Renaissance ArtsFaire, Nov. 7-8, 2009. (Courtesy photo)

Looking for art, music, dance, food and a trip back in time?

The 38th annual Renaissance Artsfaire, complete with charming princes, pretty maidens, and brightly-colored jesters, will take place Saturday and Sunday at Young Park, located near the intersection of Lohman Avenue and Walnut Avenue.

Presented by the Doña Ana Arts Council, the fair consists of a Renaissance themed juried art show with a as well as live music and dance performances, food and art vendors and similarly themed activities.

“The Renaissance Artsfaire is the largest event of its kind in New Mexico, so it far outshines any of the smaller seasonal events,” said David Salcido, manager of the Rio Grande Theatre. “There is art on display from all over the Southwest, exotic foods, a wide range of entertainment and, let’s face it, what other event has guys running around in tights and more bosoms on display than you’ll ever find again in a family setting?”

Renaissance ArtsFaire (Courtesy photo)

Renaissance ArtsFaire (Courtesy photo)

More than 160 local, regional and national “peddlers” will gather to sell handcrafted items like pottery, jewelry, leather goods, paintings, drawings, sculptures, toys and textiles, according to the event Web site.

“It’s a wide selection,” Salcido said. “Everything from pottery and paintings to costume wear and kitsch. If an artist can conceive it, you’ll probably find it in one of our many booths.”

The fair will also include royal processions and The Merry Court of Sherwood Oak and The Children’s Realm, an area with activities for families and children. There will also be an area where “peddlers” under 16 can sell their work.

Performers include Wise Fool from Albuquerque, Chanson du Soir from Southern California and Hawkquest from Colorado, as well as many local acts including Empyre Pipe & Drum Corp, the Hellenic Dancers and more contemporary artists like La Cella Bella, Daniel Park, Randy Granger, Orlando Jimenez and Latin rock band, Nuevo Sol.

Renaissance ArtsFaire (Courtesy photo)

“There’s definitely something for everybody,” said Juanita Harrison, Doña Ana Arts Council office manager. “It’s only five bucks, so college students can definitely afford it and the food is pretty reasonable too.”

Renaissance ArtsFaire (Courtesy photo)

All fair proceeds, booth fees and donations support Dona Ana Arts Council programs.

According to the Web site, the faire is the largest event sponsored by the council, and draws around 25,000 people, making it one of the largest cultural events in southern New Mexico.

The fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday at Young Park, one block south of the intersection of Lohman Avenue and Walnut Avenue. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children 12 and under. For more information, call the Doña Ana Arts Council at 523-6403 or go to www.las-cruces-arts.org/.

Katy Barnitz is a staff writer and can be reached at truarts@nmsu.edu.

LAS CRUCES – Issues like programs for minority students, support for graduate students and fiscal responsibility were on the minds of students who took the opportunity to question New Mexico State University presidential finalist Barbara Couture on Wednesday during a student forum at Corbett Center.

Asked how she might increase support for American Indian or gay and lesbian students, Couture said providing a productive and inclusive environment for all students is a priority, but acknowledged that finding funding for those programs is always a challenge.

She said one solution might be to find ways to use funds so that they benefit more than one student group at a time.

“Sometimes budgets are historically developed, and stay that way for a long time,” she said. “Do we need to rethink how those funds are distributed? It’s important to listen to students and learn what services they feel they need.”

NMSU’s diverse population is one thing Couture identified as a reason for her interest in the president position. She also cited the campus’s effective community college relationships, potential for new facilities and beautiful location.

In response to an online question about whether any skeletons in her closet might come to light once she was selected – a reference to the separate admissions scandals that led to the resignations of two of the four other finalists – Couture smiled.

Read the article.

LAS CRUCES – The second of five finalists in the New Mexico State University presidential search to visit the campus described herself as anything but an institution-hopper.

Barbara Couture, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and a professor of English at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, said she knows the NMSU community is concerned about the turnover in recent years and looking for strong and stable leadership.

“I think president’s a different kind of position. A president becomes more related with the community and is building not only the university, but also the community as well – and that takes a long-term commitment,” Couture said during a news conference Wednesday at NMSU. “My intention is to stay and help build this institution.”

Couture is in her sixth year as chief academic officer at UNL.

