition to serving as executive vice president of NSCS, he is vice president of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, ASUNM attorney general, and a student employee in UNM’s Office of Community and Government Relations.
“From the time Jake Wellman arrived on campus it was obvious he was going to be a student leader at UNM, and in a short period he has accomplished so much. I am anxious to see all that he accomplishes before he graduates,” said Debbie Morris, Student Activities Center director.
NSCS is an honors organization for high-achieving freshmen and sophomores at 240 universities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
“We read hundreds of applications for this award and Jacob truly stood out,” said Thomas Locke, member of the NSCS Scholarship Review Committee. “Merit Award is always one of our favorite scholarships. We enjoy being able to support students by removing some of the financial burden they face.”
Recipients were chosen based on essays, extracurricular activities, a recommendation letter and demonstration of commitment to and knowledge of the NSCS mission statement and ideals.
An exhibit titled, "The Untangling of Diabetes Mellitus,” explores the long and interesting history of diabetes first discovered during ancient times and yet only became treatable less than a 100 years ago through the discovery of insulin. The exhibit, currently on display in the Domenici Center for Health Sciences Education auditorium through Aug. 6, 2010, is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday - Friday.
HSLIC will also host a special lecture on the discovery of insulin by David Bennahum, M.D., followed by a panel discussion featuring several of the HSC’s premiere researchers in the field, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 12-1 p.m. in Domenici Center, room 2112. For more information call, 272-6518.
Professor of Anthropology Hilliard Kaplan and graduate student Paul L. Hooper are among 26 authors of a paper published in the journal “Science” today. The paper, titled “Intergenerational Wealth Transmission and the Dynamics of Inequality in Small Scale Societies,” uses data compiled by the researchers to examine how the gap between rich and poor is affected by the way that children inherit wealth from their parents.
Photo: Hilliard Kaplan
Kaplan and Hooper contributed information from their research with the Tsimane, a farming and foraging society native to the Bolivian Amazon and one of many groups examined by the researchers. In the paper the researchers conclude that the inheritance of wealth is limited in hunter-gatherer and horticultural societies but more substantial among pastoral and agricultural societies.
A researcher at the Santa Fe Institute and one of the primary authors of the paper, Samuel Bowles brought Kaplan and Hooper into the project to analyze cross-cultural and help develop theory. Kaplan says, “In the traditional conditions under which humans evolved there was little transmission of wealth until agriculture became a large factor in the economy. But the more you have inherited wealth that goes from parents to children, the greater the inequality of wealth distribution in the population.” In the big picture of human experience he says, there have generally been low levels of wealth transmission from parents to children.
This research drew from decades of research compiled in institutions across North America and the United Kingdom. It synthesizes information compiled about a wide variety of social groups in communities across the world. The research looks at the role of wealth inheritance in sustaining economic inequality in the very long run.
For example, hunter-gathers use their wits and strength, along with their social connections to make a living. Wealth inheritance is modest and economic inequality is comparable to the most egalitarian of modern democratic economy such as those of Nordic Europe. But in herding and farming economies, in which inherited wealth is land and livestock, offspring of the top ten percent in wealth distribution are more likely to attain that status than the offspring of the poorest tenth.
The authors of the study point out that wealth in the emerging knowledge-based economy resembles that of hunter-gatherers because it is less readily passed from parent to child than lands or goods. However, they caution that the information-driven economy will not necessarily assure equality.
The research draws from decades of research in institutions across North America and the United Kingdom. It synthesizes information compiled from a wide variety of social groups across the world. It is part of the on-going Persistent Inequality project of the Behavioral Sciences Program at the Santa Fe Institute, coordinated by Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, and Samuel Bowles.
To listen visit:
Samuel Bowles.
University Libraries’ Indigenous Nations Library Program will host a lecture and brown bag on Nov. 11 on the topic “Addressing the Public Safety Crisis in Indian Country” presented by Kevin K. Washburn, dean and professor of Law at the UNM School of Law. The brown bag event will begin at noon in the Herzstein Latin American Conference Room on the second floor of Zimmerman Library and the lecture will be 3:30 - 5 p.m. in the Willard Room in Zimmerman Library.
Each decade, the media re-discovers the deplorable state of public safety in Indian country and declares it to be a crisis. The crisis is real and severe and it has gradually been getting worse.
Crisis levels of crime, particularly against women and children, have come to reflect the baseline in Indian country. Washburn will describe the structural problems with the criminal justice system in Indian country and will argue that the crisis may continue as long as tribes must continue to rely on the federal and state governments to provide criminal justice in Indian country.
As in the areas of healthcare and education, the problem will likely only be successfully addressed when other governments recognize tribal self-determination and tribal governments are made primarily responsible for addressing the crime problem.
Washburn is one of the leading experts on criminal justice in Indian country. He has published numerous law review articles on the subject, including American Indians, Crime and the Law, 104 Mich. L. Rev. 709 (2006). He has also lectured widely, and testified often before committees of the U.S. Congress. His work has helped to prompt significant recent attention to the justice in Indian country, including proposed Congressional legislation addressing the problem.
He earned his law degree from the Yale Law School in 1993, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Journal on Regulation. Following law school, Washburn clerked Judge William C. Canby, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
As a practicing lawyer, Washburn served as a trial attorney the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and later as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New Mexico, where he primarily prosecuted violent crimes arising in Indian country.
Washburn served in 2001-02 on a Native American Advisory Committee to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. He has also served as the General Counsel of the National Indian Gaming Commission, an independent federal regulatory agency.
As a law professor, Washburn taught criminal law and Federal Indian law, as well as other subjects at Minnesota, Harvard, and Arizona prior to joining the New Mexico faculty. He is also a member of the Criminal Law and Procedure Drafting Committee of the National Conference of Bar Examiners which produces the Multistate Bar Examination.
With colleagues from UCLA, Washburn is currently a principal investigator on a $1.47 million grant from the NIJ to study the administration of criminal justice in Indian country. Washburn is an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized Indian nation, and spent his youth in Oklahoma, mostly within the original boundaries of his tribe's former reservation.
“Where Do We Go From Here? A Moderated Debate on Health Care Reform” is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the UNM Domenici Center for Health Sciences Education Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
Featuring:
• Dr. Bruce Trigg, NM Department of Health-Single Payer Options
• Dr. Dan Derksen, UNM Health Sciences Center-Current Legislative Proposals
• Professor Micha Gisser, UNM Department of Economics (Emeritus)-Free Market Proposals
The panel will be moderated by Winthrop Quigley of the Albuquerque Journal.
RIOS Net, Research Involving Outpatient Settings, is dedicated to improving the health of and health care delivery of traditionally underserved populations in New Mexico. It is composed of primary care clinicians practicing in Community Health Centers, Indian Health Service/Tribal facilities, and academic settings.
The IT Department will conduct a planned system and infrastructure upgrade on Tuesday, Nov. 3 from 5 - 7 a.m. All UNM main campus internet services, the UNM network, all wired and wireless networks, e-mail, the UNM portal, LoboWeb, WebCT, Hyperion and several other web-based services and systems will be unavailable during that time.
The infrastructure upgrade involves improvements to IT's core switch operating system, which will prevent potential system crashes in the future. IT apologizes for any inconvenience this upgrade may cause.
For more information visit: IT Alerts for additional information and updates to this upgrade or contact the IT Support Center at 277-4848.
Media Contact: Vanessa Baca, (505) 277-0987; e-mail: vjbaca1@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Mentoring Institute hosts its second annual conference, themed “Making the Most of Mentoring in a World of Change,” November 16-18 on the UNM main campus. The intent of the conference is to provide a research-informed professional development opportunity during which attendees will share ideas in scholarly, practice-oriented sessions.
Keynote speaker is Dr. Lois Zachary, an internationally recognized expert in mentoring and leadership development, president of Leadership Development Services, LLC, a consulting firm located in Phoenix, Ariz. Her innovative work in mentoring and elevating the practice of mentoring excellence in organizations has brought her acclaim.
Zachary is author of The Mentor’s Guide (Jossey-Bass, 2000), a primary resource for organizations interested in promoting mentoring for leadership and learning. Her newest book, Creating a Mentoring Culture: The Organization’s Guide (Jossey-Bass, 2005), is a comprehensive resource with step-by-step guidance, practical advice and engaging stories.
The conference also features several other distinguished speakers, including: Dr. Joseph Pascarelli, president of the International Mentoring Association; Dr. Izzy Justice, president of EQ-Mentor, Inc.; Dr. William Gannon, VP of Research Ethics and Integrity at UNM, and Dr. Margaret Werner-Washburn, UNM professor and Presidential Awardee for Mentoring.
A pre-conference workshop, “Developing Effective Mentoring Programs,” is set for Monday, Nov. 16 in the Student Union Building rooms Acoma A&B. Additional plenary sessions, panels, round tables, and poster presentations addressing mentoring best practices related to this year’s theme are all part of the conference.
For more information visit: Mentoring Conference.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
School of Architecture and Planning students were recognized for excellence in digital design recently at the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture conference in Chicago. The AutoDesSys held the 17th Annual Awards Banquet of its Joint Study Program for Excellence in Design, an annual international program sponsored by Form Z digital modeling software.
Photo: Antonio Vigil, Kobi Bauer, Elizabeth Suina, Mara Schweikert and Owen Kramme, second pecond place winners in Digital Fabrication from Tim Castillo's Emerging Mutations studio, attended the awards banquet.
UNM graduate student Antonio Vigil, recognized for excellence in design, was awarded the prize of distinction, first place, in the urban design category. His studio design project 35º | 106º [downtown arena] was honored for innovation and creative graphic presentation. UNM Professors Tim B. Castillo, Karen King and Rana Abu-Dayyeh were faculty advisors for the project.
Jury comments:
“After a rather insightful analysis of an urban environment, an imaginatively designed arena becomes a catalyst for the revitalization of a downtown. While the study is applied to a specific city, its validity is almost universal, at least within the content of the USA. This project succeeds on the urban as well as on the building scale. The graphic presentation is beautifully crafted and could easily pass for a professional project. It is all done through an effective use of digital tools, which is one more reason that this project deserves recognition.”
Also honored at the event in the Digital Fabrication category was Castillo’s Emerging Mutations studio. AutoDesSys awarded the studio honorable mention, second place, for its innovation in using recycled materials and computer driven fabrication methods to create a visually pleasing installation.
Jury comments:
This is a project of an impressive magnitude and complexity, even for a team of 14 students. With such a team, coordination frequently becomes an issue, but this team managed to excel all the way to the end. There are so many aspects for which this work deserves to be commended: as a demonstration of imaginative recycling of old material and keeping the cost under $200; as a successful application of computer driven fabrication methods; as a visually pleasing end result, and many more. Not to be neglected is the enthusiasm with which the students must have approached the project and is clearly reflected in the final result. Obviously that enthusiasm must have transcended beyond the team and appears to have triggered a ‘festival’ for all the students.”
Students in the studio were Chad Harris, Christopher Price, Neil Werbelow, Matthew Archuleta, Luis Marquez, Ben Ortega, Jeremy Jerge, Mara Schweikert, Travis Bunch, Owen Kramme, Nick Byers, Hooman Keyhan Haghighi, Kobi Bauer and Elizabeth Suina.
Antonio Vigil, Kobi Bauer, Elizabeth Suina, Mara Schweikert and Owen Kramme attended the awards banquet.
UNM was in good company among the winners, which included the College of Architecture, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; College of Architecture, Texas Tech University; Department of Architectural Studies, Cardiff School of Art & Design, University of Wales Institute, United Kingdom; Department of Art and Media, South Devon College, Paignton, Devon, United Kingdom; Department of Architecture, Tamkang University, Tanshui, Taiwan; BAA Illustration, Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
For more information visit:
2008-09 form·Z Joint Study Program Award Winners.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Kaufman Takes a critical view of the obama administration’s financial reforms
The Anderson School of Management would like to invite the Albuquerque community to attend a special breakfast and discussion with leading economist and finance expert consultant Dr. George G. Kaufman on Friday, Nov. 13, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. The Business to Business Breakfast Series takes place in Anderson’s Jackson Student Center on the UNM Campus and admission is free.
Photo: Dr. George G. Kaufman
Kaufman’s presentation, titled Pending Financial Reforms: A Critical Review, will focus on the Obama Administration’s wide range of financial system reforms in response to the recent financial turmoil to reduce the probabilities of a recurrence.
Some are in coordination with reforms proposed by other industrial countries through the G20. Some require congressional approval, while others do not. Many are highly controversial. Dr. Kaufman’s talk will critically analyze the more important proposals and identify the pros and cons of these reforms.
Kaufman is the John F. Smith Professor of Finance and Economics and Director of the Center for Financial and Policy Studies in the School of Business Administration, Loyola University, Chicago. Before teaching at Loyola, he was a research fellow, economist and research officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and has been a consultant to the Bank since 1981.
Previously, he was the John Rogers Professor of Banking and Finance and Director of the Center for Capital Market Research in the College of Business Administration at the University of Oregon and has been a visiting professor at the University of Southern California, Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley, and a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Office of the Comptroller of Currency.
Seating at the presentation is limited and reservations are recommended. Space can be reserved at rsvp@mgt.unm.edu by Monday, Nov. 9 or call (505) 277-6413 for more information. Parking spaces in the lot immediately north of the Anderson School are available free on a first-come, first-serve basis. Additional spaces may be found at the parking structure next to Popejoy Hall for a nominal fee as well as paid meters along Las Lomas.
Media Contact: Leslie Venzuela, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: venzuela@mgt.unm.edu
The UNM Latin American and Iberian Institute sponsors “Unlikely Neighbors? The Jewish Experience in the ‘New World,’” a conference with leading national speakers exploring historical perspectives of Jewish Life in Spain, the Americas, Argentina, and Cuba, on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the UNM Student Union Building Lobo A&B from 1-5 p.m.
The conference is free and pre-registration is recommended at Celebrate Festival Program.
"Unlikely Neighbors" is presented as part of "¡Celébrate!," Nov. 5-15, of film, music, art, theater, food, exhibits and lectures highlighting the extraordinary historic and contemporary journey of the Jewish people after their expulsion from Spain in 1492.
Funding for this conference was provided by the Isaac Liberman Foundation. In addition to the LAII, the program is sponsored by UNM’s the New Mexico Anti-Defamation League in conjunction with the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, the New Mexico Historical Society and UNM’s Departments of History, Spanish and Portuguese, Anthropology, Sociology, Religious Studies, American Studies, Women’s Studies and the UNM Libraries Center for Southwest Research.
Four leading scholars will share their work during the conference:
Seth Ward, University of Wyoming
“From Convivencia to Concealment: The History of the Jews and Crypto-Jews of Spain”
Stanley M. Hordes, University of New Mexico
“The Sephardic Legacy in Spanish America: A History of the Crypto-Jews”
Sandra McGee Deutsch: University of Texas, El Paso
“A Bad Reputation? The Intimate Lives of Argentine Jewish Women, 1890s-1940s”
Ruth Behar, University of Michigan
“Always Searching for Home: Stories of the Jews of Cuba”
Each talk will be followed by a Q and A session and books written by presenters will be available for purchase and signing. Light refreshments will be served.
For a complete list of events in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos, visit Celebrate Festival.
The members of the search committee for dean of the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning have been named, announced Donna Hoff, search committee coordinator, Provost’s Office.
The committee aims to have the position posted by mid-November, with a suggested application submission date of early January. They are working to have semi-finalists determined by the start of the spring semester and hold on-site interviews in March.
Committee Chair
Richard Howell, Dean, College of Education
Faculty
Theresa Cordova, Professor, Community & Regional Planning
Alfred Simon, Director, Landscape Architecture
Chris Wilson, Professor, Architecture
Geoffrey Adams, Professor Architecture
Anne Taylor, Professor, Architecture
Tim Imeokparia, Assistant Professor, Architecture
Staff
Roger Lujan, University Architect, Planning & Campus Development
Cindy Abel Morris, Manager, Visual Resources, Bunting
Janice Bandrofchak, Development Officer, Architecture & Planning
Community
Lou Weller, Principal, Weller Architects
Baker Morrow, Professor of Practice, Morrow Reardon Wilkinson Miller
Patrick Gay, President, NMASLA, Sites Southwest, LLC
Van Gilbert, Principal, Van Gilbert Architect PC
Students
Emily Rudin, Graduate Student, Landscape Architecture
Anna Matejczul, Undergraduate Student, Architecture
Lauren Klose, Undergraduate Student, Community & Regional Planning
Search Coordinator
Donna Hoff, Program Specialist, Provost’s Office
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The Latin American and Iberian Institute hosts Animal Symbolism in the Mesoamerican Codex Tradition, a symposium for researchers, teachers, and other community members, Thursday, Nov. 19 – Saturday, Nov. 21 at the LAII. Presenters at the symposium will share new studies on how pre-Hispanic people of Mexico perceived animals and how current practices provide insight into environmental concerns.
Experts from the United States and Mexico will explore the significance of animal symbolism in language, archaeology, zooarchaeology and art of the three best-known regions that produced books – commonly referred to as codices – prior to European contact. These areas were occupied by the Maya of Yucatan, the Mixtec speakers of southern Mexico and the Mexica, or Aztecs, who lived on the site that is now Mexico City.
The symposium provides opportunities for scholars, teachers and others to collaborate so that related topics can be incorporated into New Mexican classrooms and beyond. A special orientation session for educators is available with professional development credit an option. Also, informal discussions between speakers and teachers are scheduled.
The general public is invited and admission is free; however seating is limited, so preregistration is required.
For a schedule of events, more details and registration visit: LAII.
This event is made possible with support from the Gorham Foundation Cultural Fund, the Student Organization of Latin American Studies, the University Art Museum, and Inter-American Studies within the University Libraries.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Music, Mind, and Brain: A Triad of Listening, Learning, and Performing, an informal dialogue with William Seymour, UNM professor emeritus of music, is set for Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Domenici Center Auditorium at the Health Sciences Center. Seymour will examine music and related disciplines for a deeper understanding and enrichment of the musical experience. This event is free and open to the public.
As part of Seymour’s presentation, the Abe Frank String Quartet, comprised of graduate students from the UNM Department of Music, will perform.
With degrees from Washington University and Music and Arts College in St. Louis, Seymour joined the UNM Department of Music faculty in 1962. During his tenure, he taught piano, music education, music aesthetics and psychology, low brass among other subjects. Seymour served as chair of the UNM Department of Music and Assistant Dean of Fine Arts. Since his retirement as associate professor of music in 1993, he continues his research into music and neuroscience and to teach piano and the art of teaching piano.
This event is part of the Continuum Series: Looking toward Honoring the Continuing Contributions of UNM Professors Emeritae and Emeriti. UNM students and faculty from all disciplines, including Health Sciences, staff, and the public are cordially invited.
Native American Studies presents a talk and discussion by Chun-Chieh Chi, on Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 4-5 p.m. in George Pearl Hall room P130. Chi, from the Graduate Institute of Ethnic Relations and Culture in the College of Indigenous Studies, National Dong-Kwa University presents, “Indigenous People and the Making of State-Sanctioned Multicultural Taiwan.” Chi is a Fulbright Scholar.
Photo: Chun-Chieh Chi
Pearl Hall is the School of Architecture and Planning building, located on Cornell and Central NE. Call NAS at 277-3917 for more information.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Yukio Nishimura from the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Urban Engineering, delivers the Pearl Fellow Lecture on Friday, Oct. 30 at 5:15 p.m. in the Pearl Hall auditorium. Nishimura’s lecture is Japan’s World Heritage Wooden Structures: Preservation and Authenticity. Pearl Hall, home of the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, is located on Cornell and Central NE.
Japan, with its abundant forests, has one of the world’s greatest traditions of building in wood. Wood is used ingeniously to craft a wide range of structures from farmers’ and merchants’ houses to multi-arched bridges, castles, shrines and temples and many other types of buildings.
In his beautifully illustrated presentation, Nishimura discusses the range of Japan’s wooden architecture and its special structural and design features, highlighting structures inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
He will also discuss how preservation of wooden structures, in a land of high rainfall and relentless deterioration, poses particular challenges. The need to replace individual wooden members makes the retention of all historic fabric – the gospel of preservation in the West – difficult. Instead, the continuation of carpentry and craftsmanship traditions from one generation to the next becomes crucial to maintaining authenticity.
Chester Liebs, adjunct professor, School of Architecture and Planning, said that Nishimura has advised communities all over Asia on challenges relating to conserving both their cultural and natural heritage including, but not limited to, facilitating tourism and/or economic development while protecting local traditions.
Liebs said that the Japanese culture, much like the Native American cultures, sees deep sacred meaning in nature. “Many community based projects there involve protecting things natural as well as cultural. Nishimura sensei brings a holistic view embracing both,” he said.
Nishimura’s master’s and doctoral programs draw students from Japan, as well as East Asia including China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand, places where he also advises communities using “machizukuri,” holistic community building.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Music Steven Feld will screen his new documentary film “A Por Por Funeral for Ashirifie” at the Outpost Performance Space on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Por Por music (pronounced “Paw Paw”) is named for the honking sound of antique squeeze-bulb car horns.
The documentary introduces audiences to the funerary music of bus and taxi drivers in the Accra township of La in Ghana. Introduced in the pre-electric horn days of the1930s, the drivers used the squeeze-bulb car horns as a signaling device on large transport vehicles. A big part of their work was moving timber logs over forest roads. The rough roads guaranteed tire problems and drivers who had to change a tire at night would honk their horns and beat wrenches on tire rims to frighten animals who might be lurking in the nearby brush.
Feld says the drivers eventually began to use the tire rims and horns to make music. They played bell and drum parts on the tire rims, and with the car horns they imitated the traditional music for elephant tusk and antelope horn ensemble. Then they substituted pliable enema bulbs for the original heavy rubber ones to play the horns with speed, and developed a form of music that was a cross between Ghanaian wind and percussion traditions and swing jazz.
This music remained unknown to the public because the drivers only performed Por Por at funerals for their own union members. The film follows the honk horn funeral for one of the group’s founding members. It also explores the similarity between the honk horn funerals of Ghana and the New Orleans jazz funerals.
Feld came to UNM in 2003, after holding professorships at Columbia, NYU, University of California at Santa Cruz, University of Pennsylvania and the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently finishing a book about jazz and cosmopolitanism in Accra. This film is one of three that accompanies the book project.
In addition to the film, Feld produced a historical CD book about Por Por for Smithsonian Folkways in 2007, and has now produced a follow-up Por Por CD titled “KLEBO!” In addition to the film he will debut the new CD along with a slide show of photographs and commentary.
Klebo! is available at: Voxlox.
To hear a sample of Por Por music, visit: Por Por.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico School of Law will play host to the 2009 Annual Phi Alpha Delta Halloween Carnival on Friday, Oct. 30 from 2:30-6 p.m. at the UNM School of Law. The carnival will include face painting, a cake walk, a haunted house, tours of the law school and courthouse, a bouncehouse, food games and more. The carnival is open to the public and parents are encouraged to bring their children in costumes.
Phi Alpha Delta is a community-oriented legal fraternity, taking part in a variety of activities in their local communities each year. Phi Alpha Delta is also currently working on developing stronger ties with Habitat for Humanity and Big Brother/Big Sisters. The group also helps advance the academic, social and professional development of its members.
For more information about Phi Alpha Delta, or the 2009 Halloween Carnival, contact Sara Blankenhorn, blankesa@law.unm.edu, or Andrea Harris, harrisan@law.unm.edu.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
For this odd couple, difference is an asset. Julie Sykes, assistant professor of Spanish, and Chris Holden, mathematician and assistant professor in University Honors, teamed up to create Mentira, a mobile game for iPhone and iPod Touch that takes language learning out of the classroom and into the streets – literally and digitally.
In the game – played entirely in Spanish – students solve a fictional mystery based on a real place – Los Griegos in Albuquerque’s North Valley. The game combines virtual activities with visits to the physical neighborhood. Holden said people in the community have been friendly and willing to participate.
