Category: Research

Every year the New Mexico SMART Grid Center submits three highlights from the previous project year to the National Science Foundation. This year's highlights recognize "DC Street" at NMSU, seed award results from NMT, and the Explora Science Communication Fellowship program. Below are overviews of what these outstanding project team members are working on - summarized in 250 words or less.  IT'S GOOD TO BE DIRECT Olga Lavrova, New Mexico State University

We are excited to announce the 2021 Infrastructure Seed Award program awardees and share a report from 2020 award recipient Dr. Caitano da Silva. The Infrastructure Seed Award program is designed to support transformative research and capacity building across New Mexico’s higher education institutions in emerging smart grid areas (e.g., STEM, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, cyberinfrastructure, and workforce development).

What is the goal? To provide opportunities for non-tenured investigators to develop their individual research potential through extended collaborative visits to the nation’s premier private, governmental, or academic research centers. Investigators from research universities and primarily undergraduate institutions in EPSCoR states (including NM) are eligible to apply. What’s new in 2021? Opportunities to work with NASA research facilities in addition to research sites in disciplines traditionally funded by NSF.

What could we discover with an instrument capable of recording, in minute detail, the movement of atoms during ultrafast chemical reactions?

What do you get when you combine topical COVID talks, ovarian cancer research, nearly 30 virtual posters in four categories, and over 250 attendees via Zoom? The 2020 New Mexico Research Symposium, hosted in collaboration with the New Mexico Academy of Science (NMAS)!  This year’s Research Symposium was held virtually November 9 to 13, 2020. The program was topical and hosted a variety of speakers, posters, and awardees honoring science, STEM, and research contributions in New Mexico. 

Our second NM SMART Grid Center 2020 extern, Mara Yarbrough, just completed her 10-week externship with the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) researching practical policies state governments can implement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She shared her thoughts with us on the experience in this brief reflection. Enjoy!

On September 30th, the University of New Mexico announced a joint agreement with Siemens Industry to begin collaborations at the UNM-owned microgrid at Mesa del Sol. Located in Albuquerque, the Mesa del Sol microgrid is one of three NM SMART Grid Center project testbeds, the others being Southwest Technology Development Institute at NMSU and the greenhouse complex at Santa Fe Community College, where project team members can test research out on actual equipment.

The NM SMART Grid Center warmly welcomes five new faculty members to the project team this Fall. Included in this esteemed cohort of STEM professionals are Dr. Yuting Yang and Dr. Claus Danielson at the University of New Mexico (UNM), Dr. Sihua Shao at New Mexico Institute for Mining and Technology (NMT), and Dr. Fengyu Wang and Dr. Hamed Nademi at New Mexico State University (NMSU).   

Presenter: Mike Morrison, Creator of the #betterposter movement

Every year the NM SMART Grid Center is required to submit three highlights from the previous project year to the National Science Foundation. For Project Year 2, the research themed highlights focused on work by Assistant Professor Ali Bidram and his PhD student Binod Poudel at UNM and advancements by Assistant Professor David Mitchell and his team at NMSU. Here is what these outstanding team members are working on - summarized in 250 words or less. Enjoy!