Brittney Van Der Werff's Publications

Our second NM SMART Grid Center 2020 extern, Mara Yarbrough, just completed her 10-week externship with the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) researching practical policies state governments can implement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She shared her thoughts with us on the experience in this brief reflection. Enjoy!

On September 30th, the University of New Mexico announced a joint agreement with Siemens Industry to begin collaborations at the UNM-owned microgrid at Mesa del Sol. Located in Albuquerque, the Mesa del Sol microgrid is one of three NM SMART Grid Center project testbeds, the others being Southwest Technology Development Institute at NMSU and the greenhouse complex at Santa Fe Community College, where project team members can test research out on actual equipment.

The NM SMART Grid Center warmly welcomes five new faculty members to the project team this Fall. Included in this esteemed cohort of STEM professionals are Dr. Yuting Yang and Dr. Claus Danielson at the University of New Mexico (UNM), Dr. Sihua Shao at New Mexico Institute for Mining and Technology (NMT), and Dr. Fengyu Wang and Dr. Hamed Nademi at New Mexico State University (NMSU). 

The National Science Foundation has awarded researchers at the University of New Mexico (UNM), New Mexico Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NM EPSCoR), and partner institutions a total of $739,619 in research grants to address the under-representation of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines and workforce.

We are delighted to announce this year’s NM EPSCoR Mentor Award recipients—Dr. Olga Lavrova and Dr. Ali Bidram. Nominated by their mentees, both of this year’s recipients stand out for their exceptional efforts to build strong professional and interpersonal relationships with students; advance their mentees’ academic, research, and professional goals; and create inclusive environments for diverse students. Please join us in recognizing Dr. Lavrova and Dr. Bidram for their outstanding work in mentoring the students who will define New Mexico’s diverse future workforce.