STEM highlights

STEM SHOUTOUTS

Our STEM Shoutouts recognize UNM faculty who are doing interesting research. Have you done something great in STEM recently? Let us know. We would love to hear about your recent awards, promotions or publications. You also can request that we write about your colleagues too.

STEM Shoutout: Dr. Lina Cui

UNM professor receives funding for work that could help fight cancerLina Cui, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, has received a $543,335 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a positron emission tomography or PET imaging probe for heparanase that could help detect aggressive cancer lesions. Heparanase is […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Susan Bogus Halter

UNM professors collaborates with CNM on sustainable construction projectDr. Susan Bogus Halter, an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, is the principal investigator on an NSF grant, along with Dr. Vanessa Valentin of the same department. The project, “NM Green: Advancing Sustainable Construction Technology Education” is a collaboration between faculty at the University […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Lonna Atkeson

Polisci prof will delve into emotional side of politicsUNM political science professor Dr. Lonna Atkeson has won a $30,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study people’s emotions in the current political environment.The project, called “Emotion Regulation, Attitudes, and Activism in Extraordinary Times,” is part of a one-year grant from the NSF. It will […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Ylva Pihlström

UNM professor studies the central regions of our Milky WayAssociate Professor Ylva Pihlström from the Department of Physics and Astronomy has an active NSF grant of $306,230.00 until August of 2018. Dr. Pihlström’s research looks at the dynamics of the bulge and bar structure found in central regions of the Milky Way. According to the […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Kathy Powers

Political science professor mentors people and sends students to GermanyDr. Kathy Powers received an NSF grant in 2015 with Dr. Christian Davenport from the University of Michigan to support African-American students and faculty on the path to Ph.Ds and tenure positions in political science. Powers is the first tenured African-American woman in the United States […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Lindsay Lowe Worthington

Dr. Lindsay Lowe Worthington recently received a $154,689 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the Earth’s structure. Her work aims to understand deformation of the Earth’s crust, glacial history of high latitude continental margins, and faulting and seismic hazards.Worthington, of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, works to understand the interplay of tectonics […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Cristina Takacs-Vesbach and Dr. Heather Canavan

Professors help underrepresented students prepare for graduate schoolTwo UNM professors, Dr. Cristina Takacs-Vesbach and Dr. Heather Canavan, are spearheading UNM’s Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC), a program designed to help underrepresented groups pursue biomedical research opportunities and higher education through training and support. Takacs-Vesbach is from the Biology department, while Canavan is from the […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Laura Crossey

UNM EPS prof studies Tibetan geothermal springsProfessor of Earth and Planetary Sciences Laura Crossey is working with three collaborators to understand the deep structure of the world’s most dramatic tectonic collision. Now beginning its second year, her research is funded through 2019 by the Structure and Tectonics Program of National Science Foundation. The collaborators are […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Vanessa Svihla

UNM research professor won Best Diversity Paper award for 2016Dr. Vanessa Svihla is an assistant professor in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department at UNM. Along with colleagues Abhaya Datye, Jamie Gomez, Victor Law, and Sophia Bowers, Dr. Svihla submitted the paper “Mapping Assets of Diverse Groups for Chemical Engineering Design Problem Framing Ability” to […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Roli Varma

UNM professor receives NSF grant to study experiences of expatriate Indian engineersSchool of Public Administration professor Dr. Roli Varma received on March 8 of 2017, $140,186.00 as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for her research project “Keeping U.S. High-Tech Sector Diverse: Avoiding Reverse Brain Drain from the United States to India.” Dr. […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Rebecca Bixby

UNM professor studies impact of river management on wildlifeAssistant Biology Research Professor Rebecca Bixby is continuing to study the consequences river management has on wildlife in the Middle Rio Grande with collaborators Angela Gregory, Dr. Mark Stone and Dr. Ayesha Burdett.Now in its second year, her research is funded through 2020 by a $333,626 grant […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Lydia Tapia

UNM promotes professor who studies robotics and antibodiesDr. Lydia Tapia was recently promoted to assistant professor in the computer science department at UNM.Tapia’s research has two main focuses. The first is the development of autonomous robots. Autonomous robots are capable of accounting for different uncertainties when completing a task.“We have developed several novel methods to […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Elizabeth Yakes Jimenez

Dr. Elizabeth Yakes Jimenez started in July as the the Director of the Dietetics Practice-Based Research Network for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Dr. Yakes Jimenez has been a research associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine and the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Preventive Medicine […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Sally Seidel

Physics professor helps organize national conferenceDr. Sally Seidel is organizing a national conference called “New Technologies for Discovery: the Third Workshop of the Coordinating Panel for Advanced Detectors” to be held at UNM from October 12-14. The conference will focus on instrumentation used in particle physics experiments. Seidel received a $5,000 grant from the National […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Lina Cui

UNM professor receives funding for long-term research on role of heparanase in various biological systems Assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and member of the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, Lina Cui, Ph.D., is the recipient of a $1.89M grant, known as the Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (R35) from […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Diana Northup

UNM professor receives grant from National Park Service Visiting Associate Professor Diana Northup received a new award from the National Park Service of $10,953.04 for her project “Assessing Western Bat Hibernacula for the Presence of Pseudogymnoascus,” until the end of the year of 2017. Dr. Northup works with colleagues from the Subsurface Life In Mineral […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Advance at UNM

