2024
The Vice President for Research
Dear New Mexicans,
As I approach my four-year anniversary at The University of New Mexico – the state’s premier research institution where student, faculty, and staff researchers innovate and create to empower all our communities from the high plateaus in the north to the Pecos River in the south. I am proud to have joined this unique and dedicated group of researchers.
When I first arrived at UNM, it was the middle of the pandemic and everybody was still remote. Nevertheless, I found a warm welcome from everyone and a strong desire to ensure the research mission of the University was not only maintained, but more importantly that it be reenergized to a flourishing state. Although I had read about some of the amazing accomplishments of UNM researchers, it was eye-opening to be on the ground, directly witnessing the dedication and strength of UNM researchers who tackle enormous hurdles daily as they help address some of the greatest challenges facing our communities, our state, our nation, and our planet. I continue to be honored and humbled by our brilliant, imaginative, and enthusiastic researchers, innovators, and creators.
For the last four years, one of my mantras I’ve shared with our UNM community is Research IS Education and now is the perfect opportunity to share what I mean by that with the broader Lobo community. When our students, faculty, and staff conduct research we are doing so much more, we’re collaborating across disciplines and areas of expertise, we’re creating new knowledge, we’re learning about ourselves and our world, we’re exploring new technologies and creating new processes with one overall goal — to advance New Mexico.
In the last four years, UNM researchers have:
» Created innovative partnerships among academia, government, communities, and industry that seek to invent and commercialize technologies for clean water, and decarbonized power for NM, while simultaneously building a vibrant economy along the Rio Grande corridor and the San Juan basin.
» Launched a joint research institute with a vision to transform quantum information science into technology breakthroughs at the forefront of the next information age, maintaining NM as a leader in this highly competitive R&D arena.
» Explored new ways to study lunar materials as part of NASA’s Artemis III mission that will focus on the South Pole of the moon, utilizing cutting edge analytical tools and technologies to help establish the space economy of the Moon-Earth System, both within NM and across the nation.
» Worked through multi-university coalitions to address food insecurity for thousands of students, faculty, and staff across the state.
» Patented new technologies that will help decrease and possibly eliminate pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities and serious injuries on our streets and highways.
» Participated in the Venice Biennial Art Exhibit with the project “a Library, a Classroom, and the World”, which was viewed by more than a half a million visitors and received international recognition with the European Cultural Centre award for the category “University and Research Project”.
» And so much more!
With the support of New Mexicans across the state, UNM researchers have the ability to re-imagine today, influence our future, and remain leaders of The Pack.
Ellen R. Fisher Ph.D.
UNM Professor of Chemistry
33 START-UP COMPANIES FOUNDED IN FY20-24 RESEARCH BY
1,900+ AWARDS RECEIVED IN FY24
2,500+ PUBLICATIONS IN 2024
$389M EXPENDITURES IN FY24
1,088 STUDENT RESEARCHERS SUPPORTED IN FY24
New Mexico wins two NSF Engines competitions in single round
By Marissa Lucero
As the 57th New Mexico Legislature convenes, researchers around the state are working to finalize two proposals – that if chosen as part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engines program would fund two major projects related to water security and quantum science.
Both proposals are due in full next month.
What is the Engines Program?
In March of 2022, the NSF created the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP) which was designed to work across public and private sectors to advance three primary focus areas:
» Accelerating technology
» Fostering innovation and economic growth
» Preparing the American workforce for better-quality, higher-wage jobs
Being the first NSF directorate in more than 30 years, it quickly launched the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program, which became one of the single largest broad investments in place-based research and development in the nation’s history. Last year, the inaugural competition awarded the first 10 NSF Engines that had the potential to reach $1.6 billion over 10 years, uniquely placing science and technology leadership as the central driver for regional economic competitiveness.
One requirement is that each NSF Engines must be clearly rooted in regional interests to help build strong communities through equitable development of regional talent, intentional community engagement, and attention to impact on a region’s identities and cultures.
First Round: Regional Alliance for Leveraging Innovations in Water and Energy Security Technologies
Through support from UNM President Garnett Stokes, UNM led a strong regional team for the inaugural competition that started in 2022; researchers defined the Navajo Nation, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas area as the region of service.
The nearly two-year effort was called the Regional Alliance for Leveraging Innovations in Water and Energy Security Technologies (RALI-WEST), and focused on Indigenous ways of knowing how to guide approaches for tackling key challenges in water and energy security in the region.