Sykes said the name Mentira, which means “lie,” refers to students using “language to determine who is giving them real clues and who is lying in order to solve the mystery and successfully complete the game.”
Students select paths and gather clues, with higher stakes as the game progresses. The program is primarily text-based, enhanced with maps and videos, and GPS may be added in future.
The game environment can make it easier to shift students’ priorities from grades to learning. Holden said with video games, “you’re more willing to fail, and that’s an intrinsic part of learning.”
Sykes and Holden developed the game with a team of graduate students and had the first pilot this summer, with two more pilot classes this fall. The full launch is planned for spring.
Students in the summer pilot caught some of Sykes’ and Holden’s excitement in interdisciplinary work. “It’s helping them connect their worlds – something we weren’t expecting,” Sykes said.
“Students liked most being part of something new and experimental and knowing their input would shape its future,” Holden said.
Mentira is also a model students can use to build their own games. “That’s why we’re using a simpler engine. You don’t have to be a programmer to create games,” Holden said.
Sykes and Holden joined forces after meeting at a game conference. Both had prior experience with creating educational games – Sykes with 3-D multiplayer games and Holden with mobile games.
As a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota, Sykes developed Croquelandia, an immersive Spanish learning virtual world. UNM now uses the program in intermediate Spanish courses.
Sykes said the text-based game plus physical world interaction of Mentira and the 3-D graphics-based Croquelandia are complimentary. Both games are based on open source platforms. “We wanted to control everything we could so we could give them away,” she said.
The Mentira project is funded in part by Research Allocations Committee and Teaching Allocations Committee grants.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
With success measured by graduation rates and only 44 percent of our students graduating after six years, UNM is filling a family-friendly toolbox to help students cross the finish line. In addition to enrollment preparation, including parent orientation and freshman convocation, the university’s parent programming includes a Parent Relations Office with a parent liaison and the Parent Association. Students embrace increased family involvement. New research is quantifying positive outcomes such as higher self-esteem.
Amanda Dussault and Rudy Montoya provide administrative staff support for Student Affairs’ Dean of Students Office, home to LoboOrientation and the Family Connection (parent orientation), National Student Exchange and other preparation and retention services, including Parent Relations and the Parent Association. Dussault, fondly chided by colleagues as the office’s lone “Aggie,” said her first semester at New Mexico State University was smooth sailing, but the following spring led to a fork in the road.
“I could not find the balance between friends, homework and everything that comes along with being a college student. I got every grade out there – A, B, C, D and F,” she said. “My dad just got real quiet, and then he said, ‘You are going back in the fall, you will get a job and earn back the lottery [scholarship] or you will find a way to pay for college on your own.” Dussault buckled down and is a proud NMSU alumna. “Part of it was learning not to be afraid to ask for help,” she said.
Complicating matters is the “tutor stigma,” a high school hangover easily cured by facts. Nearly 85 percent of students are tutored during their college career, said Center for Academic Program Support Director Karen Olson. Good students looking to be great scholars are the first to arrive at the table. Convincing struggling students of the benefits is another matter, she said.
Montoya, a UNM cinematic arts alumnus, said that from CAPS to department and program-specific services such as mock testing, study groups and guidance from teaching assistants, professors and peer mentors, help is abundant.
Students typically seek academic support midterm and during finals. “It’s better to do it throughout the entire semester,” Montoya said.
UNM senior Adriana Romero said parents should get involved early on and not worry about being labeled as over-involved. “I didn’t seek academic support until I was a junior. It can be embarrassing, but it’s about committing yourself more to your studies and not getting so caught up in the fun stuff. We forget that we have papers to do.”
Romero advises parents to be open and understanding about academic progress. “It’s scary to have to tell someone who is helping you pay for your education that you are not doing so well. And you don’t want to disappoint them.”
Need help paying the bills? The next installment of the Parent Talk series on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m. in the Student Services Building, Dean of Students Conference Room, features UNM Financial Aid and Scholarship Offices presenters Susan Chavez and Bill Bloom.
Story by Laurie Mellas, Parent Relations, senior program manager
N.M. CareerMatch is a new online service to help New Mexico employers and graduates of UNM and Central New Mexico Community College in the job search process. UNM and CNM graduates may register free at NM Career Match. After graduate status is verified by schools, graduates may search posted job positions, upload résumés and check tips for job hunting and résumé writing.
“UNM Career Services played an instrumental role in setting up the program and getting it populated. We added 1,100 employers from New Mexico to the database and currently have over 220 jobs posted,” said Jenna Crabb, Career Services director. UNM serves as host of the New Mexico Career Match Web site.
New Mexico employers may register at nmcareermatch.com to post job openings and company information and to search résumés free of charge.
“Our ultimate goal is to encourage more smart business and employment growth in New Mexico by helping to link employers with skilled graduates,” said Bob Walton, vice president of business development for Albuquerque Economic Development, which is providing operational support for N.M. CareerMatch. “We also look forward to N.M. CareerMatch leading our New Mexico university and college graduates now living out-of-state to return home for good job opportunities.”
Plans are underway to expand N.M. CareerMatch to serve graduates of more New Mexico universities and colleges, including UNM branch campuses. “Thanks to the dedicated work of UNM and CNM in launching N.M. CareerMatch, their graduates will be the first to take advantage of this premier resource in searching for quality jobs in New Mexico,” Walton said.
Funding of $400,000 for N.M. CareerMatch is provided from a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development and administered by New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. French Funeral and Cremation Services donated $50,000 in recognition of the company’s 100-year anniversary.
New academic planning tools are under development to help students stay on track for graduation. Working closely with colleges, faculty and academic advisors, the Office of the Registrar, Division of Enrollment Management is planning initiatives to improve course scheduling, allow students to view and register for multiple terms, and make the online degree audit more user-friendly.
Students used to rushing across campus from one class to the next will appreciate the new scheduling system, which will place courses near their respective schools and colleges. The degree audit, which helps students keep track of progress toward a degree, will be enhanced with easy-to-read graphic
reports, available 24/7.
Multi-term registration will give students the option to view and register for courses in multiple semesters in advance. Students who choose to take advantage of the service will be able to plan courses sequentially to build toward degree requirements, as well as allowing more time to plan for work and personal obligations. The goal is to begin pre-registration in April 2010 for summer 2010, fall 2010 and spring 2011.
A multi-term registration planning committee composed of representatives of faculty, academic advisors, students, Dean of Students Office, Registrar’s Office and Information Technologies is working with college deans, administrators and faculty to learn the needs of and impacts on each college. The committee will continue working with related constituencies as needed to develop a plan that considers staff and faculty needs while maximizing the benefit to students.
Send comments to tellus@unm.edu.
Story by Sari Krosinsky
The time to enroll for a Flexible Spending Account for calendar year 2010 is approaching, so now is an opportunity to consider if a Flexible Spending Account would benefit you.
FSAs allow participants to contribute a specific dollar amount, up to the annual maximums, on a pre-tax basis for qualified expenses. UNM offers FSAs to benefits-eligible employees regardless of enrollment in a UNM medical plan. Two types of Flexible Spending Accounts are offered, and an employee can enroll in one or both.
The medical reimbursement account reimburses certain medical, dental, vision, prescription and hearing care expenses not covered by any insurance plan for employees and eligible dependents. The maximum annual amount for a medical reimbursement account is $5,000.
The dependent care account reimburses participants for qualified dependent care expenses at a licensed facility for services provided by individuals, dependent care centers and other qualified care. The maximum annual election amount for dependent care is $5,000 (head of household or married filing jointly) or $2,500 (married filing separately).
By contributing on a pre-tax basis, taxable earnings are reduced, resulting in tax savings. If you decide to enroll, estimate expenses conservatively, because Flexible Spending Accounts are designed with a “use it or lose it” rule. If you have contributed more to the FSA than the services received by the end of the plan year, any remaining balance in the account is forfeited. Nevertheless, if you know you will have qualified expenses during the next calendar year, you will likely benefit from enrolling in a Flexible Spending Account.
FSA open enrollment is Wednesday, Nov. 4 - Wednesday, Nov. 18, so now is the time to consider how an FSA can benefit you. For more information about FSAs and how to enroll, visit the Division of Human Resources at hr.unm.edu and click “Benefits.”
Story by Helen Gonzales, vice president for Human Resources
In the September issue of the Faculty Governance newsletter, Doug Fields writes about participating in Freshman Convocation as Faculty Senate president and carrying the University Mace, a traditional symbol of authority. “Without letting that go to my head, it surely reinforced the idea that the faculty of the university should be at the heart of decision-making and policies,” he said.
The newsletter addresses several issues of concern to faculty and ways to participate in decision-making.
Richard Wood, past chair of the Faculty Governance Committee, urges all faculty to get involved in Faculty Senate committees, a “primary vehicle through which faculty can have voice in strengthening UNM’s academic mission in all aspects of decision-making.” Fields suggests that the Faculty Senate Athletics Council, in particular, might be used to improve transparency, as well as shared governance over decisions with a university-wide impact, such as advertising.
Fields also discusses a proposal to contract with private developer American Campus Communities to build residence halls on main and south campuses. He urges faculty to contribute to discussions of this and other issues related to the pending campus master plan.
Past Faculty Senate President Howard Snell considers a review of university policies on the distribution of faculty’s teaching, research, student advisement and other responsibilities, part of the 2010 UNM President’s Work Plan. He invites comments to the Faculty Senate Operations Committee, which will recommend policy improvements.
Senator Mary Lipscomb writes about a proposed resolution advocating improved community involvement in campus planning and the creation of a UNM/Albuquerque Development Board with constituent voting members including faculty, staff, students and neighborhood associations. The resolution argues that “community engagement is crucial to institutional integrity” and “can mitigate costly delays, legal challenges and project cancellations that result from a lack of participation.”
Other issues addressed in the newsletter include possible faculty retirement incentives, the option to transfer to ERB from alternative retirement plans, progress on responding to the Higher Learning Commission’s recommendations for shared governance, and an update on the status of the faculty-requested audit.
For the complete newsletter and other information visit: Faculty Governance.
The Department of English Language and Literature presents its inaugural Celebration of Student Writing in the Student Union Building ballrooms on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 12:30 p.m. The event displays the work of English 101 students, while giving these first-year students a chance to get to know their classmates.
“One of the main goals of the celebration is to foster community among students in their English classes,” said Genesea Carter, teaching assistant and chairperson of the Celebration of Student Writing committee.
Teaching Assistant Erin Penner, whose class is participating in the celebration, has seen her students form relationships while working on their submissions.
“It has already gotten students talking about their shared experiences with writing,” Penner said. “I hope this will help them forge connections beyond the classroom.”
Twenty-five sections of English 101 were selected to participate in the celebration.
“Because this is the first year, the majority of participants are first-year teaching assistants, who have built this into the curriculum for the semester,” Penner said.
Students were asked to create group or individual installations for the contest that serve as a visual representation of the work they are doing in their classes.
As most entering students are required to take core writing classes, students have the opportunity to show their creativity and have their stories valued, Penner said.
“They’re so talented, and usually people outside of the classroom don’t get to see that,” said Dora Gerding, teaching assistant.
“I hope to see my students get a sense that what they have to say is important, not just to their peers, but their professors and administrators, too,” said Rick Raab-Faber, teaching assistant.
With preparations for this year’s event underway, the department is looking to expand the celebration to include all sections of English 101, 102, 219 and 220 in coming years, Carter said.
Story by Jazmen Bradford
The Retiree Association starts its seventh year with about 500 members, a 20 percent increase from 2008. Bringing more of UNM’s 2,000 retirees into the organization remains an important goal, Retiree Association President Beulah Woodfin said.
Woodfin retired in 2001 after 34 years at UNM. An associate professor emerita in biochemistry and molecular biology, she joined the School of Medicine in its early years.
The Retiree Association keeps members informed and represents them to regents and legislators. Soon after its founding, the organization sent a questionnaire to find out which issues were most important to UNM retirees. Health care and benefits topped the list, followed by COLA, or cost of living adjustment.
The recession has sparked anxiety about the security of retirement funds. Woodfin, a member of the Educational Retirement Board, said despite high-risk and allegedly coerced investments two years ago, ERB’s fund is recovering relatively well.
“All pension funds in the country are down, most university endowments are down, but I think the mix of investments the Educational Retirement Board has undertaken has been fairly sound… and ERB has come back more strongly than other funds around the country,” she said.
While health care – especially rising prescription costs – is a concern for all retirees, Woodfin said there are additional issues for those retiring before age 65, who are not Medicare eligible. Though retirees can continue health insurance subsidized by UNM, premium increases can hit them hard, she said.
Another issue is long-term care insurance, which covers custodial care for those no longer able to care for themselves. Currently, UNM pays for the insurance after one year of full-time, benefits-eligible employment, and retirees can pay to continue coverage. Premiums are based on average age, so including younger employees keeps costs down. Woodfin said retirees worry that if UNM stops carrying the insurance, their age will make them ineligible for a new plan.
In addition to its advocacy role, the Retiree Association hosts programs to suit its diverse members’ interests. The annual holiday party is on Dec. 17 at a new venue, UNM Continuing Education. Woodfin said the new location offers better parking – particularly important for those who can’t walk far.
The group recently sponsored tours of George Pearl Hall, the Tamarind Institute, and Mesa del Sol. The next tour features the new Cancer Research and Treatment Center.
“We figure the more members we have, the more activities we will be able to offer,” Woodfin said, adding that free lectures and tuition remission give retirees many options for staying active.
For more information visit: Retiree Association.
In keeping with UNM’s commitment to student success, the university is considering new admission standards based on research into the best predictors of on-time graduation. UNM is actively gathering feedback from communities across the state on a proposal to gradually increase the required grade point average from 2.25 to 2.5 and increase the curriculum requirements from 13 to 16 units.
The changes would be phased over three years, beginning no earlier than fall 2011. Complementing the proposal is a communication plan to introduce students, families and New Mexico communities to the changes and how to prepare to succeed in college.
The proposal evolved over two years, with input from current and prospective students, faculty, staff, athletics, school districts statewide, tribal leadership, and community organizations.
No New Mexico beginning freshman would be denied admission to UNM under this plan. Those that meet the requirements would be admitted to the Albuquerque campus, while students who need more preparation would be admitted to UNM through the Gateway Program to begin at branch campuses, Central New Mexico Community College or other state community colleges. Gateway participants are considered UNM students and are eligible to live in UNM campus housing, participate in student activities, and receive enhanced advising and communication.
Completing 16 units increases graduation rates by six percent over 13 units, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Education, “The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion From High School Through College.” The proposed changes also complement recent New Mexico legislation increasing the requirements for high school graduation.
“High school grades are the single best gauge of how well a student will do in college,” according to “Crossing the Finish Line: Completing College at America’s Public Universities.” UNM data reveals a six percent increase in retention for those admitted with a 2.5 high school G.P.A. compared to a 2.25 G.P.A.
The proposed approach also encourages students to take advanced courses by using a weighted G.P.A. applied by UNM Admissions – a more equitable, consistent system than accepting weighted G.P.A. determined by individual high schools.
Many students who earn high test scores and G.P.A.s, and more often their parents, say that UNM’s low entrance criteria give the impression of lackluster academic quality. A gradual implementation of the proposed standards, combined with the Gateway Program, will retain access while improving preparation and making the university more attractive to top performing students.
For more information or to submit suggestions, click the “Admission Requirement Proposal” button at: UNM.
Ann-Mary MacLeod, manager of development and donor relations at UNM-Valencia, was awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to research Germany’s higher education system. She is the first Fulbright recipient at UNM-Valencia. MacLeod visits Berlin, Frankfurt and other locations in Germany for two weeks this month to research Germany’s international study programs.
Photo: Ann-Mary MacLeod
Proceeds to benefit Hillerman-McGarrity Creative Writing Scholarship Department of English at UNM
The University of New Mexico Foundation and HarperCollins Publishing will present an evening “Celebrating the Life and Landscapes of Tony Hillerman” and the release of “Tony Hillerman’s Landscape—On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn” by Anne Hillerman on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Building Ballroom.
Step into the world of best-selling author Tony Hillerman’s novels with “Landscape: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn,” a stunning collection of original documentary photographs of the New Mexico and Arizona landscapes that were integral to his detective novels.
Narrated by Tony’s eldest daughter, Anne, along with original photos from her husband, Don Strel, Hillerman’s Landscape is a timely showcase of a hauntingly beautiful region that captured one man’s imagination for a lifetime, and is a daughter’s loving tribute to her father.
Anne will provide an intimate journey through the places and experiences that shaped her father’s novels. Accompanied by her husband and photographer, Don Strel, Anne spent three years visiting the iconic landscapes that Tony held dear. Together, they will conduct an inspiring multimedia show of their journey.
As part of the tribute, a special reception will be held. The Hillerman & McGarrity Endowment Circle will host an exclusive endowment reception to benefit the Hillerman-McGarrity Creative Writing Scholarship in the Department of English at UNM. The reception will be held at Zimmerman Library immediately following the Celebrating the Life and Landscapes of Tony Hillerman. The reception will feature personal tributes and stories from friends and family. Additionally, all reception attendees will receive a signed copy of Anne Hillerman’s book.
General admission tickets for the event at the UNM Student Union Building are $50, which includes one ticket and an autographed book by Anne Hillerman. Tickets for the Endowment Circle, which includes a ticket to each event, an autographed book and membership in the Endowment Circle are $125. Interested attendees are encouraged to purchase tickets and to RSVP for the reception by Wednesday, Nov. 4.
For more information or for tickets visit: Hillerman's Landscape or call (505) 277-9723.
Media Contacts: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu or Jill Zack, (505) 277-9075; e-mail: jzack@unmfund.org
The UNM Bookstore hosts a Children’s Book Fair Saturday, Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This year’s theme is ‘Wild Things’ and features all things monster. The ABQ Biopark will bring a live wild animal exhibit, along with crafts and activities, snacks and face painting. All children’s books and stuffed animals will be 25 percent off. This rumpus is free and open to the public and welcomes kids of all ages.
The UNM Bookstore is located at 2301 Central Ave. NE at the intersection of Cornell and Central. Parking will be validated in the parking structure for up to one hour with purchase. For more information, call Lisa Walden at 505-277-7494 or email lwalden@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM’s Anderson School of Management has demonstrated significant leadership in integrating social, environmental and ethical issues into its MBA program, according to the just released Aspen Institute’s 2009-10 edition of Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial survey and alternative ranking of business schools. The Anderson School ranked 19th on a list of the Top 100 business schools.
“I applaud the Aspen Institute for encouraging business schools to acknowledge their debt to society,” said Anderson Dean Doug Brown. “It not only broadens our perspective; it extends our horizons.”
While many MBA rankings exist, only one looks beyond reputation and test scores to measure something much more important: how well schools are preparing their students for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business.
For this period, 149 business schools from 24 countries participated in an 18-month effort to map the landscape of teaching and research on issues pertaining to business and society. Relevant data collected in the survey, as well as the entire “Global 100” list of business schools, is available at: Beyond Grey Pinstripes.
The survey found that social and environmental issues in business school curricula have increased dramatically over time. The Anderson School has been a leader in this trend by featuring a required course in its curriculum for the MBA focusing on social responsibility and ethical behavior since the 1970s.
In recent years, eight of the nine other required courses in Anderson’s core curriculum have incorporated topics, projects, and cases that highlight social and environmental issues. Nineteen elective courses taught to MBAs at Anderson also feature some attention to these issues, for example, Fraud Examination in accounting, Management of Financial Institutions in finance, Marketing and Society in the marketing area, and Environmental Sustainability and Business in the organizational studies department.
According to Jeanne Logsdon, Rust Professor of Business Ethics, “Anderson faculty members in all departments do an excellent job of incorporating current social and environmental concerns into their courses. Budget realities limit Anderson’s ability to create many new graduate courses, as other business schools have done in recent years, but we have been using the resources we have to bring attention to these important issues.”
In terms of extra-curricular activities associated with the Anderson School, the New Mexico Ethics Alliance, housed in the school’s Pillmore Center for Ethics, is dedicated to creating and sustaining ethical cultures and conduct within New Mexico’s communities, businesses, organizations, and governments. Anderson hosts a highly respected online program in business ethics for managers. In addition, the student chapter of Net Impact (Students for Responsible Business) is very active, and as a result of this positive experience, school alumni have started a Net Impact Professional Chapter for the New Mexico business community.
The Anderson School faculty also received recognition in the Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey for scholarly research on topics related to social, environmental and ethical issues that was published in 2007 and 2008. Eleven publications on these topics were authored by eight faculty members.
Media Contact: Leslie Venzuela, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: venzuela@mgt.unm.edu
“Revolutions of 1989: From Tiananmen Square to the Berlin Wall,” is the topic of the University of New Mexico’s International Studies Institute (ISI) 7th lecture series, November 2-9. The closing lecture coincides with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. All lectures are free and open to the public. They are scheduled in Dane Smith Hall (DSH) rooms 120/125, Nov. 2-6; with the closing lecture on Nov. 9 at the SUB, Ballroom B, UNM, main campus.
The lecture series examines causes and consequences of the 1989 revolutions from a multi-disciplinary, global perspective. Distinguished speakers from Geography, German Studies, History, Russian Studies, Slavic Languages & Literatures and Women’s Studies will discuss how the unparalleled events unfolded and shaped the cultural, political and socio-economic landscapes in Bulgaria, China, Germany, Poland, Russia and former Yugoslavia.
ISI Director Christine Sauer said, “Distinguished speakers from UNM and elsewhere will examine the causes and consequences of these unparalleled events from a multi-disciplinary perspective.”
Topics and speakers...
Monday, Nov. 2, 2 p.m. in DSH 120: “Nothing Happened Here: Tiananmen Square 1989,” Fabio Lanza, assistant professor of History, University of Arizona
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 12:30 p.m., in DSH 120: “Did Yugoslavia Have a 1989?” Melissa Bokovoy, associate professor of History, UNM
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2 p.m. in DSH 120: “Home Is Where the Wall Is: Ambivalence in Margarethe von Trotta’s 1994 film ‘The Promise’,” Katja Schröter, associate professor of German, UNM
Thursday, Nov. 5, 12:30 p.m. DSH 120 & 125: Panel Discussion on “Life under Socialism” with UNM faculty members Sever Bordeianu, UNM Libraries; Tania Ivanova, Foreign Languages and Literatures; Katja Schröter, FLL; moderated by Erika Monahan, History
5:30 p.m.: “Nouveau Bradavo or Brave New World? Russian Culture after 1989,” Helena Goscilo, professor and chair of Slavic Languages & Literatures, Ohio State University
Friday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. in DSH 120: “The Emergence of Transnational Subjects: The EU Eastern Enlargement and Women’s Activism in Poland,” Joanna Regulska, professor of Women’s Studies and Geography, dean of International Programs, Rutgers University
Monday, Nov. 9, 5:30 p.m., in SUB Ballroom B: “Tearing down the Wall: The East German Revolution and German Unification, 1989-1990” Jonathan Zatlin, associate professor of History, Boston University.
The International Studies Institute is an umbrella organization for four interdisciplinary undergraduate degree programs in the UNM College of Arts and Sciences -- European Studies, Asian Studies, including the Middle East; Russian Studies, and now International Studies.
The primary goal is to provide greater opportunities for the dissemination of knowledge about all parts of the world on the UNM campus and throughout the state.
ISI coordinates with the region’s National Resource Centers for Area Studies to provide easier access to their resources, especially in the area of secondary and primary school outreach and their expert faculty. The ISI seeks to attract faculty with international experience, and develop relationships with local, regional and global communities by supporting faculty and student exchange programs to all parts of the world.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The annual Pumpkin Carving Contest at the Student Union Building is on Friday, Oct. 30 in the plaza level of the SUB atrium. The event is open to all students, faculty and staff. Participants will carve pumpkins from 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Winners will be announced at 1:30 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for craftsmanship, creativity and originality in both individual and group categories.
Pumpkins, carving tools and refreshments will be provided. Participants should bring creativity, carving skills and friends.
