Digital Commons Network^™

Meet And Greet With Simon Romero, New York Times International Correspondent (Laii Career Series), Simon Romero

LAII Events

The LAII will host a lunch for students to meet with Simon Romero. This informal gathering is a wonderful chance to hear more about his work and career as an international correspondent in Latin America and to discuss his current work in the region. Lunch will be provided. RSVP here: https://bit.ly/4bozZnF

Simon Romero is an International Correspondent with The New York Times currently covering the events unfolding in Venezuela. He is one of the most experienced U.S. journalists covering Latin America. Since being hired by the Times in 1999 in São Paulo, Brazil, he has served as the newspaper's Bureau …

Venezuela After Maduro, Simon Romero

LAII Events

The capture by U.S. forces in January of Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro, represents a seismic shift in Washington's approach to dealing with Latin America. The United States is once again prioritizing raw military power over diplomacy to achieve its policy objectives, echoing interventionist strategies that were prevalent in the Americas a century ago. In the aftermath of the military intervention in Caracas, Venezuela has been transforming from an ideological nemesis of the United States into a de facto protectorate where Washington rules supreme. These changes spotlight the long-term strategic importance of Venezuela, with its colossal oil reserves, and the potential …

A Mixed Methods Moderation Analysis Of Historical Trauma, Enculturation, And Drinking Among Southwest Indigenous Young Adults, Antonia M. Young

Psychology ETDs

Multicultural efforts to understand how enculturation could reduce alcohol-related harms among American Indian and Alaska Native and Mexican American young adults in the Southwest United States have been lacking. The present mixed methods study tested the cross-cultural applicability of Walters et al.’s (2002) Indigenist Stress-Coping Model, which suggests enculturation moderates the relationship between historical trauma and drinking, between these groups using moderated linear regression. Participants (N=120) completed an online survey with items from the Historical and Intergenerational Trauma Transmission Questionnaire (HITT-Q), the Vancouver Index of Acculturation (VIA) heritage subscale (i.e., enculturation), NIAAA’s 30-day drinking consumption questionnaire, and one …

The Digital Mesa, Elisha Allen, Dawn Davis, Eva Padilla, Olivia Torres Jojola, Sally Bowler-Hill, Dang Vu, Johnny Baker, Ryan Sishc, Agastya Vanapalli

The Digital Mesa

Stories and Innovation from the UNM Online, IDI (Institute of Design and Innovation), and IT Academic Technologies Teams.

Identidad Flamenca: Formation Of And Negotiations With The Flamenco Identity, Kayla Lyall

Theatre & Dance ETDs

The core of this dissertation is an inquiry into belonging in flamenco. Expanding beyond the personal, it examines how flamenco identity is constructed through embodiment and practice. Challenging dominant narratives of purity and authenticity, I argue that identity in flamenco emerges through multiple pathways—including inheritance, training, cultural proximity, and artistic inquiry—and is continually reshaped by social, political, and aesthetic forces. Through phenomenology and practice-as-research, I position the body as an archive of knowledge and a site of meaning-making. My creative project, NUDE, serves as an embodied investigation into vulnerability, lineage, and self-definition, demonstrating identity as something enacted rather than …

Disparities Between Chronological And Biological Age: A Biocultural Analysis Of Aging In Contemporary Populations, Nicollette S. Appel

Anthropology ETDs

This dissertation investigates how structural and cultural factors collectively influence the aging process and how these effects manifest in both hard and soft tissues. Chapter 2 used an AI-based CT body composition tool and a CT-based biological age model to examine the relationship between age discrepancy and demographic variables such as sex, race/ethnicity, and manner of death. Results demonstrate significant differences in age discrepancy, with females, Native Americans, and individuals who died of natural causes exhibiting greater discrepancies. Chapters 3 and 4 further evaluate whether anthropological approaches to skeletal aging can be improved by adopting a biocultural perspective. These chapters …

Summoning Models Of “Decolonization”: Performances Of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai’S Historical Poetry In Contemporary Pakistan, Muhammad Z. Abro

Anthropology ETDs

This dissertation examines how Shia communities in Sindh, Pakistan, mobilize the poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai as counter-history within a postcolonial order that folds sectarian difference into homogenized national culture. In dominant state and literary discourse, Latif is cast as a universal Sufi poet whose spirituality transcends doctrinal division and secures Sindhi and Pakistani belonging. The performances studied here place pressure on that settlement by treating the Risalo as a medium through which Karbala remains historically present. Drawing on three years of ethnographic fieldwork at the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif in Bhitshah and related sites in Sindh, the …

“El Concilio De Buen Manejo” Spmdtu Council No. 2, Capulín, Colorado, José A. Rivera Ph.D

Faculty Publications

From among the sixty-four local councils affiliated with the Sociedad Protección Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos (SPMDTU), Council No. 2 at Capulín was among the earliest organized, quickly grew in membership, and was known for its attention to recordkeeping of minutes, financial ledgers, and attendance logs. The council was established around 1901, and by midcentury a history of the SPMDTU noted: “Este concilio siempre ha tenido buen manejo. Tiene buena propiedad con su propio salón y ha llegado a tener buen número de miembros.” (This council has always enjoyed good management. It has a nice property with its own …

Civil, Construction, And Environmental Engineering Apr 2026 Self-Study Report & Documents, Unm Academic Program Review

UNM Academic Program Review

Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering APR self-study report, review team report, response report, and initial action plan for AY2025, fulfilling requirements of the Higher Learning Commission.

