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THE U N IV E R S I TY O F N E W MEXICO | ES TA B LIS HED 1889 WWW. UNM. EDU
Growing a Rainforest in N.M.
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INSIDE Making Headlines
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Arts & Culture
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Healthy Vision
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Business Matters
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Lobo Athletics
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Changing Worlds
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By UNM President Robert Frank and STC.UNM President and CEO, Lisa Kuuttila
Why are we talking about a rainforest in the desert? Because it actually provides the model we need to cultivate a fertile economic ecosystem. The University of New Mexico and STC.UNM, the technology commercialization arm for UNM, are part of an important ecosystem to grow and diversify our economy in New Mexico. The concept is characterized in a recent book called “The Rainforest: The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley,” in which authors and venture capitalists Victor Hwang and Greg Horowitt compare the rapid blossoming of Silicon Valley to the spontaneous sprouting conditions of the rainforest. This fragile, divergent environment does not control or plan the emergence of new species, but rather creates conditions that allow the ecosystem to spawn robust life forms that compete successfully in unimagined ways. They suggest that in a rainforest, “weeds” are nurtured to grow, and that some of these weeds become complex flowers that are valued. Likewise, Hwang and Horowitt argue that a community wishing to enhance innovation and new, unimagined products should foster operations like a rainforest – not controlling processes, but creating a fertile environment in which
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new “weeds” can sprout and grow into viable businesses. Human connectivity is the fertile ground for cultivating communities that enhance the melding of science and innovation into new business and economic opportunity. Their work is highly applicable to New Mexico, where we need to de-
velop knowledge businesses. Research universities and research hospitals are primary drivers in the emerging innovation economy. Across the nation, as jobs have evaporated in the manufacturing sector, new opportunities have developed in education, professional services and health care-related services.
The University of New Mexico, through STC.UNM, has spun off more than 60 companies based on research conducted at UNM, many of them located in New Mexico. Some of the companies are profiled in this issue. The companies have created hundreds of knowledge-based jobs for the state. Over the long term, the economic vitality of the state will be enhanced by these companies and will help to diversify our economy. We invite you to read about how UNM and STC.UNM are working to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem in New Mexico, which will result in a rainforest of spin-off companies.
STC, New Mexico Angels Partnership Encourages Economic Development Partnerships have been important to the success of STC.UNM’s mission to support UNM’s vital role in New Mexico’s economic development by transferring university inventions to the marketplace. STC develops close partnerships with UNM inventors to protect their valuable intellectual property and market it to companies, new and established, who see the potential to create new products for public benefit. STC also partners with innovation cohorts at the national labs to commercialize technologies that result from collaborations among UNM and lab researchers. One of the most important partners in helping to increase the flow of licensable UNM technologies is the New Mexico Angels. The NMA is a private membership organization of more than 76 accredited, individual investors who invest in technologies and companies
in New Mexico and the Southwest that are in an early stage of development and need initial funding. This seed funding is used to develop a new technology to its prototype stage or help a new company reach a level of growth that attracts the next phase of funding from venture or corporate investors. The STC/New Mexico Angels partnership is the result of a brainstorming session between STC President and CEO Lisa KuutChavez tila and New Mexico Angels President John Chavez. Kuuttila, a member of the Angels’ board since 2006, was looking for a way to get more UNM technologies with great commercialization potential in front of more investors. “I knew the NMA members had a great deal of en-
trepreneurial expertise, as well as investment capital, to help STC get more UNM technology businesses launched,” she said. She approached Chavez, an angel investor since 2003 and president of New Mexico Angels since 2008, with the idea of showcasing UNM’s most promising inventions. “Our partnership with STC allows us access to the latest technologies coming out of UNM and gives us the ability to create companies here in New Mexico,” Chavez said. In 2009, the STC/New Mexico Angels Technology Showcase was born. At the annual luncheon presentation to New Mexico Angel members, selected UNM technologies are presented by their inventors for seed funding. In 2011, the focus of the technology showcase changed to become a part of STC’s gap funding program. Gap funding is what technology transfer folks
call the funding void or gap where government funding ends and a researcher’s technology hasn’t advanced enough for private investors to step in. As a member of STC’s Gap Fund @ UNM committee, Chavez reviews submitted proposals from UNM faculty that have market applications and may be suitable for Angel funding. Inventors receive valuable mentoring in how to make a successful pitch from Angels who are experienced entrepreneurs and industry professionals with a variety of business, corporate and scientific backgrounds. Last year the New Mexico Angels reviewed four gap proposals and have created two start-up companies around two of the technologies: Synfolia and Tyrosine Pharma. Chavez estimated that the New Mexico Angels have helped 8-10 start-ups spun off of UNM technologies through investments, company creation and mentoring.
