Category: Research

Fifteen students and five faculty researchers from New Mexico Tech, New Mexico Highlands University, and Eastern New Mexico University congregated at the New Mexico Tech Environmental Engineering Laboratory, June 9 – 11 to learn the basics of membrane fabrication and characterization. The first in a series of technical workshops, this three-day intensive workshop was designed to establish and nurture a vibrant research infrastructure in New Mexico for osmotic power development.

And they’re off! Eleven bright-eyed undergraduates from seven New Mexico Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) reported to New Mexico Tech (NMT) on Sunday, June 2 to begin their participation in STEMAP. STEMAP, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Advancement Program, gives undergraduates from non-research universities the opportunity to work in the labs of NM EPSCoR researchers. The nine-week commitment involves a week of training at NMT and eight weeks of research followed by a final conference at which the students present their research experience.

The first All Hands Meeting of the New Mexico EPSCoR Energize New Mexico project was a great success! Over 100 project participants and guests attended to listen to talks on diversity, collaboration, data management, and all 7 components of the Energize New Mexico project.

Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) has been awarded a $50,000, SEED Infrastructure Grant from the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), for commercial algae photo-bioreactor monitoring. It will fund the purchase of state-of-the-art sensors to monitor algae growth in photobioreactors (PBRs) that are up to 10,000 liters in volume.

Have you ever wondered about what percentage of your life you spend in school? For those of us finishing up the last few weeks of the spring semester-- as a student, teacher or parent-- it probably feels like a huge number. But according to Dr. John Falk, the Sea Grant professor of Free-Choice Learning at Oregon State University, for the average American the answer is less than 5% of your waking hours are spent in school.

José M. Cerrato, a new assistant professor in the UNM Department of Civil Engineering, has a smile that lights up a room when he talks about his work. “I feel blessed to have this job because it is not merely technically teaching a subject,” he says. “It is impacting people’s lives.”

I am the Diversity Outreach Specialist for NM EPSCoR. One of my tasks as Diversity Outreach Specialist is to recruit for our summer student research program, STEM Advancement Program (STEMAP), and faculty-student team modeling opportunity, Undergraduate Visualization Modeling Network (UVMN). Read my latest news after the jump.

National Geographic is featuring the first topic in a three-part series on consumable resources, The Great Energy Challenge, to engage the public about energy awareness and resources. The Great Energy Challenge convenes and engages influential citizens and key energy stakeholders in solutions-based thinking and dialogue about our shared energy future. Learn more after the jump!

How can a canyon be a Frankenstein Monster? A new theory claims that it is one large canyon formed by pieces of smaller, older canyons. A team of researchers, including three New Mexico EPSCoR participants, developed this new theory regarding the formation of the modern Grand Canyon. Their research states it was carved starting about 5-6 million years ago by the Colorado River through older "paleocanyons." Dr. Karl Karlstrom, Dr. Laura Crossey, and...

Ever wondered about the importance of plants that grow in river beds? A NM EPSCoR video can help! This video features research from our previous grant, "Climate Change Impacts on New Mexico Mountain Sources of Water." You can learn more about this grant on our archived website, archive.nmepscor.org.