Philosophy Apr 2026 Self-Study Report & Documents, Unm Academic Program Review

UNM Academic Program Review

Philosophy APR self-study report, review team report, response report, and initial action plan for AY2025, fulfilling requirements of the Higher Learning Commission.

American Studies Apr 2025 Self-Study Report & Documents, Unm Academic Program Review

UNM Academic Program Review

American Studies APR self-study report, review team report, response report, and initial action plan for AY2025, fulfilling requirements of the Higher Learning Commission.

Public Policy Apr 2025 Self-Study Report & Documents, Unm Academic Program Review

UNM Academic Program Review

Public Policy APR self-study report, review team report, response report, and initial action plan for AY2025, fulfilling requirements of the Higher Learning Commission.

Film And Digital Arts Apr 2025 Self-Study Report & Documents, Unm Academic Program Review

UNM Academic Program Review

NM Film and Digital Arts APR self-study report, review team report, response report, and initial action plan for AY2025, fulfilling requirements of the Higher Learning Commission.

Workforce Resilience In Public Transportation Agencies, Kristal D. Metro

Civil Engineering ETDs

A strong, resilient public workforce is necessary to keep the United States’ infrastructure system running smoothly. Across the public sector, hiring is lagging behind increasing retirement rates, leaving public agencies facing the loss of institutional knowledge at unprecedented levels. Combined with above-average retirement rates, low unemployment rates, and below-average salaries, workforce shortages are expected to become critical, putting the resilience of the public transportation workforce, and by extension, the United States public infrastructure and services at risk. The purpose of this research is to determine the best practices for recruiting and retaining employees at public transportation agencies, thereby positively influencing …

Who Benefits From The Transition? Environmental Justice And The Politics Of Climate Governance In New Mexico, United States, Abdul Ganiu Tanko

Student Publications

New Mexico’s Priority Climate Action Plan (2024) positions the state as a national leader in climate mitigation and energy transition under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant framework. Yet questions remain about who truly benefits from this transition and how justice, power, and inclusion are embedded in the governance process. This article critically examines New Mexico’s climate governance through an environmental justice lens, exploring how state priorities align with equity commitments, community participation, and fair distribution of benefits and burdens. Drawing on a qualitative review of the plan, complementary policy documents, and current scholarship on just transitions, …

From Our Stories, To Our Streets (Osos), Jennifer Lopez

Student Publications

Youth traffic safety persists as a critical planning challenge and public health concern in New Mexico, where pedestrian fatality rates consistently rank among the highest in the United States (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NTSA, Governors Highway Safety Association, GHSA, 2023; Baca, 2025). Students (children), due to their daily interactions with roadways, whether when they walk, bike, ride transit, or drive/get driven to and from school, are among the most vulnerable groups within the transportation system (Ferenchak, N. Wesley, M., 2017. For many students in Albuquerque, the commute to or from school is one of the most dangerous parts of …

What Keeps Teachers: A Systematic Review Of Induction And Early-Career Teacher Retention In Rural Schools, Bobbie Jean Mcdonough

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Teacher retention remains a persistent challenge in United States education, particularly in rural K–12 public schools. This systematic review synthesized empirical research on induction and early-career teacher retention in rural United States settings published between 2000 and 2025. Guided by a postpositivist framework and aligned with PRISMA 2020 standards, 56 studies met inclusion criteria following structured database searches and multi-stage screening. Findings across the included studies indicate that retention was most consistently associated with induction, mentoring, professional learning, responsive leadership, collegial relationships, and teachers’ integration into their school and community, with no single support appearing sufficient in isolation. Across research …

04-21-26 Bor Hsc Committee Notice Of Meeting Cancellation, Patricia Serna

HSC Committee (A subcommittee of the UNM Board of Regents)

04-21-26 BOR HSC Committee Notice of Meeting Cancellation

Visits Related To Alcohol, Substance Use, And Mental Health In New Mexico’S Emergency Departments: Social Determinants Of Health And Discharge Disposition, 2021-2024, Samuel L. Swift, Maya Stefanovic, Dylan Pell

Population Health Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Social Emotional Learning On Chicanx Students And Their Educators, Alesia Renee Camacho

Chicana and Chicano Studies ETDs

My research on the impact of social emotional learning on Chicanx students and their educators aims to analyze how the planned implementation of a carefully curated curriculum centering on the students’ culture and lived experiences makes for a better overall experience. For this study, I use the interpretive paradigm as it allows me to explain how education can serve as a tool to illuminate the injustices that students and their families face in their lives and, in turn, how these injustices are addressed in Ethnic Studies courses. Chicana/o/x Studies scholars have long advocated for utilizing students’ knowledge, experiences, perspectives, and …