A S p e c ia l Paid S u p p l e m en t t o t h e N e w Me x i c o B u siness Wee k l y
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Making Headlines Seeking that Caffeine Buzz for 1,000 Years
Native Americans in the area east of St. Louis, Mo., were drinking caffeinated drinks about 1050 A.D., long before Europeans arrived in North America. New research by UNM Distinguished Professor of anthropology Patricia Crown, collaborating with researchers from the Illinois State Archeological survey, Prairie Research Institute and the University of Illinois Champaign, established that men drank a caffeinated beverage from leaves and twigs of holly plants. The men apparently consumed the black drink as a part of a ritual cleansing and purging of the body. European observers arriving on the scenes several centuries later noted that men drank the beverage in great quantities, often before taking part in community religious rituals, important political councils, ballgames or war parties.
UNM Schools Ranked Among Best Schools for Hispanics UNM graduate schools are ranked among the “2012 Best Schools for Hispanics” as reported by HispanicBusiness.com. The schools are ranked based on their effectiveness in attracting Hispanic students in medicine, business, engineering and law. They rank the top 10 in each discipline. UNM’s Anderson School of Management ranked third among business schools nationally. The School of Engi-
neering ranked fourth, the School of Law fifth, and the School of Medicine eighth. At Anderson, Hispanic students represent 35.2 percent of total graduate enrollment, with 39.5 percent of Master of Business degrees awarded to Hispanics. The School of Engineering has 22 percent Hispanic enrollment. Retention rate for Hispanics in the 2010-11 academic year was 74 percent. Hispanic students represent 27.6 of the School of Law’s student body, with 31.1 percent of Juris Doctorate degrees earned by Hispanics. Graduate enrollment at the School of Medicine is 28.9 percent Hispanic, with 31.3 percent of Medical Doctorates earned by Hispanics.
Abdallah Appointed Provost of UNM UNM President Robert G. Frank appointed Chaouki Abdallah to the position of provost. In a letter to the UNM community, Frank spoke about the appointment and the reasons UNM will not do a national search. “While a search would Abdallah validate Dr. Abdallah’s skills, and likely, we might find one or two others who could compete with Dr. Abdallah, I think we would choose him from a pool based on his knowledge and experience with UNM. In my mind, it is not worth eight months of searching and thousands of dollars to achieve this outcome.” Frank said Abdallah enjoys widespread popularity in the UNM community and support from the Faculty Senate and Deans Council.
Abdallah was appointed interim provost in 2011. Before that he chaired the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Abdallah’s areas of research are systems theory, adaptive control, nonlinear systems, robotics, robust control, fault detection, complexity of control systems and networking. He continues to teach and advise graduate students. He is a senior member in the IEEE, a professional engineering organization and a recipient of the IEEE Third Millennium Medal. Abdallah has a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Science in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman also participated in the event. “Most of the useful work that goes on around the state is a result of collaboration,” he said. “We’ve always had a strong military presence. That connection to higher education is important to our future.”
Universities Sign Agreement with White Sands Missile Range File-Muriel UNM President Robert Frank is one of four university representatives who Receives Fulbright signed an agreement with the White Sands Missile Range to establish a plan- to Colombia ning forum to facilitate greater collaboration and partnerships. Other universities signing the agreement are New Mexico State, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and University of Texas at El Paso. For Frank, it’s a bit of a homecoming. He lived there and attended White Sands Missile Range Junior High School. He values the wealth of information and resources that can be shared between WSMR and the University. “This partnership provides great opportunities for our students and faculty through internships, shared research and other collaborative projects and efforts,” Frank said. “We are anxious to get started working together for the benefit of all involved.”
Richard File-Muriel, assistant professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese at UNM, was awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture and carry out research in linguistics at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and Instituto Caro y Cuervo in Bogotá, Colombia, during the 2012-13 academic year, the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced recently. File-Muriel’s research deals with the role of language usage in emerging linguistic structure. As part of this research, he will work on the creation of an oral corpus of the Spanish spoken in Bogotá.
Avisa Pharma Detects Serious Lung Infections Earlier, Faster The diagnosis of lung infections that cause many diseases can be difficult, slow and late. Avisa Pharma is a clinical stage drug/device diagnostic company developing point-of-care biomarker breath tests for the rapid, pre-symptomatic detection and monitoring of ureaseproducing pathogens in the lungs. These bacterial pathogens cause significant mortality in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia, cystic fibrosis and tuberculosis.
The technology is based on detecting bacterial virulence factors through the use of non-radioactive, stable, isotopically labeled, compound breath tests for disease-
inducing pathogens. This platform was developed by Graham Timmins, associate professor in UNM’s College of Pharmacy and Vojo Deretic, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology in UNM’s School of Medicine. In 2010, Timmins teamed up with serial entrepreneur David Joseph to create Avisa Pharma. With offices in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, the company’s mission is to commercialize diagnostic breath tests to rapidly detect and monitor lung infection so treat-
Illustration by Patrick J. Lync
ment can start earlier, leading to better
patient outcomes and lower health care costs. The company’s name, Avisa, comes from the Spanish word avisar, meaning “to warn.” Avisa projects that the early warnings provided by their breath tests will transform the way these diseases are treated. Avisa plans to start clinical trials for cystic fibrosis and ventilator-associated pneumonia breath tests in early 2013 and is developing a pipeline of intellectual property based on the breath test platform. The company has raised initial angel funding and is seeking an additional $2 million A-round venture-capital investment to fund its cystic fibrosis clinical trial. Visit the company website at avisapharma.com. Avisa licenses technologies from STC. UNM, the university’s technology-transfer office.