For more information, e-mail: sub@unm.edu.
The UNM Bookstore’s Computer and Technology Store celebrates its one year anniversary on Wednesday, Oct. 28 through Friday, Oct. 30. Apple and Dell representatives will be onsite to answer any of your hardware or software questions.
Dell Day: Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Apple Day: Thursday, Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
UNM students, faculty and staff are offered an academic discount on all Apple and Dell computers and on all computer software products by showing their UNM Lobo ID). An anniversary special offers a free HP color printer with the purchase of a Dell or Apple computer, while supplies last. Other prizes are also available. Come in to enter.
The UNM Bookstore is located at 2301 Central Ave. NE at the intersection of Cornell and Central. Parking will be validated in the parking structure for up to one hour with purchase. Call John Bermel at (505) 277-7587 for more information.
Richard G. Brody, the Rutledge Professor of Accounting at the UNM Anderson School of Management, will discuss “Preventing & Detecting Fraud in Nonprofit Organizations” on Wednesday, Nov. 4 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Center for Nonprofit Excellence at United Way of Central New Mexico. The public is welcome to attend. Tickets for the event are $15.
Photo: Rich Brody
Fraud occurs in nonprofits of all sizes but small organizations suffer the most loss. Good board governance and internal control policies are imperative to prevent or mitigate fraudulent activities. Is your treasurer responsible for collecting and disbursing funds and does s/he provide the financial reports? Is your director balking at establishing separation of financial duties? Fraud is almost always committed by a person of trust within an organization so policies and procedures must be in place to hold everyone accountable.
Brody is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner and a Forensic Certified Public Accountant. He also holds the Certified in Financial Forensics credential. His research addresses issues related to forensic accounting, auditing and corporate governance.
Brody will outline the conditions that lead to fraud, provide an understanding of why nonprofits are more susceptible to frauds, and provide strategies to help prevent and detect frauds in an organization.
The Center for Nonprofit Excellence at United Way of Central New Mexico located at 2340 Alamo SE. For more information or to reserve a space call (505) 247-3671.
Media Contact: Leslie Venzuela, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: venzuela@mgt.unm.edu
The University of New Mexico’s Office of Career Services along with the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the New Mexico Consortium of Career Educators and Employers ask you to consider an exciting career in public service. The UNM Public Service Career Showcase is scheduled for Nov. 4, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the UNM Student Union Building Ballrooms. The focus of this event is employment in federal, state, and municipal governments and is open to all students, alumni and community members.
UNM has the distinguished honor of being one of only five campuses nationwide that OPM has committed funding for federal career days for 2009, including Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts’s Institute of Technology (MIT), City College of San Francisco, and Rutgers University.
With more than 60 recruiters registered, this is the perfect opportunity for job seekers to connect with multiple employers in just one day! We ask job seekers to come prepared, professionally dressed, and with plenty of copies of their resume.
For an up-to-date detailed list of registered recruiters and their openings visit: UNM Career Services or call the office at (505) 277-2531 for more information.
Getting through the holidays can be daunting, but it does not have to be that way. You really can have your cake and eat it, too, by embracing the goal of maintaining weight. The holiday season really is not about deprivation or dieting. It’s a time to celebrate with family and friends and to enjoy the festivities. The challenge is to do it without gaining weight.
Employee Health Promotion Program invites the UNM community to participate in Maintain, Don’t Gain, a weight management program designed to help you stuff the turkey and not yourself. Many past participants not only maintain their weight, but often lose weight during the program. Several have said it helps them become more aware of their habits during the busy holidays and winter break.
This 10-week program runs Nov. 2 - Jan. 8, with pre-measurements scheduled Monday, Oct. 26 - Friday, Oct. 30 and post-measurements scheduled Jan. 11-15. This year’s program introduces a team component, a strategy which has been proven to increase chances of success. Teams can come up with creative tactics to support each other, ensuring everyone is successful in maintaining their weight. The program is open to faculty, staff and adult dependents. Students and community members are also welcome to participate.
Program participants have access to classes on nutrition, stress management, physical activity, weight management and goal setting. Weekly weigh-ins, bi-weekly email tips, group fitness activities and online tools such as exercise/nutrition logs and customized menu plans will also be available to enhance success.
Registration is open until Friday, Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. For more information, including program cost and registration forms, visit Human Resources, click “Wellness” and then “Current Wellness Initiatives” or call (505) 272-4460.
Story by Shelley Rael, Health Education Consultant
The Anderson School of Management announced recently that approximately 150 outstanding graduate and undergraduate students were the recipients of scholarships in excess of $300,000. The scholarships are designed to support student educational aspirations.
“The ASM Scholarship Committee annually selects Anderson students who have excelled academically and needed financial assistance to help them continue their educational journey. Congratulations to all recipients for their efforts and success,” said Ken Baker, chair, ASM Scholarship Committee. "Obviously, donors who fund ASM Scholarships deserve recognition and significant appreciation for their ongoing support. Their support often enables students to increase their course load which allows them to graduate earlier.”
New Mexico Scholars Scholarship – Juanita Moya, Andres L. Sanchez, Eric Tapia, Malisa L. Braselle, Joseph Budagher, Justin Dewey, Danielle Fortier, Chris Hart, Robert Korman, William Lucero, Peter Livingston, and Tracey Norris.
Ted Russell Memorial Scholarship and BDM Endowed Scholarship – Kenneth Guillory.
FMC Scholarship – Darren Cordova, Kelly Opatz, Tracey Norris.
FMC Scholarship and Associated Graduate Business Student Association Book Scholarship – Stephen Takach and Matt Weiland.
American Indian MBA Scholarship and Homer D. and Howard D. Olson Endowed Scholarship – Crystal Brown and Alexandria Lee.
American Indian MBA Scholarship – Mackenzie Bingham, Deborah Lewis, Kimberly Baca, Rafaela Lucero and Michael Samudio.
Anderson School of Management Scholarship – Darrell Banward, Jillian Carr, Christie Gross, Kyndra Dorsey, Vanessa Pravecek, Nicole Gonzales, Meghan Martinez, April Rivera, Adam Carrion, Jenna Chavez, Kathryn Maestas, Dorea Zalesak, Cara Smouse, Brittany Crail, Leila Yepa, Sarah Trujillo Palacios, Phoy St. John and Kyndra Dorsey.
Clinton P. Anderson Memorial Scholarship – William Brizzee, Ashley Van Orren, Stasha Thompson, Jose Ogaz-Munoz and Allesondra Gronager.
Sherburne P. Anderson Fellowship – Dohnia Dorman, Vijayta Gaur, Whitney Walker, Pranar Shrestha, Alex Trejo, Christiana Kim and Ana Maria Gonzalez.
Bank of America MBA/MALAS Endowed Fellowship – Kevin Holmes.
Roy Bidwell Endowed Fellowship – Lameck Lukanga and Garrett Ray.
Albert & Mary Jane Black Endowed Scholarship for Excellence – Ryan Thompson, Emily Rademacher, Julia Oliver, Jereme Metzger, Sam Kunzman, Tiffany Kress, Charles Kassicieh, Ashish Gupta and Srhsti Agarwal.
Don Rhoades Endowed Scholarship – Ashley Aragon.
Gloria Brown Fellowship – Preety Shrestha, Randi Kozik, Brianna Kimble, Jenny Culbertson and Jennifer Sawayda.
Robert S. Carr Memorial Endowed Scholarship – Jason Wagg, Feride Bahadir and Amy Sun.
Nat DePalma Memorial Scholarship – Sean Martinez.
Ted Russell Memorial Scholarship and Patricia Elliott Accounting Scholarship – Sean Sullivan.
Jean Mullins Macey Endowed Scholarship and Patricia Elliott Accounting Scholarship – Hannah Safcik, Paulette Baca and Elena Carres.
Ernst & Young Accounting Fellowship – Orion Osborn and Christopher Luckham.
Carl H. Feak, Jr. and Joy N. Feak Scholarship – Michael Kress, Kyle Hillman, Wesley Kress, Chelsea Murphy, Bernadette Sanchez, Valerie Martinez, Brittany Espinoza and Alicia Ortega.
FMC Scholarship – Debra Au, Kelly Opatz, Candice Molina and Nabila Saqib.
Cameron Galindo Memorial Scholarship – Brandon Writtenberry and Derek Klingeman.
George Headrick Memorial Fellowship – Adam Heying and Yang Yang.
Hispanic Graduate Fellowship – Jose Antonio Flores Villalobos.
Ruth and Ross Kailey Scholarship – Genevieve Gonzales, Virginia Gonzales-Dobias, John Griego, Juanita Moya, Sabrina Philpot, Rebecca Chavez, Prabin Shrestha, Amanda Solosky, Any Thurk, Lawrence Hernandez, Jenna Esparza and Nabila Saqib.
Jean Mullins Macey Endowed Fellowship – Linda Pehkonen and Amanda Dent.
Lauda Miles Madera Endowed Scholarship – Katherine Gutierrez.
Sabino Olivas III Memorial Scholarship – Lacey Sullins, David Martinez and Ashley Garcia,
Patricia Elliott Accounting Scholarship – Derek Klingeman, Santelle Williams, and Sean Sullivan.
Martin Olson Memorial Endowed Scholarship – Tullivan Begay.
Charlotte Meeting Phillips Endowed Scholarship – Matthew Anderson, Michelle Ricketson, Clinton Reecer, Leo Michel Charles Galarza, Martin Lujan, Rane Hanni and Sergey Chubenko.
Dorothy Ellen Reid Memorial Scholarship – Cassandra Reckaway.
Albert & Mary Jane Black Endowed Scholarship for Excellence and Don Rhoades Endowed Scholarship – Ashley Aragon.
Mary C. Rich Graduate Scholarship – Doug Hearon.
Ben Lomond Roberts Memorial Endowed Scholarship and BDM Endowed Scholarship – Jon Masdal.
Ben Lomond Roberts Memorial Endowed Scholarship – Chelsey Naegle, Traci Durgin, Reed Marbury, Krista Edwards and Daniel Martinez.
Ambassador Edward Romero Scholarship – Garrett Ray and Lameck Lukanga.
Daniel Smith, Jr. Endowed Scholarship – Gladys Cobos, Trent Duffney - Thomas Lee Helgeland, Adria Cordova and Christopher Dye.
United New Mexico Bank MBA/MALAS Endowed Fellowship – Krista Foutz.
Amy B. Wohlert Endowed Fellowship – Lindsey Wesenberg.
National Society of Hispanic MBAs Scholarship – Ashley Amparan.
A special Donor/Scholarship Recognition Reception will be held at the Anderson School of Management’s Jackson Student Center in early-November (11/3/09 at 4 p.m.) to honor the scholarship recipients. Scholarship recipients for 2009-10 who are interested in attending should e-mail Tina Armijo at, armijo@mgt.unm.edu or call (505) 277-7114 to RSVP.
For students interested in additional scholarship information e-mail: Scholarships@mgt.unm.edu. For Anderson School degree program information call, (505) 277-3888 or e-mail, cottin@mgt.unm.edu.
The Anderson School of Management will begin accepting scholarship applications for academic year 2010-11 in early spring 2010. For more information visit: Anderson Scholarships.
For any individuals, businesses and corporations interested in supporting scholarships at UNM's Anderson School of Management by creating a scholarship or by honoring a family member or loved one should contact ASM Development Officer Ernest Rodriguez-Naaz at (505) 277-7114 or via e-mail, ernaaz@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Carol Worthman, the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Anthropology at Emory University, will speak on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 4:30 p.m. in Hibben 105. Her talk is titled, “Dire Straits: Trauma and Resilience Among Nepali Child Soldiers and Street Children.” Worthman’s research focuses on the cultural, behavioral, and biological bases of humans.
Photo: Carol Worthman
Well-being and the interactions of physical and psychological health. She has been at the cutting edge of developing and applying minimally-invasive methods for health assessment and using multilevel models to understand the bicultural dimensions of public health.
Worthman has conducted research around the globe, from Papua New Guinea to Africa to the United States. Her latest research, which she will discuss at UNM, focuses on the developmental impacts of stressful life events in Nepalese children.
The talk is free and the public is welcome.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Maria Shaa Tláa Williams, University of New Mexico associate professor of music, will speak and sign copies of her book, The Alaska Native reader: History, Culture, Politics at the UNM Bookstore on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at noon, in celebration of Native American Heritage Month. This event is free and open to the public. The UNM Bookstore is located at 2301 Central Ave NE.
Alaska is home to more than 200 federally recognized tribes, yet the long histories and diverse cultures of Alaska’s first peoples are often ignored, while the stories of Russian fur hunters and American gold miners, of salmon canneries and oil pipelines, are praised.
Filled with essays, poems, songs, stories, maps, and visual art, this volume foregrounds the perspectives of Alaska Native people, from a Tlingit photographer to Athabascan and Yup’ik linguists; and from an Alutiiq mask carver to a prominent Native politician and member of Alaska’s House of Representatives.
The Alaska Native Reader describes indigenous worldviews, languages, arts, and other cultural traditions as well as contemporary efforts to preserve them.
Parking will be validated in the parking structure for up to one hour with purchase. For more information, call Lisa Walden at 505-277-7494 or e-mail, lwalden@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The many uncertainties in the UNM budget have caused the Formula Society of American Engineers program to be put on hold. The three-semester program normally begins during the spring semester for Mechanical Engineering juniors who plan to design and build a competitive formula racing car as their senior design project.
They spend the spring designing the systems for the car and raising money for materials, then build and test the car during the next two semesters. In the summer, after they graduate, they race the car against other university teams. Mechanical Engineering Professor John Russell, who teaches the program, says it gives the students the opportunity to manage a complex project, an experience they are able to use after graduation. He’s extremely proud of the fact that UNM was the largest supplier of engineers to the Honda Corporation Research & Development Department in 2008.
This is normally the time of year juniors would begin signing up for the FSAE spring classes, but this spring the program will not be part of the curriculum. There is no guarantee there will be money in the summer of 2011 to pay the summer salary of a professor to work with students as they race the car they have built.
Universities do not receive state funds to cover faculty salaries for summer instruction. That money usually comes from other funds, which are also used to support graduate students and student competitions. Interim dean Arup Maji says although the school has made commitments for summer 2010 in spite of budget uncertainties, it is not in a position to make such commitments a year and a half ahead of time. Maji says he is reluctant to make a financial commitment that might be difficult for a new dean to fill. UNM is currently searching for a permanent dean for the School of Engineering, and that dean is expected to begin work in the summer of 2010.
That left Mechanical Engineering Chair Juan Heinrich with the difficult choice of cancelling the program. For the past year he has been juggling funds left in the faculty salary line item by professors who were on sabbatical. But for the next fiscal year, he will not have that discretionary money. Heinrich says he would have liked to continue the program, but there was the possibility that the students would be left without an instructor during the final, critical phase in which the car is raced. He said that was unacceptable.
The competitive formula racing car program has always lived on the edge. It was initially started by students working on their own in 1997. UNM faculty began to work with the program, and it eventually became a part of the curriculum. Still, it has been always a scramble for the students to find the $15,000 it takes each year for materials. The students undertake the fundraising as part of the program. Maji says the Dean’s office will contribute $5,000 to support the program as they have in the past. But because budgets have been tightened so much there is no money to pay the summer salary of a faculty member. That is why the program will end.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
This is a reminder of the various flu shot clinics available to UNM students, faculty and staff for the dates October 24 - 31, 2009. These flu shots are for the seasonal flu vaccine only and are free to everyone.
Saturday, October 24
The UNM Health Sciences Center has scheduled off-campus public flu clinics at:
· UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE, 9 a.m. – 12 noon
· UNM Northeast Heights Clinic, 7801 Academy Blvd. NE, 9 a.m. – 12 noon
Wednesday, October 28
Gallup Director’s Conference Room, 1 – 3 p.m.
Saturday, October 31
· UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE, 9 a.m. – 12 noon
Lobo Care/Senior Health Clinic, 1101-4 Medical Arts NE, 9 a.m. – 12 noon
Additionally, all flu shot clinics scheduled for November have been canceled. The last ones will be held on Oct. 31.
Professor Kimberly TallBear, assistant professor of Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, will present “DNA and the Re-Articulation of the Native American Race” as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Institute for the Study of “Race” and Social Justice 2009-10 Colloquium Series. This lecture, the first in the series, will be held Friday, Oct. 23 from 2-4 p.m. at the Hibben Center, Room 105.
According to Prof. TallBear, different types of DNA testing – genetic and “DNA Fingerprinting” – target Native American Identity and two levels of conceptual and social organizations, that of “race” and “tribe.” Prof. TallBear will discuss how the results given by these technologies compare with tribal enrollment rules, and concludes with an analysis of what this human genetic diversity research might mean for tribal membership and governance.
TallBear is Assistant Professor of Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. Next year, the University of Minnesota Press will publish TallBear's book "Native American DNA: Origins, Ethics and Governance." TallBear is an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe (South Dakota), where she previously worked as an environmental consultant.
Media Contact: Robert Valdez, (505) 277-0130; e-mail: rovaldez@salud.unm.edu
This week the New Mexico Legislature faced the task of making up more than a $650 million budget shortfall in this year’s budget. “New Mexico in Focus” will take you inside the negotiations at this week’s legislative special session and provide insight and analysis of any decisions from the Roundhouse. “New Mexico In Focus” is KNME-TV’s weekly hour-long public affairs show airing on Friday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. on KNME-TV channel 5.1 and repeating on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 6:30 a.m.
KNME-TV will also honor New Mexico’s spirit of giving on this episode. Volunteer efforts throughout the state add up to almost 1 billion hours per year. But what compels people to want to give back to their community? And what can be done to get more people involved? Find out in this episode’s special “Making a Difference New Mexico,” a special broadcast brought to you by all three New Mexico PBS stations featuring volunteer programs from across the state, plus interviews with New Mexico Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, and Greg Webb, Executive Director for the New Mexico Commission for Community Volunteerism.
Co-hosted by Gene Grant, columnist for the Weekly Alibi, and independent filmmaker Chris Schueler, “New Mexico in Focus” takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic, health, education, and arts issues and explores them in-depth, with a critical eye to give them context beyond the “news of the moment.”
Joining Grant on this week’s “The Line” panel is Jim Scarantino, investigative analyst for the Rio Grande Foundation, and Margaret Montoya with the University of New Mexico Schools of Law and Medicine and CUNY Law School.
“New Mexico in Focus” is produced by Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer and 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 11th annual New Mexico Data Users Conference is set for Thursday, Nov. 5, starting 7:30 a.m. at the UNM Continuing Education Conference Center. This year’s guest speakers include the U.S. Census Bureau, New Mexico Public Education Department, New Mexico Human Services Department, New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department and UNM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, the host organization. Sessions begin in Ballroom C at the Continuing Education Conference Center located at 1634 University Blvd. NE.
The conference will provide information about complex socioeconomic databases and a sense of how these data are applied in practical situations. Over the years, the Data Users Conference has become a valued learning experience for businesses, government agencies, service organizations, information providers, and students.
The conference will feature a plenary session, nine breakout sessions and several luncheon presentations. Included are topics related to Census Bureau data and programs – 2010 Census planning in New Mexico; the American Community Survey; the American FactFinder web site; the 2007 Economic Census; current economic surveys, including Nonemployer Statistics and County Business Patterns; details on income and poverty data; and a sneak preview of the newest version of OnTheMap (OTM) from the Local Employment Dynamics project. OTM combines GIS technology, employment and wage information, industry data, and commuting patterns.
Other sessions will cover programs managed by New Mexico state agencies. Presenters from the N.M. Public Education Dept. will discuss data collected on student and teacher demographics, dropout rates, the new Pre-K through Grade 20 tracking process, and the Teacher Education Accountability Reporting System. The N.M. Human Services Dept. will cover TANF, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and Medicaid programs. The N.M. Taxation and Revenue Department will give data users details about key reports on gross receipts tax data – where to get the reports, their contents and limitations, and how to use them.
An update on the accomplishments and goals for BBER’s ongoing Population Estimates Program is included among the plenary sessions. BBER presenters will also conduct breakout sessions on geo-coding – a jumpstart for GIS new comers on how to transfer Excel data into map formats, and another session on the basics of Census Bureau socioeconomic data and how to use the American FactFinder web site, a conference staple.
Dr. Larry Waldman, BBER senior economist, and Dr. Adelamar (Dely) Alcantara, BBER senior demographer, will be the luncheon speakers. Waldman will present a review of New Mexico’s recent economic performance and a short-term economic outlook. Dely will cover ongoing research that investigates the pay-off to education among native New Mexicans and migrants to New Mexico based on income and poverty status reported in the Census 2000 Public Use Microdata Sample.
Registration is $50 per person and includes all conference materials, continental breakfast, beverage breaks and a luncheon buffet. For more information and a registration form go to BBER’s web site at Data Users Conference or call 277-8300.
Additional contact information includes Karma Shore, (505) 277-8300; e-mail, kshore@unm.edu or Kevin Kargacin, (505) 277-3038; e-mail, kargacin@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The Executive Board of the American Public Health Association (APHA) has appointed Deborah R. McFarlane, Regents Lecturer and Professor in the Department of Political Science, to the Publications Board for a three
year term, 2009-2012.
The Publications Board is one of APHA's most active working groups, overseeing all books developed and published through the 40,000+ member Association. McFarlane was also recently appointed to the Board of Reviewers for the Journal of Health Administration Education published by the Association of University Programs in Health (AUPHA).
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
Due to bad weather, the Physical Plant Department's annual United Way barbecue scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 21, has been postponed until Thursday, Oct. 22. The event will be held at the west side of the Physical
Plant from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Celebrating 20 years of distinguished work in dance, the UNM Friends of Dance, with the Department of Theatre and Dance and the Alumni Association, presents “Dancing On,” showcasing seven dance alumni choreographers. These benefit performances will be held during UNM’s homecoming weekend on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24, at 8 p.m. at the newly renovated Carlisle Performance Space, with post-show receptions both evenings.
These alumni return to their alma mater to support Friends of Dance scholarships for promising dancers in the program. Tickets are $20 for adults or $10 for students and are available at the UNM Bookstore Box Office, Pit Box Office, unmtickets and Albertsons.
The Department of Theatre and Dance has grown considerably and produced some of the most innovative dance in the state. The diverse course work of the UNM dance program produces artists with versatility of movement and abilities. Previous graduates have gone on to create successful dance companies such as Adrienne Clancy’s Clancyworks, Blythe Eden’s Dance Collaborative, Celia Dale’s Contemporary Dance Ensemble, the New Mexico Ballet with Jolie Sutton Simballa at its helm, Dana Tai Soon Burgess’s Moving Forward and many others. Some have become members of such dance companies as Cleo Parker Robinson in Denver.
The Friends of Dance is a nonprofit organization whose efforts have provided more than 100 scholarships and helped complete renovations of the Carlisle Dance Space to meet Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.
Visit, Friends of Dance or contact Judith Bennahum, co-chair at, gigiben@unm.edu for more information.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico recently received a B from the Sustainable Endowments Institute’s annual Green Report Card. It is the same grade as last year, but UNM did improve in many areas.
In the 2009 Green Report Card, UNM had three “C” grades, in the categories of Food and Recycling, Green Buildings on campus and Investment Priorities.
All three of these categories improved in the most recent accounting, with UNM receiving an “A” in Food and Recycling, due to efforts made in spending more on locally grown products and using hormone and antibiotic-free chicken and sustainably caught fish at the La Posada dining center.
UNM only received one “C” in the 2010 Green Report Card, in the area of Student Involvement, despite success of the Lobo Growers Market and growing interest in the Sustainability Studies program.
Another change from last year’s report card, is that UNM’s Alternative Transportation grade dropped from an “A” to a “B.” UNM officials think the grade will return to an “A” next year after introducing UNM’s first vegetable oil run vehicle in the fall of 2009, the continued success of the LoboRide bus pass program for UNM students, staff and faculty, as well as continued use of the university’s Zipcar Program and Lobo Bike bicycle sharing program.