NMSU isn’t the only school considering Couture for its presidency. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale announced Monday that Couture is one of two finalists for the chancellor’s position there. Couture will visit SIU-Carbondale next week.

Couture noted that the decision-making process is a two-way street.

Read the article.

Watch Webcasts of the public candidate forums and see each finalist’s complete visit schedule, biography and curriculum vitae.

LAS CRUCES – A few dozen New Mexico State University faculty members turned out Monday to hear from presidential search finalist Richard Herman, who until last month was chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

While attention was paid to what Herman referred to as “the elephant in the room” – the admissions scandal at the school that ultimately led to his resignation – most of the questions were designed to learn Herman’s views on things like how to recruit and retain top-notch faculty and increase research productivity.

Bill Quintana, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, pointed out that in a state with a population that is 44 percent Hispanic and a county that’s 70 percent Hispanic, the university’s faculty population is only 11 percent Hispanic.

Herman agreed with Quintana’s assessment that the percentage was lower than it should be – something he said he would take seriously if he were hired.

“Part of it is looking for talent and recognizing that excellence comes in all varieties,” Herman said. “One has to be aggressive about these programs.”

He noted that investment in startup packages that include incentives like research equipment pays off for universities, even during tough economic times.

Read the article.

LCSN Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of five stories profiling the finalists in the New Mexico State University presidential search.

LAS CRUCES – Richard Herman, the first of five finalists in the New Mexico State University presidential search to visit the campus, admits that he’s had a rough five months.

Having resigned his post last month as chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign amid an admissions scandal in which the university was accused of giving special attention to politically connected candidates, Herman acknowledged that he made a mistake by not walking away from what he characterized as a culture of political influence that predated him.

“You have to think about the trail of a decision,” Herman said Monday during a news conference at NMSU. “Here it led to something that was not transparent to the community.”

Herman said he hoped to be judged, not just on the accusations, but on the fullness of his record: His work to diversify the faculty and the student body, reach out to the community and increase research funding.

Read the article.

LAS CRUCES — The recession may be over, but people still must deal with the aftershocks, most notably rising unemployment. That reality was reflected last week in the news that the Consumer Confidence Index was had fallen in October.

The business world is worried about whether consumers will open up their wallets and pocket books. Those concerns and other issues will be up for discussion this week as statewide leadership in the restaurant, lodging and tourism industries visit the Mesilla Valley for a series of meetings and other functions.

The New Mexico Restaurant Association will hold its Fall Retreat in Las Cruces and Mesilla on Wednesday and Thursday; the New Mexico Lodging Association will hold its quarterly board of directors/general membership meeting at Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces on Thursday; the board of advisors for New Mexico State University’s school of hotel, restaurant and tourism management will meet on Friday.

Business climate

In the Las Cruces area, some restaurant owners report that they think the last part of the year will be better than in 2008.

“This last week has been pretty good,” said Vince Vaccaro, owner of three Lorenzo’s Italian restaurants in Las Cruces.

He said there was a drop in business several weeks ago, but that has corrected itself.

…Since the NMRA and HRTM leadership will all be in town this week, the lodging association has invited those organizations to participate in a meal the group has planned at NMSU.

In fact, the dinner will be prepared by students in the HRTM program.

“What a great opportunity for our students to have exposure to hospitality leadership in our state,” said Janet Green, director of the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management.

Read the article.

LAS CRUCES — Janet Green has a message to anyone who wants to open a restaurant: Remember that cooking food is just one of many important aspects you’ll have to master.

Green, 50, is the director of New Mexico State University’s School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management.

“In some ways, it’s everybody’s dream to own their own little restaurant or their own bar or some type of business and they want to make people happy and serve food,” she said. “But (you need to) have the management training to be able to manage the front of the house and the back of the house, and find capital to open a business and know how to market it and identify the locations and labor laws and other things to go along with that dream.”

That is why, although food preparation is an important part of the curriculum for students, Green said that a degree in hotel, restaurant and tourism management is “really a business-based degree.”

“We don’t train people to be chefs here,” she said. “But we give them the competency in food and beverage management so when they are a hotel manager or a restaurant manager, they (can) know what their chefs should be doing.”

Read the article.

New Mexico State University’s With Us campaign celebrates how, in classrooms, labs, out in the field, or working in your community, together we make a difference.

