Other NM universities announcements

New Mexico State University graduate student Roshira Premadasa, winner of NMSU's Three Minute Thesis competition, will represent the university at the regional 3MT competition at the 68th annual Western Association of Graduate Schools conference on the first weekend of April. 

Premadasa earned first place in NMSU's Three Minute Thesis competition, presenting his research on smart material systems and their potential to transform real-world infrastructure. 

The competition, hosted by the NMSU Graduate School, was held in February and challenges students to present the key findings of their research in just three minutes to a general audience, strengthening their scientific communication skills while competing for funding to support their scholarly work. 

Educators, adult learners, and businesses across Southern New Mexico have expanded access to flexible online courses through a collaboration between New Mexico State University Global Campus and The Bridge of Southern New Mexico, supporting the region's broader effort to strengthen education-to-career pathways. As workforce demands continue to evolve, accessible online learning opportunities are playing an increasingly important role in helping individuals and organizations build new skills.

The courses are available through The Bridge's learning website and provide accessible professional development for K–12 educators and staff, adult learners, and organizations seeking to strengthen their workforce. Designed to address regional education and workforce needs, the courses help participants build practical skills that support career advancement and organizational growth. 

In an upcoming public reading at New Mexico State University, Tim Z. Hernandez will share his investigation into the histories and shared stories from the families of the 28 Mexicans killed in the 1948 plane wreck at Los Gatos Canyons. He will read from his investigative documentary novel "They Call You Back: A Lost History, a Search, a Memoir" which begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 10 at NMSU's CMI Theater in Milton Hall, Room 171.

Hernandez's presentation is part of the Nelson-Boswell Reading Series hosted by La Sociedad para las Artes. The reading is free and open the public and copies of his novel will be available for purchase.

Get your dancing boots ready! The American Southwest Theatre Company (ASTC) is hosting their second annual "Boots and Bling" fundraiser to support the New Mexico State University theatre department at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 11 at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Tickets are available at https://nmsutheatre.ludus.com/index.php?sections=events. 

The event includes a buffet dinner, dancing, a DJ, lessons from a line dance choreographer, a cash bar and a silent auction with items donated by local businesses such as Fresh Chile Company, Nambé, Better Life Pet Food, Sonoma Stretch, Austin's Jewlers, Mutt Hutt and Rudy's. NMSU theater students also will perform a preview of their upcoming production "Into the Woods."

Jose M. Hernandez dreamed of going to space, and he made the dream a reality in August 2009 when he flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery as a flight engineer. The NASA astronaut and engineer will travel to Las Cruces and be the April speaker for the 1888 Leadership Series. The free event will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, in the Corbett Center Student Union auditorium and is open to both the New Mexico State University and Las Cruces community. 

The 1888 Leadership Series brings local, state, regional and national leaders to campus for workshops as part of the 1888 Leadership Initiative. One of NMSU President Valerio Ferme's priorities, the program serves as one of the foundations of student success at NMSU with initiative graduates taking student leadership roles and making a positive impact to campus life.

Do you want to learn more about acting? Maybe you're interested in stunts and fight choreography. Or if the world of horror is your cup of tea, you'll hear from the pros at the Las Cruces International Film Festival. Several panels and workshops will be offered along with celebrity talks at the 11th annual festival April 8-12.

These are coordinated with New Mexico State University's Creative Media Institute to provide career-focused training for students, and the community is invited to participate. All are free and open to the public.

Actor Michael Rooker will be on stage with Ross Marks, NMSU CMI professor and LCIFF executive director, to discuss Rooker's extensive career in film and voice acting from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 9, in the theatre in the ASNMSU Center for the Arts, 1000 E. University Ave.

The Society for Public Health Education will bestow its 2026 Dorothy Nyswander Health Equity Award to Elizabeth England-Kennedy of New Mexico State University's Department of Public Health Sciences.

England-Kennedy, an assistant professor who joined NMSU's College of Health, Education and Social Transformation in 2020, will receive the award during SOPHE's annual conference April 22-24 in Portland, Oregon.

The award recognizes individuals or groups that embody and promote health equity through research, practice and teaching. Dorothy Nyswander was an American health educator who pioneered health education and mentored many public health leaders over a career spanning more than six decades.

Fast solar winds originating from the sun can have direct impacts on Earth – disrupting systems like GPS, aviation, electrical grids and satellite and radio communications. A new paper by New Mexico State University astronomy graduate student Khagendra Katuwal examines the connection between coronal holes and solar wind streams, helping improve our understanding of how the sun's magnetic structure influences space weather.

His paper "Unipolarity of the Solar Magnetic Field in Equatorial Coronal Holes" was recently published in The Astrophysical Journal.

"These findings help us better understand the magnetic conditions that produce high-speed solar wind streams from coronal holes," Katuwal said. "Because these fast solar wind streams can disturb Earth's magnetic environment, improving our knowledge of their origin helps scientists make more accurate space-weather forecasts."