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Arts & Culture
Three N.M. Artists Voice Tradition through Immersive Media By Sari Krosinsky
“Dome Poems: Memory and Emergence,” a 20-minute immersive film commemorating the New Mexico State Centennial, was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Art Works grant. “Dome Poems,” a project of UNM’s ARTS Lab, will recognize the centennial through poetic and photographic reflections on the past 100 years of culture and regional identity in the Indo-Hispano communities of northern New Mexico. New Mexico Centennial Poet Levi Romero said the project poses an important question: “How do we find a way to tell and share our stories as the storytellers that we are through new and emerging media and technology?” The collaborative effort between Romero, photographer and filmmaker Miguel Gandert, immersive media artist Hue Walker and UNM ARTS Lab Director Tim Castillo, all New Mexicans, will create a work that reflects on the past while also looking to the future, giving new voice and vision to traditional culture through new media, thus fostering cultural and technological innovation. Romero said that in teaching as well as in writing, he’s “interested in being able to tell a story in cultural language.” He teaches in Chicano Hispano Mexicano Studies and the School of Architecture and Planning at UNM. “I try to do that with poems, to tell the Nuevo Mexicano story,” he said. He’s author of “A Poetry of Remembrance: New and Rejected Works,” “In the Gathering of Silence” and other publications. One of the “Dome Poems,” “One Last Cruise, Taos Plaza,” delves into memories of a Taos Plaza the locals cruise through “finger-snappin’ time to War tunes on the 8-track stereo,” in the context of present day Taos Plaza dominat-
Photo Illustration | Hue Walker
Students construct a portable dome – a miniaturized version of the type of rounded screen found in planetariums.
ed by a “carefree tourist manner void of history, of memory.” Romero said the poem is about the appropriation, and re-appropriation, of public space. The state connection is central to the project. “We’re all native New Mexicans. It’s really great to have a group of people getting national funding for something that resonates with the place of New Mexico,” said Castillo, principal investigator on “Dome Poems” and associate professor at UNM’s School of Architecture and Planning and Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media faculty. “Dome Poems” will be presented in fulldome theaters, plazas and community gathering spaces across the state, and internationally via ARTS Lab’s im-
mersive media festival, DomeFest. “The idea is to get it out into the community throughout New Mexico, connecting with communities all over the state,” Castillo said. He’s working with graduate students to build portable domes that will bring the immersive experience to viewers across New Mexico. Walker said they’re trying to create something flexible and scalable enough that it can be presented on surfaces ranging from a single flat screen to a large fulldome with multiple projectors. Romero said Gandert was the first artist he thought of when approached with the project. He’s an award-winning documentary and fine art photographer and filmmaker, director of UNM’s Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media
program and distinguished professor of communication and journalism. Walker is working with the team to integrate Gandert’s photos with Romero’s poetry. Walker is a founding member and senior artist with ARTS Lab at UNM. In that role she has participated in the production, design and realization of fulldome shows including “BrainFlame” with renowned Chicano artist Gronk. She said all aspects of the project are discussed as a group. “My process is to try to pick their brains. I want them to be happy about how their work is presented,” she said. “I try to bring to bear what I know about the difference between flat screen and dome projection, how people react to this kind of set-up.”
STC Start-up Developing Device to Diagnose Bacteria in Blood In 2006, local serial entrepreneur and investor Waneta Tuttle reviewed a technology developed at UNM addressing a real market need for a product that could quickly and accurately diagnose bacteria in blood. Severe sepsis, infection throughout the body, affects 750,000 people each year in the United States, killing approximately a third of those with the disease and costing the average hospital more than $7 million a year. Tuttle, UNM alumna and founder of several other start-ups based on UNM technologies, created start-up nanoMR to commercialize the technology. The technology was first developed by the team of UNM Research Professor Laurel Sillerud from the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Todd Alam from Sandia National Labs
and Andrew McDowell, co-founder of ABQMR, a local research and development company.
Today, nanoMR, led by CEO Victor Esch, a physicist and entrepreneur with expertise in product design and development, is bringing the technology to market. The company has developed a pathogen capture system to test for the presence of infection in blood samples. The
system attaches tiny magnetic beads to antibodies in a blood sample that then imbed themselves on the surface of infected cells. The process is fast and highly sensitive. This proprietary technology can identify the type of infection in less than two hours, compared to the 2-5 days required for conventional culturing. Clinical trials have verified the system’s superior performance over standard blood culturing. The company received $21 million in series A and B funding from venture capital investment as well as funding from a 48D Tax Qualified Therapeutic Discovery Project grant and from the state’s Job Training Incentive Program. It is performing clinical trials for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and building a marketable prototype so that
the pathogen capture system can be sold in the U.S. and Europe in 2013. Visit nanomr.com. The company licenses the technologies from STC.UNM, the university’s technology-transfer office.