UNM fared well when compared to other regional universities. New Mexico State received a C- over the same time period, while Colorado State and University of Texas at Austin received a C+ and B-, respectively.
The complete 2010 UNM Green Report Card is available at: Green Report Card - UNM.
For more information on sustainability at UNM visit: Office of Sustainability, or the UNM Sustainability Studies program.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico School of Law honored three alumni with the school’s 2009 Distinguished Achievement Award recently. U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a 1977 graduate of the UNM School of Law, was among recipients.
Udall joined Paula Tackett, also a member of the Class of 1977; and William MacPherson, a 1966 UNM law graduate, as recipients of the award, which honors members of the New Mexico legal community for contributions to the state and the legal profession.
Tackett has been director of Legislative Council Service for 21 years, during which she led two major renovations of the Roundhouse while leading a staff of researchers and bill drafters.
MacPherson retired from the UNM law faculty in 2002 after 32 years. He established the school's clinical law program, consistently ranked in the top five nationwide, and helped set up the Guanajuato Summer Law Institute.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
Immigration lawyer and activist Carlos Spector from El Paso, Texas will give a talk on Friday, Nov. 6, at 1:30 p.m. in the Lobo Room of the Student Union Building. His talk is titled “Human Rights in Mexico: Killing You Softly with Aid." The lecture is in conjunction with the exhibit at the Herzstein Gallery on the second floor of Zimmerman Library.
Photo: Carlos Spector
The exhibit, “On Guns and Dreams: Reflections on Migration Between the U.S. and Mexico,” reflects issues raised in the book “Antonio’s Gun and Delfino’s Dream. The book was part of the Lobo Reading Experience in which UNM freshmen were asked to read the book and attend discussion groups.
The UNM community has participated in a series of talks and exhibits throughout the fall semester examining the issue of migration.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The Harwood Museum of Art of UNM in Taos presents a free concert with pianist Peter Pesic on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. The program includes “Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm” by Béla Bartók (1881-1945), “Première communion de la Vièrge” by Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), “Piano Sonata (1948)” by Leon Kirchner (1919-2009), and Franz Schubert’s (1797-1828) “Sonata in A major, op. post. (D. 959).”
Curator of Education Lucy Perera said, “Peter Pesic is providing this concert for the community in celebration of the birthday of long-time Taos resident and Harwood supporter May Harrover. We are fortunate to be able to present this concert free of charge, but hope that people will make a donation to the museum’s Exhibition Program in honor of both Peter and May.”
Pesic studied at Harvard, Stanford (where he received his doctorate in physics and studied piano with Naomi Sparrow), and the Aspen Music School. Currently, he is tutor and musician-in-residence at St. John’s College in Santa Fe. During recent seasons, Pesic has performed in Ann Arbor, Boston, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Seattle, South Bend (Notre Dame) and Turin. He has written many articles on music and science as well as four books. His books have been translated into Chinese, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Norwegian and Turkish. He received the Peano Prize in Turin, Italy, and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Pesic writes of his choice of the contemporary music for the Harwood program: “Béla Bartók was deeply involved in collecting folk music throughout Central Europe and the Near East. He was a pioneer of ethnomusicology, recording folk artists, meticulously transcribing their music, and noting patterns of transmission and sharing across national and ethnic boundaries. His ‘Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm’ owe much to these studies, but are very much Bartók’s own creation, wedding his characteristic dissonant style to traditional dance rhythms, whose complex combinations of groups of two and three beats go back to ancient Greek poetic meters, such as the dactylic pattern (long-short-short, 3-2-2 beats) of Homer’s epics.
“Olivier Messiaen was one of most remarkable of 20th century composers, the musical heir of Debussy and the teacher of Boulez and Stockhausen. His unique style combines exotic rhythms and birdsong, suffused by his deep Catholic piety.
“Leon Kirchner was one of the most eminent living composers. After his studies with Arnold Schoenberg and Roger Sessions, he went on to a distinguished career. He taught for many years at Mills College and Harvard; he received the Pulitzer Prize in 1967. His first piano sonata exemplifies his characteristic style, improvisatory, brooding, and intense, which has been compared to the experience of reading Dostoyevsky.
“Schubert’s great A major sonata is expansive in scope and daring in harmonic invention. Its lyric atmosphere contains amazing emotional outbursts (such as the middle section of the Andantino) that bring to mind his sudden death a few months later. Though closely based on the structure of the finale of Beethoven’s Sonata op. 31, no. 1, in this movement Schubert outdoes his master.”
Media Contact: Lucy Perera, (575) 758-9826 ext. 105; e-mail: lperera@aol.com
Aeron Hunt, assistant professor of English, delivers a research lecture on “The Trusty Agent: Problems of Confidence in Dickens’s Family Firm” Friday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m. in the Student Union Building, Fiesta Room. The lecture is presented by the Department of English and the English Graduate Student Association.
This presentation analyzes mid-Victorian representations of the manager, a figure that crystallized anxieties about the relationship of character and trust in the Victorian commercial world. Focusing on the particular case of Charles Dickens’ novel “Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son,” the presentation traces the contradictions that inhered in Victorian assertions of “character” as a means to guarantee trust and suggests some implications for our own historical and theoretical understanding of the dynamics of Victorian capitalism.
Hunt joined the UNM faculty in 2005 after completing her doctorate at the University of Chicago. She specializes in the literature and culture of Victorian Britain. Her teaching interests include Victorian studies, gender studies, popular and mass culture, and historical approaches to literature. Her publications have appeared in Victorian Literature and Culture and Nineteenth-Century Literature. She is currently working on a book manuscript, “Personal Business: Character and Commerce in Victorian Literature and Culture.”
For more information, contact Jesse Alemán, associate chair, Department of English at (505) 277-3209.
Due to a higher than expected demand for the seasonal flu vaccine, the drive-thru flu shot clinic scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, outside the UNM Family Practice Center at 2400 Tucker NE, has been canceled.
At the drive-thru clinic on Saturday, Oct. 17, nearly 4,000 people were vaccinated, nearly doubling the number of seasonal flu shots administered in one day during a similar drive-thru flu shot clinic in 2008.
The walk-in seasonal flu shots clinics scheduled for Oct. 24 at the UNM Northeast Heights Family Clinic on Academy NE, west of Wyoming NE, and at the UNM Southeast Heights Family Clinic at the corner of Central SE and Texas SE, will we held as scheduled. The remaining vaccine earmarked for the now-canceled drive-thru clinic will be redistributed to those clinics.
For more information on remaining flu shot clinics visit: Seasonal Flu Shot Clinic Schedule.
Media Contact: Sam Giammo, (505) 272-3682; e-mail: sgiammo@salud.unm.edu
Jim McNally, director of Operations for Applied Technology Associates, will talk to students at a free lunch and seminar on Friday, Oct. 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Anderson School room ASM 1065. McNally’s talk, titled “Accelerating High Tech Entrepreneurship in ABQ,” is part of the UNM Technology Business Plan Competition events. Lunch will be served and everyone is welcome to attend.
Photo: Jim McNally
The UNM Technology Business Plan Competition involves students from across campus in partnering to create viable business plans and compete for $40,000 in prize funding, as well as additional venture capital seed funding.
Overseen by The Anderson School Endowed Chair in Economic Development, Dr. Sul Kassicieh, this year’s competition takes place on Friday, April 16, 2010. A series of speakers will be brought to campus to share their experiences with students beforehand. Open to all UNM students taking at least one course in the Fall 2009 or Spring 2010 semesters, the competition fosters economic development within New Mexico by supporting students in generating sound, innovative business plans.
For more information visit: Technology Business Plan Competition or contact Jennifer Bayley via e-mail at, bayley@mgt.unm.edu.
About McNally...
As the optics industry evolves, so does Jim McNally. Since his 20-year Air Force career, he has launched startups including TruTouch Technologies Inc. in 2005. TruTouch has completed the second generation of the TruTouch 1100, a device that detects intoxication with a flash of light.
After leading TruTouch’s first two high-tech products to the market, he left this year to join Applied Technology Associates as director of operations where he's leading operations to deliver precision sensing, measurement, and control systems with commercial and military applications. These systems improve the accuracy of imaging systems by compensating for unwanted vibrations on airborne and satellite platforms.
McNally, who earned his doctorate in optics at the University of New Mexico, serves on the Boards for TruTouch and the New Mexico Optics Industry Association. He has witnessed Albuquerque’s steady growth as a hub of technology and investment over the past 20 years.
The Native American Student Advocacy Institute brings dedicated community of educators and tribal leaders together to address educational challenges facing American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students. Share your knowledge by submitting a session proposal for the 2010 Native American Student Advocacy Institute.
Please consider submitting a proposal that showcases trends, new initiatives, effective strategies or best practices that affect your Native American students. Topics of particular interest include:
· Keeping Native American students at the forefront of campus diversity agendas
· Creating partnerships between K–12 school systems and higher education institutions
· Raising expectations and academic achievement
· Preparing Native American students to enter a global economy
· Involving parents in education
· Using data to inform instruction
Preference will be given to proposals for sessions that:
· Highlight programs, services or policies that improve educational access and success for all students
· Include speakers from multiple institutions and/or regions
· Foster dialogue among educators from different professional areas
· Provide research and data to support claims and document outcomes
· Share best practices
For more information visit: College Board Proposals. All proposal submissions are due Nov. 16.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The UNM Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures presents a public lecture, reading and discussion by Dr. Helene Silverblatt, professor of psychiatry and Family and Community Medicine, presents, “Discovering Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger: Her Poetry, the Holocaust and Their Meanings,” on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 2-3 p.m., in the Ortega Lounge, located on the third floor. A reception will follow.
Silverblatt is co-editor of Harvest of Blossoms: Poems of a Life Cut Short (Northwestern UP, 2008).
To read more about Silverblatt's work visit: Silverblatt Brings Cousin’s Poetry to English Speaking World.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
“UNM Lives United” is the theme for the University of New Mexico’s Annual United Way campaign beginning the week of Oct. 26, 2009. Spearheading this year’s annual campaign are co-chairs Steve McKernan, HSC VP Hospital Operations Administration; Nancy Ridenour, Dean, College of Nursing; Doug Brown, Dean, Anderson School of Management; and Paul Krebs, VP, Athletics.
Last year, UNM organizers set and reached a record-setting goal of $1 million. This year may be more challenging to raise money due to the recession’s impact on the economy; but the worst of times seems to bring out the best in people.
“The $1 million goal is the same as last year,” said UNM President David J. Schmidly, “but this time, efforts will be to increase on-campus participation.”
It’s not about how much you give. Every contribution, big or small, will help the over 100 social and nonprofit agencies the United Way supports in Central New Mexico such as at-risk children, the elderly, victims of family violence and other neighbors in need.
Another of the many benefits of giving to United Way exists right here on campus with more than 2,000 individual entities UNM funds which donors can designate their contributions toward, including:
Agora Crisis Center
Anderson School of Management
Autism Center of Excellence at CDD
Children’s Hospital
Camp Rising Sun
Cancer Research and Treatment Center
College of Arts and Sciences
College of Nursing
Dental Hygiene Program
KNME-TV
KUNM Radio
Occupational Therapy
Popejoy Hall
University Hospital Programs
Please unite with your colleagues and co-workers to make a pledge to this year’s “UNM Lives United” fundraising campaign. Pledge options include a monthly payroll deduction or a one-time annual gift via check or credit card. Remember that, thanks to the Corporate Cornerstones Program, which underwrites United Way administrative costs, 100 percent of your donation will go to help the people in our community who need it most.
Donation forms will be mailed out the week of Oct. 26.
For more information contact Campaign Coordinator, Connie Beimer at (505) 277-0204 or email at unitedway@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Mara Kerkez, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: marakez6@unm.edu
The School of Engineering has named Sanjay Krishna, associate professor in Electrical & Computer Engineering, a UNM Regents' Lecturer in recognition of his extraordinary accomplishments and leadership in teaching, research, and service. The School of Engineering also named Abhaya Datye, Distinguished Professor in the Chemical & Nuclear Engineering Department, to a Regents' Professorship.
Photo: Sanjay Krishna, named UNM Regents' Lecturer
"Dr. Krishna exemplifies the fact that excellence in teaching and research is synergistic in a major research university; this award allows us to celebrate his cumulative contributions on both fronts," said School of Engineering Interim Dean Arup Maji.
The school is permitted to appoint three Regents posts at a time. The third, a Regents Lectureship, was granted last year to Associate Professor Mahmoud Reda Taha, P.E., Associate Professor in Civil Engineering. All of the posts have three-year terms, and the faculty member retains the title permanently.
Krishna also serves as associate director of UNM's Center for High Technology Materials. He heads a group ofabout 20 researchers who are investigating next-generation infrared sensors based on nanoscale quantum dots and strain-layer superlattices. His group is attempting to realize an “infrared retina,” a biologically inspired sensor design in which the spectrum, polarization and dynamic range can be engineered at the pixel level. The active region of the retina would consist of self-assembled quantum dots or superlattices. He has received more than $10 million in externally funded research grants, including a recent instrumentation grant for about $1 million to purchase a new molecular beam epitaxy reactor.
Krishna is co-founder of ECE’s Expand Your Engineering Skills (EYES) program, which has for several years brought high-caliber international students to ECE for summer research under the guidance of an ECE faculty advisor.
He received the School of Engineering's 2009 Senior Faculty Researcher Award, the Society for Photonics' 2008 Early Career Achievement Award, the IEEE Nanotechnology Council's 2008 Early Career Award, the Defense Intelligence Agency's 2007 Chief Scientist Award, and the North American Molecular Beam Epitaxy's 2007 Young Investigator Award.
Krishna earned his PhD and master's degrees in electrical engineering at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, his MSc in Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras, 1996, and his BSc in Physics (with honors) at SSSIHL in Bangalore, India.
Criteria for selection as a Regents Lecturer are established at the college level, with nominations forwarded by the dean to the provost for a term of appointment of three years. Funded by the UNM Board of Regents, the lectureship was established by the regents in the 1980s.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Jeff Zumwalt, associate director of the University of New Mexico Physical Plant Department’s Utility Division, was invited to speak before a Congressional briefing earlier this year. Zumwalt addressed “The Role of District Energy/Combined Heat and Power in Energy and Climate Policy Solutions” with congressional leaders and their staff. This discussion dealt with potential strategies for cutting carbon emissions and supporting the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
Zumwalt is chair of the UNM Carbon Neutral Task Force and co-author of “Carbon Emissions Trading and Combined Heat and Power Strategies: Unintended Consequences.”
“Combined Heat and Power” is also referred to as “cogeneration power” and is an efficient way to generate both thermal energy (heat) and energy from a single fuel source.
In 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave UNM an Energy Star for Combined Heat and Power award for reducing energy use on campus by almost 20 percent.
Note: This summer, Zumwalt attended the International District Energy Association’s (IDEA) 100th Annual Conference, “Local Energy, Global Solution” in Washington, D.C. and was elected to the organizations’ 2009-2010 Board of Directors.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
On behalf of the Honorary Degree Committee, the University of New Mexico Office of the University Secretary seeks nominations for honorary degree recipients. Nominations are due Friday, Oct. 23. Honorary degrees are awarded to persons who have contributed significantly to the cultural or scientific development of the Southwest, or to the spiritual or material welfare of its people.
Eminent individuals and scholars who have made significant contributions transcending geographic limitations are also eligible. A successful nominee must have an exemplary record of academic or public accomplishment in keeping with the university’s standards of rigor, quality and significance.
Nominators must submit a cover letter detailing the reasons for the nomination. Submissions should also include the nominee’s biographical information, record of accomplishment and supporting letters. Send all materials to the Office of the University Secretary, Scholes Hall, room 103, MSC05 3340.
The Honorary Degree Committee is a subcommittee of the Faculty Senate Graduate Committee. Degrees are awarded at spring commencement. For more information, including a list of past recipients, visit Honorary Degrees.
New Mexico authors Martha Egan and Pari Noskin Taichert will discuss and sign their works at a special UNM Bookstore event Friday, Oct. 23 from 2-4 p.m. The event is part of UNM’s annual Family Weekend.
Image: 'La Ranfla and Other New Mexico Stories,' by Martha Egan, is a collection of seven short stories set in her adopted home state of New Mexico.
Egan’s latest work, La Ranfla and Other New Mexico Stories, a collection of seven short stories set in her adopted home state of New Mexico, assembles a cast of characters, human and animal, as they take on the challenges in their lives. Spun with fascinating twists and packed with surprises, Egan’s stories explore the tug of war between male and female, between humans and animals, among cultures, and between generations. Arguably the most important aspect of her storytelling power is her use of place as a character in her stories. And there is no place quite like New Mexico.
Pari Noskin Taichert is an award-winning freelance journalist and author of the Sasha Solomon mystery series. She has been nominated twice for the Agatha Award for The Clovis Incident and The Belen Hitch. Her latest work, The Socorro Blast, is a blend of explosive mystery and domestic drama with the flawed but always engaging Sasha Solomon on center stage.
For more information, contact the UNM Bookstore, 2301 Central Ave NE, (505) 277-7494.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
This is a reminder of the various flu shot clinics available to UNM students, faculty and staff for the dates October 17 - 23, 2009. These flu shots are for the seasonal flu vaccine only and are free to everyone.
Saturday, October 17
The UNM Health Sciences Center has scheduled off-campus public flu clinics at:
· UNM Family Practice Center, 2400 Tucker NE, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. (this is a drive-thru flu clinic)
· UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE, 9 a.m. – 12 noon
· Young Children’s Health Center, 306-A San Pablo SE, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
· UNM Center for Life, 4700 Jefferson NE, 9 a.m. – 12 noon
Monday, October 19 – Thursday, October 22
Seasonal flu shots will be available to the general public
SUB Atrium, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Note: On Thursday, October 22, the clinic moves upstairs near Satellite Coffee
Thursday, October 22
Flu shots will be available for UNM faculty and staff, domestic partners and dependents age 18 or older who are covered under Lovelace or Presbyterian health plans.
Valencia Campus Student Community Center, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Friday, October 23
Fiesta de Flu, Colleges of Nursing & Pharmacy Building, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. {CANCELLED}
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Drive Thru Shot Clinic Canceled...
Due to a higher than expected demand for the seasonal flu vaccine, the drive-thru flu shot clinic scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, outside the UNM Family Practice Center at 2400 Tucker NE, has been canceled.
At the drive-thru clinic on Saturday, Oct. 17, nearly 4,000 people were vaccinated, nearly doubling the number of seasonal flu shots administered in one day during a similar drive-thru flu shot clinic in 2008.
Additionally, the Fiesta de Flu Fiesta de Flu for students, faculty, staff and their family members, which was scheduled for Friday, Oct. 23, has also been canceled.
The walk-in seasonal flu shots clinics scheduled for Oct. 24 at the UNM Northeast Heights Family Clinic on Academy NE, west of Wyoming NE, and at the UNM Southeast Heights Family Clinic at the corner of Central SE and Texas SE, will we held as scheduled. The remaining vaccine earmarked for the now-canceled drive-thru clinic will be redistributed to those clinics.
Media Contact: Sam Giammo, (505) 272-3682; e-mail: sgiammo@salud.unm.edu
Beginning Friday, Oct. 16, KNME, Ch. 5.1 will begin airing Report from Santa Fe Fridays at 10:30 p.m. The show repeats Sunday mornings at 7:30 a.m. This week's Report from Santa Fe will feature an in-depth interview with Governor Bill Richardson on the eve of a special legislative session to address a $650 million state budget deficit.
Focusing on the state of the state's economy, the budget deficit and the state's economic future, Governor Richardson's candid take on what must be done to ensure the state's welfare and the welfare of its residents is a must-see.
Hosted by veteran journalist and interviewer, Lorene Mills, Report from Santa Fe brings the very best of the esteemed, beloved, controversial, famous and emergent minds and voices of the day to a weekly audience that spans the state of New Mexico and has served as a window on what makes Santa Fe and the State of New Mexico truly unique. During nearly 40 years on the air, Lorene Mills and Report from Santa Fe have given viewers a unique opportunity
to become part of a series of remarkable conversations - always thoughtful and engaging, often surprising - held in a warm and civil atmosphere.
Gifted with a quiet intelligence and genuine grace, Lorene Mills draws guests as diverse as Valerie Plame, Alan Arkin, Jane Goodall, Gore Vidal, Isabel Allende, and Stewart Udall along with a who's who of New Mexico politics, into easy and open exchange, with plenty of room and welcome for wit, authenticity, and candor. Mills' ability to elicit the true thoughts and nature of her guests is legendary. Report from Santa Fe is committed to offering New Mexico viewers - and listeners - yet another decade of wonderfully unique voices and viewpoints.
Report from Santa Fe airs on all three PBS stations across New Mexico including:
. KNME-TV/Channel 5.1 - Santa Fe/Albuquerque - northern & central New Mexico, Friday, 10:30 p.m. & Sunday, 7:30 am
. KRWG/Channel 22 - Las Cruces - southern New Mexico, Sunday, 8:30 a.m.
. KENW/Channel 3 - Portales - eastern New Mexico, Saturday, 6 p.m.
. Report from Santa Fe also airs on the radio at 9:30 a.m.
every Monday, on Albuquerque radio station KANW-FM, 89.1.
More information about future show lineups - and a sampling of past shows - can be found online at: Report from Santa Fe.
This weekend’s New Mexico Legislative special session will be most important. Governor Richardson and legislators will have to reach an agreement on the best ways to shore up New Mexico’s growing economic shortfall. This week’s episode of “New Mexico in Focus” will provide insight and analysis. “New Mexico In Focus” is KNME-TV’s weekly hour-long public affairs show airing on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. on KNME-TV channel 5.1 and repeating on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 6:30 a.m.
Also on this week’s episode, “New Mexico in Focus” will show a preview of this weekend’s open house and the Islamic Center of New Mexico, and find out why many local Muslims say they are suffering from Islamaphobia. Host Gene Grant will talk with Hebah Ahmed from the Islamic Cengter of New Mexico and cultural anthropologist Evelyn Early to discuss what it’s like to be a muslim woman in New Mexico and around the world.
Joining Grant on the panel for “The Line” this week are regular panelists Margaret Montoya from the UNM Schools of Law and Medicine and the CUNY Law School, and Jim Scarantino, an investigative analyst for the Rio Grande Foundation and guest panelists Brigette Russell, blogger at moraliablog.com and former New Mexico Democratic Party executive director Laura Sanchez.
“New Mexico in Focus” is produced by Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer and 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
Renowned Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes will speak on Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. in the UNM Student Union Building Ballroom. Fuentes will speak on “Mexico in a Nutshell” featuring a panoramic vision of Mexican history and culture from the pre-Hispanic epoch to the present.
Photo: Carlos Fuentes
Fuentes’ talk is the final of a three-part series hosted by the UNM Provost’s Office with a theme of Mexican relations and immigration. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Marketing at the UNM Anderson School of Management aspires to be among the top public marketing programs in the region. To that end, Marketing Professors Linda and O.C. Ferrell have donated $50,000 to help establish the Marketing Endowment Initiative. The Anderson School of Management Foundation will match the Ferrell’s gift per dollar. The total of $100,000 in funds will provide programmatic support in perpetuity for Anderson’s Student Marketing Center and Marketing Program.
Photo: O.C. and Linda Ferrell
Among the components of the Marketing Endowment Initiative, it will allow Anderson to recruit outstanding marketing students with a GPA of 3.5 or above and provide one or two $500 scholarships annually. It will also be used to send students to national and regional competitions and conferences. Additionally, the initiative will add and replace equipment and research software for the Student Marketing Center as needed.
“We thought this was an opportunity to make a difference and help support faculty and students who are focused on excellence and relevance in their academic experience,” expressed O.C. and Linda Ferrell.