Advance at UNM recently received the National Science Foundation grant funding for years three through five of our program. This means we are now fully funded and will be able to continue our work recruiting and retaining women and minorities in the STEM fields at UNM! We have a busy schedule lined up for the […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Melissa Binder

UNM professor receives grant to continue as director for UNM lab Associate Professor Melissa Binder received a continuation award for $59,273 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) until the end of August of 2017, for the New Mexico Evaluation Lab @ UNM. “Many non-profit organizations want to know if their programs are working, but they […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Katie Witkiewitz

UNM promotes professor who studies drug and alcohol use Dr. Katie Witkiewitz was recently promoted to professor in the psychology department. Her research revolves around alcohol and drug use, particularly using quantitative data to comprehend the variation in alcohol and drug use behavior. It has been funded by grants from the National Institute on Alcohol […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Lisa Broidy

UNM promotes professor who studies crime and genderDr. Lisa Broidy was recently promoted to professor in the Department of Sociology.Her research investigates the connection between crime and gender. Her work centers on how social and structural customs constrain women’s opportunities and incentives for committing serious crimes. She looks at gendered procedures for criminal justice policy […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Elizabeth Korver-Glenn

New UNM professor researches different contributors to segregated citiesDr. Elizabeth Korver-Glenn recently joined UNM as an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology.“I decided to come to UNM because I wanted to be part of an institution that emphasizes high-quality research alongside excellence in teaching and community engagement,” Korver-Glenn said.Her award-winning research focuses on the […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Eirini Tsiropoulou

New UNM professor studies the optimization of network resourcesDr. Eirini Tsiropoulou joined UNM this year as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She recently won the N²Women: Rising Stars in Networking and Communications award as well as a Susan Frazier Postdoctoral Research Travel Award.Her research centers around how to make […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Janet Vassilev

Algebra conference took place at UNM with help of professor UNM professor Janet Vassilev helped run the Southwest Local Algebra Meeting, which took place March 4-5 at UNM. The National Science Foundation provided a grant to help fund the conference. “These conferences are aimed at giving graduate students in the Southwest an opportunity to learn about new research […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Jennifer Jane Marshall Hathaway

Healthy bat populations are being studied to prevent deadly diseaseBiology research scientist Jennifer Jane Marshall Hathaway is studying the microbiome in bats in New Mexico to help understand healthy bat populations.Funded by the New Mexico Fish and Game department, the project could potentially assist in the prevention of the spread of white-nose syndrome, a fungal […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Cathy Binger

Study gives children with speech impairments iPads to help them communicate UNM professor Cathy Binger is working on a project that helps young children with severe speech impairments communicate by using an iPad to form sentences. In conjunction with Dr. Jennifer Kent-Walsh, this five-year project is funded by the National Institutes of Health. “The results are expected to […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Megan Osborne

Genetic diversity of Rio Grande silvery minnow studied by UNM professor UNM Research Professor Megan Osborne is working on the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Genetics Assessment and Monitoring project, which monitors the effects conservation actions, like captive breeding, have on genetic diversity in the Rio Grande Silvery silvery minnow. Osborne has been working with Thomas Turner […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Leandra Boucheron

Prof helps students stick with intro physics classDr. Leandra Boucheron, a lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy is a 2016-2017 UNM Center for Teaching and Learning teaching fellow. Her work focuses on undergraduate teaching and the challenge of engaging a diverse population of UNM students. The call for the fellowship focused on improving the student pass rate […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Marcy Litvak

Biology professor measures atmospheric changes in New MexicoUNM Biology Professor Marcy Litvak is participating in a project using eddy covariance towers to determine the fluctuations in energy, water and carbon between the environment and the atmosphere. Eddy covariance towers are stations that measure certain atmospheric conditions, and can be used for a variety of purposes.Funded […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Helen Wearing

Professor seeks connection between temperature and mosquito-borne virus transmission UNM Biology and Mathematics Professor Helen Wearing is conducting research pertaining to the effects temperature has on the spread of two mosquito-borne viruses that affect humans – Zika and Chikungunya.The grant, in conjunction with Dr. Rebecca Christofferson from Louisiana State University, is for $116,394 and awarded by […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Dr. Marcy Litvak

Research should show effects of tree mortality on drier ecosystemsUNM Biology Professor Marcy Litvak is researching tree mortality and the effect it has on other living trees in semi-arid ecosystems. Litvak is working on an extended grant. The original award was for $1,046,194 from the Department of Energy. A new National Science Foundation award was […] Read More
STEM Shoutout: Jacqueline Kocer

Pottery research should reveal the unity of the Gallina peopleUNM doctoral student Jacqueline Kocer is studying pottery from the Gallina, a group of people native to New Mexico for her dissertation research. Kocer is working on a two-year NSF grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant is estimated to be for $29,742, starting May […] Read More

WOMEN in STEM 2017 Winners

At UNM, our STEM faculty are amazing!

This year, ten women were named as Women In STEM award winners for their research in diverse areas of inquiry, including bioengineering, exercise science, biology, linguistics, political science and astronomy and physics.

Among other topics, the winners are studying minority language development, cell division, non-government agencies in Peru and Bolivia, insulin signaling, qualitative comparative analysis, and the detection and treatment of amyloid diseases.

Take a look at some of their accomplishments!

10 UNM scientists selected for 2017 Women in STEM awards

STEM SHOUTOUTS

WOMEN in STEM 2017 Winners

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