Letter from the Director

IEE Synergy and Success~ Proven Partnerships

Looking Ahead - April 2007: IEE/WERC Environmental

Design Contest Tasks

IEE Face 2 Face:CEMRC *SWTDI *WERC

IEE Implements First Responder Training

College of Engineering Highlight: Flying Aggies

Power of the Wind Drives Energy Research p. 11

Campus Watch - It’s Easy Being Green

Making a Difference: 2006 Fellowship Recipients

WERC Briefs

Calendar of Events

iee.nmsu.edu

Issue 2-4 November 2006CEMRC * SWTDI * WERC

From the IEE Director

Welcome to the premier issue of Insight, a publication of the New Mexico State University College of Engineering Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE). “Insight” can be defined as, “a clear understanding of a complex situation.” Through this new publication, we will attempt to provide a clear understanding of emerging energy, water, environmental and human health issues. We will also be providing you with insight into the on-going collaborative efforts of IEE to address these issues.

It is often said that change is the only constant in life. One can passively allow oneself to become the victim of change, or can actively embrace the opportunity for change and be better positioned to succeed in a changing world. Our changing world has brought us to a crossroads as energy consumption increases and its availability is debated. Issues such as emissions into the atmosphere. Access to clean water, air, and affordable energy are vital for continued development and quality of life for many of us.

Here in New Mexico every ounce of water we have is now spoken for and appropriate use of this natural resource is paramount. Through support of Senator Domenici, IEE is joining forces with General Electric for water research collaboration at the forefront of conquering technical challenges we face around water quality and scarcity.

The Institute for Energy and the Environment, through the collective efforts of our partner organizations, the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center (CEMRC), the Southwest Technology Development Institute (SWTDI) and WERC: A Consortium for Environmental Education and Technology Development, will spearhead new initiatives to mitigate the impacts of our nation’s fossil fuel dependant economy and more efficiently utilize existing and emerging energy sources. Our goal is to provide leadership on a national level for the development of technology, public policy and human resources to meet the nation’s growing energy needs through alternative resources, materials science, and environmental surety.

In this premier issue of Insight, I invite you to meet our partner members “Face 2 Face.” These are the people who, through their hard work, dedication and embracing of change, are making the Institute for Energy and the Environment a success. I also invite you to read some of our many success stories. There will be many more to come as we embark on this new collaborative effort.

Regards,

Abbas GhassemiIEE Director & WERC Executive Director

Photos by Tom A. Freelove/IEE

Synergy and Success ~ Proven Partnerships New Mexico State University is a Carnegie

Doctoral/Research University-Extensive Institution. As a land-grant Institution, the university receives national recognition for its commitment to teaching, research and public service. The College of Engineering has combined the expertise of established environmental, natural resource development and conservation, energy, and environmental and human health related programs. The Institute’s areas of focus are education, research, outreach, and technology development to address critical issues facing the region and the nation.

IEE topic areas include the development, promotion, transfer, and commercialization of renewable and sustainable energy, water, and other natural resource technologies. These evolving areas provide a pathway toward independence and national security. The Institute represents the expansion, integration and restructuring of three Centers of Excellence, WERC, SWTDI, and CEMRC.

WERC: A Consortium for Environmental Education and Technology Development, was established in 1990 to develop human resources and technologies to address environmental and human-health related issues via education, research, public outreach, and technology development and deployment.

SWTDI (Southwest Technology Development Institute) founded in 1977, is a renewable energy research and development center. SWTDI expertise includes photovoltaics, solar thermal, wind, geothermal, alternative fuels, micro hydroelectric, aquaculture, biomass efficiency, environmental systems, bioremediation, and waste management. SWTDI has conducted over 130 international courses since 1990 for a variety of clients on all seven continents. The Institute has had a number of international professionals as visiting scholars for up to 18 months at a time.