Linda is an associate professor of Marketing and the Albert and Mary Jane Black Professor in Economic Development. She has an extensive body of published work in key scholarly journals like the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing and many others. She is co-author, with O.C. Ferrell, of the most widely adopted Business Ethics textbook with over 550 universities currently using the book. She and O.C. also speak nationally and internationally on business ethics, including speaking at over 30 universities in the last four years. She is the ethics content expert for the AACSB Ethics Education Resource Center and is on the American Marketing Association Ethics Committee.
O.C. is a professor of Marketing and the Creative Enterprise Scholar at Anderson. He is past president of the Academic Council of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and chaired the AMA Ethics committee twice. He is the co-author of 17 books and more than 75 articles, including publications in the top marketing journals such as the Journal of Marketing and Journal of Marketing Research.
Anderson Dean Doug Brown says this type of commitment by faculty members is inspiring and believes it symbolizes the kind of commitment Anderson faculty bring to their students.
The students in Marketing Professor John Benavidez’s class know first-hand how valuable the Student Marketing Center is to their education. The state-of-the-art center serves as a lab, studio, and collaborative learning space for students enrolled in upper-division marketing courses. With the guarantee of funds allocated to keep this space updated and fitted with the latest technology Benavidez says Anderson students will have the best learning environment possible for many years to come.
“The endowment gift supports our goal of becoming a top public university marketing program and helps to ensure that our students will continue to have opportunities to participate in real-world learning experiences.”
Anderson Foundation Board Chair Deborah Gorenz says one of the goals of The Anderson Foundation Board is to support successful student programs and initiatives. "We are excited to play a key role in the providing an ongoing source of support for a program that in recent years has garnered national recognition for the Anderson School.", said Gorenz.
Marketing, Information & Decision Sciences Department Chair Steve Yourstone goes on to say “this serves as a real validation of the performance of our students with Cadillac National Case Study Competition wins in 2005 and 2006 among our MBA program and a first place finish in the 2007 “Project Acceleration: The Subaru Impreza Collegiate Challenge.”
Media Contact: Leslie Venezuela, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: venzuela@mgt.unm.edu
Gov. Bill Richardson has called a special session of the New Mexico Legislature to deal with a significant shortfall in the revenues for current fiscal year 2009-2010. Lawmakers will deal with a budget gap projected to range between $450 million and $650 million. The special session will convene at noon this Saturday, Oct. 17, in Santa Fe.
The shortfall and anticipated budget cuts are especially challenging for higher education. As we have seen at UNM, the funding reductions are occurring at the same time we are experiencing unprecedented enrollment growth.
In a letter to legislators, the Council of University Presidents noted that fiscal challenges face all postsecondary institutions, but the circumstances for each institution varies. Therefore, one budgetary solution does not equally fit all. So university presidents have requested the following:
· Flexibility – Institutions want to control their own budget decisions. The presidents request discretion within and across appropriated line items so that each institution can make timely, prudent budgetary decisions in a dynamic environment.
· No Tuition Credit – Institutions must have the ability to locally generate and retain additional resources needed to be responsive to campus level program needs. In these circumstances, it is particularly appropriate for institutions to work directly with campus constituents to balance program needs, course availability and student services with carefully considered tuition increases.
UNM’s government relations team will be in Santa Fe for the duration of the session, working with legislators for the best possible outcome for the university. Higher education will not be exempt from the budget cuts, which could range from 3 – 5 percent. Despite the rhetoric proceeding the session, once lawmakers gather, it is anticipated they will come to an agreement on the budget in relatively short order.
UNM has been preparing for the cuts and will propose scenarios for consideration by the Board of Regents shortly after the special session concludes.
The Staff Environs and student organization Net Impact are working together on an electronic waste recycling event on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in UNM’s “A” parking lot near Stanford and Central NE. Individuals may recycle electronic items such as old radios, stereo equipment, microwaves, CRT Monitors, PCs, VCRs, DVD Players.
Additionally, TV’s will also be accepted, but there will be a $10 fee for any non-Samsung TV. Bring a check or money order payable to “Albuquerque Recycling."
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
As part of its Civic Engagement Project, the UNM Alumni Association is calling on the campus community to join in on a two worthy causes next week as part of the University of New Mexico’s Homecoming activities. Faculty/staff and students, as well as alumni, are all invited to participate in the ‘Casserole Angel Program’ by contributing a casserole and becoming a Casserole Knight for Ronald McDonald House families. The program, which runs the week of Oct. 19-23, will offer frozen casseroles to families as they leave for home from the Ronald McDonald House.
“The program was designed because families who stay at Ronald McDonald House have been away from home for days and even weeks, and helping to take care of their first night’s dinner is comforting,” said Roberta Ricci, program coordinator for the Alumni Association’s Civic Engagement Project.
For more information visit: Casserole Angel
The Alumni Association is also conducting a ‘Roll for the Cause’ to help the Ronald McDonald House with its ‘Wish List Drive.’ From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21 in Ballroom C at the Student Union Building at the Alumni Faculty/Staff luncheon. Rolls of toilet paper or any item from the Ronald McDonald Wish List will be accepted from anyone interested in donating in exchange for this year's Homecoming pin. You do not have to attend the luncheon to donate.
The Ronald McDonald House goes through approximately 40 rolls of toilet paper a day. Other items that are part of the wish list include paper towels, paper plates, cups, bowls and plastic silverware.
For more information on visit: Ronald McDonald Wish List.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Susan Tiano, director of the Latin American and Iberian Institute, and Johann van Reenen, associate dean of Research, Science and International Initiatives for University Libraries, are collaborating on a project to collect, work with and disseminate information about energy policy and related dialogue in Latin America. They are the co-principal investigators for a four-year, $187,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
The four-year grant will allow the group to hire a project manager and technical director to put together management and technical infrastructures to find, translate, analyze and disseminate documents and information from websites, government sources and the like from throughout Latin America. The focus will be on policies regarding traditional (oil, natural gas, ethanol) as well as renewable and alternative (wind, solar, biofuels,) energy.
The information gathered will be made available in electronic repositories, analyzed for a regular news digest, and most importantly for public and socioeconomic interest, augmented by a web-based news feed about current developments. Van Reenen says they are putting together the management, technical and collection discovery teams for the project and hope to have initial results for each of the products available by 2011,and in some cases sooner.
The collaboration would allow the Latin American and Iberian Institute to work with students interested in translation and the many other faculty and staff who expressed interest in this project. The Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC), a sub-award partner, will provide much of the technical infrastructure for the project. The Latin American and Iberian Institute will provide overall management. The Library will be responsible for accruing collections in innovative ways.
Tiano explained that Latin American countries are playing an increasingly important role in global energy production, so it is important to understand energy policy and dialogue in the region. The grant will promote this by making relevant information accessible to U.S. scholars and researchers through the innovative use of technology.
Professor Nelson Valdez, recently retired from UNM’s department of Sociology, was a driving force in creating a viable project based on his years of interest in New Mexican and Latin American energy issues. Van Reenen says he realized the potential importance of such a project when he went looking for information to assist a client looking for energy exploration information.
He found an agreement between Venezuela and Columbia to share information about oil exploration, and when he tried to show that information a week later, it had disappeared from the web site. In exploring sources likely to aggregate such information he was surprised to find no one collection and translating information about Latin American energy and natural resources activities.
The project is very timely van Reenen says. “In the Andes, oil exploration on indigenous lands is becoming a big issue, as are sustainability in all of Latin America. The fact that Brazil has declared itself energy independent based on its own renewable and natural resources is a remarkable achievement.”
The impact of energy policies on local economies and populations, particularly indigenous peoples, and on US energy planning should be collected, translated and understood. This data will also provide a rich substrate for future research about an era of critical environmental and energy developments.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
John Pieper, Dean of the College of Pharmacy will chair the search for the new dean of the School of Engineering at UNM. The university is seeking a visionary leader for the school, which has more than 100 faculty members in five academic departments including Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. There are about 1,100 undergraduate and 600 graduate students in the school. To view the job description visit: SOE Dean.
The search committee has seven engineering faculty members including Patrick Bridges, associate professor in Computer Science; Steve Brueck, director of the Center for High Technology Materials and professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics and Astronomy; Vince Calhoun, associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and chief technology officer at the Mind Research Network;, Heather Canavan, assistant professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, Julie Coonrod, associate professor of Civil Engineering, Tariq Khraishi, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering; and Tim Ward, chair of the Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Department.
Sandra Begay-Campbell, Sandia National Laboratories staff member and former member of the UNM Board of Regents; and Julia Phillips, director of the Physical, Chemical and Nanoscience Center at SNL are also on the committee, along with former UNM professor and Mathworks Founder Cleve Moler, staff members Pam Hurd-Knief and Mimi Stephens, and graduate student Rebecca Martinez.
The provost’s office hopes the new dean will begin work in summer 2010.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Title V, OSET and the Office of Equity and Inclusion invite UNM students, staff and faculty to a keynote and open forum with Laura Rendón on Thursday, Oct. 22 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. in SUB Lobo A&B. Rendón presents, “Contemplative Practice and Social Justice in the College Classroom: A Sensing Thinking Pedagogy.” A reception and book signing will follow in the SUB Navajo Lounge.
Photo: Laura Rendón
Rendón, professor and chair, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Iowa State University, is a national leader in educational leadership. She is author of “Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Pedagogy: Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice, and Liberation,” (Stylus, 2009).
Prior to the keynote and forum, Rendón presents a workshop for faculty, “Employing a Pedagogy of Wholeness, Social Justice, and Liberation,” from 9:30 a.m. – noon. Contact OSET at 277-2229 or OSET@unm.edu to reserve a seat. The first 25 registered faculty members will receive a complimentary copy of Rendón’s book.
Rendón is visiting UNM to help kickoff the 2009-2010 Title V program of events organized around the theme, Teaching, Learning and Working across Differences. Rendón’s pedagogy connects the sentir (to feel) of intuition and the inner life and the pensar (to think) of outer learning and the pursuit of intellectual life. A newly-designed pedagogic model will be presented—one that is integrative in nature, employs contemplative practice to engage the learner more deeply in the material, emphasizes social justice, and embraces diverse ways of knowing.
For more information, contact Title V at 277-1723.
The Student Veterans of the University of New Mexico pave a path of coins to raise money for a newly-established UNM scholarship fund. The organization hosts its second annual “Mile of Coins” fundraiser on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. on Smith Plaza on the UNM campus. The proceeds of the event will benefit the new Student Veterans of UNM Scholarship Fund.
One mile of coins is the goal. Members of the Students Veterans of UNM ask university students, schools, churches and other organizations to collect coins to be placed side-by-side to reach over one mile on the day of the event. SVUNM are asking for pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.
One mile of pennies may seem like a small achievement, but it equals approximately $844.80.
All questions and inquiries can be made to svunm@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
What is the ratio of a pumpkin's circumference to its diameter? Pumpkin Pi. Pumpkins have names like Baby Bear, Big Autumn and Autumn Gold, Big Tom and Ghost Rider, Happy Jack, Spooktacular, Tricky Jack and Trick-or-Treat, Little Boo and Snowball, too. Students will put faces to the names when they participate in a Pumpkin Carving Contest on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. in George Pearl Hall.
Prizes will be given to the winning designs. Prizes, food and fun are part of the evening’s festivities.
Student organizations hosting the event are the American Institute of Architecture Students, National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Society of Landscape Architecture Students.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact SOCLAS President Chance Munns at cmunns@vandals.uidaho.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Construction on a new parking structure to be located at the intersection of Yale and Lomas Boulevards, formerly in the area known as the parking lot of the old Bureau of Business and Economic Research, is set to begin on Monday, Oct. 19. This project, which will add approximately 800 spaces, will continue until fall semester 2010.
During construction, all J Lot permit holders will be moved to T Lot. Also, due to the anticipated shortfall in C Lot spaces, C Lot permit holders will also be permitted to park in T Lot, which is expected to be able to comfortably accommodate the new influx of traffic.
Additionally, if desired, permit holders may exchange their permits for G Lot, with the option to return to C or J permits after project completion, and those individuals will have first priority to purchase structure permits.
“Though we understand the great inconvenience this project will cause our customers, we are confident that the creation of the new parking structure will greatly reduce parking congestion in the future,” PATS Public Information Representative Brian Kilburn said.
For more information visit: Parking & Transportation Services or contact Brian Kilburn at bkilburn@unm.edu.
Qforma, an advanced analytics and predictive modeling company, has awarded a Qforma lectureship in the amount of $5,000 to Shuang Luan, assistant professor of computer science and assistant professor of radiology at UNM. The Qforma Lectureship is awarded to a UNM Computer Science professor who exhibits momentum toward building an internationally-recognized research program and who demonstrates great potential for attaining academic tenure at UNM.
Stephanie Forrest, president and chair of computer science at UNM and research professor at the Santa Fe Institute, said, “We are delighted that Dr. Luan has been chosen to receive the first Qforma Lectureship. Dr. Luan’s research on computational methods for therapeutic radiation oncology is exciting and promises to improve the clinical care of patients.”
The Qforma Lectureship competition, to be held annually, supports the quality of UNM educational programs by attracting top talent to the school.
“At Qforma we are passionate about creating intelligent data software solutions that translate into improved health care and that ultimately benefit patients,” said Roger D. Jones, chief scientific officer of Qforma. “Dr. Luan clearly shares that passion and we are proud to recognize and support his important research with the first Qforma Lectureship.”
Qforma specializes in solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Qforma leverages the talents of physicists, mathematicians and programmers, and has developed a unique approach to quantifying large data flows with the purpose of eliminating the inefficiencies of traditional sales and marketing techniques. Qforma is headquartered in Santa Fe, NM with offices in Boston, Mass, Bucks County, Penn. and Princeton, NJ.
More information is available at: qforma.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Faculty in College of Education to participate in conference
The Division for Early Childhood, an international membership organization for those who work with or on behalf of young children with disabilities and other special needs, is celebrating its 25th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and their Families at the Albuquerque Convention Center Oct. 15-18. This Year's Hot Topic is, ‘ Quality Inclusive Practices in a Diverse Society.
Several faculty members in the College of Education at UNM are participating in the conference that provides many opportunities to discover how the latest research for special needs children translates into practice.
The opening keynote features Dan Habib, a photojournalist whose own son, Samuel, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Habib rarely thought about the inclusion of people with disabilities in early childhood. Now after experiencing it firsthand, he thinks about inclusion every day. Habib will share his insight into inclusion from multiple perspectives, show his award-winning film, Including Samuel, and challenge all to think more deeply about their role in supporting inclusion. Habib will give the keynote on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Four Spotlight Sessions, titled Challenging Bevavior & Social Emotional
Development: We Can Help; InterPlay Between Evidence-Based Literacy
Practices and an Adult Learning Method; Within our Reach: Resources to Support
Professional Development and Inclusion; and Head Start Center for Inclusion, focusing on National Technical Assistance Centers that have information and resources specific to your work will be conducted.
Additional poster sessions, spotlight sessions and roundtable discussions will highlight the activities on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17. Participants will also get to mingle with the experts, see demonstrations of evidence-based intervention strategies, and develop the skills needed to work with young children and their families.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The Anderson School of Management is offering a speaker series on Monday nights featuring seven well-known speakers on microfinance. The speaker series will be broadcast live from the campus of the University of California at Berkeley. The simulcast will be offered on Mondays from 5 – 7 p.m., beginning on Oct. 26 and ending on Dec. 7.
The broadcast can be seen in Anderson Room 1068 on the UNM Campus. Members of the UNM and local community are welcome and there is no cost to attend the series.
The Speaker Series...
October 26
Kurt Koeningsfest, CEO of BancoSol
November 2
Maya Chorengal, Managing Director, Elevar Capital
November 9
Kendall Mau, CFO and COO, Prisma Microfinance
November 16
Alvaro Arregui, Chairman, Compartamos
November 23
Chris Dunford, President, Freedom from Hunger
November 30
Jean Phillippe Deschrevel, Founder & CEO, Blue Orchard Finance USA and
Steve Hardgrave, Partner, Gray Ghost Ventures
December 7
Tracey Turner, Founder & CEO, Microplace
University of New Mexico Provost Suzanne Ortega announces the selection of the search committee for a new dean of UNM’s University College. Roger Schluntz, dean, School of Architecture and Planning, is search committee chair.
The committee includes:
Faculty...
· Ursula Shepherd, associate professor, University Honors
· Bruce Thomson, Director of Water Resources
· Troy Lovata, University Honors, associate professor
· Beverly Singer, Anthropology & Native Am. Studies, assoc. prof.
· Enrique Lamadrid, chair, Spanish & Portuguese & Director of Chicano Studies
· Tom Keyes, College of Education, lecturer III
· Nick Flor, Anderson School of Management, associate professor
Staff
· Tracy Skipp, director, BUS
· Vanessa Harris, director, University College Advisement
Students
· Jana Morehouse, College of Arts and Sciences
· Katie Schultz, College of Arts and Sciences
Community Members...
· Erin Lebaczq, CNM, associate dean of Adult & Gen. Ed.
· Diane Ogawa, PNM, executive director of PNM Fund
· Jennifer Love, administrative assistant, Office of the Provost will be search coordinator.
The selected dean replaces Finnie Coleman, who has served as interim dean since spring 2008.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
A memorial celebration for Megumi Yamamoto is set for Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the UNM Alumni Memorial Chapel. The Office of International Programs and Studies in conjunction with the Department of Physics and Astronomy are sponsoring it. Yamamoto was a graduate student in the Physics and Astronomy Department from Japan who died on June 9 in a hiking accident in the mountains near Santa Fe. The memorial will honor her life and remember her contributions to UNM.
Photo: Megumi Yamamoto
The Department of Physics and Astronomy has created the Megumi Yamamoto Memorial Fund to recognize a promising female foreign graduate student and teaching assistant in Physics and Astronomy. To contribute to the fund, contact Lina Sandve at lsandve@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The UNM Army ROTC won two of the three categories during this years’ annual Ranger Challenge Competition at White Sands Missile Range. The Ranger Challenge Competition is a regional competition considered the varsity sport for Army ROTC nationwide. The competition focused on basic military skills and a number of physically demanding tasks, in including the Army physical fitness test, day and night land navigation, 10k foot march, hand grenade assault course, weapons’ disassembly/assembly, first aid assault course and a written test.
The event began on Friday afternoon and culminated on Saturday evening. This year’s regional competition included 11 teams – UNM, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Military Institute, University of Texas, El Paso and Texas Tech University.
“Each school is allowed to field a male team, female team and a coed team. UNM was the only school to field a team in each category! UNM’s female and coed teams were first place winners this year. The teams each included six primary members and one alternate. UNM’s teams were made up of 21 very dedicated cadets who have been training five or six days a week since the beginning of this semester,” said Lt. Col. Erik Sevigny, commanding officer of UNM’s Army ROTC program.
The cadets are already strategizing on how they can sweep next year’s competition. “Although the male team finished fourth this year, all have committed to return and keep the team intact for next years’ competition,” Sevigny said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The Mind Research Network is sponsoring a talk by Karl Mann, professor and chair in addiction research at the University of Heidelberg on Monday, Oct. 19 at 11:45 a.m. in the MRN Large Conference Room. The title of Mann’s talk, “Is there a role for f-MRI in understanding and treating alcoholism: the PREDICT Study.”
Photo: Karl Mann
Addictive behavior is one of the severest and most frequent forms of psychic disorder. In Germany alone, alcoholism kills of 40,000 people every year. The aim of addiction research is to achieve a better understanding of this cerebral disorder and devise effective means of preventing and curing it. New animal models play a crucial role in finding and improving remedies, reducing the craving for the drug in question and helping preclude relapse. Mann, incumbent of the first chair of its kind in Germany, outlines the new research field devoted to the study of addiction.
Mann is a Professor and Chair in the Addiction Research Department at the University of Heidelberg. In 1992 Mann received the Distinguished Biannual Award of Germany Society of Biological Psychiatry. In 2004 he received the German Research Addiction Award and in 2007 he received the Hermann-Simon Award for Health Care Research.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
In light of recent concerns that UNM undergraduate and graduate students don’t have enough access to computers on campus, Information Technologies (IT) is pleased to announce the purchase of 200 new computers for its computer labs – also called pods – across campus. These state-of-the-art PCs and MACs are available for student, faculty and staff use within the pods.
UNM Libraries, individual department computer labs, and various student organizations across campus also offer numerous computers and software applications for student use.
IT continually recycles its older computers, erasing and re-imaging drives, replacing older software with newer programs and applications, and making them available to other UNM departments at no charge. Since August 2009, the IT Hardware Maintenance group has transferred ownership of 12 PCs to the Economics Department, 24 PCs to the Center for Advanced Research Computing, two PCs to the Center for High Technology Materials, 21 PCs to the Biology Department, and one older PC to the UNM South Golf Course. Most recently, 20 surplus computers were given by IT to the African American Student Services office.
Hardware Maintenance freshly prepped all the surplus computers for their new owners by installing the most recent versions of Windows XP, Symantec Endpoint Protection antivirus software and Windows Defender anti malware protection, making the PCs secure and ready for use upon receipt.
In recognition of Indigenous Day, UNM Native American Studies and the Native American Studies Indigenous Research Group (NASIRG) presents a brown bag discussion with Hawaiian journalist and filmmaker Anne Keala Kelly on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 12:30-2 p.m. in Native American Studies office, Mesa Vista Hall 3080. Keala Kelly will show and discuss her film, “Noho Hewa Ma Hawai’i Nei: The Wrongful Occupation of Hawai’i,” about the Native Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement on Monday, Oct. 12, 4-6 p.m. in the Student Union Building theater.
Keala Kelly reports on politics, culture, the environment and indigenous peoples. Her reports air regularly on the Pacifica Network’s Free Speech Radio News, and her print journalism has appeared in The Nation, Indian Country Today, The Honolulu Weekly and other publications. Her news footage has been featured on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and Democracy Now!, and she co‐produced “The Other Hawaii” for Al Jazeera.
The program is free, and refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Lloyd Lee, (505) 277-1822 or triplel@unm.edu.
Systemwide test performed
UNM is testing the emergency alert siren. No action is required. The instruction to people on campus during an actual activation, are to seek immediate shelter and look for additional information. This additional information could come through the UNM TextMe Alert System, e-mail, the UNM web page and/or local media.
Anyone who would like to sign up for the UNM's emergency alert system can do so at: UNM TextMe.
UNM will test this system once each semester. The last exercise of this system was during the spring semester on July 6, 2009.
For a siren sample, click on the respective link.
Media contacts: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
or Benson Hendrix at 277-1819; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu.
Author Ray Michael Baca will be at the UNM Bookstore on Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. to discuss and sign copies of his book, Brotherhood of Light: A Novel about the Penitentes and the Crypto-Jews of New Mexico (Floricanto Press). This event is free and open to the public.
Brotherhood of the Light follows the lives of three men from one family who lived in different centuries, each inexorably bound by the legacy of a cross that was brought from the Old World to the New. Brotherhood explores the un-easy and often misunderstood relationships of Crypto-Jews and Hispanos in New Mexico and their deep common roots in Spanish history - conquest and colonization - and religious faith and shared values.
Baca was born in Albuquerque, N.M. in 1959, and grew up in the small town of Bernalillo. He is currently executive director of the New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council and is a newly elected board member of the New Mexico Hispanic Culture Preservation League.
The UNM Bookstore is located at 2301 Central Ave. NE at the intersection of Cornell and Central. Parking will be validated in the parking structure for up to one hour with purchase. For more information call Lisa Walden at (505) 277-7494 or e-mail, lwalden@unm.edu.
The Science & Society Distinguished Public Talks series presents 'High Altitude Adaptation in Andean Birds' with Christopher C. Witt on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. in rm. C of the UNM Conference Center located at 1634 University Blvd. N.E. A meet and greet will also be held prior to the talk at 4:30 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public. Plenty of free parking is available.
Photo: Christopher C. Witt
Witt is an assistant professor in the UNM biology department and a curator of birds at the Museum of Southwestern Biology. His research interests include avian molecular phylogenetics, biogeography and comparative physiology. Witt specializes in the study of biology and evolution of birds.