Energy Management And Water Balance In Migrating Hummingbirds, Shayne R. Halter

Biology ETDs

Small body size and rapid metabolism make annual migrations challenging for North American hummingbirds. Many of these birds make annual journeys of over 10,000 km. During migrations, hummingbirds use stopover sites, where they remain for several days to accumulate body fat. At these stopovers, they often encounter uncertainties in food resources, competition, and weather. To save energy, hummingbirds sometimes enter nocturnal torpor. My dissertation uses respirometry data, lipid measurements from Quantitative Magnetic Resonance, and feather hydrogen stable isotopes to understand how energy levels, migration patterns, torpor use, and water balance interact in four species of migrating hummingbirds. I discovered lipid …

Biological Soil Crusts: Effects Of Environmental Change On Dryland Microbes, Mariah T. Patton

Biology ETDs

Climate change is increasing rainfall variability, altering nutrient availability, and causing warming in drylands, which comprise approximately ~36% of Earth's terrestrial surface. These expanding ecosystems contribute the most to interannual variability in the global carbon cycling. Biological soil crusts (biocrusts)—often called the "skin of the Earth"—are critical components of dryland surfaces, consisting of successional microbial communities dominated initially by Cyanobacteria and later by a more diverse composition with other bacteria, archaea, lichen, fungi, and algae. These communities play essential roles in soil aggregation, erosion prevention, and carbon and nitrogen cycling. However, our ability to predict biocrust responses to environmental change …

Geography And Environmental Studies Apr 2025 Self-Study Report & Documents, Unm Academic Program Review

UNM Academic Program Review

NM Geography and Environmental Studies APR self-study report, review team report, response report, and initial action plan for AY2025, fulfilling requirements of the Higher Learning Commission.

Rural Transformations And Identity In Northern New Mexico, Eva Gemrich

Geography ETDs

In the U.S. West, research points to a significant transformation of rural places, including rural blight, a decline in extractive industries, and changing migration patterns. In Northern New Mexico, these rural transformations are occurring alongside a long and continuing history of tensions and conflicts relating to land, water, and property regimes, which are intertwined with notions of identity, culture, and power. Using participant observation and semi-structured interviews, this thesis explores how rural transformations, particularly shifting land ownership, have influenced identities and cultural values along the Upper Rio Chama in Northern New Mexico. I find that comparatively wealthy in-migrants are purchasing …

Want To Be A Higher Education President? A Comparative Case Study Of The Traits, Attributes, And Skills Of Four Current Higher Education Presidents, Brian C. Nees

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This qualitative study is a comparative case study of higher education presidents. It examines how current higher education presidents described the essential traits, attributes, and skills of the position and whether these presidents have always possessed them or acquired them over time and through experience. This topic is essential, as it appears that presidents are leaving their positions sooner, and this research provides incoming presidents with preparation advice and current presidents with advice to help them stay in their positions longer. The data were obtained through resumes, a trait questionnaire, and interviews with current higher education presidents. These three data …

Chemical & Biological Engineering 2026 Apr Self-Study & Documents, Unm Academic Program Review

UNM Academic Program Review

UNM Chemical & Biological Engineering APR self-study report and review team report for Spring 2026, fulfilling requirements of the Higher Learning Commission.

Transcending Shelves And Seashells With The Writing Of Gloria E. Anzaldúa, Dr. Inmaculada Lara-Bonilla

LAII Events

Dr. Lara-Bonilla explores how Gloria E. Anzaldúa understood writing as an embodied, transformative practice that dissolves boundaries between the physical, the intellectual, and the spiritual. Drawing on her archival and posthumous work, it reflects on how her experimental, genre-crossing approach challenges academic conventions and invites new ways of thinking, feeling, and writing. Tracing a long-term engagement with her work, the talk narrates how Anzaldúa’s commitment to preserving lived, “poematic” experience has reshaped Dr. Lara Bonilla’s own scholarly and creative practice, pushing it beyond institutional limits toward more expansive and responsive forms of expression.

Bate-Papo | Portuguese Language Conversation Hours, Language Learning Center

LAII Events

Come practice your Portuguese language skills and enjoy Brazilian food and culture with friends!

Rethinking How The United States And Mexico Share The Colorado River, Eric Kuhn, Anne Castle, Carlos De La Parra, John Fleck, Jack Schmidt, Kathryn Sorensen, Katherine Tara

The Traveling Wilburys of the Colorado River

Since 1945, the United States and Mexico have managed common interests on their two largest shared rivers systems, the Colorado and the Rio Bravo/Rio Grande, under the terms of the 1944 international treaty that was designed from the beginning with tools to adapt to changing hydrologic and societal conditions. A recent emergency agreement on the Rio Bravo/Rio Grande illustrates what is possible, and with old river management rules on the Colorado both within the United States and between the United States and Mexico about to expire, we are at a moment of opportunity for meaningful change. The core problem on …

Unm Fulbright Us Scholar Info Session, Aferdita Krasniqi

LAII Events

Join this info-session to learn more about the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. This program provides opportunities for American academics (including postdocs and temporary faculty), artists, and established professionals to conduct research, teach, and carry out professional projects in over 135 countries.