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Santolina plan raises concerns for residents

Steven Mo Fye | March 26

More than 100 residents met downtown on Wednesday to protest against the proposed Santolina Master Plan. Members of nearly a dozen community organizations, along with five tractors belonging to local farmers, marched to the Bernalillo County Commission office to share their concerns about how the proposed city would affect the area’s already limited water supply. Virginia Necochea, executive director of the Center for Social Sustainable Systems, said despite their opposition to the plan, the Contra Santolina coalition is not an anti-growth group.

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UNM crime briefs for March 25

March 25

On March 15, two officers were dispatched to Redondo Village in reference to a missing utility cart. According to the report, the officers made contact with the reporter who stated the cart was in its stored location at the Student Residence Center. The staff became aware of the missing cart the previous day when they were in need of it. No one had permission to take the cart. The case is closed pending further leads.

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Architects design children's dreams

Marielle Dent | March 25

Class has become a playground for a group of architecture students. A UNM architecture and planning class is participating in Parade of Playhouses, where teams from across the state design and build playhouses to be auctioned for charity.

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New Mexico DoH simulates health disaster at UNM

Jonathan Baca | March 25

Scenario: a terrorist has unleashed an attack of weaponized anthrax onto a southbound Rail Runner Express train. Public health officials need to set up a Point of Dispensing location to hand out emergency medications during this crisis — and do it fast. This was the mock scene on March 18, when UNM Hospital’s Health Sciences Center and other emergency agencies teamed up for a training exercise put on by the New Mexico Department of Health.

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Growing Chicano studies program gets votes from faculty senate

David Lynch | March 24

UNM’s Chicana and Chicano studies program recently continued to gain recognition when the faculty senate voted for departmentalization of the program, allowing for more structure and opportunities for students interested in the field. Irene Vasquez, director of the program, said that growing the program has been an ongoing process since 2011. In 2013 a bachelor’s degree was installed, and in the fall it will get even bigger.

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Researchers looking at better ways to eliminate bacteria

Sayyed Shah | March 24

A team of researchers at UNM are developing new wipes for killing bacteria on different surfaces. The wipes aim keep different surfaces clean for longer than usual with the help of compounds developed by the researchers, said David Whitten, associate director at the Center for Biomedical Engineering.

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Native law grads in demand

Robert Salas | March 23

By Robert Salas  UNM’s School of Law recently ranked among the top 100 law schools in the country and part of the reason for that may be a program offered at only two dozen universities in the country.

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Legislators pass blame for unpassed bills

Marielle Dent | March 23

This year’s legislative session ended on Saturday with a major task left incomplete: Passage of a $275 million capital outlay bill that would have funded infrastructure projects statewide. The bill, which is usually passed every session, died because of partisan disagreements that characterized most of this session. On Friday the House Ways and Means Committee voted to cut $45 million in funding for community colleges, senior centers and pueblos across the state to put toward highway funding. These changes to the Senate-approved bill were debated until the final minutes of the session.

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LGBTQ student finds place on UNM campus

Cara Grasso | March 23

For most students, college is a time for experimenting with new identities and figuring out which ones fit best. For at least one student, arriving at UNM was the first time she felt she could truly be herself. Liviana Rodriguez, a freshman fine arts major, said she remembers being seven years old, throwing pennies into wishing fountains, wishing she could be the gender she felt she was on the inside. She began her transition from male to female during high school, and said she faced discrimination. “I heard slurs all the time,” she said. “I heard ‘tranny’ and was referred to as my old name, and people purposefully used ‘he,’ and that felt really bad. I always felt really alone, especially in my high school.”

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Biologist studies, saves NM heritage

Lena Guidi | March 20

Esteban Muldavin gained a passion for the natural world — and its conservation — at an early age. The director and senior ecologist of Natural Heritage New Mexico said spending his childhood on a ranch in northern New Mexico deeply impacted his decision to become a scientist. “I grew up, in part, between Santa Fe and Las Vegas on my family’s ranch, and since my early days as a kid I used to wander around,” he said. “It’s like a lot of ecologists and biologists: We grew up outside, and it became part of the fabric of our being.” In addition to having an environment to explore, Muldavin said he was also influenced by his grandmother, who was the first female member of the San Miguel County Water Conservation District. He said she was engaged in environmental efforts throughout the area during the 1960s and ‘70s.