Witt will discuss the Andes mountains, which have the highest diversity of birds on the planet by any measure. Underlying this diversity are numerous lineages of lowland birds that have independently colonized high altitude habits since the late-Miocene. High Altitude imposes physiological challenges such as low oxygen availability and low temperature that can lead to adaptation and evolutionary diversification.
Whereas human populations have independently colonized high altitudes in three separate instances over tens of thousands of years, dozens of Andean bird lineages have independently colonized extreme high altitudes over millions of years. Comparing patterns of physiological change in bird and human lineages sheds light on the fundamental nature of adaptation.
Co-sponsored by Albuquerque Section of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE), Sigma Xi (the Scientific Research Society), the Department of Physics & Astronomy, College of Arts & Sciences, University Honors Program, and the Division of Continuing Education.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Lucy Lopez-McGee, program associate for the Institute for International Public Policy, presents an information session on scholarship and fellowship opportunities available to students on Monday, Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. in the Student Services Dean of Students Conference Room 260.
The Institute for International Public Policy offers training, fellowships, scholarships and internships for minority students interested in public policy and foreign affairs.
Lopez-McGee will also talk about opportunities for the STEP Program, which offers financial assistance to minority students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Students interested in financial assistance in these areas are encouraged to attend. For more information, call (505) 277-2531.
By Jazmen Bradford
‘Lobo Knights’ theme for 2009
The University of New Mexico will celebrate its 85th annual homecoming, Oct. 20-24, when the Middle Ages come alive with the medieval theme, ‘Lobo Knights.” The weeklong celebration, hosted by the UNM Alumni Association, will feature more than 50 separate events all leading up to the big football game Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m., when UNM takes on UNLV in Mountain West Conference action.
The festivities begin Tuesday, Oct. 20 with the annual Campus Decorating Contest. This year participants have the opportunity to decorate their office or design a coat of arms that best represents their department. Judging will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, current full-time UNM faculty and staff employees, who are UNM alumni, are invited to an appreciation lunch at the Student Union Ballroom beginning at noon. Tickets for the luncheon will be available the week of Oct. 12 in the Alumni office at Hodgin Hall. Additionally, students can vote on the UNM Homecoming royalty in the Student Union Building from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On Thursday, Oct. 22, "The Lobo Howl,” along with other activities that are all a part of the Cherry-Silver Games competition takes place. Students carry on the tradition for the coveted Cherry-Silver Cup in wacky and hilarious games at the Duck Pond. The Heritage Club dinner, which recognizes alumni who graduated 50 years or more, this year from the Class of 1959, will also be held at the Four Hills Country Club at 6 p.m. Reservations are required for the dinner.
On Friday, Oct. 23, it’s Lobo Spirit Day. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to wear red on campus to show off their Lobo pride! Join students for a pep rally at noon in the Atrium at the UNM Student Union Building to help send the Lobo teams to victory. Also on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m., alumni reunions from many colleges and programs will take place all across campus. From 8 to 11 p.m., alumni are invited to join UNM students for an evening of music and dancing at the Student/Alumni Dance and to meet the 2009 UNM Homecoming Court.
Events for Saturday, Oct. 24 include the All-University Breakfast at the Four Hills Country Club, the Alumni Lettermen's tailgate party, the Southwest Fiesta Tailgate at the northeast end of University Stadium or Tailgate 1, which starts at 3:30 p.m., and the 16th annual Alumni Association Silent Auction. Tickets for the SW Fiesta Tailgate are $10 per person and $5 for children 12 and under.
Also as part of the weekend’s Homecoming activities, UNM Parent Relations will host its annual Family Weekend, Oct. 23-24. Parents can enjoy meaningful activities with their students and connect with their experience at UNM. Savor the local flavor of the Land of Enchantment and join UNM Parent Relations for ‘A New Mexico Adventure.’ Registration for Family Weekend is required. Early-bird registration is open until Oct. 1. Registration is accepted through Oct. 20. To register online visit: Family Weekend or call 277-5915 to register.
The week culminates with the football game between New Mexico and UNLV at University Stadium at 6 p.m.
Other homecoming highlights include affinity group reunions, lecture series, various student activities and more. For a complete list of activities and for advanced ticket sales call 277-5808 or visit: Homecoming 2009.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The 27th General Assembly of the Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium will be held on the UNM campus from Monday, Oct. 26 through Friday, Oct. 30. The consortium sponsors the general assembly as a way to bring international collaborators face to face. This year’s theme is “Using Technology to Enable Collaboration and Collaboration to Advance Science and Technology.”
The general assembly program can be found at: Program
October 26, 2009
Nano Convergence Conference - Presents the latest tendencies and challenges in relation to other areas such as Biotechnology, Energy, Water, the Environment, Mining and others.
Nano Convergence Conference
Workshops:
Celsius Network
Basic - The basic course to train operators on the use of the software Celsius. Celsius helps librarians to administer the exchange of bibliographical materials over the web.
Advanced - This is an advanced course demonstrating the new capabilities added to Celsius. Some of which are: global statistics, manipulation of files, and innovative communications among different Celsius systems installed in different institutions and across countries, and other features.
Web 2.0 Applications for Education & Training
This course focuses on training users and developers in the implementation of strategies for distance teaching-learning using latest Web 2.0 services.
Instrumentation and Control
This is a theoretical and hands-on course to train users in the process of design and implementation of digital systems using programmable logic. The first part covers design and implementation in FPGAs and the second part covers the design of embedded systems.
Embedded Systems Design Using Field Programmable Gate Arrays
This is a theoretical and hands-on course to train users in the process of design and implementation of digital systems using programmable logic. The first part covers design and implementation in FPGAs and the second part covers the design of embedded systems. It runs from Oct. 24 – 26.
Electronics Education Platform
Learn how to use the NI electronics hands-on education platform for circuit design, simulation and prototyping, taking advantage of an unique combination of tools including NI Multisim schematic capture and SPICE simulation software, NI ELVIS educational design and prototyping platform, NI LabVIEW graphical system design software, and NI LabVIEW SignalExpress interactive measurement software. Learn how one common set of tools can be used to design, simulate, build and test a circuit, allowing the student to compare the actual vs. simulated results, thus enhancing the learning experience.
LabVIEW and DAQ for Experiments on the Lab and at Home
This workshop will introduce the concepts of Virtual Instrumentation including LabVIEW’s graphical programming environment and data acquisition systems. Experience how using LabVIEW and powerful, yet affordable USB DAQ device students can achieve hands-on experience thru multiple lab experiments and student design projects.
Metadata Primer for Digital Libraries
This workshop is an overview of the types of metadata, how digital repositories use metadata, and how to choose the right metadata standard for your content. The workshop will also look at how harvesters use metadata to expose your content to wider audiences.
Metadata Primer for Digital Libraries
October 27, 2009
International Symposium on Digital Libraries: Access to Knowledge in the Digital Era
This symposium focuses on the transformation all library services are experiencing as a result of the new emerging technologies and the growth of social networks. It also presents the latest technological developments for digital libraries.
2nd ACE Seminar: Knowledge Construction in Online Collaborative Communities
This event promotes the socialization and exchange of knowledge in reference to tendencies related to education in virtual collaborative communities, e-mentoring, and Web 2.0 applications for education and training.
2nd ACE Seminar: Knowledge Construction in Online Collaborative Communities
The Ibero-American Conference on Trends in Engineering Education and Collaboration
The latest tendencies in engineering education and research will be discussed. In the area of engineering education, existing programs will be analyzed and there will be new proposals of ways to work under the close collaboration among academia, industry, government agencies, multilateral organizations and civil society. The new engineering education proposals have to be aware of the social impact and the socioeconomic development of the Ibero American Region.
There will be a series of recommendations on Engineering Education, R&D, and entrepreneurship to be delivered via the Organization of American States Engineering for the Americas Initiative (OAS-EftA) to all Ministers of Education and Science and Technology of the American Region. In addition, the group will begin working on a truly “American” Graduate Degree. We intend to facilitate the mobility of professionals and students. Want to identify specific projects of inter-institutional, interdisciplinary and transnational efforts in education, R&D, and entrepreneurship and other areas. We intend to create a group of deans/chairs and other authorities to advise ISTEC.
Trends in Engineering Education and Collaboration
In the R&D area two parallel sessions will take place where results will be presented in Digital Signal Processing and Wireless Sensor Networks.
Technologies and Applications in Wireless Sensor Networks Session
Will cover topics related to applied research: Architectures, protocols and algorithms; Energy management and control of sensor networks. Digital Signal Processing and Wireless Sensor Networks
Trends and Applications in Digital Signal Processing
Will cover topics related to applied research and design in FPGAs and embedded systems.
Trends and Applications in Digital Signal Processing
Collaborative Learning with SciDesign Tooolkit: Interactive Workshop
This workshop exposes the communication barriers among different disciplines; for instance, the technical barriers for collaboration and the challenges for the development of virtual laboratories that involve informatics and computing. Most importantly, the workshop highlights in the identification of human behavioral aspects related to collaboration. It presents characteristics and processes to guarantee the success of the collaboration process.
October 28, 2009
3rd Ibero-American Student Contest
Semi-finalist student engineering design projects from the Iberian Peninsula, North, Central, South America and the Caribbean are evaluated for their ability to stimulate the creativity and the scientific talent of engineering students, motivate students of the regions to put in practice their knowledge in the solution of practical problems and facilitate knowledge exchange among students of different academic institutions through sound contests in search of integrating the region via academic exchanges.
3rd Ibero-American Student Contest
5th International Symposium on Digital Libraries: Access to Knowledge in the Digital Era
This symposium focuses on the transformation all library services are experiencing as a result of the new emerging technologies and the growth of social networks. It also presents the latest technological developments for digital libraries.
5th International Symposium on Digital Libraries
2nd ACE Seminar: Knowledge Construction in Online Collaborative Communities
This event promotes the socialization and exchange of knowledge in reference to tendencies related to education in virtual collaborative communities, e-mentoring, and Web 2.0 applications for education and training.
2nd ACE Seminar
The Ibero-American Conference on Trends in Engineering Education and Collaboration
The latest tendencies in engineering education and research will be discussed. In the area of engineering education, existing programs will be analyzed and there will be new proposals of ways to work under the close collaboration among academia, industry, government agencies, multilateral organizations and civil society. The new engineering education proposals have to be aware of the social impact and the socioeconomic development of the Ibero American Region.
There will be a series of recommendations on Engineering Education, R&D, and entrepreneurship to be delivered via the Organization of American States Engineering for the Americas Initiative (OAS-EftA) to all Ministers of Education and Science and Technology of the American Region. In addition, the group will begin working on a truly “American” Graduate Degree. We intend to facilitate the mobility of professionals and students. Want to identify specific projects of inter-institutional, interdisciplinary and transnational efforts in education, R&D, and entrepreneurship and other areas. We intend to create a group of deans/chairs and other authorities to advise ISTEC.
October 29, 2009
3rd Ibero-American Student Contest
Semi-finalist student engineering design projects from the Iberian Peninsula, North, Central, South America and the Caribbean are evaluated for their ability to stimulate the creativity and the scientific talent of engineering students, motivate students of the regions to put in practice their knowledge in the solution of practical problems and facilitate knowledge exchange among students of different academic institutions through sound contests in search of integrating the region via academic exchanges.
ISTEC Leadership Council
ISTEC Initiatives Pre Assembly Meetings
October 30, 2009
17th ISTEC General Assembly
17th ISTEC General Assembly
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico hosts the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture 2009 ACSA Southwest Fall Conference, titled, Chang[e]ing Identities; Design, Culture + Technology, Thursday, Oct. 15 through Saturday, Oct. 17 at George Pearl Hall, the UNM School of Architecture and Planning building.
Understanding the value of “place” and cultural specifics bring design, technical and economic responses that challenges traditional ways architects practice and teach.
Topics include “Culture and Inhabiting Everyday Landscape,” “Emerging Technologies” and “Community Engagement.”
Organizers of the conference are UNM faculty Tim Castillo, Phillip Gallegos and Kristina Yu. Co-chairs from the University of Texas at Arlington are Brad Bell, Wanda Dye and Kathryn Holliday.
Associate Professor Tim Castillo said, “The contemporary world is undergoing a major shift in cultural process; global culture is a shifting condition that is a product of media and emerging networks defined by new technologies. As designers we are asked to respond and shape the future utilizing new tools to create designs that will respond to fluid transformation of built environment.”
He added that architects and architecture educators are seeing the future of design from an interdisciplinary perspective that involves culture and technology, which allows for a new paradigm for creating space.
The new paradigm, he said, is also influenced by context, sustainability and technology – and practitioners and teachers will explore the changes in the way architecture is taught and practiced, not just in one place or within one context, but globally.
The conference title Shifting Design Identity seeks to address international and regional southwest responses to key questions:
· Design Identity: Design roles are in a tumultuous world of collaboration, competition, and collegiality with many disciplines. A principal question to explore is the definition of “design” and “role” where professions have lost much of their force for change to global pressures in the Southwest.
· Economic: The global economy is shifting its priorities to address depleting resources and environmental conditions. Designers today are faced with emerging challenges to develop new models for practice and pedagogy that address the needs of our global environment.
· Cultural: The Southwest, in particular, and the North American-Latin-Indigenous community, in general, characterize a region of parallel worldviews, cultures, history, contemporary agendas and contradictions. Can the inconstancy of land, cultural territories and technologies form meaningful relationships through design?
· Technologies: Given that design is not stable by nature, can the range of realities: virtual to the real, and the tools that help create it, reconcile shifting sense of space and place?
Keynote speakers are James P. Cramer of Design Intelligence, UNM; and Teddy Cruz of Estudio Teddy Cruz, UT Arlington.
For more information, visit the conference website at: Conference Schedule.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Learning From Martineztown, a University Grand Rounds presentation and discussion on gathering lessons on academic and community work, is set for Wednesday, Nov. 11 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in George Pearl Hall room P104, located in the east end of the lower level. The event is free and open to the public.
The event is organized by Associate Professor Mark Childs, School of Architecture and Planning. He said, “Since the 1960’s era of urban renewal, south Martineztown has worked with multiple departments at UNM on issues including physical planning, public health, community history and superfund remediation. We will discuss this long-term, multifaceted relationship with the educational missions of UNM.”
Presenters are Frank Martinez, spokesman for the Citizens Information Committee and a research scholar in architecture; and Richard Nordhaus, professor emeritus of architecture.
Grand Rounds is a term borrowed from the medical establishment to describe how they present a case, discuss it and learn from it. The town/gown grand rounds are an opportunity for UNM and the community to work collaboratively – each session partners a community member with a UNM counterpart.
For more information, contact Mark Childs, mchilds@unm.edu, 277-5059. This event is sponsored by the Office of Support for Effective Teaching (OSET).
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The Harwood Museum of Art of the University of New Mexico and The Couse Foundation present “From Paris Ateliers to Taos Adobes: How Irving Couse & Joseph Henry Sharp Brought Beaux-Arts Aesthetics to the American West,” a lecture by Art Historian Marie Watkins on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.
Photo: “Call of the Flute” by E.I.Couse, 1913, oil on canvas, on loan from private collection.
This lecture is held in conjunction with the exhibitions “Kindred Spirits and the Adobe Connection: E.I. Couse and J.H. Sharp” and “A Painter and his Camera: Model Studies by E.I. Couse.” The exhibitions, open through Sunday, Oct. 18, launch The Couse Foundation’s centennial celebrations of the year the two men became neighbors.
The lecture is free to members of Harwood Museum Alliance or The Couse Foundation or $8 for nonmembers.
Couse and Sharp are arguably the most dedicated academics of the Taos artists. Underlying the style of their painting is the influence of Paris and the beaux arts tradition from their student days. These artists, along with their Taos colleagues, transformed American art. What they learned in Paris didn’t stay in Paris, but unfolded into a rich and diverse Taos panorama.
Watkins is assistant professor of art history at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Furman University, master’s degrees in zoology from Clemson University and in art history from Tulane University, and a doctorate in art history from Florida State University. While living in Berlin, Germany, for eight years, she attended the Freie Universität, where she continued her studies in art history. She also curates exhibitions in the humanities and the sciences.
Her interests include the impact of patronage on western American art and how the nature of art collecting shaped late 19th and early 20th century culture. Forthcoming works by Watkins include a chapter on Sharp for the Gerald Peters Gallery publication, “The Taos Society of Artists.” She is in the preparatory stages of organizing an exhibition on Sharp and his patrons and is writing a book of interpretative essays investigating Sharp’s work thematically and exploring wider cultural issues in order to enter Sharp into the dialogue of the meaning and purpose of art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
For more information, call (575) 758-9826 ext. 110 or visit: Harwood Museum.
The Harwood Museum of Art of UNM is located at 238 Ledoux Street in Taos and is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Admission is $8, or free on Sundays to New Mexico residents.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
UNM's 2nd Annual Family Weekend, set for Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24, is an excellent opportunity for parents to connect with and support their student’s experience at UNM mid-semester. A campus-wide committee developed this year’s theme, “A New Mexico Adventure,” with input from parents and students.
For more information visit: Family Weekend.
“Many universities celebrate their state or region during Family Weekend,” said Committee Chair Laurie Mellas of the Parent Relations Office. “The philosophy behind hosting a weekend for students and families is two-fold: it aids recruitment from the standpoint that siblings and other young people attend, but at the heart of it is retention. Students need family support and this is a way to reconnect with their families at a time of the semester when some are homesick or have other issues that might affect their success at UNM.”
On Friday, from noon - 5 p.m., visit the Student Union Building to pick up your Family Weekend packet, with event tickets, free tote bag and other goodies. Also in the SUB, starting at 1 p.m., meet the Parent Association Board of Directors and learn how to become involved in the association’s activities, events and philanthropy.
“Game Day Friday,” gets things underway when, from 2 - 4 p.m., the UNM Bookstore will offer 25 percent off all Lobo wear and spirit merchandise. The event includes a Meet-and-Greet with artists who created the official UNM holiday ornament and 2009 Homecoming poster. The Women’s Resource Center has an open house from 2 - 4 p.m.
For students and parents who are UNM alumni, a “Legacy Reception” will be held at 5 p.m. in the Student Union building, Santa Ana rooms A&B. Special guest Bud Davis, former UNM president, signs his book about UNM, Miracle on the Mesa.
Saturday is chock-full of activities. Register for UNM’s first “5k Rock ‘N Run for the U” or the one-mile fun run/walk and treasure hunt, a fee is charged and includes a tee-shirt. Proceeds benefit student scholarship funds. Participants will pass through scenic areas of the UNM campus. At the finish line, runners can shop the bustling Lobo Grower’s Market on Johnson Field.
At noon, the Ethnic Centers will hold an Open House and BBQ in the Mesa Vista Hall courtyard.
The “Van of Enchantment” will be on the Cornell Mall with “culture-on-the-go,” which involves creative activities, touchable items and authentic artifacts, designed to impart an enriching, educational experience. The theme for its UNM stop will be “Riding the Rails” and covers the Santa Fe Trail and the arrival of the Railroad and Rail Runner Express.
Over at the SUB discussions will be held from 1 - 3 p.m. on topics ranging from National Student Exchange and Studying Aboard to Extended University/Online Courses, Financial Management, and Looking Ahead to Graduate School.
Family Weekend is all a part of UNM's 85th Annual Homecoming festivities. Guests are invited to attend UNM Homecoming’s Southwest Fiesta Tailgate in the giant tent at the northeast corner of the football Tailgate Lot 1. Cervantes Restaurant will cater food and a silent auction benefits the Alumni Association. From there, head to University Stadium for Lobo Football: UNM vs. UNLV. Family Weekend parents may purchase discounted game tickets during check-in.
Most Family Weekend events are free, but registration is required. For more information visit: Family Weekend. Some Homecoming events require tickets. For more information visit: UNM's 85th Annual Homecoming.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico's first “5k Rock ‘N Run for the U” and the one-mile fun run/walk and treasure hunt, are the highlights of UNM Family Weekend. The run starts at 9 a.m. followed by a full day of Family Weekend activities including a Tailgate Party and UNM Lobo football game. Faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to register for the run, which benefits student scholarships. Teams of six-eight individuals can compete for a team/group prize. Prizes will also be awarded in male/female categories.
Participants will pass through a number of scenic areas around the UNM campus. At the finish line, runners can shop the bustling Lobo Grower’s Market on Johnson Field. Participants can win Lobo gear and other prizes.
Online registration for the Rock ‘n’ Run is a available under the Family Weekend registration link or visit: Rock ‘n’ Run.
Family Weekend guests are also invited to attend UNM Homecoming’s Southwest Fiesta Tailgate in the giant tent at the northeast corner of the football Tailgate Lot 1. Cervantes Restaurant will cater food and a silent auction benefits the Alumni Association. From there, head to University Stadium for Lobo Football: UNM vs. UNLV. Go Lobos. Family Weekend parents may purchase discounted game tickets during check-in.
All run proceeds benefit scholarships provided to UNM students through the UNM Parent Association, Interfraternity Council, the National Panhellenic Council, the Multicultural Greeks and other UNM scholarship providers.
Most Family Weekend events are free, but registration is required. For more information visit: Family Weekend.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The English Department’s Nineteenth Century Group hosts its first event of the year, a brown-bag presentation by Associate Professor Jesse Alemán, “(Re)-Inventing American Literature in the Age of the Americas,” on Monday, Oct. 12, noon-1 p.m. at the Student Union Building, Sandia room.
The talk looks at the self-conscious construction of American literature in the 19th century as a vexed double mediation that on the one hand called for a new national literature, but on the other also imagined a shared hemispheric history with the rest of the Americas. This double bind, which perhaps forces us to distinguish between U.S. literature and American literature, also speaks to more recent debates about finding a common literature of the Americas.
Alemán teaches courses in 19th century American and Chicano/a literatures. His scholarship bridges the gap between both fields by focusing on the U.S.-Mexico War (1846-48) as a formative moment for Anglo and Mexican American literary and cultural identities. Alemán has also participated in the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage project. His other teaching interests include theories of the novel, Chicano/a literary history, and race, class and gender in American literature.
Albuquerque has a new mayor for the first time in eight years, Mayor-elect Richard Berry. Berry is also the first Republican to lead Albuquerque in 25 years. This week, “New Mexico in Focus” will break down Berry’s victory and its implications for the city’s future. “New Mexico In Focus” is KNME-TV’s weekly hour-long public affairs show airing on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. on KNME-TV channel 5.1 and repeating on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 6:30 a.m.
Host Gene Grant sits down with Gwyneth Doland and Marjorie Childress from the New Mexico Independent, Peter St. Cyr from KKOB-AM radio and the Albuquerque Journal’s Dan McKay to talk about Albuquerque future under Mayor Berry and the new City Council.
Then Grant and regular “The Line” panelists Jim Scarantino and Margaret Montoya will be joined by this week’s guest panelists Sophie Martin and Marco Gonzales to debate the outcome of the week’s local elections, as well as the upcoming budget fight in Santa Fe during the Special Legislative Session. Of interest in the special session is the involvement in local educators in making their concerns known to their legislators, and if these legislators will heed their words.
“New Mexico in Focus” is produced by Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer and 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
Communication & Journalism Professor Miguel Gandert has received the Artist-in-Residence Award from the Center for Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago. Gandert will travel to Chicago over fall break to present a public lecture and teach a seminar. Gandert will present, “Dancing on Hard Ground: Reading History and Intercultural Relationships in the Rituals of New Mexico, Mexico and Bolivia.”
Photo: Miguel Gandert
The rituals profiled in this talk, both religious and secular, are a confluence of Meso-American indigenous peoples and the Spanish Colonial era. The celebrations are a living symbol of the historically complex 400-year relationship between European Christianity and the pre-colonial indigenous populations of the Americas.
“By examining the symbols of community celebrations as layers of text, a different history can be read. The themes of racism, exploitation, civil rights, social revolution and the environment are among the major issues mediated during these celebrations,” he said.