TV Commercial: Dr. Pookie Sautter, Department of Marketing, is part of the NMSU With Us Campaign

See the With Us campaign billboards, outdoor signage, print samples, desktop wallpapers, YouTube videos.

Michael and Amir talk about the advantages of studying abroad.

New Mexico State University Study Abroad office provides students with a world of opportunities. Watch Michael Vega talk to students that have taken advantage of the study abroad program and hear some of their experiences.

If you’ve been thinking about expanding your horizons, get more information today!
http://studyabroad.nmsu.edu/

Michael Vega interviews Adrian who went to Lyon, France, for travel and education experiences developed by David Boje and Grace Ann Rosile, Department of Management.

New Mexico State University Study Abroad office provides students with a world of opportunities. Watch Michael Vega talk to students that have taken advantage of the study abroad program and hear some of their experiences.

If you’ve been thinking about expanding your horizons, get more information today!
http://studyabroad.nmsu.edu/

KRWG TV: Newsmakers

A field report on the early college program planned for New Mexico State University and a conversation with Western New Mexico University professor Sharman Apt Russell, author of “Hunger-An Unnatural History” and part of a Grant County program to eliminate hunger.

Charles Comer and Fred Martino feature the people, issues, and events that shape our community.
E-mail your story and interview ideas to feedback@nmsu.edu.
Retrieved online: Oct. 30, 2009.

Finalists in New Mexico State University’s presidential search will be on campus during the next few weeks.

NMSU faculty, students, staff and the general public are welcome and encouraged to participate during the various meetings, forums and press conferences scheduled for the five finalists.

Interview schedules for each of the candidates are available at http://www.nmsu.edu/presidentialsearch/finalists.html (see short bios, vitae and interview schedules.)

A final decision on the next president is expected Thursday, Nov. 19.

LAS CRUCES – Laurie Wright Haluska of Las Cruces acknowledged that worries about the economy and personal finances will play a role in her holiday shopping this year.

“We’re going to be spending the absolute minimum this year,” said Haluska, who said friends and family members understand the situation because they face it as well. “We tell we them we love them and that, ‘We’ll get you (more) next year.’”

When she does shop for holiday presents, Haluska said, she will “absolutely” look for bargains.

Richard and Amanda Deaton of Silver City were in Sears at the Mesilla Valley Mall on Thursday. They said they do most of their holiday shopping early and online.

“I’m usually done by Thanksgiving,” Amanda Deaton said.

Stacey Mendoza was at Sears in search of holiday gift items.

“You have to look for sales,” she said.

Retailers know that there are many more shoppers out there who will take the same approach. That is why consumers can expect to see sales, deals and specials between now and Christmas, whether they are from national chains or locally owned shops.

“I’m sure (stores are) nervous,” said Tony Popp, head of the Department of Economics at New Mexico State University. “Consumer confidence isn’t there and the employment rate isn’t going up yet.”

The National Retail Federation reports “retailers are about to embark on the holiday season of the serious bargain hunter.”

Read the article.

In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the NMSU Police Department is required annually to notify students and employees about crime statistics for the Las Cruces and Doña Ana Community College campuses. The 2009 report is accessible on the police department’s Web site (http://www.nmsupolice.com/AnnualReports/2009AnnualReport.pdf).

The report contains information regarding safety and security programs, policies and procedures in place at NMSU and DACC.

The Clery Act requires the report to list statistics for seven specific criminal activities over a three-year period (2006 – 2008): murder (including manslaughter), rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson and hate crimes. Federal law requires these acts be broken down further to reveal where criminal activity took place: on campus, in residence facilities, off-campus fraternities or off-campus public property. A more comprehensive listing of crime and traffic incident statistics going back to 1989 may be found on the police department’s Web site.

For the most part, crime statistics have trended downward on the NMSU and DACC campuses for the past three years.

The numbers reveal that burglary has been by far the most common crime on the Las Cruces campus in each of the past three years, with an across-the-board high of 92 incidents in 2007. The good news is that burglaries were cut by nearly two-thirds in 2008, to 32 incidents.

“The NMSU Police Department is responsible for the investigation of all crimes that take place on university premises, which includes the filing of appropriate police reports and filing of annual reports and statistics,” pointed out Deputy Chief of Police Stephen Lopez. “However, other agencies have concurrent jurisdiction in many cases. We make efforts to encourage other agencies taking reports to notify us so the incident can be reflected in the annual crime reports, and while there has been a history of excellent cooperation and data sharing among local law enforcement agencies in Doña Ana County, the cooperation from state and federal agencies in sharing this type of data is not as strong, due in large part to secrecy requirements by those agencies.