» Research Intensive Institutions included:
» The University of New Mexico (UNM)
» New Mexico State University (NMSU)
» New Mexico Tech (NMT)
» Navajo Technical University (NTU)
» The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
» Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
» Sandia National Laboratories (SNL)
This team also included CNM-Ingenuity (CNM-I), Santa Fe Community College (SFFC), and Eastern New Mexico Uni-
versity (ENMU) to expand workforce development. The Southwest Research Information Center (SRIC) led tribal engagement, and Creative Startups helped lead regional efforts in entrepreneurship. The coalition also partnered with a wide range of private sector companies to help with economic development goals.
The RALI-WEST Engine proposal was one of only two proposals from New Mexico that was selected, making it one of 34 semi-finalists. Ultimately, RALI-WEST was not one of the 10 inaugural Engines, but in February of 2024, it became one of three New Mexico teams to receive one of the 58 NSF Engine Regional Development awards -- a $1 million planning grant from NSF.
Shortly after receiving the NSF Development award, NSF announced the second round of the NSF Engine competition. The RALI-WEST team re-organized and re-branded into the Energized Watershed, doubling-down on tribal engagement and Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham’s 50-year water action plan to compete for up to $160 million in funding for rapidly deployable research, entrepreneurship, and workforce development in the areas of water and energy security.
Energized Watershed
Energized Watershed’s pre-proposal was one of the 71 invited (out of ~300) for a full proposal, and one of two invited from New Mexico. Its unique effort and concentration is one of only two proposals across the nation competing on water security.
New Mexico is poised to be the second state – the first was North Carolina – to win two NSF Engines competitions in a single round. The second proposal from New Mexico with a chance at $160M is Quantum Moonshot, with a focus on emerging technologies with the potential to transform a range of industries across New Mexico.
Researchers are in the midst of preparing the two full proposals for submission next month. The inaugural ten winning proposals averaged $35 million in regional support for their first two years and $15 million of NSF funds.
Energized Watershed next steps
Moving forward, the Energized Watershed intends to launch new workforce development programs for water operators and electrical line workers, highlighting a renaissance in building the skilled workforce and essential jobs needed in this economy.
The group also plans to have Tribal Nations lead upcoming parts of the project focusing on Indigenous ways of innovation and implementation of economic growth on Tribal lands. Researchers will focus on the need for water in remote homes and communities, municipalities, manufacturing, data centers, and agriculture. They will also work to identify and clean brackish water sources, re-use water for long-term sustainability, manage waste responsibly and create “waste to wealth” opportunities, and more.
UNM and its partners are uniquely positioned to carry out these studies because of the collaboration of knowledge and the commitment to sustainability amid our arid and rapidly changing climate. When we are successful, the world will look to New Mexico and see the future.
A Leader in Quantum Information Science for a new Quantum Economy
Q: What is Quantum Physics?
A: Quantum physics is a branch of physics that explores the behavior of matter and energy at very small scales, such as atomic and subatomic particles (e.g., electrons and photons). Unlike classical physics, the matter and energy at the quantum level exhibit unique properties that can be harnessed to create radically new ways of processing, storing, and transmitting information.
Q: Why Quantum Physics?
A: Quantum information science alters our foundational understanding of materials, chemistry, biology and astronomy and has the potential to revolutionize fields like computing, cybersecurity, sensors, and communications, pushing the boundaries of what technology can achieve. This can lead to significant advances in developing highly secure internet communications, faster computers, unprecedented climate and environmental monitoring, more accurate medical diagnoses and precision medicine, pioneering space exploration, and improved national defense.
Q: Why New Mexico?
A: New Mexico has been a leader in quantum information science since the 1990s, with pioneering research and development occurring at the State’s universities and National Laboratories. The Center for Quantum Information and Control (CQuIC) at the University of New Mexico is one of the oldest quantum research and education centers in the world. CQuIC has trained over 50 PhDs and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom are now leaders in the field globally.
Q: Why Now?
A: New Mexico is at the forefront of the second quantum revolution, building new partnerships and institutions to accelerate growth in this field. One such initiative is the Quantum New Mexico Institute (QNM-I), a joint R&D initiative between UNM, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). More recently, QNM-I partnered with Elevate Quantum, the Mountain West EDA-funded Tech Hub, which is the nation’s only quantum-focused tech hub. Now is the time to translate New Mexico’s R&D assets and human capital in quantum technology into economic benefits.
Q: What is envisioned for quantum technology development in the next decade?
A: Quantum technology that harnesses the tremendous potentialities of quantum information processing is of great interest to New Mexico and the United States at large. State and federal governments are creating many new R&D funding opportunities to accelerate the discovery of new quantum technologies. For example, quantum computing research could increasingly play a role with the development of a next-generation type of microprocessor, no longer limited to binary bits (which must store/process information rather inefficiently as either a “zero” or a “one”). New Mexico will need public and private sector support to maintain its leadership role in this highly competitive R&D arena. Investments by other states and other nations (not all of them friendly) are growing exponentially.