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Healthy Vision 2020 Carrie Tingley Hospital Celebrating 75th Anniversary
Carrie Tingley through the years. What begin during the depression era as a hospital to treat children with polio, Carrie tingley today provides cutting edge treatment to all the states children. The hospital turns 75 this year.
Carrie Tingley, the UNM Hospital, which was first founded as a WPA Project in 1937 as a hospital to treat children with polio, is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Governor Susana Martinez recently signed a proclamation making September “Carrie Tingley Hospital 75th Anniversary Month.” Sick and injured children have their own unique set of medical needs. From the beginning, Carrie Tingley Hospital has been seen as a national leader in providing caring, coordinated healthcare to children and adolescents with complex musculoskeletal and orthopedic conditions, rehabilitation needs, developmental issues and long-term physical disabilities. The hospital was created and built dur-
ing the Great Depression under the leadership of then Governor Clyde Tingley and named after his wife, Carrie Tingley. The Tingleys were friends of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the original hospital that was built in Hot Springs, NM, (today’s Truth or Consequences) was modeled on the facility used by President Roosevelt when he was stricken with polio. Currently, Carrie Tingley Hospital is the only pediatric rehabilitation hospital in the state, housing a 15-bed inpatient unit in the Barbara and Bill Richardson Pavilion, conducting more than 21 specialized clinics ranging in emphasis from brain and spinal cord injuries to development and neurological conditions to juvenile arthritis
and clinical genetics. Last year more than 22,000 patient services were provided to special needs children at UNM Carrie Tingley Hospital. Outpatient services are provided at building at 1127 University NE. In declaring September “Carrie Tingley Hospital 75th Anniversary Month,” Governor Martinez wrote, “Carrie Tingley Hospital is driven by a vision to enhance the quality of life of New Mexico’s Children with special needs” and “Carrie Tingley Hospital strives to provide compassionate, comprehensive, family-centered care using advanced medical sciences and a network of services with the focus on the treatment of children with chronic conditions.”
96 New UNM Hospital Beds Good for Our Patients Good for the Community Hospital Capacity A Pressing Issue The University of New Mexico leadership strongly supports the building of a new 96 hospital bed facility to relieve overcrowding and an existing severe shortage of hospital beds at UNMH. Too many of our patients who need to be admitted have to wait for up to thirty six hours to get a bed. We need to be able to better serve our patients and to be prepared for any unseen emergencies. The UNM Regents are scheduling a series of community Town Halls in the coming month to allow for additional public input and to give our doctors and leaders a chance to interact with the community, respond to questions and to educate the public on the ongo-
ing missions and responsibilities of our Level One Trauma, National Institute of Health Cancer Center, Stroke Center, New Mexico’s only teaching hospital and Children’s services. The Health Sciences Center leadership will discuss the types of activities that will occur in the facility and the current need for additional hospital beds and services. The Town Halls will be held in community centers in the Bernalillo County area. The Town Halls will provide an opportunity for additional public input. The UNMH doctors, Health Sciences Center medical leadership and University officials will discuss the immediate need for additional hospital beds to care for our
current patients. The national recommendation for the daily hospital census is 75% of capacity. UNMH is averaging over 90% of capacity and many days 99%. We need additional beds now. The Town Halls will allow for additional education and discussion on the types of activities that will occur in the new 96 bed hospital facility. The 96-bed Adult Wing Project has been approved in open, public forums by the UNM Hospital Board of Trustees, the Health Sciences Center Board of Directors, the UNM Board of Regents Finance and Facilities Committee and the UNM Board of Regents. The New Mexico State Department of Higher Ed-
ucation also has approved the additional 96 beds. UNMH is not requesting state or federal funds for this project. UNMH has known this day would come and has planned accordingly. We look forward to receiving final approval from the State Board of Finance for this very important project. In the next month we will share with the community the reasons for this project. The public Town Halls will let us hear the additional comments and concerns of the community as part of our ongoing commitment at the UNM Health Sciences Center to maintain transparency and respond to the community.