Rituals of New Mexico, Mexico, Bolivia and their relationship to colonial Spain and the West explore not only the confluence of two distinct worlds, but also as symbols of a complex inner struggle dwelling in the hearts of indigenous and mixed people who try to preserve a fidelity to contradictory cultures.
“The metaphors found in these rituals are not only a living history of complex intercultural relationship between Spain and the Americas, but also can be examined as window into the concepts of globalization and as ritual as a mediation between the first and third worlds as well as the current tensions playing out in the Middle East,” Gandert said.
Gandert, a native of Española, NM, is a fine art and documentary photographer. He teaches courses in photography, ethnography, art history and intercultural communication. His recent work explores the contrast between the Hispanic life in Spain, Latin America, Old and New Mexico.
Gandert, who continues to work in black-and-white photography, sees documentary work as both a form of art with a strong capacity for expression as well as a way of telling stories and understanding complex cultural relationships. A primary focus of those stories is Gandert’s mestizaje heritage and the fusion and tension of the relationship between Spanish Colonial and native cultures of the Americas.
Gandert’s photographs have been shown in galleries and museums throughout the world and are in numerous public collections including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian, and the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, the Beinke Rare Book and Manuscript Collection at Yale and the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe. His series, Nuevo México Profundo, Rituals of an Indo-Hispano Homeland, was the subject of a book and one-person exhibition for the National Hispanic Culture Center of New Mexico, in 2000, and his work was selected for the 1993 Biennial exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Jose Rivera published Acequia Culture: Water, Land, and Community in the Southwest, in 1998. The book has now been translated into Spanish, La Cultura de la Acequia: Agua, tierra y comunidad en el Suroeste de les Estados Unidos de América, translated by Luis Pablo Martínez and published by the Universidad de Valencia in Spain. Rivera is a research scholar, UNM Center for Regional Studies and on faculty in the School of Architecture and Planning’s community and regional planning department.
It is completely appropriate, he said, that the book be published in Valencia. “The city is the site of The Water Court, or Tribunal de las Aguas – which is the oldest democratic institution in Europe that has survived to our days, spanning a whole millennium,” Rivera said.
Originally introduced by the Moorish farmers to regulate the irrigation infrastructure in the fields, the Water Court is a group of elected judges from the country who resolve all irrigation disputes once a week, swiftly by employing common sense. All members are equal to each other and sit in a circle. This court handles all issues orally, nothing is written down and no records are kept. It hasn’t changed for more than a thousand years and takes place in full public view.
Rivera said that acequias were used by indigenous people in the Southwest, but their development expanded under the Spanish. “The system in New Mexico had its beginnings with the Pueblo Indians. Up until the late 1600s, the Spanish colonized the region and integrated many of the old Pueblo acequias with new networks, which the Moors had taught them centuries before,” he said. He added that the techniques were similar to those used by the Pueblos.
In New Mexico, each year a mayordomo, or manager, and three commissioners are elected to oversee water rates and insure fair distribution of water to each landowner who farms along the acequia. The mayordomo supervises the annual spring clearing of his association's acequia, determines the amount of water that each user will receive, and is partially responsible for record keeping and payrolls. An individual’s share of water is determined by the nature of his plantings and the weather. Mayordomos also must address family feuds, annual dues or "delincuencias" and users who cheat by diverting water to their lands.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
A reminder that various flu shot clinics are available to UNM students, faculty and staff for the dates Oct. 10 – 16. These flu shots are for the seasonal flu vaccine only and are free to everyone.
Saturday, Oct. 10
The UNM Health Sciences Center has scheduled off-campus public flu clinics at:
· UNM University Area Clinic, 1209 University Blvd. - 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
· UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE - 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 13 – Thursday, Oct. 15
Seasonal flu shots will be available for those who are covered under Lovelace or Presbyterian health plans.
7 a.m. – 10 a.m. SUB Ballroom C
Note: Non-Lovelace or Presbyterian plan participants can pay $25 cash/check directly to the provider.
Friday, Oct. 16
Fiesta de Flu, Colleges of Nursing & Pharmacy Building, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Fiesta de Flu is for students, faculty, staff and their family members.
Additionally next week, the Division of Human Resources' Benefits and Employee Health Promotion Program (EHPP) are sponsoring Preventive Health Week. For more information visit: Employee Preventive Health Week.
Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to signup for UNM’s Emergency Notification System that is available for emergency messages to the Albuquerque campus. TextMe UNM, which was implemented in 2007, is an opt-in text messaging system that provides UNM students, faculty and staff with fast, convenient, real-time message alerts. For direct access to the signup page visit: TextMe.
The TextMe messaging systems allows individuals to receive important campus information on your:
* Mobile Phone (via text messaging)
* Web Page
* E-mail
* Text Pager
* Google, AOL or My Yahoo Page
The UNM TextMe registration is for a default period of one year. Those subscribers who have signed up previously will receive a reminder to re-enroll to continue receiving alerts 30 days prior to your account expiration. Subscribers will receive a text message prompting you to log in to continue receiving emergency notifications.
For those new to the UNM campus, the University also has an emergency alert siren notification. The sirens, located on the main campus and at University Stadium, will sound for one minute. Shortly after the first siren, there will be a different sound to indicate All Clear. The sirens mean anyone on the campus should immediately seek shelter inside the nearest building.
The sirens will only be sounded in the event of an emergency that makes it dangerous to be outdoors, such as a severe lightning storm, an environmental hazard, or a threat from an armed individual. During a real alert, people who are not on campus and hear the siren should not come on campus.
During any tests of the siren system, students are asked to proceed to class as usual. Faculty, staff and students who have signed up for UNM’s TextMe emergency notification system will receive a text message. During a normal day, there are many people on campus who are not part of the university’s current text message and email emergency notification system. The sirens supplement that notification.
For a siren sample, click on the respective link.
Listen to the Emergency Alert.
If you have difficulty logging in, or have any questions, contact Information Technologies help desk at 277-1111 or visit: FastInfo for assistance.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The Associated Students of UNM will host their annual community service and campus beautification event, Fall Frenzy, on Friday, Oct.9 at 9 a.m. Fall Frenzy gives students an opportunity to participate in service projects that benefit both the UNM and Albuquerque communities.
Volunteers will meet at the university’s Cactus Garden outside of Zimmerman Library, and from there, they will be divided into groups to work on projects around campus.
“We expect 100-150 volunteers this year,” said Hallee Kells, event coordinator for ASUNM Community Experience. "I am extremely excited for this year's Fall Frenzy," Kells said. "It will be my fifth and last Fall Frenzy, before graduating in May."
Activities for the day will include: planting pansies at Duck Pond, Scholes Hall and University House; tracking the renovation on Johnson Field; removing plants and cleaning up at Mechanical Engineering; and replenishing bark mulch at Hokona Zia.
After projects are completed at 2 p.m., ASUNM will offer a free lunch on Lower Johnson Field.
To volunteer visit: The Community Experience.
For more information, call (505)277-0106 or e-mail tce@unm.edu
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Chris Powers, national director of the David Boren Scholarship Program, will lead workshops on graduate and undergraduate Boren scholarships and fellowships, on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 10:30 a.m. in the basement of the Student Health Center across from the Student Union Building.
Hosted by the Office of International Programs and Studies, Powers’ presentation is appropriate for students as well as faculty and staff involved in international education at UNM.
As part of the National Security Education Program, the Boren Awards are managed by the Institute of International Education. They support foreign language study and study abroad in preparation for careers in the federal government agencies and departments including Defense, State, Homeland Security and intelligence services. A service requirement in one of the agencies applies within three years of graduation. Undergraduate scholarships up to $10,000 per semester or $20,000 per academic year are available. For additional details about the program visit: Boren Scholarship.
“The program focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. It draws on a broad definition of national security, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration and economic competitiveness,” Powers said.
All applicants must demonstrate how their study programs and future goals are connected to this broad understanding of national security.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Chris Wilson, cultural landscape professor in the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning, presents, “The Exalting Eye: Photography and the Myth of Santa Fe,” on Friday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. in the New Mexico History Museum Auditorium, at 113 Lincoln Ave. The event is free and open to the public.
Wilson's lecture marks the final event in support of Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe, a photographic exhibit at the Palace of the Governors; the exhibit closes on Sunday, Oct. 25. During its nearly year-long display, the exhibit, lecture series and accompanying book (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2009) have drawn a steady stream of interest.
The book features essays and the work of more than 100 photographers, including Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Laura Gilpin, Paul Strand, Lee Friedlander and Paul Caponigro. Since its release, it has been the third highest-selling book in the Museum of New Mexico shops. For more information on the book visit: The Exalting Eye: Photography and the Myth of Santa Fe.
The final speaker in the lecture series is Chris Wilson, J.B. Jackson Professor of Cultural Landscape Studies and author of the 1997 book, The Myth of Santa Fe: Creating a Modern Regional Tradition. The book followed the wave of 1980s publicity that projected Santa Fe as an exotic tourist destination. Wilson went behind the romance of adobe facades and turquoise marketing to tell another story: How the city’s alluring image was consciously created earlier in the 20thcentury, primarily by Anglo-American newcomers.
Looked at one way, Santa Fe's is a story of survival, of a 1912 city not yet accustomed to being a style unto itself that was transformed into an international hot spot. Looked at another way, that story carries a cautionary tale about the marketing of Native American and Hispanic cultures, and the social displacement and ethnic animosities that can accompany a tourist boom.
Wilson's book won the 1997 Gaspar Perez de Villegrá Award from the Historical Society of New Mexico and the 1999 Abbott Lowell Cummings Prize from the Vernacular Architecture Forum.
Santa Fe's transformation over time is likewise recounted in Through the Lens, which collects 160 years of photographic work in the city by many of the most recognized names in photography. They were among those who helped create the mystique that Wilson will discuss in his lecture. The exhibit was co-curated by photographer and educator Krista Elrick and Palace of the Governor Curator of Photography Mary Anne Redding.
The exhibition, lecture series, and publication of the book, Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe, are sponsored by the Scanlan Family Foundation, Verve Gallery of Photography, New Mexico Council on Photography, New Mexico Humanities Council, Visual Arts Gallery at the Santa Fe Community College, Photography Department/Marion Center for Photographic Arts at the College of Santa Fe, Scheinbaum & Russek LTD., Santa Fe 400th Anniversary Partnership, Santa Fe Art Foundation, Andrew Smith Gallery, Museum of New Mexico Foundation, Palace Guard, Phyllis and Edward Gladden Endowment Fund, and the Women's Board of the Museum of New Mexico.
For information on the exhibition, contact Mary Anne Redding at (505) 476-5026.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM Regents’ Lecturer and Biology Professor Tim Lowrey was elected recently to the Board of Directors of the Flora North America Association, a bi-national collaboration of more than 30 U.S. and Canadian institutions and organizations involved in a project titled, Flora of North America. The project involves botanists who are studying and characterizing the plants of the region and the need for authoritative information for basic and applied research, conservation, and resource management.
Photo: Tim Lowrey
The project goal is to make flora as clear, concise and informative as practical so that it can serve as an important resource for both botanists and nonbotanists.
“The Flora North America Program is a massive international project to provide a published account of the 20,000+ species in North America north of Mexico,” said Lowrey, who is also the curator of the UNM Herbarium in the Museum of Southwestern Biology. “At the finish of the project, nearly 10 percent of the world's plant species will be treated in 30 volumes. I am very happy to be elected to the Board of Directors to help guide the project to completion in 2012."
A flora is a systematic account of the plant species of a given area — in this case, North America, north of Mexico. Flora of North America builds upon the cumulative wealth of information acquired since botanical studies began in the United States and Canada more than two centuries ago. The flora is intended to serve both as a means of identifying plants within the region and as a systematic conspectus of the North American flora.
The Board of Directors serves as the governing body of the project. The officers include a president, vice president and editorial director, vice president for Business and Development, secretary and treasurer. The board consists of taxon editors, regional coordinators, a bibliographic editor, a nomenclatural editor, a managing editor and liaisons to governmental agencies in the U.S. and Canada.
Lowrey's research interests include plant systematics, flowering plants of the tropics, hybridization in plants, plant breeding systems and reproductive biology. His background includes a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of California, Berkeley (1981); a Master of Science in Biology from Utah State University (1977); and a Bachelor of Science in Botany, also from Utah State University (1974).
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
An impressive gathering of students and community leaders helped kick-off the 2009 UNM Technology Business Plan Competition Kick-Off at a recent reception. The kick-off event at the Anderson School Jackson Student Center gave UNM students the opportunity to learn more about creating a business plan for a high-tech startup firm and compete for prize money.
Photo: Distinguished Professor Sul Kassicieh
Distinguished Professor Sul Kassicieh, founder of the competition, introduced students to the community leaders who offer resources and support to the UNM Technology Business Plan Competition, now in its fifth year.
The competition encourages students from all UNM schools and colleges to collaborate on teams that commercialize technology products developed at UNM, Sandia National Labs, Los Alamos National Lab, or elsewhere in the state. These student-owned startup firms bring inventions from lab to market and have the potential to boost economic development in New Mexico.
Top prize for the competition is the $25,000 Michael Gallegos Prize for Entrepreneurship. TVC Lockheed Martin sponsors the $10,000 second place prize, and vSpring Capital offers the third place $5,000 prize.
The valued business and community supporters of the competition include American Property Management Corporation – APMC and Michael Gallegos; Technology Ventures Corporation – TVC, Lockheed Martin, and Sherman McCorkle; vSpring Capital, the KickStart Seed Fund, and Gavin Christensen; the NM Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development – WIRED - Initiative, and Gregory Scheib; The Technology Innovation Program (TIP) Endowment, and Raymond Radosevich; the Miller Financial Group of Northwestern Mutual Financial Network; Bank of the West; Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck; EPIC Ventures; and Flywheel Ventures.
The 2010 UNM Technology Business Plan Competition will take place on Friday, April 16, 2010, and the winners will be announced that evening at the awards reception and banquet.
There is still time for students to get involved. For more information visit: Technology Business Plan or contact Program Manager Jennifer Bayley at bayley@mgt.unm.edu.
Media Contact: Leslie Venzuela, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: venzuela@mgt.unm.edu
Weekend flu shot clinics start Oct. 10
The very popular UNM Health Sciences Center drive-thru flu shot clinics for immunization against the seasonal flu will be conducted again this year on Saturdays Oct. 17 and Oct. 24. The drive-thru clinics will be set up at the UNM Family Practice Center at 2400 Tucker NE, on the UNM north campus.
In addition, this year HSC will set up weekend flu shot clinics at its University Area, Northeast Heights and Southeast Heights clinics. The clinics will be held on weekends beginning Saturday, Oct. 10, and will run through Saturday, Nov. 21, or until the vaccine runs out.
These flu shots are free to everyone. The UNM Health Sciences Center has made a commitment to administer these free flu shots for the good of the community.
On Main Campus, HSC will set up free shot clinics at the SUB Oct. 19 - 22. If you are a member of the Lovelace or Presbyterian health plans, you can get your free shot Oct. 13 - 15, also at the SUB.
In conjunction, the Division of Human Resources' Benefits and Employee Health Promotion Program (EHPP) are sponsoring Preventive Health Week. For more information visit: Employee Preventive Health Week.
UNM received its shipment of the seasonal flu vaccine on Sept. 23 and has already started administering it to hospitalized patients, clinic patients and health care giver. This vaccine should not be confused with the H1N1 flu vaccine, which should arrive sometime in October. A separate schedule will be set up for administering that vaccine.
The drive-thru clinics for the seasonal flu shots on Oct. 17 and 24 (cancelled) will immunize persons nine years of age and older without having to get out of their vehicle. The drive-thru locations make it more convenient for people to get these free shots.
Due to a higher than expected demand for the seasonal flu vaccine, the drive-thru flu shot clinic scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, outside the UNM Family Practice Center at 2400 Tucker NE, has been canceled.
At the drive-thru clinic on Saturday, Oct. 17, nearly 4,000 people were vaccinated, nearly doubling the number of seasonal flu shots administered in one day during a similar drive-thru flu shot clinic in 2008.
The walk-in seasonal flu shots clinics scheduled for Oct. 24 at the UNM Northeast Heights Family Clinic on Academy NE, west of Wyoming NE, and at the UNM Southeast Heights Family Clinic at the corner of Central SE and Texas SE, will we held as scheduled. The remaining vaccine earmarked for the now-canceled drive-thru clinic will be redistributed to those clinics.
Following are the times and locations of the off-campus public flu clinics:
Saturday, Oct. 10
UNM University Area Clinic, 1209 University Blvd. – 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 17
UNM Family Practice Center, 2400 Tucker NE – 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Drive Thru)
UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Young Children’s Health Center, 306-A San Pablo SE – 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24
UNM Family Practice Center, 2400 Tucker NE – 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Drive Thru) -- CANCELLED
UNM Northeast Heights Clinic, 7801 Academy Blvd. NE – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31
UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Lobo Care / Senior Health Clinic, 1101-4 Medical Arts NE – 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 7
UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. {CANCELLED}
Saturday, Nov. 14
UNM University Area Clinic, 1209 University Blvd. – 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. {CANCELLED}
UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. {CANCELLED}
Saturday, Nov. 21
Young Children’s Health Center, 306-A San Pablo SE – 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. {CANCELLED}
Additionally, UNM's branch campuses also have clinics scheduled.
Valencia Campus
When: Thursday, Oct. 22 - 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Campus Student Community Center (room TBA)
Gallup Campus
When: Wednesday, Oct. 28 - 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: Director's Conference Room
Los Alamos Campus
When: Monday, Nov. 2 - 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. {CANCELLED}
Location: Building 2 – Media Room
Taos Campus
When: Wednesday, Nov. 11 - 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. {CANCELLED}
Location: UNM-Taos Klauer Campus Conference Room
Media Contact: Sam Giammo, (505) 272-3682; e-mail: sgiammo@salud.unm.edu
The Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology (CETI), housed in the UNM Biology Department, was recently awarded a five-year, $10.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) Centers for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program.
This is the second COBRE award received by CETI, the first $10.3 million was awarded in October 2003. It assures CETI’s ability to further strengthen, consolidate and position itself as one of the world’s preeminent centers in evolutionary and theoretical immunological research.
Under the direction of Principal Investigator Eric Loker and co-PI and infrastructure core director Rob Miller, CETI, which is the only COBRE funded program on UNM’s main campus, involves researchers from UNM’s Biology and Computer Science Departments, and theoretical biologists from Los Alamos National Lab (LANL).
“The new CETI award, coming in a cash-starved economic climate, offers our research community some very creative possibilities that we would simply not have otherwise,” said Loker. “It allows us to continue to develop and enhance an internationally prominent presence for UNM in the growing field of evolutionary immunology.
“The award also provides a wonderful opportunity for UNM scientists to enhance collaborations with LANL, to assist in the building of a strengthened biomedical research presence on our main campus, including the training of students and junior scientists, and to work creatively with other UNM scientists to build new programs that will enhance UNM’s presence in immunology, parasitology and the biology of infectious diseases.”
Designed to study the evolution and diversification of immune systems across all organismal life, researchers at CETI seek to understand the functional principles underlying immune systems and their interactions with pathogens, based on both theoretical and comparative approaches. Since 2003 CETI investigators have published more than 450 scientific papers, including several in the most prestigious scientific journals such as Science, Nature and Proceedings of the National Acadamy of Sciences.
CETI scientists have made fundamental contributions to the study of mammalian genome and immune system organization, and by focusing on marsupials and egg-laying mammals have provided unique evolutionary insights for the evolution of placental mammals. They have discovered new kinds of immune receptors, and provided new evidence to indicate that the immune systems of invertebrates, which often are involved as vectors of disease, are capable of more sophisticated and diverse responses to pathogens than previously thought.
CETI’s theoreticians have played an important role in advancing our basic understanding of virus population dynamics in humans, how signals are propagated in immune cells to allow their eventual activation, and how design principles of immune systems share properties with computer security systems.
In addition to its role in creating new knowledge, another of CETI’s goals is to build and enhance the biomedical enterprise in the state of New Mexico. Therefore, some of the new funds will be used to hire two new tenure track, research-competitive faculty members, this at a time when faculty hires are otherwise very scarce. These new faculty members will add to CETI’s critical mass of researchers as well as add to the UNM community as a whole. The new funds will also be used to provide research support for junior faculty and to establish a new Seed Grant Program designed to support young investigators from UNM and LANL and help improve their chances of securing their own biomedical funding.
“CETI has given me the opportunity to apply biological theory and computational models to increase our understanding of how diseases progress and epidemics spread between different species. This has practical implications for how we fight emerging pathogens like West Nile Virus,” said Melanie Moses, assistant professor, Computer Science and a CETI mentored faculty member. “CETI has enabled cross disciplinary training of students in Biology and Computer Science and provided mentoring from world class researchers in immunology and epidemiology.”
Additional plans call for support of core facilities, including the support of the Molecular Biology Facility which provides services such as automated DNA sequencing to the entire UNM community, for improvement and upgrades in other vital institutional research infrastructure, including the UNM proteomics and mass spectroscopy facility, and to support the acquisition of the National Parasite Collection by UNM’s Museum of Southwestern Biology, which will help to increase UNM’s international research prominence.
In addition to its core funding, CETI-affiliated researchers have been awarded $14 million in federally funded grants since its 2003 inception. CETI has worked closely with the UNM administration to leverage another $19.4 million in building funds to erect a 38,000 square foot addition to the Biology building. The Biology addition that houses CETI has also been designated as the first LEEDS gold-certified building on campus.
“Recently several CETI investigators, including students, attended an international comparative immunology conference held in Europe,” said Miller. “It was clear from the interactions with colleagues from around the world that UNM and the state of New Mexico has become an internationally recognized center in the field of evolutionary immunology. It would have been difficult to build the critical mass of investigators necessary to achieve this level of recognition without the support from Federal programs such as the NIH NCRR COBRE. We are really pleased that the NIH has recognized our accomplishments as well by renewing its support.”
NCRR, part of NIH, provides laboratory scientists and clinical researchers with the resources and training they need to understand, detect, treat and prevent a wide range of diseases. NCRR supports all aspects of translational and clinical research, connecting researchers, patients and communities across the nation. For more information visit: National Center for Research Resources.
For more information on CETI or upcoming lectures and events, visit: CETI or contact program manager, Jennifer Kavka at, (505) 277-5508 and jekavka@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, Henry D. Coleman, a founding partner in Coleman Sudol Sapone P.C. will talk on “Update on the Economy. Where Do We Go From Here From a Technology/Patent/Small Business Perspective” in Room 3010, Domenici Education Center on the UNM HSC Campus. The talk begins at 7:30 a.m. The seminars are free and open to the public.
Photo: Henry Coleman
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Ivana Palunko is one of three winners of the 2009 award “Science” given by the National Foundation for Science, Higher Education and the Technological Development of the Republic of Croatia. She won in the technical and biomedical category for a paper accepted by the Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems on “Small Helicopter Control Design Based on Model Reduction and Decoupling.”
Photo: Ivana Palunko
Currently Palunko is pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. She graduated from a five year program at the University of Zagreb and came to UNM on a recommendation from her advisor who was collaborating with Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Rafael Fierro. She is now working in his research group, Multi-Agent, Robotics, Hybrid and Embedded Systems Laboratory (MARHES).
Her paper describes a nonlinear mathematical model of a small scale helicopter and the simulation results of a proposed control system that could be used to enable the helicopter to perform unmanned nonaggressive maneuvering and aerobatic flight.
For her dissertation she is working on a control of small scale unmanned aerial vehicles. This is her second year in the program and she is focused on nonlinear control and navigation in an uncertain environment. Unmanned aerial vehicles have increasingly motivated the research community in recent years. They are used in military missions as well as in civil operations, ranging from ground attack and search and rescue missions to border surveillance and forest fire monitoring.