Q: How Does New Mexico Benefit from the Quantum Revolution?
A: New Mexico is a quantum state. The growing quantum ecosystem in our region will create new opportunities for all New Mexicans across the state, not just for PhDs and urban centers. Recent projections show that jobs in quantum industries range from skills like soldering, wiring, and coding, to abstract, creative, and problem-solving skills. With strong investments, the state can capitalize on its pioneering work in quantum information science to ensure that New Mexicans benefit from the next information age, with profound national and global implications.
Shifting migration patterns
New Mexico’s population growth was fueled by migration for its first century of statehood. However, since 2012 domestic migration has been negative, meaning that more US residents move out of New Mexico than into it each year. Since 2020, New Mexico has seen a net loss of about 6,000 people who have moved to other states according to figures from the US Census.
The growth that New Mexico has experienced has come from international migration, which has added about 12,000 people since 2020. That’s not many people, but it’s enough to offset declines in domestic migration and natural change (births minus deaths).
UNM-GPS demographers expect this trend to continue and emphasize that international migration will be key to growth or staving off population decline. They also point out that international migration is heavily dependent on federal immigration policy, a perennial hot-button issue.
Urban growth and rural decline
Growth in New Mexico will be conGrowth in New Mexico will be concentrated in metropolitan counties like Bernalillo, Sandoval, Valencia, Dona Ana, and Santa Fe. San Juan is the only metropolitan county projected to decline. Eddy and Lea Counties in the Permian Basin are projected to continue growing at relatively high rates although population trends in the Permian Basin are susceptible to the boomand-bust cycles of the fossil fuel industry. Rural counties in New Mexico will decline in population with the most rapid losses expected in small counties of under 5,000 people such as Mora, De Baca and Hidalgo counties all of which could see declines of 40% or more in the coming decades.
A global phenomenon
An aging, more urbanized population is not unique to New Mexico. About 20 states see more deaths than births each year and other states will soon follow. Countries like Japan and South Korea as well as much of Western Europe are also contending with an aging and
declining population.
Growing populations are often seen as a critical component of growing economies. Planning and innovation will be needed to prepare for the significant impacts that shifting demographics will have on housing, healthcare, schools, and tax bases.
Reversing trajectory
Population projections are based on trends in births, deaths and migration. A shift in any of these components could alter the trajectory. Fertility and mortality rates are relatively predictable, but migration is the wild card and could swing population projections significantly in either direction.
These latest population projections from UNM-GPS are based on detailed age data from the 2020 Census that was published by the Census Bureau in 2023. The Census Bureau does not publish state population projections, and many New Mexico state agencies, businesses and non-profits depend on these impartial projections from UNMGPS.
UNM professor establishes connection between sports wagering and binge drinking
By Savannah Peat
The University of New Mexico’s Center on Alcohol, Substance Use and Addictions (CASAA) is recognizing a new piece of research being published in the prestigious journal JAMA Network Open. This spotlight centers on a critical issue– sports betting/wagering and binge drinking–led by Professor Joshua Grubbs.
“The finding is important, culturally relevant, and straightforward. We knew that the finding would be relevant this time of year and, given the way that sports wagering has shifted in the country over the past few years,” Grubbs said.
In a study funded by the International Center for Responsible Gaming, Grubbs analyzed 2022 data from over 4,000 adults across the U.S., who shared information about their drinking and gambling habits.
between races on binge drinking, but there are actually pretty big racial differences in who’s engaging with sports wagering, so we kind of want to account for it,” he said.
Grubbs suspects that much of this unhealthy pattern of drinking takes place while betting, as recent research in Canada and Australia, suggests that these things often happen together. The numerous opportunities are hard to ignore here in the U.S., with 38
ently, but the same rule applies. You can’t drink in the sportsbooks. But, for most sportsbooks here in New Mexico, you can go put up your bets and then walk around the corner to the inhouse sports bar, watch the game, and drink. They may be separate, but only in a nominal sense,” Grubbs said.
states and Washington D.C. legalizing sports betting since 2018.
“It occurred to us that heavy and binge drinking--extremely risky types of drinking-- are also probably happening with sports wagering. We had the data to see how sports wagering patterns and drinking all fit together,” he said.
The biggest takeaway is that Grubbs has established a connection between sports wagering and binge drinking. People who gamble on sports are reporting that they also drink much more heavily than their peers who don’t gamble on sports.