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Students, Companies Benefit from NSF STEP Internships CEO Bill Miera is a big fan of hiring interns for his company, Fiore Industries, provider of high-technology services and products for research and commercial applications. Miera said that one of his interns is now employed at the Air Force Research Laboratory and is a Fiore customer. “It’s critical for students to get experience in the real world,” he said. “And the intern can actually help us make progress on our projects.” Fiore’s 2012 summer intern Aaron Griego did just that. A student in electrical engineering, Griego worked on an industrial robot arm, replacing parts and solving software programs. “It was hands-on experience solving problems not found in a book or classroom,” Griego said. “At job fairs, the big companies are the ones you see recruiting but I really enjoyed getting the experience of working for a smaller local company.” Miera said that small high tech companies in the Albuquerque area could benefit from internships. “I’ve heard many people say that they had no idea about the range of technical capabilities here in this town,” he said. “Internships are a way to keep top-notch students in town and help local businesses find good employees.” During the summer, 46 UNM engineering students participated in paid two month internships through the National Science Foundation-funded Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program, STEP. Students at Los Alamos National Laboratories worked on projects including researching less expensive ways to desalinate water, building software to find parameter values for cell signaling systems, and reworking 3-D modeling software for computing high intensity physics calculations. They also built, wired, config-
ured and operated computer clusters. One student worked with a group developing a tomographical technique to image and identify unknown materials. Chemical and nuclear engineering major Candace Spore said one use of the work her group did is imaging objects such as the damaged reactor core at Fukushiama Daiichi. Students at UNM’s Configurable Space Microsystems & Innovations Center, COSMIAC, used the summer to develop a launch and recovery system for high altitude helium balloons with equipment
donated by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratories. They also designed and built an adapter with which Air Force Research Laboratories can make better use of space when launching small satellites. STEP offers mentoring, conference participation, career development and paid internships to freshmen and sophomores. The program will again furnish interns to local companies in summer 2013 and is looking for businesses that want to participate. Contact Sue Buffington at sbuff@ unm.edu or (505) 277-5383.
Business Matters
UNM Technology Business Plan Competition Helps Create High-Paying Jobs During the past five years, more than $200,000 has been awarded through UNM’s Technology Business Plan Competition. Now entering its sixth year, the competition has become a staple for students from all UNM schools and colleges to collaborate on teams that commercialize technology products developed at UNM, Sandia National Labs and Los Alamos National Lab. The central theme of the competition is the creation of wealth and high-paying jobs. Offering a top-prize of $25,000, the Technology Business Plan Competition is specifically focused on creating new technology companies with proprietary intellectual property, firms that can be funded by venture and angel capital groups. Through the competition, UNM contributes to New Mexico’s success by encouraging students and alumni from all areas of study to collaborate on teams that will commercialize new technologies. “UNM’s strategy to organically grow small technol-
ogy businesses is consistent with all studies that point out that small businesses create new high paying jobs and increase wealth in a community,” said Distinguished Professor of management Sul Kassicieh, who coordinates the competition. As part of the competition, teams present business plans based on technological intellectual property, with the permission of the owner of that intellectual property, to a group of judges consisting of successful entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, technologists and other business experts from accounting, law and management. Each team is expected to propose a plan about a company that is in its formative stages. These student-owned start-up firms bring technological innovations based on a solid intellectual property position from lab to market and boost economic development in New Mexico by using the state’s entrepreneurial talent and technical expertise to start new enterprises. The Technology Business Plan Com-
petition offers teams exposure for their businesses and prize funding for their firm. “We have been trying to add to the input into innovation funnel where many ideas go to business plans and then to implementation and execution on the plan. Many find that the market is not there or the financial resources are hard to come by, but as we add to the funnel, we have a larger likelihood of some making it through. The more that we can add to the funnel, the better off New Mexico is,” Kassicieh said. Many students who have participated the past five years have gone on to start other companies based on other ideas. “The educational experience is a wonderful addition to the New Mexico capabilities, and we hope that we can grow a ‘home run’ company here as a result,” Kassicieh said. Visit techbizplan.mgt.unm.edu.
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Lobo Athletics
UNM to Celebrate ‘Super U’ Homecoming Oct. 1-7 By steVe Carr
Homecoming 2012: LOOK! UP IN THE SKY! It’s a bird! No—It’s a plane! No—It’s “Super U!” Since 1925, UNM has celebrated homecoming festivities welcoming back not only its alumni, but also inviting every department and organization on campus and the local and greater New Mexico community. UNM’s 88th annual homecoming celebrates the theme “Super U.” The festivities, Monday, Oct. 1-Sunday, Oct. 7, look to save and build anew the school’s spirit leading up to the installation of UNM President Robert Frank in November in a community building celebration. Homecoming week features more than 50 events, most held on campus and free to all. The celebration culminates on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m. when the Lobos take on the Bobcats of Texas State at University Stadium. Halftime includes the coronation of the homecoming king and queen. “Each year, the homecoming committee challenges campus constituents to show their super hero Lobo spirit by participating in homecoming events. Our ‘U’ theme is back, ‘Super U,’ as your University of New Mexico shows off its super feats on the field, in the classroom and in the community,” said UNM Alumni Association Program Director Sue MacEachen. “Our super students are back in school, putting their super powers to the test in the classrooms, our fantastic faculty is challenging their limits and our super alumni continue to prove their extraordinary talents beyond the walls of UNM.” The festivities begin in earnest Wednesday, Oct. 3, when students can vote on UNM homecoming royalty in the Student