CEMRC (Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring

The NMSU College of Engineering leads the way in developing partnerships to provide advanced education, research, outreach, and technology development resulting in solutions for challenges in the following areas:

• Energy• Water Quality and Quantity• Environment• Natural Resource Protection

and Conservation • Human and Environmental

Health

and Research Center) established in 1991 by the Department of Energy, measures environmental radioactivity in the Carlsbad, New Mexico area. It monitors changes in the environment possibly related to activities associated with the operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). CEMRC has evolved into a permanent Center

of Excellence for responding to emerging health and environmental needs at the national level. Other focus areas include environmental chemistry, field programs, informatics and modeling, internal

dosimetry, radiochemistry and radiological dispersal device training.

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Institute for Energy and the Environment

The Institute is guided by the following vision:

Provide the Nation with dynamic leadership, expertise and technology in energy, environment, natural resource development and conservation, and human and environmental health through partnerships with government agencies, universities and the private sector, linking education, research, outreach, and economic development.

ew Mexico State University (NMSU) and General Electric Co. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on

October 24, 2006 for the creation of a water technology research collaboration to find solutions to problems related to the quality, availability and affordability of water supplies. The agreement was signed by NMSU President Michael V. Martin and Jeff Connelly, vice president of GE Water & Process Technologies.

Abbas Ghassemi, Director of NMSU’s Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE), said a major focus of the joint initiative will be new technologies for treating saline and brackish water, which represents a large source of untapped groundwater in New Mexico and in many other parts of the world.

“Every ounce of water we have now is spoken for,” Ghassemi said. “We have to be able to take water that is not usable now and make it usable, and we have to find affordable ways to do it.”

The NMSU-GE initiative will tackle some of the toughest technical challenges of desalination, such as developing oxidation-resistant reverse-osmosis membranes that are not prone to fouling in brackish water, reducing the liquid discharge from desalination operations, and developing more effective technologies for disposing of the discharge.

Researchers will also pursue new ways of providing integrated power and water systems for small communities, using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power to run water treatment facilities, Ghassemi said.

U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, R-NM, has made progress in securing federal funding to support the NMSU-GE partnership, including $1 million in the

FY2007 Defense Appropriations Bill funds for NMSU and GE to undertake this water work. This funding is now law. Congress must complete work on the FY2007 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill that includes $3 million added by Domenici to support this partnership.

“Experts in this country and around the world agree that water availability will be a looming challenge in the 21st century, and that is certainly the case in New Mexico,” Domenici said in a prepared statement. “The NMSU-GE collaboration will give us another opportunity to find the breakthrough that could mean greater water availability and management in arid areas like New Mexico and the Southwest.”

The collaboration will build upon the expertise of two NMSU institutes, the Institute for Energy and the Environment and the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute. The partnership will involve research and development at NMSU and at GE’s Global Research Center in Niskayuna, N.Y. It is anticipated that the collaboration will also include student internships with GE and exchanges of NMSU faculty

researchers and GE scientists. The NMSU-GE partnership will

concentrate on further developing advanced water treatment technologies aimed at reducing stress placed on current water supplies, as well as overall consumption, energy use, and costs associated with creating and recycling water.

“GE looks forward to working hand-in-hand with New Mexico State University’s students, researchers and faculty on this pioneering partnership,” said Jeff Garwood, President and CEO of GE Water and Process Technologies. “Through innovation, research and hard work, the partnership will examine how to best tackle water quality and water scarcity issues that affect many communities and businesses in New Mexico and throughout the globe.”

Ghassemi said the NMSU-GE collaboration is part of an even larger initiative that includes a proposal for NMSU management of the Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility being constructed in Alamogordo. New Mexico’s Tularosa Basin has extensive underground

stores of brackish and saline water.

“This facility will be a test bed for evaluating and validating desalination technologies,” Ghassemi said.

“The Tularosa Basin facility, a project of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Sandia National Laboratories and Laguna Construction Co., is the nation’s only inland desalination research facility,” he said.

NMSU President Michael Martin said the university’s partnership with GE “has the potential to be a unique and powerful arrangement which holds great promise for solving real problems, creating real jobs and protecting the environment.”

