DAILY LOBO new mexico
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
THURSDAY August 28, 2014 | Volume 119 | Issue 10
Lobo researchers make ‘most-cited’ list By Jonathan Baca
Three University of New Mexico researchers have been named among the ‘World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds.’ XueXian Yang, Vittorio Cristini and Dr. Mauricio Tohen were recently recognized by Thomson Reuters on their list of Highly Cited Researchers. The list honored more than 3,000 of “the standout researchers of the last decade” from around the world in 21 different fields, according to ScienceWatch.com. “I think it’s a great pride for UNM,” Cristini said. “It’s about 3,000 researchers worldwide, in all disciplines of science, medicine,
XueXian Yang, Ph. D. Yang is assistant professor for molecular genetics and microbiology, pathology and neurology. His research has focused on T cells, specifically Growth Hormone 17 cells, which are important in regulating essential immune functions, battle bacteria and fight against inflammatory diseases like arthritis, multiple sclerosis, bowel diseases and even cancer. His studies have looked into how these cells are formed and what exactly they do in the body. He and his team conduct clinical trials on animals to find out more about these essential immunity warriors. He is currently researching how doctors could regulate these cells,
everything — and UNM has three of them. It’s pretty good, right?” Researchers were selected based on the number of influential scientific papers they published between 2002 and 2012. The winners’ papers ranked among the top one percent of studies most cited by other researchers, according to Reuters. Yang, Cristini and Tohen were recognized for publishing some of the most significant and useful studies in their fields, which is a big deal, Yang said. “We have very strong teams here; we do a lot of great studies,” Yang said. “We also have a lot of collaborators both inside of UNM and outside. Those all help a lot.”
specifically focusing on the treatment of colon cancer, and studying other types of T cells, which are involved with allergic diseases and fighting parasites. Yang said he was surprised by the news of making the distinguished list. “I feel very lucky. There were many contributions by my previous mentor; I just did some of the work. So it’s not all my own credit,” Yang said. “We would like to do many more studies. Then this information may provide or suggest new treatment or approaches for these diseases.”
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Scientist page 2
William Aranda / Daily Lobo / @_WilliamAranda
Kenneth Ellis, father of Albuquerque Police Department shooting victim Kenneth Ellis III, holds a photo of his deceased son at the office of Mayor Richard Berry at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon. Several relatives of people shot and killed by APD went to City Hall to call on Mayor Berry to cancel a police shooting competition taking place next month.
Protesters object to APD shooting contest By Zach Case Two upcoming shooting competitions are drawing community members’ interest, but not in a positive way. Protesters rallied at Civic Plaza Wednesday against the Albuquerque Police Pistol Combat Tournament and the NRA Police Shooting Championship. The tournaments, scheduled for Sept. 10-12 and Sept. 13-18, respectively, are cosponsored by the Albuquerque Police Department and the National Rifle Association. David Correia, an associate professor of American studies at
UNM, has been actively involved in recent protests against APD shootings and said he is a proud advocate for families affected by APD’s alleged use of excessive force. That the city is hosting the events is troubling, he said. “I think it’s shocking that the city and APD would do this,” Correia said, “and that’s saying a lot given the things that they’ve done and their tone-deaf approach to resolving this problem — and their refusal to even acknowledge that there is a problem.” Mike Gomez, the founder the Albuquerque Justice Organization, was one of four people to speak at Civic Plaza during the protest.
Gomez, whose son Alan was shot and killed by APD in 2011, said he is against the shooting competition primarily because Sean Wallace, the officer who shot his son, will be involved in the event. “We want the mayor to cancel the event because of the people involved in it,” Gomez said. “We want the public to know that APD has a killer cop representing them in this competition.” The U.S. Department of Justice released a report in April, after investigating APD, which indicated a majority of APD-involved shootings were considered unjustified
or excessive. The report cited the shooting of Gomez’s son, saying “… (Alan) Gomez was unarmed and did not pose an immediate risk of death or serious bodily harm to the individuals in the house or officers when he was shot.” If the event is not canceled, Gomez said, he and his organization will protest at the event next month. Gomez said Wallace received a $500 bonus after shooting Gomez’s son. After speaking with the media, a crowd of family members went to Mayor Richard Berry’s office to deliver a letter demanding that Berry cancel the event. According
to the letter, Sean Wallace has shot three unarmed people since 2004, killing two of them. Mark Shepherd, the security manager at the mayor’s office, stood in front of the office with a police officer and did not allow the family members to enter. Shepherd said there was no one in the office, but that he would personally deliver the letter to the mayor. Zach Case is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.