“These agencies generally don’t investigate crimes on campus, though, so we believe the data in the report is pretty comprehensive,” he added.

From 2006-2008, no murders, or hate crimes were reported on campus. Aside from robbery and arson, all areas reported a decline in incidences from 2007 to 2008. Four robberies were reported in 2008, where none had been reported the previous two years, and arsons increased from one report to three reports in the same time period, matching the total arson incidences reported from 2006.

Statistics on fires and fire responses other than arson are managed by the NMSU Fire and Emergency Services Department, which also publishes the Annual Fire Safety Report, available online at http://www.fire.nmsu.edu/docs/Annual_Report.pdf.

In all, the past three years have seen reports of 165 burglaries, 51 motor vehicle thefts, 22 aggravated assaults, 12 rapes, seven arsons and four robberies.

“It is important to note that the annual report contains the data for the Las Cruces and DACC campuses combined,” said Lopez. “It’s impossible to allocate crimes to one campus or the other when so many of the facilities, like housing and parking lots, are shared. Even arrests made on campus streets are complicated, since many of our streets run by or through both campuses. This makes comparisons to single campus colleges and universities across News Mexico and the country inaccurate.”

Lopez noted that additional cautions regarding comparisons of colleges and universities based on crime statistics may be found on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports Web site (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/about/variables_affecting_crime.html).

Individual printed copies of the report may be requested from the NMSU Police Department by e-mailing police@nmsu.edu.

YouTube. Twitter. Facebook. MySpace. These are all ways NMSU is reaching out to its community and the world through Internet social media.

But how do you access these sources of information? NMSU recently launched its social media landing page http://www.nmsu.edu/socialmedia which lists the various campus colleges, departments and organizations using social media to reach the general public, faculty, staff and students.

Frank Torres, Web developer with the university’s Media Productions department, says NMSU is up to speed in the social media world.

“In the past year social media utilities have been proliferating throughout the NMSU community. Students, departments and colleges have been adopting these technologies to do many things, such as build awareness of programs, increase enrollment and to communicate and collaborate with the NMSU community,” Torres said. “Here at Media Productions we have decided to provide a central online location where our users can go to access NSMU social media communities.”

Site visitors can access the social media landing page from the NMSU homepage (http://www.nmsu.edu/). The link is housed on the site menu under campus life.

“At this point in time, the social media landing page consists of five categories – YouTube, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook and ‘Other Networks,’” Torres said. “We are anticipating the lists of participating channels to grow as more departments adopt social media.

“And now that Media Productions is going forward with the production of educational software for the iPhone, we will be expanding the Social Media landing page to include these developments,” he continued.

There are nine YouTube channel links that allow you to see what’s happening via videos created by NMSU community members.

“We have established YouTube channels for the satellite campuses and several colleges and departments within NMSU,” said Torres. “Each unit can now leverage the YouTube environment to display video specific to their mission and goals with the intent to show the world their strengths and uniqueness.”

Department or college video masters, who serve as gatekeepers for their channel’s content, determine their particular college or department channel mission.

There are 16 Twitter accounts listed, as well as 10 Facebook and four MySpace links.

“Similar to the YouTube model, whoever owns the Twitter account decides how it is to be used. For example, Twitter can be used to connect with other Twitter users, it can be used to broadcast events, drive traffic to other Web spaces or to resurface and share information.” Torres said.

Torres has been campaigning with each of the university’s colleges to encourage the adoption of social media to meet their business goals. “Social media allows everybody to be a publisher and have a voice. With the economy in the state it is in, taking advantage of the no-cost, easy-to-use social media technologies is a powerfully effective way to show the world who we are, what we do and how we do it.”

To learn more about social media and how to use them for your department or college contact Frank Torres at fjtorres@nmsu.edu.

---

Additional information from the College of Business:
CoB “All News & Social Media” http://business.nmsu.edu/news/all.