UNM Homecoming 2012
Union Building, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Entries are due the same day for the annual campus decorating contest. Participants decorate a specially designed Superhero Shield, which can be picked up the week of Sept. 24. The registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 28. Decorated shields must be delivered to SUB ballrooms B and C by 10:30 a.m., where they’ll be displayed. Winners will be chosen by people’s choice voting during the alumni faculty and staff luncheon, also on Oct. 3. On Thursday Oct. 4, the UNM Alumni Association celebrates the official unveiling of the new Alumni Memorial Chapel Garden and Celebration Wall at 3:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Friday, Oct. 5, is Lobo Spirit Day. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to wear red on campus to show off Lobo pride. A pep rally at noon in the SUB atrium helps send the Lobo teams to victory. Additionally, the Anderson School of Management will host the Alumni Homecoming Speaker Series at 4 p.m. featuring Scott Taylor, an assistant professor of Organizational Behavior and Daniels Fund Business Ethics and Anderson Fellow, who will discuss Emotional Intelligence competencies and how these competencies can distinguish outstanding
leade r s , executives and managers from average performers. Events on Saturday, Oct. 6, include the all-university breakfast at 9 a.m. at the Sheraton Albuquerque Airport Hotel when the Mortar Board and Zia Awards honoring prominent alumni are given out. Reservations are required for this exclusive breakfast that will recognize Zia Award recipients including Brian Colón, John Cordova, Aileen Garcia, Edward Gonzales, Rhonda King and Baker Morrow. The Lobo Award recipient is Rosalie Otero. The Southwest Fiesta Tailgate starts at 1:30 p.m. in the club level of University Arena to showcase the world-famous Pit. Live entertainment, a silent auction and a Southwestern-flavored, buffet-style feast will be available for all fans. Silent auction items include: two tickets to the 2012 Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game at Cowboy’s stadium on Dec. 16; two nights at a quaint Taos condominium; various spa packages; a variety of themed gift baskets for every person on your list; and gear including signed balls, jerseys and equipment from various Lobo sports teams Tickets are required for the buffet and can be purchased for $15 for adults and $5 for chil-
dren 12 and under. The 19th annual live silent auction benefitting the Alumni Association opens for bidding Monday, Sept. 24. Online bidding closes Sunday, Oct. 7, at noon. The online version of the traditional Silent Auction, held annually as part of the Southwest Fiesta Tailgate, has become a new Homecoming tradition that enables all, from near or far, a chance to participate and help raise money for the UNM Alumni Association Scholarship Fund and programs. Online participants can start putting in their bids when the auction goes live on Monday, Sept. 24 at noon. Bidding for the online auction continues through Oct. 7 at 12 p.m. With food, travel, sporting events, health and fitness opportunities, spa services, Homecoming posters, clothing, and much more, there’s something for everyone at this unique auction. All the hoopla culminates with the big football game against Texas State at 4 p.m. After a spirited victory to open the season, the UNM football team appears to be on the right track under the guidance of new Head Coach Bob Davie. While the competition stiffened after the season-opener, optimism is running high for renewed enthusiasm for the Lobo football program going forward. Make plans now to attend Homecoming 2012 and help make the state’s flagship university, a “Super U.” For a complete list of activities and advanced ticket sales call 505-277-5808 or visit unmalumni.com/homecoming.
uNm collaborates on NSF Nanoscale manufacturing Research center By kareN WeNtWorth
UNM will participate with the University of Texas at Austin, the lead institution, and the University of California Berkeley on an $18.5 million, multi-year National Science Foundation grant to develop nanoscale manufacturing systems for mobile computing. The Nanomanufacturing Systems for Mobile Computing and Mobile Energy Technologies, NASCENT, Center will develop innovative nanomanufacturing, nanosculpting and nanometrology systems that could lead to versatile mobile computing devices such as wearable sensors, foldable laptops and rollable batteries. UNM activities will be led by UNM Distinguished Professor of electrical and computer engineering and Director of the Center for High Technology Materials Steven R.J. Brueck. A testbed for nanomanufacturing metrology will be built at CHTM
on UNM’s south campus. Brueck’s role in the center is to establish the metrology or ways to monitor in near real time the products of nanomanufacturing tools. “UNM is excited to be part of this Nanoscale Engineering Research Center,” Brueck said. “CHTM has a long history of contributions to measurement technologies for the semiconductor industry and others. This is the fourth active ERC that UNM is participating in and the third at CHTM. There are only 20 active Brueck centers nationwide. Very few other schools have achieved this level of participation in these prestigious, highly competitive awards.” P. Randall Schunk, national laboratory professor, Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering at UNM, will coordinate and integrate models at all scales of
the nanomanufacturing test beds. Models include mechanics of roll to roll processing of nanoimprint lithography, graphene transfer and related tasks. He will work with Professor J. Murthy at UT Austin. In addition, electrical and computer engineering Assistant Professor Olga Lavrova will provide nanoscale device modeling and simulation. These new technologies will provide breakthrough performance in energy efficiency, computing, communications and data/energy storage capacity. Today, 40 percent of the energy used in cellphones and the battery life is for reading and writing data to the phone’s memory. Researchers working with the center will develop emerging manufacturing technologies to reduce energy needed for cellphone memory storage by up to three-quarters while increasing data storage density by more than five times its current capacity. The center will also work toward devel-
oping silicon nanowires for improved anodes in lithium ion batteries. The nanowires are projected to lead to a fourfold increase in the storage capacity of batteries. “This grant is testimony to the research accomplishments and national competitiveness of our faculty,” UNM President Robert Frank said. “Mobile devices play such a big role in all of our lives now, and our students will have an opportunity to participate in cutting edge research that will impact their future development.” A recent report from the World Bank says mobile subscriptions will soon outnumber people in the world. Industry partners in NASCENT include Texas Instruments, 3M, Lockheed Martin, Applied Materials and Corning, among others. The award will also provide opportunities for outreach into kindergarten-grade 12 education and research experiences for UNM undergraduate students.