Palunko says it will probably take two more years to complete the research for her degree. Then she hopes she will get the opportunity to continue her research in one of the research laboratories throughout the world. She says the closer to home, the better.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The Mind Research Network (MRN) is sponsoring a presentation on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 11:45 am in MRN’s Large Conference Room in Pete and Nancy Domenici Hall on the UNM North Campus. The topic, “The EARLY Program: Lessons from Year One” (EARLY - Early Assessment and Resource Linkage for Youth), is a treatment research program aimed at reducing the incidence of psychotic disorders in Bernalillo County through early identification and treatment.
EARLY is part of a 6-site national replication project called EDIPPP (Early Detection and Intervention for the Prevention of Psychosis Program) and is a collaboration between the University of New Mexico Department of Psychiatry and The Mind Research Network.
EARLY began enrolling patients on Oct. 1, 2008. Since the planning stages, EARLY has faced numerous challenges related to outreach, funding, treatment and coordination of a complicated protocol. There have been many successes as well as many lessons learned about how to best partner with our community in an effort to provide state-of-the-art treatment and research.
Please join the panel as they review their first year and facilitate a discussion about moving research and treatment efforts into the community in a culturally-sensitive and effective manner.
Panelists include Steven Adelsheim, M.D., Psychiatrist and Professor of Psychiatry UNM; Director, Center for Rural and Community Behavioral Health David Graeber, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, UNM; Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Margaret Migliorati, M.A., LPCC, DTR, NCC, Clinician, MRNMelina Salvador, M.A., Research Scientist, Center for Rural and Community Behavioral Health will present.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The Division of Human Resources' Benefits and Employee Health Promotion Program (EHPP) have announced the dates for its annual Preventive Health Week with health services available to UNM faculty, staff and adult dependents (age 18 and older). Preventive Health Week will be held Tuesday, Oct. 13 through Thursday, Oct. 15 in the UNM Student Union Building.
Screenings and seasonal flu shots will be offered each morning in Ballroom A at the SUB from 7 a.m. - 10 a.m. For the first time, the screening events will be combined with the Road to Wellness Fair in the SUB Ballrooms A, B and C on Wed., Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
For more information on available flu shot clinics visit: UNM Health Sciences Center Announces Seasonal Flu Shot Clinic Schedule.
For more information on Preventive Health Week visit:
EHPP Initiatives.
The UNM community is invited to participate in a pre-United Way campaign “tee-off” Friday, Oct. 16 in the 8th Annual UNM Golf Fiesta at UNM’s Championship Course. The tournament is open to all students, faculty, staff, alumni and retirees. “UNM Lives United” is the theme for the University of New Mexico’s Annual United Way campaign, which begins Oct. 26.
The tournament is limited to the first 30, 4-person teams. The registration fee of $60 per person/$240 per team includes green fees, cart, prizes and a post-tournament buffet. The registration deadline is Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 5 p.m.
Tournament sign-in begins on Friday, Oct. 16, at 11:30 a.m. The tournament features a 4-person scramble with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. Team prizes will be awarded for 1st through 3rd place, while individual contests will be held for closest to the pin, longest drive and other hole contests. For more information or to register call 277-4546.
Now that you’re in college, you probably have certain expectations: that you will form life-long friendships, party till dawn, and make memories to last a lifetime. But for many students, the reality of college falls short of what they dreamed it would be. Instead, college can be a time of isolation, sadness, anxiety, and stress. To help, UNM Student Health & Counseling (SHAC) will sponsor Mental Health Screening Day on Thursday, Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UNM Honors Plaza, south of SHAC.
Students will have the opportunity to complete a written self-assessment and meet one-to-one with a mental health professional. Those who appear to need further evaluation will be referred to campus services.
Possible screening questions include:
Have you lost pleasure in things you used to enjoy?
Do you have trouble sleeping or eating?
Do you deliberately avoid social situations?
Does your mood fluctuate between overly “high” and utterly hopeless?
Do you suffer from unexplained aches and pains?
For students with busy schedules, free online screenings are also available on the SHAC web site for a range of mental health conditions: Self-Help Tools. Immediately following a screening, students receive feedback about their scores, along with referral information to campus resources if appropriate.
If you haven’t been feeling like yourself lately, a simple, confidential questionnaire can determine what is wrong and what you can do. For information, call SHAC Counseling Services at, 277-4537
This summer, Malaria No More and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation invited students from around the nation to enter their World Briefing: Telling the Malaria Story contest. UNM senior Abdullah Feroze was named as one of the top 10 finalists.
Majoring in biology and economics, Feroze became interested in the malaria crisis while working in Accra, Ghana, in summer 2008.
Working at an eye clinic in Accra and surrounding villages, Feroze contracted malaria.
“I recovered after a month, but the nights spent sweating and shivering taught me more about malaria and the lack of access to health care and medicine in developing nations than any textbook ever could,” Feroze said.
He realized that despite medical advances that make malaria a very treatable and preventable disease, access to such medicines is limited in poorer nations.
“Malaria was eradicated in the United States over 50 years ago, yet more than 40 percent of the world’s population still remains at risk for contracting the deadly disease,” Feroze said.
“It’s one thing to churn out medical advances in the laboratory; it’s a completely different thing to be able to get those ground-breaking advances to developing nations in a timely fashion, where they are needed most.”
Once he completes his medical education, Feroze hopes to work abroad to raise awareness both in countries where malaria is still endemic and the industrialized nations where the disease was eradicated decades ago.
“Through initiatives promoting quality, accessible medical care, access to medicines and vaccines, and public health awareness, I hope to work with others to curb the damage that diseases such as malaria, AIDS, and tuberculosis unnecessarily continue to cause around the world,” he said.
“As an M.D./Ph.D., I hope to be well-versed in the biomedical, political, economic and sociological aspects of the global burden of disease, in order to translate medical advances into practical, implementable policies.”
Feroze hoped that the contest would give him a chance to return to Africa to further examine why strategies to curb the spread of malaria have fallen short. Though he didn’t win the contest, he said, “I hope to at least bring awareness of the disease through my finalist standing.”
Story by Jazmen Bradford
The United States Army Field Band Brass Quintet will present a master class/coaching session at UNM on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 10-10:45 a.m., followed by a short recital beginning at 11 a.m. Both events are in Keller Hall, in the Center for the Arts and are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Karl Hinterbichler, UNM Department of Music, 277-4331; khtbn@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM's Recereational Services has a limited number of discount Balloon Fiesta tickets for $5. Save money and purchase advance tickets ($6 at the gate) at Rm. 1102 in Johnson Center. For cycling enthusiasts, there is a great bike path that leads all the way into Balloon Fiesta Park complete with valet bike parking. Cyclists just need to purchase a ticket for entrance into the park. For more information call, 277-0178.
Elena Berliba-Vera received the 2009 Outstanding Engineering Senior Student of the Year Award from the New Mexico Society of Professional Engineers as an undergraduate and she is now pursuing a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Berliba-Vera’s current research is in the field of nanomaterials. She will be looking at how the deposition of nanomaterials into ultracapacitors affects their performance.
Photo: Elena Berliba-Vera
Berliba-Vera didn’t originally plan to come to UNM. Her parents moved to New Mexico just as she was preparing to go to Pennsylvania State. She decided to come with them and enrolled at UNM to study business. Berliba-Vera completed her undergraduate degree in business and began to work as an accountant, but she soon realized that accounting wasn’t what she wanted to do with her life. She decided to go back to school and study engineering, but that required getting another bachelors degree, since very few of her business credit hours could be transferred.
When Berliba-Vera started comparing the kinds of engineering disciplines, she found that mechanical engineering involved many areas of research. The UNM Mechanical Engineering Department has strong ongoing research in nanomaterials and that interested Berliba-Vera. Nanomaterials are already used in many applications, such as obtaining desired mechanical properties of composite materials.
Berliba-Vera says she likes to tackle difficult problems. She says she enjoys the challenge of search for the answers to hard questions. But this is the beginning of her master’s work and for this semester she expects to be busy synthesizing and characterizing nanoparticles.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Art Museum is participating in the largest organized residency program of Israeli artists ever to launch in the U.S. by hosting photographer Roi Kuper for a two-month residency at UNM. Kuper presents a LAND/ART talk, “Notes from Abroad: Thoughts on Israeli Landscape,” on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 5:30 p.m. at the University Art Museum, Center for the Arts.
Kuper has worked in photography since the mid-1980s, philosophically exploring and investigating its nature both in black and white and in color work with a focus on landscape. In “Necropolis” (1996-2000), Kuper explored deserted areas in the south of Israel along local military semi-archeological remains scattered throughout these areas. This body of work was methodically photographed in medium format using black and white film, producing high quality silver prints. Following his exhibition at the Tate Modern in London, the Tate acquired a group of works from this series.
Kuper’s work has also been exhibited at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Herzliya Museum of Art in Israel, as well as in group exhibitions in New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Berlin, Vienna, Guangdong, China, and other cities.
During his residency at UNM, he will interact with students of photography and arts and ecology, and with the New Mexico and southwestern landscape on a new series of photographs. For more information about his work, visit http://www.roikuper.com. Kuper’s residency has been made possible by a gift from the Schusterman Family Foundation.
For more information, call (505) 277-6773 or visit, UNM Art Museum.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Climate change models, with increasing regularity, are projecting increases in the duration, frequency and intensity of heat waves over the next 70 years. How this information is going to affect plant and animal species across the globe has scientists like Blair Wolf from the University of New Mexico and Andrew McKechnie from the University of Pretoria in South Africa searching for answers.
Photo: Budgies cluster together in a shady spot to get out of the heat.
Together, they are utilizing physiological models to understand what might happen to bird communities during the extreme heat-related events that are projected to occur.
The duo, in a paper released by Biology Letters this week, say that by the 2080s, desert birds will experience reduced survival rates more frequently during mid-summer heat waves leading to an increase in the number of catastrophic mortality events. Birds with body weights of less than 100 grams, smaller than a Mourning Dove, will be most affected.
Wolf and McKechnie used climate data from Yuma, Ariz. and Birdsville, Australia, two areas well-known for their extreme temperatures, to model the effects of high temperatures on bird survival. They modeled water requirements and survival times during the hottest times of the day for birds resting in the shade and used evaporative water loss measurements for the highest current and predicted future maximum temperatures in 2080.
They also took into account important characteristics of birds such as body size, their use of thermally buffered microsites, like shade trees, limited drinking and foraging activity. Under these circumstances, they found, that small birds will be particularly vulnerable to such heat waves because their evaporative water loss rates and water requirements will be much higher in the 2080s than under current conditions.
“Their water requirements for the 2080s are much higher than current values because of projected higher temperatures,” said Wolf. “For a bird the size of a hummingbird, a 5.5°C temperature increase will result in an increase in water requirements of 95 percent over a 12 to 18 hour period in a bird that weighs three to five grams. The increase in a 50-gram bird would be about 64 percent, and 47 percent in a 500-gram bird over the same timeframe.
“Even when it’s hot out and they seek shade to stay cool, small birds can still have evaporative water loss rates that exceed five percent of their body mass per hour. As with humans, moving from a shady site into the sun on a hot day greatly increases their heat stress"
Their model is based on the assumption that water intake is negligible during the hottest part of the day and the observation that birds forego most activity when it is very hot.
During hot weather, two mechanisms are at work explains Wolf. “Birds either lose so much water that they reach a lethal dehydration limit or it is so hot that they can't get rid of enough heat to keep their body temperature below its lethal limits.
“Under normal conditions, a bird’s body temperature is around 106-107° F,” said Wolf. “When is it hot, birds allow their body temperatures to increase to 113 or 114° F and temperatures around 115 to 117° F are lethal. In the 2080s, increased air temperatures during heat waves will make it impossible for some species to maintain body temperatures below lethal limits as has recently occurred in western Australia.”
Wolf and McKechnie explain in their paper that, “historically and contemporary reports of catastrophic avian die-offs, taken together with predicted increases in frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves strongly suggest that future climates will produce more frequent mortality events. The die-offs will periodically reduce populations, potentially by millions of individuals over large areas.”
They say that although birds are highly mobile, the short time scale over which dehydration and hyperthermia occurs makes it unlikely that they will be able to escape such events, and that these events also may affect the reproductive success of some species because some birds actually cool their eggs during hot days; increased temperatures will make it impossible for some species to maintain egg temperatures below lethal levels.
“An example is the January 2009 heat wave in western Australia that has killed off thousands of birds,” said Wolf. “Australia is the poster child for global climate change; they are losing all sorts of wildlife due to its effects."
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Because of the new Ken Burns series, “National Parks,” KNME-TV, channel 5.1 in Albuquerque, will not be airing a new episode of “New Mexico in Focus” on Friday Oct. 2. KNME-TV will re-broadcast the “New Mexico in Focus” special, “Albuquerque Mayoral Debate” on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 6:30 a.m. and online at KNME and New Mexico In Focus.
New Mexico In Focus to Air Albuquerque Mayoral Debate
KNME-TV co-hosted – with KUNM-FM, the New Mexico Independent and the Weekly Alibi – a debate featuring Albuquerque mayoral candidates R.J. Berry, Richard Romero and incumbent mayor Martin Chavez on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
The New Mexico Independent also hosted a liveblog of the event at their Web site New Mexico Independent, getting observations and thought from NMI writers and online viewers.
The debate was moderated by KNME-TV’s Gene Grant, Jim Williams from KUNM-FM, Marisa Demarco of the Weekly Alibi, and the New Mexico Independent’s Gwyneth Doland.
Also, KNME-TV is collecting YouTube questions to be incorporated into the debate as well. Interested viewers are encouraged to post a video question to their personal YouTube page, and send an email with a link to the video to abqmayoraldebate@gmail.com. For those interested in seeing questions that have already been submitted, they can check out KNME-TVs debate YouTube page at Debate Hosts.
Viewers not interested in submitting a video question can also submit questions to KNME-TV via email to infocus@knme.org.
“New Mexico in Focus” is produced by Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer and 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
Fernando Pérez-González has been named to the Prince of Asturias Endowed Chair in Information Science and Related Technologies. Created in honor of the heir to the Spanish throne, the Prince of Asturias Endowed Chair promotes collaboration between Spanish and U.S. scholars by bringing a preeminent Spanish scientist to the University of New Mexico to engage in teaching and research in information science and technology.
Photo: Fernando Pérez-González
The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department supports the Chair endowment with support for two Spanish graduate students to study with the Chair and ECE faculty at UNM.
Pérez-González will be in residence at the ECE Department each fall semester of his tenure, from three to five years, teaching a graduate level course in addition to pursuing local collaborations and research. He is teaching Information Forensics and Security, ECE 595-007, during fall 2009, his first semester at UNM.
Pérez-González also continues the three positions he has held while at Spain’s Universidad de Vigo. These positions are: executive director of the Galician R&D Center in Telecommunications, manager of the National R&D Plan for the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and professor of Communication Technologies.
Pérez-González studied and collaborated with the ECE department at UNM previously in 1991,1992 and 2006. ECE Professor and Chair Chaouki Abdallah served as one of his advisors for the doctoral degree he earned at the Universidad de Vigo in 1993. His research interests are in digital communications, adaptive algorithms, robust control, digital watermarking and information security.
He has co-authored six books and has 154 refereed journal articles, book chapters, and reviewed conference papers to his credit. Pérez-González also co-holds five communications related patents and is a senior member of the IEEE and its Signal Processing Society.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Asturias, will visit the University of New Mexico campus Monday, Oct. 5, for the fourth meeting of the advisory committee for the Prince of Asturias Endowed Chair in Information Science and Related Technologies. This will be the third visit to UNM by H.R.H. The Prince of Asturias since 2000, when the chair was established.
Photo: The royal couple, Felipe, Prince of Asturias, whose full name is Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia, and his wife, Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, Princess of Asturias.
The royal couple, Felipe, Prince of Asturias, whose full name is Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia, and his wife, Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, Princess of Asturias, will be accompanied by officials from the Spanish ministries of Foreign Affairs and Science and Innovation, and by the Ambassador of Spain to the United States. They will meet with President David J. Schmidly, Provost Suzanne Ortega and a group of administrators and engineering faculty, including Dr. Fernando Pérez-González, who recently began his tenure in UNM’s School of Engineering as the second Prince of Asturias Professor.
Funded by Iberdrola, the fourth largest electric utility in the world, the Prince of Asturias Endowed Chair was created at the initiative of former U.S. Ambassador to Spain Edward Romero to advance the state of knowledge in a number of areas within the information science and technology field. It also promotes collaboration between Spanish and U.S. scholars by bringing a preeminent Spanish scientist to UNM to engage in teaching and research.
The departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Sciences currently share the chair. UNM hosts one of three Prince of Asturias Endowed Chairs in the U.S., with the others residing at Tufts and Georgetown universities.
For a related story visit: Pérez-González Named to the Prince of Asturias Endowed Chair
This will be the fourth meeting of the endowed chair advisory committee and the second to be presided by T.R.H. The Prince and Princess of Asturias are visiting New Mexico to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Santa Fe.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1807; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
UNM’s north golf course hasn’t always been the little nine-hole course familiar to golfers and strollers. Tom Popejoy and James Zimmerman were big golfers. In 1937, Popejoy approved development of recreational facilities.
“The golf course’s original 18 holes began near Central and Girard, crossed Lomas and extended to where the nine holes are now. The course was in full operation in 1950,” Van Dorn Hooker, UNM architect from 1963-1987 said. He added, “President Popejoy asked neighbors to contribute trees and shrubs to the course. He got 1,000 or so.” Hooker continues to write and publish about UNM’s buildings, landscapes and history.
The university’s original plan was to use the golf course as recreational property and expand the campus on it as needed. As UNM updates its master plan, Hooker provides a glimpse at some of UNM’s early planning efforts and their impact today.
In his book, Only in New Mexico: An architectural history of the University of New Mexico: The first century, 1889-1989, Hooker wrote about early campus planning efforts. The regents met in April 1955 to discuss a proposed master plan drawn by Edward Holien. Popejoy said, “We are not rushing into any radical changes, but we would like to have a master plan toward which we can work and let any modifications that are necessary come about.” Among the features already approved at this time by the regents was locating the proposed gymnasium on part of the old “front nine” of the gold course. By this time the course had already been cut to six holes on main campus.
“Campus planners have long said that golf courses are a good way to use land constructively while saving it for future development. The UNM Central and North Campus courses certainly proved the truth of this,” Hooker wrote in his book.
Hooker said that by the time he came to UNM in 1963, Hokona Hall and College of Education facilities had already been built on parts of the “front nine.” “People bought houses thinking the golf course would always be there, but there were no complaints when the campus built on it,” he said.
Hooker said that in the 1970s he thought about putting graduate student housing on the north golf course. “I got the idea from the University of Chicago where they had graduate-only student housing. It made sense to put graduate housing in that area on north campus since law and medical are graduate programs only,” he said.
Hooker wrote, “When the General Development Plan for the campus, prepared by John Carl Warnecke and Associates, was approved by the regents and made public in 1960, it showed the North Campus taken over by the School of Medicine, married and student housing, and an expanded Physical Plant Department. The golf course was obliterated. With the exception of the student housing, the plan has been followed in a general sense with resulting contraction of the golf course.”
Passions have long run high when it comes to the golf course. In 1988, it was burrowing owls. A leak that ran undetected for a long time created a marsh, complete with cattails. “President Peck was interested in turning the Barren Fairways into a driving range where, it happened, a pair of burrowing owls lived,” Hooker said, adding that the neighborhood had a representative on the campus planning committee thereafter.
Roger Lujan, who succeeded Hooker as UNM architect, said that the Federation of University Neighborhoods sends a representative to campus planning committee meetings each month. That individual is not a voting member, he said.
Any plan, Hooker said, that would’ve solved north campus issues, has never been followed. “It created a hodgepodge. There is no plan now,” he said, adding that the Barton Myers plan, adopted in 1996, didn’t answer all the questions either.
Lujan said, “Barton Myers advocated leaving the golf course as open space – a swath starting at the Duck Pond and ending at Indian School Road. But to be fair, at that time the growth of the Health Sciences Center, University Hospital and north campus was grossly underestimated.”
Hooker’s eye isn’t only on the greens. He looks critically at use of main campus space, too. “The university needs to acquire Sigma Chi and use that space for academic buildings, nor should parking structures be placed on valuable academic sites,” he said.
He points to another history lesson. “In the 1960s, Popejoy appointed Sherman Smith as liaison with the City of Albuquerque. UNM needs to restore its town/gown relationships,” he said.
Lujan agrees with Hooker, but added, “Most new campus development that responds to campus growth unilaterally will be viewed as having a negative impact on its surroundings: more people, more cars, etc. UNM is an urban center and as such, attracts thousands of people each day.”
Lujan lives in a neighborhood adjacent to UNM. He chose the area because it is close to an institution of higher learning. “I don’t expect it to be like living in the suburban Northeast Heights. It’s vibrant, exciting and more town/gown-like than any other place in New Mexico. That’s what makes it a great place to live.”
Story by Carolyn Gonzales
KUNM Youth Radio successfully launched their new blog yesterday. The Youth Voices NM blog serves as a New Mexico affiliate for the larger national project known as Youth Radio and Youth Radio International. Visit KUNM Youth Radio to see excellent work, including video and audio reporting.
KUNM Youth Radio Project Manager Roberta Rael said, “The Youth Voices NM blog showcases youth reporting, civic engagement and social justice topics. The bloggers are mostly high-school students from KUNM and around the state. UNM students employed by KUNM are mentoring the high school students on the blog.”
Rael added that this is a brand new collaboration with Youth Radio in Oakland, Calif., The NM Youth Alliance and the Santa Fe Youth Media Project.
This project is funded in part by student fees and the Student Fee Review Board’s annual grant that allows KUNM to hire UNM students.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Arthur Kaufman, M.D., vice president for the Office for Community Health, was selected by the UNM Provost's Office for the highest honor that UNM can bestow on a faculty member: the rank of Distinguished Professor. Kaufman is one of two faculty chosen this year and is the third School of Medicine faculty to achieve this rank.
Photo: Arthur Kaufman
The criteria for the Distinguished Professor are Scholarly Excellence; Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity; Recognition and Honors Received; and Value to the University.
The honor was highly deserved as Kaufman has been a Family Medicine physician, educator, researcher and innovator for more than 30 years at the HSC Department of Family and Community Medicine. Kaufman has brought remarkable innovation and change to medical education both in New Mexico and throughout the world.
Media Contact: Luke Frank, (505) 272-3679; e-mail: lfrank@salud.unm.edu
Marketing class works to assist government organization with recruitment efforts
The University of New Mexico is one of only six universities throughout the country selected to participate in the FBI Collegiate Marketing Program. As part of this semester-long program, students in the advertising campaigns course at the Anderson School of Management are managing an in-class marketing agency, Nvent Marketing Partnership, responsible for researching, developing, implementing, and evaluating an integrated marketing campaign for the bureau. The objective of the campaign is to increase awareness of FBI career and internship opportunities among the Generation Y target market in the Albuquerque area.
“We are pleased to partner with the FBI in this government-education program, which will allow our students to develop the hard and soft skills needed as they enter the highly-competitive job market,” says faculty mentor John Benavidez.
Over the Fall 2009 term, Anderson School of Management students have a rare opportunity to put their education to work in the real world with a global organization. Students will begin by conducting research to find out more about the target market. After analyzing their research findings, they will then create and implement their strategy for reaching the target market to achieve client goals. Students receive a $2,500 budget to help them implement their plan. At the end of the term, students will conduct post-research to measure their success and give a formal presentation to the client summarizing their campaign and results.
One of the primary goals of the campaign is to increase diversification towards the possible pool of candidates for the Special Agent, Student Internships, and Professional Staff career positions. The campaign is specifically targeted towards students possessing critical skills including: accounting/finance, engineering, computer science/information technology, sciences, math, intelligence experience, law, law enforcement or investigative experience, military experience, international studies and fluency in a foreign language.
Critical languages needed include Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Pashtu, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese. By partnering with universities, the FBI is able to collaborate with students who develop creative strategies to effectively reach their peers.
More information about FBI careers and internships can be found at: FBI.
Media Contact: Daniel Begay, (505) 920-3663; e-mail: nvent@mgt.unm.edu