• YouTube-College of Business: Videos, Playlist, Subscribe
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/nmsucob
• Facebook:
  • Dean Garrey Carruthers: http://tinyurl.com/y8kysoe
  • NMSU College of Business Alumni Networking: http://tinyurl.com/y9pdflc. A group that provides NMSU College of Business alumni the opportunity to network, stay up-to-date with College events and activities, and connect with former classmates.
• Student Ambassadors’ MySpace

Del Archuleta, search advisory committee chair, delivered the names of five finalists for the presidency of New Mexico State University to the Board of Regents at a special meeting today.

The finalists are:

• Barbara Couture, D.A., Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Professor of English, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
• Richard Herman, Ph.D., Special Assistant to the President, Professor, recently Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• James Oblinger, Ph.D., Professor, recently Chancellor, North Carolina State University.
• Michael Ortiz, Ph.D., President, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
• Lisa Rossbacher, Ph.D., President, Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Ga.

“On behalf of our search committee I am proud to present the recommended finalists to our regents, the NMSU community and the State of New Mexico. We offer these candidates for further consideration for the next president of our great institution,” Archuleta said. “I am proud of the hard work put forth by our search committee and search consultants in attracting, interviewing, researching and narrowing a strong pool of candidates to this distinguished list of five finalists. I challenged our committee with the task of presenting the five most qualified candidates who they felt were the best fit for NMSU. I believe the committee has successfully accomplished that goal.”

During the search, the committee and the search firm, Greenwood/Asher and Associates Inc., made more than 420 contacts, reviewed detailed information on about 60 individuals and interviewed 18 candidates.

Archuleta said NMSU should be proud of the outstanding pool of candidates from top-ranked universities who expressed an interest in the university.

“The diversity of the pool of candidates for this position was excellent because of the extensive outreach,” Archuleta said. “Narrowing the pool has been challenging for the search committee because there were so many excellent candidates. These five were chosen for their executive-level experience at large, complex universities and their exceptional accomplishments in higher education.”

Candidates in the overall pool and their career cumulative experiences included: 26 land-grant universities, nine with membership in the Association of American Universities, 36 research universities, 11 president/chancellor positions, 38 provost/vice president positions, and 47 dean experiences. Forty percent of the applicant pool was either women and/or minority.

“We are proud of the diverse mix of the finalists with regard to gender, race, and educational background and leadership experience,” Archuleta said. “We believe such diversity will allow the regents to find the best overall match to lead our university.”

Archuleta said the search committee conducted extensive research and reference checks on the candidates. In each case the committee found that all questions were answered to their satisfaction.

“It is our belief that each finalist has a strong record of positive accomplishments and should advance to the next stage,” he said. “Through the interview process we fully expect that the community will question the candidates and research their backgrounds. We are confident that the discussions will be open and candid. This process will serve to identify the best leader for NMSU.”

Regents Chair Blake Curtis recognized the search advisory committee for its service to the university.

“On behalf of the board, I want to thank our search committee and consultants for their commitment and efforts to recruit candidates with extensive leadership experiences and substantial accomplishments. These university and community leaders are recognized for having the highest level of integrity and I know they have worked tirelessly and collaboratively on behalf of our great university.”

The search advisory committee included Archuleta, CEO of Molzen-Corbin and Associates; Garrey Carruthers, dean, NMSU College of Business, and vice president for economic development; Felicia Casados, president, NMSU Grants; Dolores Connor, Las Cruces city councilor; Travis Dulany, ASNMSU president; Chris Erickson, NMSU Faculty Senate chair; Paul Gutierrez, executive director of the New Mexico Association of Counties; Coach Lou Henson; Bruce Hinrichs, NMSU Cooperative Extension Service eastern district director; Michael Johnson, president Johnson Performance; Delano Lewis, NMSU senior fellow and director of the International Relations Institute; Tim Nesbitt, assistant dean and director, NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences; and Elba Serrano, biology professor, NMSU College of Arts and Sciences.

The finalists will be on campus throughout the month of November, with a final decision expected Nov. 19. Detailed schedules for the candidate interviews will be available soon.

Additional information on the finalists is available on the presidential search Web site at http://www.nmsu.edu/presidentialsearch/index.html.

LAS CRUCES — The search for a new president at New Mexico State University should be over by Thanksgiving, after the Board of Regents approved the five finalists presented Tuesday by Presidential Search Committee Chairman Del Archuleta.