U.S. Senator Pete Domenici and vice president of GE Water & Process Technologies, Jeff Connelly, sign a memorandum of understanding to produce affordable technologies that address the growing demands for water in New Mexico. (Photo by Therese Shakra/IEE)

NMSU, GE Sign Agreement for Water Research Collaboration

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International

Task 1Silica Removal from Inland Brackish Water Develop and demonstrate removal of silica from brackish water as a part of pre-treatment process prior to desalinization and/or arsenic removal.

Task 2Photovoltaic (PV) System Performance Indicator Develop and demonstrate a system to determine that a residential utility-interactive PV system is operating properly and that the AC power output is following the solar power available to the PV array.

Task 3Inland Desalination Operation and Disposal in Rural, Isolated Communities Develop and demonstrate a low-cost, simple and reliable system for use in brackish water reclamation.

Task 4Conversion of Biomass Resource to Useful Forms of Energy and Other Products Develop, evaluate and demonstrate a system (excluding landfill options) that will convert biomass to biofuel including biogas or liquids.

Task 5Bacteria and/or Virus Removal from Pond WaterDevelop and demonstrate a system that will remove (1) typical pond matter that may inhibit the function of an existing system; and (2) bacteria and/or viruses from pond water often used by local farmers of fruits and vegetables to dilute crop protection chemicals.

Task 6Carbon Management Develop and demonstrate a new and innovative technique for effective management of carbon cycles including capturing carbon dioxide from flue gas.

Task 7Energy Efficient Removal of TDS (total dissolved solids) from RO (reverse osmosis) Reject and Cooling Tower Blowdown As water utilization efficiency increases, the industry is left with the challenge of what to do with the remaining dissolved ions in solution.

DESIGN CONTESTENVIRONMENTAL

Innovation

Imagination

Inspiration

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Design Tasks

April 1-5, 2007

Getting to KnoGetting to Knoww IEE Partners: IEE Partners: CEMRCCEMRC

Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center

CEMRC Lab Manager, Sondra Sage in the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Lab. (Photo by Ruthie Porter/IEE)

The Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center (CEMRC) is a division of the College of Engineering and one of three programs that creates the new Institute for Energy and Environment (IEE) at New Mexico State University. This 26,000 sq. ft. radiochemistry facility includes environmental and general radiochemistry laboratories, a special plutonium-uranium lab, an in vivo bioassay facility, mobile laboratories, and computing operations and offices.

The staff at the facility can perform a wide range of environmental and radiochemistry work, characterization, monitoring, feasibility studies in support of performance assessment, radiological and environmental training and education, subsurface flow and transport experiments. The group also researches nuclear energy and Homeland Security, issues, particularly those involving radiation dispersal devices (RDD) or dirty bombs. CEMRC is partnered with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Washington TRU Solutions (WTS)

The Department of Energy Carlsbad Field Office currently operates the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico, as a repository site for transuranic (TRU) waste generated as part of the nuclear defense research and production activities of the federal government. The CEMRC facility and staff provide support to WIPP, LANL, SNL and WTS primarily through site and environmental monitoring, in vivo bioassay, and scientific and laboratory support.

New Mexico State Senator, Vernon D. Asbill and CEMRC Lab Manager, Curtis Nesbit in the Whole Body Count chamber. (Photo by Ruthie Porter/IEE)

trains emergency personnel to assume that all bombs are dirty and to follow the first priority at the scene, defining the hot zone.

“This is the most important first response, and a simple alarming dosimeter is the most useful piece of equipment for a dirty bomb attack,” Conca said. A dosimeter is any device used to measure an individual’s exposure to radiation

and can weigh as little as an ounce and cost as little as $70.

The IEE division’s ability to implement effective first-responder training for dirty bombs comes from CEMRC’s years of experience in environmental training and education, nuclear energy issues, and issues involving Homeland Security.

