Other NM universities announcements

For Alexis Olmos, a fascination with insects didn't begin in a laboratory – it started in her grandmother's backyard. 

"Having hardworking parents meant spending a lot of time in both of my grandma's backyards," Olmos said. "Having access to some of the smallest visible creatures on earth, along with hopeful attempts at growing plants in our small yard, made me comfortable in that environment. 

As a child, those moments outdoors sparked a curiosity that eventually led her to New Mexico State University's Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science, where she is pursuing a degree in agricultural biology with a concentration in entomology. 

A popular myth about black holes is that they act like giant cosmic vacuum cleaners sucking in everything around them, but Wladimir Lyra's research found a new mechanism around supermassive black holes that is more like a cosmic nursery, giving birth to planets bigger than Jupiter.

"We're finding objects that are a thousand times the mass of the Earth, but built of pure dust," Lyra said. "And not only that, but also some of these objects are approaching the mass of the sun."

Lyra, a New Mexico State University astronomy associate professor, began this line of research as a postdoctoral fellow collaborating with Barry McKernan, Saavik Ford and Mordecai-Mark Mac Low at the American Museum of Natural History in 2010. Bhupendra Mishra, currently working at Santa Fe Preparatory School, joined Lyra's team, resulting in their recent paper, "Active Galactic Nucleus Tori: Potential Birthplace to Millions of Planets," published in the June Astrophysical Journal. Co-authors include:McKernan, Mac Low, Ford and Harrison E. Cook. 

The New Mexico State University College of Engineering awarded nearly $1 million in scholarships to more than 1,300 students during the 2025–2026 academic year using the Scholar Dollar$ application.

To help build the future engineering workforce, hundreds of scholarships have been established through the generosity of alumni, industry partners, families and other donors who give through the NMSU Foundation. These scholarships help ease the financial burden many students face while pursuing their degrees.

"Scholarships are one of the most important investments we can make in the future of engineering," said David Jáuregui, interim dean of the College of Engineering. "They strengthen our ability to recruit talented students from New Mexico by complementing the New Mexico Opportunity and Lottery Scholarships, while also making an NMSU engineering education more attainable for students from outside New Mexico who have fewer comparable sources of financial support."

A career dedicated to higher education, economics and economic development has earned New Mexico State University's Winnie Lee two distinguished recognitions from National Taipei University of Business in Taipei, Taiwan. 

Lee, interim director of NMSU's Arrowhead Center and CEO of Arrowhead Center Inc., received an honorary Doctorate in Business this year after being recognized with the National Taipei University of Business Distinguished Alumni Award in 2025. The honors recognize Lee's more than two decades of contributions to higher education, research, student mentorship and economic development. 

"I am totally humble and honored for receiving this prestigious award," Lee said. "Personally, it adds to my credential along with my Ph.D. in economics; I am utterly grateful for it and will cherish it as my lifetime achievement. Professionally, this degree allows me to work more broadly in academia and the professional world to continue doing what I know." 

Join New Mexico State University's police chief for an open conversation about campus safety, recent crime statistics, trends and steps our community can take together to prevent crime.

New Mexico State University Police Chief Justin Dunivan

Monday, Aug. 24 at 12:30 p.m.

NMSU's Corbett Center Senate Gallery, Room 304.

Sometimes it just takes one – one roommate, one professor, one course, one connection – to change a student's trajectory. 

This fall, New Mexico State University will launch a systemwide mentorship program designed to strengthen students' sense of belonging and connect undergraduate students with professors, staff and administrators who can help them navigate college and prepare for what comes next. 

The program will pair mentors with students for an academic year of guidance. From answering questions and linking students to resources to helping them align their interests with career opportunities, mentors will be available to listen, support and assist with a variety of student needs. 

For a group of New Mexico State University students, this summer has been about more than gaining work experience. They are part of an 11-student cohort participating in a new workforce development internship program offered by the Center of Excellence in Sustainable Food and Agricultural Systems (CESFAS), where they're building professional connections, applying classroom knowledge and exploring future careers. 

The program places students with New Mexico value-added agriculture companies, giving them hands-on experience in business operations, logistics, food production and supply chain management.

This year's internship partners include Barker Produce, Bueno Foods, Frontier Food Hub, Hatch Chile Store, Mesilla Valley Maze, Olam Food Ingredients, Seco Spice and Stampede Culinary Partners. Each company welcomed a CESFAS intern for the summer, providing students with industry experience while strengthening partnerships between NMSU and New Mexico's value-added agriculture sector. 

A new training partnership from New Mexico EDGE and Zschool has launched to expand access to high‑impact opioid use disorder education for the state's frontline professionals. This evidence‑based training is designed to strengthen crisis response, improve safety and connect individuals to appropriate care.

NM EDGE, which stands for Education Designed to Generate Excellence in the public sector and is part of New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service, and Zschool are offering self‑paced, online courses. Designed to be completed in four hours, the opioid use disorder training programs are intended for law enforcement officers, correctional officers, first responders and multidisciplinary crisis response teams across the state.