The finalists are:

• Barbara Coutoure, D.A., senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and professor of English, University of Nebraska-Lincoln;
• Richard Herman, Ph.D., special assistant to the president, professor and recently chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;
• James Oblinger, Ph.D., professor and recently chancellor, North Carolina State University;
• Michael Ortiz, Ph.D., president, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; and
• Lisa Rossbacher, Ph.D., president, Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Ga.

Archuleta praised the pool of candidates as a very experienced and diverse group, saying that of the 60 applicants, any of the 18 semifinalists the committee interviewed could have been a strong finalist.

Faculty Senate Chairman Chris Erickson, a member of the search committee, agreed.

“This is an outstanding group, any of whom could easily lead this university,” Erickson said. “We had a deep bench to pull from.”

Read the article. (Curriculum vitae and brief bios of each finalist are available.)

OASIS works to raise awareness about sustainability

As the Year of Sustainability comes into its final months, a club on campus is hoping to increase awareness about the importance of sustainability through films, recycling and community events.

The Organization of Aggie Students Inspiring Sustainability was formed in 2008 by two students who had taken a class on the importance of organic agriculture, said Mark Uchanski, faculty co-adviser of OASIS. Since then, the OASIS club has expanded to over 50 students working to increase green awareness across New Mexico State University, Uchanski said.

“This started as a grassroots student group with an environmental focus,” Uchanski said. “The focus is to inspire sustainability education in Las Cruces and at NMSU.”

Uchanski said OASIS became a fundamental part of the Year of Sustainability, initiated by former Interim President Waded Cruzado, by helping with recycling and compost projects. Uchanski said the grade from the recent sustainability report gives NMSU room for improvement.

“The audit group [who determined the sustainability report grade] looks at all efforts, including building, investments, and how NMSU is spending money to help with education,” Uchanski said. “In many categories, we did very well, but there are some categories that we can improve on.”

OASIS Co-President Carli Romero said the low sustainability grade was disappointing.

“I don’t think NMSU has taken enough steps to enhance the curriculum or eliminate non-recyclable materials,” Romero said. “We need to make some changes.”

To help raise awareness, OASIS is hosting the Sustainability Film Series supported by a grant from the City of Las Cruces. The seven films, which Uchanski said are mostly documentaries, focus on food, social equity, economics and waste management and other related topics. Following the films, Uchanski said experts invited by OASIS will lead a discussion on the message of the film.

“This is a new venue to learn from and discuss,” Uchanski said.

OASIS will also be focusing on agriculture and the environment during the Earth Day celebration to be held at Young Park in Las Cruces, tentatively set for April 17. Uchanski said this will be the third year for the event.

“The event will tell people how to be green with mostly an environmental focus,” Uchanski said.

Romero said the group is hoping environmental and waste awareness will lead the community in sustainable practices.

“The administration needs to step it up,” Romero said. “They are educating the future professionals of New Mexico.”

Romero said many OASIS participants are involved with other events such as the Community of Hope Food Shed World Café event, which will be held on Halloween, which will concentrate on agricultural sustainability in the Mesilla Valley. Romero said some OASIS members also support the Organ Mountain Desert Peak Wilderness Act to preserve areas of the Organ Mountains.

“The idea of sustainability is a huge movement nationally,” Romero said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

For more information about OASIS, e-mail oasis@nmsu.edu.

Jenna Candelaria is a staff writer and can be reached at trunews@nmsu.edu.

LAS CRUCES — New Mexico State University faculty from the Institute for Energy and the Environment and the College of Engineering were awarded a $1 million Department of Energy grant to demonstrate a renewable energy-based microgrid in partnership with an electric utility company. Algae-based biofuel will be tested and evaluated to facilitate the microgrid electricity generation and transmission.

There is a critical need to renew our nation’s electrical infrastructure, the physical electricity network known as the grid. U.S. Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu referred to this need through a popular comparison at the recent “Re-Energize America” conference at NMSU.

“If Alexander Graham Bell were somehow transported to the 21st century, he would not begin to recognize the components of modern telephony — cell phones, texting, cell towers, PDAs, etc. — while Thomas Edison, one of the (electric) grid’s key early architects, would be totally familiar with the grid,” he said. Chu also described how the National Academy of Engineering identified the single most important engineering achievement of the 20th century as electrification because of the grid, surpassing the Internet and the interstate highway system.

Read the article.