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Campus briefs for March 20, 2015

Sayyed Shah | March 20

CAMPUS BRIEFS UNM School of Medicine ranked third in the nation The University of New Mexico’s School of Medicine has been ranked third in the U.S.

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Psychedelic studied as treatment from alcoholism

Fin Martinez | March 20

Experimenting with drugs is not uncommon on college campuses, but UNM is one of the only universities in the country conducting research on possible medical uses for hallucinogenic mushrooms. Dr. Michael Bogenschutz, a psychiatrist at UNM School of Medicine, said he is studying the use of psilocybin — the active psychedelic compound in many species of hallucinogenic mushrooms — for the treatment of alcohol abuse and addiction. “There were a number of trials that had been done with LSD back in the early 1950s through 1970s that were pretty promising, but not entirely conclusive,” Bogenschutz said. “There was a growing body of literature exploring the effects of psilocybin in normal volunteers and also in patients with anxiety related to a cancer diagnosis.”

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Sun power rises in West

David Lynch | March 20

A new solar energy array was recently unveiled at UNM West in Rio Rancho, which constitutes another step by the University toward being environmentally friendly. Jeff Zumwalt, interim director of UNM’s physical plant department, said it took about six weeks for the solar panels to be installed. The array cost $465,000 and will account for almost three-quarters of UNM West’s energy needs. “We’re hoping it’ll offset 70 percent of the building’s electricity,” Zumwalt said.

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Zoo penguins still a long way from reality

Taylor Mallak | March 20

Since 2008 talk has circulated about the Albuquerque zoo getting penguins, but little progress has been made. Barry Bitzer, Director of Development for the BioPark, said the reason as to why the penguins have yet to make progress in New Mexico is funding. The type of penguin the zoo is trying to get has many needs. “This is an $8 million project,” Bitzer said. “Because we’re talking Antarctic penguins, that means chiller systems and backup chiller systems.”

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School of Law ranks in top 100 in country

Sayyed Shah | March 19

UNM’s School of Law has been ranked among the top 100 in the country in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2016 Best Law Schools List. The school was placed 71st among 149 law schools, according to the report. It shared the position with American University, Pennsylvania State University and University of San Diego, according to the ranking list.

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ASUNM, GPSA urge election turnout

David Lynch | March 19

As students return from spring break and the semester chugs on, UNM’s student governments are gearing up for one of their biggest events of the year – elections. The Associated Students of UNM as well as the Graduate and Professional Student Association both have their elections in early April, with the presidential seats in both governing bodies for the 2015-16 school year up for grabs.

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Crime briefs for March 19

March 19

On March 13, a Bursar’s Office employee reported to UNM police in reference to fraud. According to the report, $8,769 was deposited into a student’s bursar’s account on March 3. The deposit was made via automated clearing house. On March 6, the deposit was then returned for non-payment, which resulted in a net-loss for UNM.

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Grads hurting in job market

Thomas Romero-Salas , Liam Cary-Eaves and Aaron Anglin | March 19

Receiving a diploma often warrants admiration and a sense of accomplishment on many levels, but can also bear the uneasy feeling of life after school. The majority of UNM students are not joining the workforce following graduation, according to data from UNM’s Office of Career Service. Jenna Crabb, UNM’s director for career services, said colleges and potential employers have begun to encourage students to get experience in their respected field instead of solely obtaining a degree and expecting a job.

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Geek Edition: Princess alum creates as role model for NM kids

Marielle Dent | March 18

The early experiences people have as children tend to shape the interests, values and beliefs they carry throughout adulthood. Paula Bauman, a communications alumna, understands this. She is working to become a role model for children—particularly young girls—with the creation of her original character, Princess Unicorn.

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Geek Edition: Some still feel excluded from geek community

Jyllian Roach | March 18

It’s a long-standing image: A guy, usually pale, usually in glasses and a button-up shirt. He spends his days in a science lab and his nights playing games with similar-looking friends. While most people would immediately recognize this as a description of a geek, the reality of who fits the geek mold is changing.