“There are not huge differences
“The U.S. approach to sports gambling has been really unique, in the global context. Whereas most countries that have legalized sports gambling have done so carefully and over time, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in 2018 to let states legalize it as they wanted to,” he said.
In states like New Mexico, casinos have rules against drinking on the casino floor, bars and alcohol sales must take place off the floor, and alcohol can’t be present while gambling. That still does not seem to provide a barrier for sports wagerers.
“Sportsbooks are set up differ-
Grubbs noted that he suspects sports gambling and drinking feed off each other. When something goes right and you win big, you might want to celebrate with a drink. When something goes wrong and you lose badly, you may take a shot to keep your spirits up. Either way, another round of sports gambling is likely following another one of these cyclical drinks. These risks might be even more significant in most other states that allow sports betting via phone applications or online.
“The general patterns that we know of are that people that bet online or via apps are riskier in a lot of behaviors. We have not yet examined if the people who are betting on their phones are drinking more than those who are betting in person at a sportsbook or via a gambling kiosk,” Grubbs said.
As sports betting has become increasingly easy to take advantage of through mobile apps or websites, it’s no shock to Grubbs that this prevalence is part of the problem.
“There are people that are betting before the game on very specific point spreads, on specific player statistics, and on multiple games at the same time. These people engaging in more complex bets tend to have more problems, alongside the people that participate in in-game betting,” he said. “In states that allow mobile in-game betting, they are noticing a growing number of people reporting gambling problems specifically associated with those things. There are so many little nuances we haven’t even begun to study, because access to sports betting has expanded so quickly in the U.S.”
Twenty-nine of the previous states mentioned also permit legal online wagering, but that’s not always easy to monitor.
“Every state looks different, and no meaningful federal regulation exists around it. And, even in states where there are strict rules, it may be illegal to use offshore sportsbooks, but it’s not hard to access them,” Grubbs said.
While New Mexico could benefit from the financial incentives to expand its virtual betting scenarios, Grubbs is skeptical about that road ahead.
“One of the big recommendations I have for the state of New Mexico, as well as any state considering expanding gambling access, is to proceed with caution,” he said. “At some point in the future, I think mobile betting will come to New Mexico. The logistics of navigating mobile betting will be complicated in a state like ours, but the profits available via mobile sports betting will likely convince the various casinos to at least try to move forward with it eventually. Yet, we need to be extremely careful in how we proceed because states that have legalized sports gambling via mobile applications have reported increases
in problem gambling across their population.”
Grubbs said those who gamble in sports embrace risk-taking with bets and other aspects of their lives. That poses a possible danger on the roads, too, no matter where the betting took place.
“When you look at a state like New Mexico, where casinos do not serve alcohol on the casino floor, there’s this notion that not letting people drink while they’re gambling will help reduce harm. For a lot of people, that’s probably true. But what concerns me are the ones who are already experiencing one or both prob-
lems before they get to the casino or the ones who are dealing with alcohol problems and then start gambling online. We know that gambling disorder and alcohol use disorder are often occurring together,’ Grubbs said.
Naturally, the overall number of sports gamblers peaks during major sporting events like the Superbowl, but risky behavior for these binge-drinking betters continues beyond March Madness or NFL matchups.
“During major sporting events, I expect both risky drinking and overall betting behaviors to be pretty high. In fact, they may be a lot higher during those events than at other times. Figuring out how those things change over time is one of our major goals for
future projects,” Grubbs said.
Grubbs says there is a lot left to learn about why these behaviors exist, starting with self-awareness.
“Across the U.S. due to state regulations, there are a lot of responsible gambling messages and warnings that casinos and sportsbooks are required to share with people, but I think we need to consider whether or not there also needs to be messaging around alcohol use as well in those settings, especially if increasing access to sports gambling is bringing people into situations where they’re more likely to drink in dangerous ways,” he said.
That also begins with a push for a federal funding source for gambling research. Grubbs points out that while designated federal research funds for drug use or alcohol misuse exist, gambling has historically not been funded at the federal level despite clear links between gambling and substance use problems. Grubbs contends that gambling is a public health concern and deserves federal funding to find ways to minimize harm and alleviate suffering.
Even without federal funding, Grubbs still hopes to find ways to specifically help gamblers in New Mexico.
“I hope that, over the next few years, we will be able to work with the state to understand better how to meet the needs of gamblers in New Mexico,” he said. “We know from previous studies in the state that problem gambling is much higher in New Mexico than in many other states, but we don’t have details on how it might be affecting drinking habits, how it might be causing problems for people in recovery from alcohol problems, or how sports gambling might be contributing to new alcohol-related problems.”
Joshua Gribbs
