Edl Schamiloglu, distinguished professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UNM, has been recognized with the 2015 IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Society’s Pulsed Power Science and Technology Committee’s Peter Haas Award. Schamiloglu, director of the School of Engineering’s COSMIAC center, received the award in recognition of his contributions to the field of pulsed power, according to a UNM press release.
If the capital outlay bill circulating the legislature is approved, UNM will receive $500,000 to complete design and planning of the Interdisciplinary Science Education Building that has been in the works for years. The new building is a necessity if the physics and astronomy department is going to continue competing effectively and creating viable research, said Wolfgang Rudolph, chair of the department.
UNM’s Department of Communication and Journalism will host 16 students from Denmark and India during spring break as part of an exchange program. The students will attend a course titled “Intercultural Engagement” and will visit different cities of New Mexico, said Lillian Kelly, professor and coordinator of the exchange program.
At a legislative workshop held at UNM on Thursday, former state Rep. Rick Miera gave a piece of advice that seemed so simple on the surface, yet made a profound effect on legislators when advocating for an issue. “Send a letter, but don’t send it typewritten. The most important and effective letters you can send are handwritten,” he said.
By Lena Guidi When Rosa Isela Cervantes was a senior at Bernalillo High School, her friend brought her to El Centro de la Raza at UNM — known as Hispanic Student Services at the time — to meet with an advisor and get scholarship information.
Many know New Mexico for its unique culture, but one UNM professor is trying to generate local popularity for a certain dance with an English flair. Erik Erhardt, president of FolkMADS and a professor of statistics, said contra dances have been held in the SUB since September and will continue into the foreseeable future. Contra dance is an American folk dance that has evolved from English country-dance, like those typically seen in “Pride and Prejudice”-style movies, he said. Newcomers are highly encouraged, with lessons for beginners starting at 7 p.m. and the actual dance running from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., he said.
The University is taking steps to simplify the resources and reporting process for sexual assault victims on campus, in response to an internal assessment that found the process confusing. UNM’s Sexual Assault and Awareness Task Force is working with the Provost’s office and Dean of Students office on “coordinating and streamlining the University’s efforts to combat sexual violence on campus,” according to a press release. “There are too many options, too many places to go, too many people,” said UNM President Bob Frank. “You get good help at all those places, but they don’t always lead to the same channels, and it can lead to problems for both victims and people who get accused of being involved in these kinds of events. We’re working on it, and we hope to have significant progress here in the near future.”
Feb. 15: UNMPD was dispatched to the UNM North Golf Course in reference to a fight. According to the report, the victim told police that he was hit in the head with a golf club by the suspect. According to UNMPD officials the victim had a cut on his head, however, the suspect alleged he was defending himself and never struck the victim with a golf club. UNMPD submitted the case to the district attorney.
An English professor by trade, Finnie Coleman served as the Africana Studies Department’s administrator at UNM in 2005 before he became the dean of University College. Coleman has recently completed a book that is 10 years in the making. The book, which contains chapter titles such as “Am I White Enough For You?”, touches on a variety of subjects including hip-hop culture, authenticity, identity and post-racial America. As Black History Month nears its end, the Daily Lobo sat down with Coleman to talk about issues of race in America.
Members of the Student Union Building’s joint advisory board are in the early planning stages of what could become the SUB’s first major renovation in at least 10 years. Vice President of Student Life Walt Miller, who is spearheading the process, said the long-term needs of the SUB are their top priority. The current stage involves collecting data and conducting analysis of who uses the SUB and for what, to determine if a renovation is a part of those long-term needs, he said.
Parking citations are a universally disliked part of attending UNM, and most students have no idea where the money goes. Citations have gradually increased over the past two years, producing relatively substantial amounts of revenue for the Parking and Transportation Services Department. According to PATS, there have been 40,988 citations given out in fiscal year 2014 and 40,083 distributed in fiscal year 2013. At $20 to $25 a citation, the total fines for 2014 add up to $1,096,255. However, the actual revenue owed from the fines is $926,934 and about 85 percent of that is actually collected.
The Associated Students of UNM unanimously passed a resolution to further affirm its stance opposing possible lottery scholarship cuts. Resolution 5S comes in the wake of a New Mexico Senate bill that would remove the mandate ensuring the scholarship 30 percent of lottery profits. If passed, Senate Bill 355 will allow the 30 percent minimum to be done away with in favor of an increased amount of money going to the promotion of the lottery as well as lottery prizes.
As part of Wednesday’s National Adjunct Walkout Day, community members from CNM and UNM gathered at the corner of University Boulevard and Coal Avenue to protest proposed right-to-work legislation and, what the demonstrators called the exploitation of part-time faculty. The group, which consisted of around 30 people at the height of the protest, carried signs and informed passersby about the plight of part-time instructors. Those adjunct professors make up around 70 percent of the community college’s workforce, according to a press release issued by the protest organizers. According to the release, adjunct or part-time professors teach 63 percent of classes at CNM. They receive an average of $1,000 less for each class than full-time instructors, and adjuncts are only compensated for four hours a week per class, regardless of the total time they spend creating curriculum, grading assignments and helping students outside the classroom.
Dr. Pope L. Moseley, professor and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the UNM School of Medicine, has been named dean of the College of Medicine and executive vice chancellor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, according to a Health Sciences Center press release. Moseley, who joined the faculty at the UNM Health Sciences Center in 1995, is a School of Medicine distinguished professor, and he has also served at the UNM Health Sciences Center as an associate dean for research and chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, the statement said.
The Women’s Resource Center launched the first part of its Women and Leadership Series on Wednesday, which aims to help female students break through the glass ceiling and land the job of their dreams. The series debut focused on the importance of first impressions during a professional interview and allowed participants to practice their approach to creating a personal story.
UNM President Bob Frank delivered words of praise about the numerous financial donations and community partnerships between the University and Nusenda, the new name for the former New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union, at an unveiling of the new sign at its Lomas location across from campus on Tuesday. UNM has maintained a partnership with Nusenda for more than 25 years, and the credit union has designed many programs to help students manage their finances, according to a press release. The credit union also has a location in the SUB.
While students and other New Mexicans continue struggle with food insecurity, UNM has programs to help students and members of the University community. The Lobo Food Pantry, which was initiated a year ago, offers a food bank several times a year. Headed by Lisa Lindquist, a student affairs specialist in the Dean of Students Office, the pantry has worked with Roadrunner food bank since February 2014. Roadrunner sends a truck to a mobile food pantry — usually once a month during the spring and fall semesters — to assist those students, staff and members of the UNM community who need help in stocking their kitchens, Lindquist said.
The UNM History Department is working to prove to students that the value of an advanced degree in history is not a thing of the past. In partnership with the American Historical Association and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the History Department will be putting on a two-day seminar titled “What Use Is History? Scholarship, Skills and Careers,” from Feb. 26-27.
UNM’s Office of Academic Affairs has appointed Robert DelCampo, aprofessor in the Anderson School of Management, as the director of Innovation Academy. Innovation Academy, the academic arm of Innovate ABQ, is scheduled to launch in the fall. The Innovation Academy will essentially consist of a program of ongoing classes across many different majors, with a focus on entrepreneurism, President Bob Frank said.
Kids often say they want to be astronauts when they grow up, but graduate student Zach Gallegos has never wavered from that dream. And now he’s closer than ever to getting that chance. After surviving two elimination rounds, he’s made it into the final 100 candidates for a mission to Mars. “It’s definitely a feeling of excitement and fulfillment. It’s like my life’s work, my life’s plan, paid off,” Gallegos said.
Solutions by The State News