The unique radiochemistry facility has a special plutonium-uranium lab, mobile laboratories, computing operations and offices. __________________________

“We have probably the lowest detection limits of any lab for radionuclides and have been monitoring the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site for ten years (people, air, water and soil), making WIPP the only nuclear facility in the world with a before and after on its population and its environment,” said Conca. “Three Mile Island wishes it had that!” WIPP is the world’s first underground repository licensed to permanently dispose of low-level radioactive waste left over from the research and production of nuclear weapons.__________________________________________________

__“CEMRC’s solid experience in nuclear waste-management and environmental monitoring of radiological and inorganic materials is a great foundation for implementing first responder training at NMSU. As an IEE division, the CEMRC group complements our strengths in the environment and renewable energy. We’re building a group focused on maintaining and protecting sustainable resources for our nation, which in many ways is also tied to our national security,” said Abbas Ghassemi, IEE Director.

TARGETED TO “WEAPONS OF MASS “WEAPONS OF MASS DISRUPTIONDISRUPTION””

Washington, D.C.– area responders at an October 2004 mass-casualty exercise based on an RDD scenario faced by dozens of victims scattered across a site contaminated by a car bomb laced with radioactive material. Gauging the site and victims’ radiation levels was the first responder’s primary step.(Photo by D. Morsel /AFRRI)

New Mexico State University’s Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE) and the College of Engineering (COE), has implemented a first-responder training program targeted to dirty bomb attacks.

Dirty bombs are a class of weapons known as radiological dispersal devices (RDD) and are recognized as one of the gravest anticipated terrorist threats facing the United States as well as other nations. The principle type of dirty bomb combines a conventional explosive such as dynamite with radioactive material, set off in highly populated areas to create economic and social disruption, well beyond the potential immediate lethality of the radiological dispersion and physical destruction. A second type of RDD holds a powerful radioactive source hidden in a public place, such as a trash bin or subway station, where passers-by are likely to get a significant dose of radiation.

According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s public affairs office, a dirty bomb is in no way similar to a nuclear weapon. The presumed purpose of its use would be therefore not as a “weapon of mass destruction but rather as a weapon of mass disruption.”

The Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center, (CEMRC) a division of IEE, is playing a critical role in the threat reduction program of a serious dirty bomb attack by 2010 and is doing so with high marks.

“Because the general public is so frightened about anything radioactive, fear must be anticipated even if there is no real health threat from the radioactive component. Even a phantom RDD, where no radioactive material was used, but an implication or anonymous tip indicates there was, could still cause considerable fear with large economic consequences,” said Jim Conca, Ph.D and director of CEMRC.

In first responder training, for firefighters and emergency medical personnel, Conca stresses the criticality of risk, perception, and education. He also

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INSTITUTE IMPLEMENTS FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING

Becky BrownAdmin Services Manager

William BrownConstruction/Facilities

Manager

Christopher GreenePhysical Scientist

Don PorterComputer Specialist

Frances GarrettSecretary

Hnin KhaingEnvironmental Scientist

James ConcaDirector

James MonkEnvironmental Scientist

Larry YorkBiological Tech

Lisa HudstonEnvironmental Scientist

Michele SnellerChemical Technician

Richard ArimotoSenior Scientist

Roy SpruiellNetwork/CIS Admin

Sharyl McCauleyPhysical Scientist

Sondra SageEnvironmental Scientist

Thomas KirchnerComputer/Information

Systems Manager

Tina SullivanNetwork/Computer Systems

Administration

Angela NejaraSecretary

Curtis NesbitEnvironmental Scientist

David GanawayEnvironmental Scientist

Julia MarpleChemical Technician

Karl PennockEnvironmental Scientist

Ruthie PorterRecords Technician

Sally BallardEnvironmental Scientist

Vicki KirchnerTechnology Specialist

Deois Ua ChearnaighSpecialist

Kimberly Ui ChearnaighEnvironmental Scientist

Danielle Tatro Graduate Student

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Dr. Edward Askew Associate Director

A team of New Mexico State

University engineering students spent part of their summer floating around - in the name of science.

The NMSU Flying Aggies - Joe Fronczek, Aous Manshad, Fabian Melendez and team leader Brian Lusby - participated in NASA’s Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program. The program gives undergraduate students a chance to propose, design, fabricate, fly and evaluate a reduced-gravity experiment.

