Other NM universities announcements

A New Mexico State University researcher was part of an interdisciplinary team of archaeologists, paleontologists, paleoecologists, archivists and tribal cultural heritage leaders who collaborated on a new study suggesting moose inhabited Colorado's southern Rocky Mountains centuries before state wildlife reintroductions began in the late 1970s.

The study, published in the Journal of Biogeography and led by the University of Colorado Boulder, included researchers from NMSU, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Northern Arapaho Tribe, University of Utah, History Colorado, University of New Mexico, and University of Cincinnati. NMSU's contributions came from John Wendt, assistant professor of rangeland ecology and paleoecology in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

The New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center at Farmington has consistently provided programs and support to the area's Navajo communities. A recent $500,000 grant will help the center continue that support by addressing food sovereignty and related health issues within the Navajo Nation.

The center recently received a grant from the National Institute for Food and Agriculture for a project titled "Seeds of change: Training elementary educators to implement the Yéego! Healthy eating and gardening program." The program will train 60 elementary school teachers serving Navajo students in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah over the next three years to increase knowledge and skills in healthy eating and gardening practices in their classrooms using Yéego!, a Diné word that translates to work hard and persevere.

NM FAST is accepting applications for its fall SBIR/STTR accelerator cohort, a 10-week program designed to guide New Mexico small businesses and researchers through the full development of a Department of Energy Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer proposal package. The cohort runs from Sept. 22 through Oct. 27, with a four-hour wrap-up session on Nov. 17, all conducted virtually. 

The cohort meets weekly, taking participants through each stage of the proposal process from initial DOE SBIR/STTR orientation and letter of intent to scoping, budget development, objectives identification, technical narrative, and commercialization planning. The final session on Nov. 17 covers key personnel requirements, forms, the submission process, next steps for DOE Phase II, and pathways to other federal energy agencies. 

New Mexico State University has long been known for advancing research that strengthens lives, fuels innovation, and aligns with New Mexico's most pressing priorities. Three high-profile research projects currently underway at NMSU combine the reach of a land-grant university with the university's commitment to advancing a culture of excellence in research, scholarship and creative activity. 

In early 2025, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education announced that NMSU achieved the prestigious R1 classification due to its high research spending and doctorate production. Receiving the RI designation has already begun to expand paid research opportunities and career pathways for students, strengthen competitiveness for federal, state, and industry funding, and attract new industries, create jobs, and anchor innovation ecosystems across New Mexico. Research findings will translate to industry innovation, inform public policies and address global challenges with local implications. 

The Hunt Center for Entrepreneurship at New Mexico State University's Arrowhead Center, in collaboration with Startup Chihuahua, Startup Juárez and Tecnológico de Monterrey through its Parque Tecnológico Orión, has concluded the 2026 Borderplex Fundraising Sprint, a six-week accelerator program designed to help regional startups navigate the fundraising process and prepare for investment opportunities.

The Hunt Center for Entrepreneurship is dedicated to strengthening the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem by empowering diverse communities to pursue entrepreneurship, expanding access to early-stage investment opportunities and supporting the development of innovative products and services.

New Mexico State University Police arrested 46-year-old David J. Curtis on a charge of possessing an explosive or incendiary device. Curtis was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center on June 10 and remains in custody under pretrial detention by the District Court.

"NMSU officers were dispatched to an area of the desert south of the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum on the evening of June 9 after reports of two explosions near an RV camper west of the rodeo facility," said Justin Dunivan, chief of the NMSU Police Department.

NM FAST has extended the application deadline for the SBIR/STTR Commercialization Bridge Pilot, a program that supports New Mexico companies transitioning from federal Phase II research and development to Phase III commercialization, procurement, and revenue generation. Applications are now due Wednesday, Aug. 5. The program runs from Aug. 18 through Sept. 15 and is delivered in partnership with the Santa Fe Business Incubator. 

The pilot is open to New Mexico companies that are active SBIR/STTR Phase II awardees, have completed Phase II within the past two years, or have completed Phase II and are working toward a first Phase III contract. Six to 10 companies will be selected to participate in the cohort. Eligible sectors include defense and national security, energy and clean tech, space and aerospace, health and biotech, advanced manufacturing, and cybersecurity. 

If you tune your radio to New Mexico State University's KRWG Public Media in the afternoon or evening, you'll hear two widely beloved voices known to listeners across the station's airwaves. Emily Guerra and Leora Zeitlin have hosted two of KRWG's most popular radio shows for more than 25 years and show no signs of stopping. 

Guerra and Zeitlin traveled on two different paths to reach KRWG, yet both began hosting their signature programs on March 8, 2000. They've since brought countless hours of Latin American and classical music to listeners in southern New Mexico and West Texas through their shows, "Fiesta!" and "Intermezzo."