Other NM universities announcements

New Mexico State University Catering has earned the People's Choice Award at this year's Taste of Las Cruces, recognizing the team's culinary creativity, exceptional service and commitment to representing NMSU in the community.

The award honors the NMSU Catering team, which oversees catering operations and 1888 Taphouse & Kitchen, after attendees selected its menu as their favorite during the annual community event benefiting local hunger relief efforts.

Led by Campus Executive Chef Anthony Tovar, the team spent three days preparing nearly 3,000 individual servings featuring a modern New Mexican fusion menu that showcased local ingredients and globally inspired techniques.

NMSU Global Campus has announced a new partnership with Los Lunas Schools to expand access to affordable, flexible higher education opportunities for district employees.

Through the collaboration, Los Lunas Schools staff, including teachers, administrators and support personnel, will have access to fully accredited online undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs designed to support career advancement, professional growth and workforce development.

Employees can pursue high-demand graduate degrees and licensure pathways in areas such as special education, secondary education and early childhood education. These programs help educators build the skills and credentials needed to meet the evolving needs of students and communities across New Mexico.

Research shows that kids who participate in early childhood education programs like Head Start are more likely to complete high school, pursue higher education and become economically self-sufficient adults.

For more than 40 years, New Mexico State University has administered Head Start programs throughout New Mexico's second-largest county, playing a critical role in children's growth from birth to age 5 through services centered around early learning and development, health and family well-being. Now under new leadership, NMSU Head Start is ushering in a new era of success.

Grade school students from Las Cruces attended New Mexico State University for a week-long summer program hosted by the NMSU College of Engineering.

NM PREP Academy is a summer camp for young students who show an early interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, particularly engineering. The program offered two sessions, one aimed at high school students and one at middle school students, giving each group unique insights into various labs and activities.

"The goals of the NM PREP Academy are to spark interest and engage young middle and high schoolers with in-depth engineering skills and introduce them to labs and professors on campus," said Justin Butt, STEM outreach program specialist. "We strive to build good connections and educate future Aggies with technical and soft skills and ultimately help them build their confidence with hands-on activities that simulate real-world engineering experiences."

New Mexico State University is hosting its first summer program for the NuChemE Pipeline initiative, expanding the university's efforts to introduce students outside of New Mexico to the broad use of activities in the nuclear energy field.

The project, titled "Evaluating New Materials and Processes for Radioactive Tank Waste Processing: Workforce Development in f-Element Chemistry, Nuclear Chemical Engineering, and Supply Chain Management," also known as the NuChemE Pipeline, is an initiative NMSU introduced in 2024 with funding support from the United States Department of Energy. The project's goal is to better prepare students looking into managing radioactive waste for the workforce.

The New Mexico State University Art Museum (UAM) is hosting a movie night in conjunction with "Cameo," an interactive exhibition by Jamie Isenstein that is currently on display at the museum. Audiences are invited to view the exhibition, participate in a discussion and enjoy the screening of "The Adventures of Buratino." The UAM will provide popcorn and light refreshments, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own pillows and blankets. This event is free and open to the public.

"Cameo" is an interactive exhibition developed in a collaboration between NMSU's Department of Art, the UAM and Portland-based artist Jamie Isenstein. The project grew through art assistant professor Megan Metcalf's class "Performance and Museums," where students researched and interviewed Isenstein and curated virtual exhibits inspired by her art. Metcalf, co-curator of "Cameo," will lead the discussion before the film begins.

From greater roadrunners and Gambel's quail to black-throated sparrows and vermillion flycatchers, New Mexico is home to a wide variety of beautiful birds. New Mexico State University's Avian Migration Program prepares undergraduate and graduate students to become leaders in avian conservation and resource management, helping protect these birds and the environments we all call home.

The program is funded by a grant from the US Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, with additional support from NMSU's College of Arts and Sciences, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Division of Student Success, Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate School.

Determination must be in Owaissa Crites Heimann's DNA. Not only did Heimann have a 39-year career with New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service, but she also began a three-generation legacy with Union County Extension. 

Heimann has lived in Clayton, New Mexico, since 1948 when she accepted the home economics agent position with Union County Extension. She started her career when few women worked outside the home.

A true trailblazer, Heimann was the first county Extension home economics agent appointed as a county director in the state. In 1968, she became the first New Mexican to serve as president of the National Association of Extension Home Economists, which is now known as the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.