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UNM People Changing Worlds: INLB and the Gathering Place Felipe Medina-Marquez For many students, the path to graduation is a difficult and bumpy one. But Alan (Sixtus) Dominguez, a Raramuri/Apache undergraduate student, defied the odds, thanks in part to Mary Alice Tsosie, co-founder of UNM’s Indigenous Nations Library Program, INLP, and coordinator for the Native American Oral History Program. Housed in a suite of rooms in Zimmerman Library known as the Gathering Place, INLP helps Native American students with research, teaches information literacy and presents lectures on Native American topics. One of the goals of the program is to improve the retention rate for Native American university students. Dominguez graduated at the top of his class in Lovington, N.M., and attended Boston University but after two years moved back to New Mexico. He spent time in Washington D.C. The indigenous Mexican artworks at the National Gallery of Art there sparked an “ancient and beautiful” rediscovery of himself, he said. Feeling newly purposeful, he moved back to New Mexico to study fine art at UNM, where he met his future wife, Susana. He left UNM and started two businesses that thrived until 2008, when he decided to return to UNM. “The second time around at UNM, I looked at all the programs,” he said, “and nothing else was more important than being part of the Native American studies program.” When Dominguez met Tsosie, she “holistically embraced” him. “She asked me about myself to get a better
bridge among Native American students, faculty and the community,” Dominguez said. “It’s more than just being available,” Tsosie said. The students “know they can ask questions and we’ll be there for them and work with them.” “We can all get involved in supporting the Gathering Place and the Indigenous Nations Library Program,” said Niña Johnson, director of development for University Libraries. “Donors can help create and maintain a culturally sensitive, technology-enhanced student space or help
“[Mary Tsosie] made it clear that an photo by Christian Horstmann
by helping oneself…” understanding about my needs,” he said. “I was able to discuss my whole native identity: my family life, what was going on with me personally, my future plans. She made me feel welcome at UNM.” “Since I’ve been back, I’ve been able to maintain my spot on the dean’s list,” Dominguez said. “I’ve been able to enjoy my community-based research and get help with it, as well as have a place where I feel comfortable doing research.” That enjoyment and comfort comes in no small part from the efforts of Tsosie and INLP staff. “She is a
Drive to Help Children Gets Personal for Walgreens Employees By Rachel Miller
The faculty and staff of UNM Children’s Hospital use the latest technology and research-based knowledge to provide top-quality care for the sickest children in New Mexico. UNM Children’s Hospital treats 60,000 children every year, providing specialized treatment for serious trauma, cancer and other diseases not available anywhere else in the state. Rick Villejas, manager of Walgreens in Taos, pointed out that it takes more than machines and medicines to fully restore a child’s health. Little things like crayons and puzzles touch the spirit of children and help make them truly well again. “That’s where we come in and help,” Villejas said. “We support Children’s Miracle Network because they provide things like toys that the hospital can’t put in their budget. But those things are important too.” In 2012, the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals campaign raised more than $1.2 million for UNM Children’s Hospital. New Mexico Walgreens stores were an important partner, raising more than $112,000 to purchase medical equipment and support other programs like Child Life, which helps children and their families cope with the stress of hospitalization. “Without our Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
individual can help the community
Mary Tsosie (left) with Susana and Sixtus Dominguez
– Tsosie
acquire specialized furniture and equipment to provide distance learning capacity, as well as allow for outreach to native students outside of Albuquerque.” Tsosie also inspired Dominguez to change his world for the greater good in the classroom, his art and his personal life, he said. “INLP gives native students and others who work with Indian people a chance to revitalize, reintegrate and go forward in a renewed, indigenous-based way.”
Changing Worlds CHANGING WORLDS PROGRESS progress toward $675 million goal TOWARD $675 MILLION TOTAL GOAL
partners and individual donors around the state, UNM Children’s Hospital wouldn’t be able to help the 60,000 children and their families that come through our doors every year,” said Rich Grainger, associate director of development for UNM Children’s Hospital. “Walgreens em- 1oo% ployees knocked it out of the ballpark.” Walgreens stores sold paper Miracle Balloons, rais- 9o% ing nearly $83,000 through that effort alone. Walgreens employees also put on car washes, hot dog sales and a 8o% golf tournament and volunteered to answer phones during Children’s Hospital’s annual Children’s Miracle Net- 7o% work Hospitals Radiothon. Rod Walter, manager of the Walgreens store at Coors 6o% and Sequoia in Albuquerque, said employees became personally involved because the effort is 100 percent lo- 5o% cal. UNM Children’s Hospital treats children in every community in the state, and every dollar raised goes di- 4o% rectly to the hospital. “I was very proud of them,” Walter said. “It was fun 3o% to see their excitement and commitment.” Walter also worked with Jeff Earhart, Walgreens store manager in Al- 2o% buquerque’s Montgomery Plaza, to organize a golf tournament that raised $30,000 for UNM Children’s Hospital. 1o% For more information about corporate involvement with Children’s Miracle Network, contact Richard o% Grainger at the UNM Foundation: 505-277-9077.