The Flying Aggies’ experiment was conducted aboard NASA’s C-9 airplane, which creates reduced gravity by flying in a parabola. Once the plane starts to “nose over” the top of the parabola and descend toward Earth, the plane experiences about 25 seconds of micro gravity and temporarily becomes a weightless environment. This maneuver is repeated 30 times.

“It was a truly euphoric feeling floating free of all external forces,” Lusby said.

“No roller coaster or carnival ride can compare,” Melendez said of the experience.

The team demonstrated magnetism using two small magnets; mass, momentum and inertia using two different-sized balls; fluid mechanics and centrifugal forces using a “tornado in a bottle,” and energy of a spring and transfer of momentum using a Slinky®.

The experiment is intended to enhance the productivity of space exploration missions, which often are limited by a lack of resources. During a long mission, resources may need to be re-used, and a chemical separation may be needed to separate mixtures produced in various processes.

On Earth, distillation would be one way to separate the chemicals in the mixture. However, distillation relies on gravity and cannot be used in space. The experiment tried to determine whether it is possible to use centrifugal motion and flash distillation to separate chemical mixtures in zero-gravity.

“When you start thinking about long-duration space flight, you have

to think about making your own consumables, such as oxygen, food, water and fuel in a zero-gravity or reduced-gravity environment,” Lusby said. “Research of such chemical processing has been kept to a basic level in the past, but understanding of advanced applications is a necessity for the future of space flight.”

The team designed a test stand that created centrifugal motion. A pressurized vessel with a mixture

Flying Aggies Experiment in the Air

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consisting of two chemicals was placed on the stand, and the stand was turned on before zero gravity was reached.

Once the airplane reached zero gravity, the mixture was released into a flash drum, which forced one chemical to flash vaporize and separate from the liquid. Once on the ground, the chemicals were tested for purity to ensure that the separation was effective. The experiment was successful, but the results weren’t quite what the team expected.

“The team succeeded in separating water and carbon dioxide and did obtain a vapor and liquid phase, which was our main concern,” Manshad said.

“We believe this experiment should definitely be continued by a

group of NMSU undergraduates next year,” Fronczek said. “If an additional pump was added to the system it would ensure proper fluid flow, and the results should be more in line with what we were hoping to achieve.”

The experiment was difficult to conduct in zero gravity.

“One of the most difficult aspects of the experiment was changing out the test articles during the plane’s 2G pull,” Melendez said. “Moving and working during the 2G pull was like working with a set of weights on your entire body.”

Most of the financial support for the team comes from the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium, based at NMSU. They also receive funding from the engineering technology, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering departments.

The program took place at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

The team spent July 6 to July 15 at the Space Center, where they attended safety training and finalized experiment construction before their flight.

An important part of the program is outreach. The Flying Aggies will visit local schools to talk about their experience, said Sonya Cooper, Engineering Technology department head and faculty adviser for the team. “They tell them, ‘This is what you can do if you study math and science,’” Cooper said.

“Part of our proposal included dedicating some of our zero-gravity time to demonstrate some basic scientific principles on video and to later hold a zero-gravity trivia contest for local middle school MESA programs,” Lusby said.

MESA, which stands for Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement, is a nonprofit organization that promotes educational enrichment for middle and high school groups from historically under-represented ethnic groups.

COE story courtesy of NMSU Communications

NMSU student experiences zero gravity in a NASA aircraft as a member of the Flying Aggies. (Photo by Darren Philips/UCOMM)

College of Engineering

Getting to Know IEE Partners: SWTDI

he Southwest Technology Development Institute (SWTDI) was founded in 1977 as a renewable energy research and development center. The

Institute is a non-profit, university-based organization under the College of Engineering and is one of three programs in the new Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE) at New Mexico State University.

The Institute’s focus is on the development, transfer, promotion, and commercialization of renewable energy technologies. SWTDI provides contract services for systems analysis, program implementation, business development, feasibility studies, market studies, computer modeling, and educational computer kiosks.

The Technology group has accumulated extensive domestic and international experience with a variety of renewable energy technologies. The Institute’s expertise includes photovoltaic, solar thermal, wind, geothermal, alternative fuels, evaporative air-conditioning, micro-hydroelectric, aquaculture, biomass, energy efficiency, minority education, traffic monitoring, environmental systems, bioremediation, and waste management. SWTDI is an internationally recognized applied research and development center for solar and wind energy systems, geothermal research, energy systems simulation, resource assessment, and environmental analysis.

This photovoltaic (PV) carport represents the largest Native American PV installation in the United States. The system delivers about 23 Megawatt hours per year to the local utility grid (Public Service Company of New Mexico) and was built by Diversified Systems Manufacturing, a Native American-owned and operated PV development company. (Photo by Darren Phillips/UCOMM)

~SWTDI is an internationally recognized applied research and development center for solar and wind energy systems, geothermal research, energy systems simulation,

resource assessment, and environmental analysis~

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Andrew RosenthalSenior Program Manager

(SWTDI/SWRES)

Anita TafoyaProgrammer Specialist II

Data Collection/Accounting

Arturo RuizStudent Assistant

Luis EstradaSpecialist I

(International/Wind)

Martin GomezSpecialist I

(International/Wind)

Robert Foster(International/Wind)

Ron DonagheSpecialist

(Offi ce Manager)

Stephanie KuttererSpecialist

(Quality Management)

Corey AsbillSpecialist I

(Lab Manager)

John WilesProgram Manager(Domestic/PV)

Vipin Gupta, Sandia National Labs(Senior Member Technical Staff)

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Solar panels at the Southwest Technology Development Institute. (Photo by Darren Phillips/UCOMM)

Luz-Elena MimbelaProject Manager

ew Mexico State University researchers and students are advancing the

development of wind energy technology along the U.S.-Mexico border, with the ultimate goal of wind energy commercialization.

NMSU’s Institute for Energy and the Environment and College of Engineering have teamed with the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico and the NMSU Office of International Programs as part of the National Science Foundation Partnerships for Innovation Program. Focal points include development of an inexpensive wind turbine for grid applications, identification of energy site candidates along the border, commercialization of the first border wind farm, and support of wind industry development in the region.

Wind is the world’s fastest-growing energy source, according to the Earth Policy Institute. It has had an average annual growth rate of 29 percent over the past 10 years. In contrast, coal use has grown by 2.5 percent per year, nuclear power by 1.8 percent, natural gas by 2.5 percent, and oil by 1.7 percent.

In the U.S., wind-energy-produced household electricity can now support about 2.3 million homes. The typical U.S. electricity-fuel mix to support the same number requires 5 million acres of forest to absorb the resulting 15 million tons of carbon dioxide, the leading gas associated with global warming, according the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The U.S. now has more than

POWER OF THE WIND DRIVPOWER OF THE WIND DRIV10,000 megawatts of installed wind power capacity and the total is projected to approach or exceed 200 gigawatts by 2030. New Mexico is one of the top 10 states in wind power generation and potential, with

more than 400 megawatts already installed.

NMSU is participating in the Department of Energy Windpowering America Program, which targets regional economic development through wind energy. The NMSU wind team recently helped co-host and instruct at the Wind Energy Applications Training Symposium workshop in Boulder, Colorado at the National Wind Test Center of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

“The purpose of the wind energy training is to provide Native Americans, international participants and engineering students with a more in-depth background on wind energy and application tools,” said Robert Foster, program manager for the Southwest Region Experiment Station, an IEE research arm specializing in solar, wind and geothermal energy systems.

“The institute fosters an interdisciplinary research agenda

to address environmental sustainability,” said Abbas Ghassemi, IEE director. “Our wind energy commercialization project is evolving to support the economy, energy security and the national vision

of 20 percent domestic electricity production from clean, renewable wind energy.”