$497.3 Million July 1, 2006 - August 31, 2012
Thank You!
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Stc Board chair Is technology transfer in Action When Sandra Begay-Campbell became chair of the STC.UNM board of directors in 2011, she already had a distinguished history of service to UNM as a former regent and recipient of the UNM School of Engineering’s Distinguished Engineering Alumnae Award. A member of the STC board since 2004, she has first-hand knowledge of what it means to promote new technologies, transfer innovation for public and commercial benefit and train the next generation of advocates for innovation. How does she do this? In addition to guiding the STC board in its mission to support UNM as a source of innovation and contributor to economic development, Begay-Campbell also fulfills the mission on a personal level. As a principal member of the technical staff at Sandia National Labs, she works in the Department of Energy-sponsored Tribal Energy Program, educating tribes nationwide on renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind and biomass and helping them find funding and technical assistance to establish renewable energy projects, such as the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority’s rural solar and small wind program and the proposed Jemez Pueblo solar photovoltaic project. Renewable energy sources are increasingly seen by tribal leaders as an affordable and sustainable solution to lack of access to electrical power for Native Americans living on tribal lands. In 2002, she created a summer in-
Stc.uNm Board of Directors Sandra Begay-Campbell Board Chair Elizabeth (Lisa) J. Kuuttila President & CEO Terri L. Cole Board Vice Chair John H. Stichman Board Secretary and Treasurer Chaouki T. Abdallah Douglas M. Brown James D. Cramer Robert H. Fisher Robert G. Frank Gene Gallegos Maria Griego-Raby David W. Harris Richard S. Larson Gregg L. Mayer Cindy McGill John T. McGraw Fred Mondragon Pope L. Moseley Robert H. Nath Paul B. Roth Mansoor Sheik-Bahae Pedro F. Suarez Gary Tonjes Charles I. Wellborn Albert R. C. Westwood
Q&A with lisa kuuttila, president and cEo, Stc. uNm what is Stc.uNm doing to encourage the commercialization of technology based on research conducted at the university? what works most effectively to motivate faculty to be involved with technology transfer?
ternship program for Native American college students, representing 14 tribal affiliations, who come to Sandia every summer to work with Begay-Campbell, the renewable energy staff and tribal staff members on technical projects. The goal is to train students with technical skills to implement renewable energy programs on tribal lands across the nation. They become advocates for renewable energy technologies in their tribal communities. Thirty percent of the program’s students have continued as yearround interns and 13 percent have been hired by Sandia as contractors. Begay-Campbell understands how innovation can be transferred into something that is truly beneficial to the peo-
ple in New Mexico and beyond.
contact us STC.UNM Science & Technology Park 801 University Blvd. SE #101 Albuquerque, NM 87106 MS 04 2750 Phone: (505) 272-7900 Facsimile: (505) 272-7300 info@stc.unm.edu stc.unm.edu
an important element is the ease of working with the technology transfer organization and making the flow of information as easy as possible. stC uses technology to receive, organize and disseminate information as effectively Kuuttila as possible. We also hold a number of events where people at UNM and in the business community can interact. Faculty would like to see the results of their research in the marketplace, so there is an inherent motivation to be involved in the commercialization process. stC’s job is to make the process as user-friendly as possible as well as transparent.
how do you work with entrepreneurs and investors to get new companies formed? stC spends time creating short summaries, which are on our website, as well as materials which are succinct and describe the business opportunity afforded by the technology. this helps entrepreneurs and investors get a quick sense if a technology is something they want to spend more time reviewing. stC staff regularly meet with investors and entrepreneurs to discuss new business opportunities. stC’s Cecchi VentureLab advisory group, made up of stC board, UNM and business community members, reviews start-up opportunities and makes suggestions for connections and support to help get a new business launched. the Cecchi VentureLab is a virtual and physical business accelerator which provides assistance with the early phases of business planning. We also rely on and network with many other resources available in the New Mexico community.
how does New mexico stack up as compared to technology transfer organizations in other states? what do we have in New mexico that may be unique? stC.UNM is a younger technology transfer organization than many of our peers in other states. it was formed in 1995, later than when many other universities began technology transfer programs. however, we are doing quite well as compared to other research universities identified as peer institutions by UNM. Looking at the data by research expenditure, we rank second in the number of start-ups created, as compared to peer institutions. i think we have some assets in the state that help us: we tend to have fewer barriers to networking in the ecosystem than other regions in the country, and it is a great place to live, so many successful entrepreneurs want to relocate to New Mexico. our innovation ecosystem, our “rainforest,” is still small, but growing rapidly.