NMSU engineering students Diego Benavidez and Zach Mills and business students Jacqueline Sanchez and Marcos Muñoz are conducting evaluations and research

as part of the NMSU wind program. The business students are assessing the political and economic requirements for developing small (5-10 megawatt) wind farms on Mexican ejidos (cooperative farms and ranches) that promote local economic development. The project includes assisting the Mexican Environmental Secretariat in establishing guidelines for wind farm implementation and identifying appropriate locations.

The NMSU student team also is assessing the feasibility and economics of establishing a wind farm in southern New Mexico. Promising sites have the potential to become commercial wind farms on the border, creating jobs and opportunities while providing non-polluting power. The NMSU wind energy program is supported by contracts with the National Science Foundation, the United Nations Development Program, NASA, NREL and the DOE Windpowering America Program.

“The institute fosters an interdisciplinary research agenda to address environmental

sustainability... Our wind energy commercialization project is evolving to support the economy, energy security and the national

vision of 20 percent domestic electricity production from clean, renewable wind energy.”

Abbas Ghassemi, NMSU’sInstitute for Energy and the Environment Director

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VES ENERGY RESEARCHVES ENERGY RESEARCH

New Mexico State University engineering students Zach Mills and Diego Benavidez inspect the 32-megawatt Ponnequin wind farm in northern Colorado. Above, Robert Foster, program manager with the NMSU Institute for Energy and the Environment; NMSU engineering students Diego Benavidez and Zach Mills; and Alex Hernández and Jaime Treviño of Tecnológico de Monterrey-Chihuahua examine the rotor and blades for a NEG Micon 750-kilowatt wind turbine. (Photo by Robert Foster/IEE)

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Photo Courtesy of Martin Gomez/NMSU

Students Reap the Benefits from Wolslager Contribution

The Pre-Freshman Engineering Program (PREP), active since 1997 at NMSU, received a generous contribution from The Wolslager Foundation, an organization based in San Angelo, Texas that supports education, health care, community development, and youth and senior development in southern Arizona, southern New Mexico and parts of west Texas.

J.W. and the late Josephine S. Wolslager created the foundation to enhance and reinvest in the quality of life for individuals and communities in the areas where Jay and Josephine owned and operated their Coca-Cola franchises. The Wolslager Foundation was created in 1992 upon Josephine’s death. The Foundation funding came from the sale of the family’s businesses, which included Las Cruces Coca-Cola.

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The foundation provides support for educational opportunities, funding for health care facilities and services, organizations that promote child and youth development, and programs and services that benefit senior citizens.

PREP is an academically intense and intellectually stimulating 7-week summer program where middle and high school students from Doña Ana County are exposed to career opportunities in science, engineering, technology and mathematics through hands-on teaching, lectures and field trips.

The Wolslager Foundation gift helped support funding for supplies, transportation for field trips, and teacher-payments on behalf of PREP.

~ J.W. and Josephine S. Wolslager created the Wolslager Foundation in 1992 to reinvest in the communities where they owned and operated their Coca-Cola franchises ~

PREP:to New Mexico students in particular as the state has one of the highest percentages of minorities in the nation. New Mexico ranks 46th among the 50 states in per capita income and Doña Ana County ranks 20th out of 33 counties per capita in the state. The majority of students who apply for PREP are from low-income households in Hatch Valley, Las Cruces, and Gadsden school districts.

This year, a highlight for students was the Intel sponsored 10th Annual Rocket Launch, where students designed, constructed, and launched rockets. The rockets were made of two-liter soda bottles and powered with compressed air and water.

“Intel is very proud to work with NMSU College of Engineering on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics on PREP outreach

to many local students,” New Mexico Educational Director for Intel, James W. Reed, said. “The rocket launch embodies all the best attributes of the program with hands-on learning

PREP:Impacting the Lives of New Mexico Students

The Pre-Freshman Engineering Program (PREP) marked its 10th year of educating, helping, and opening doors for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

PREP, established in 1997, is a 7-week academically demanding and intellectually exhilarating summer program for pre-college students, grades 6-12, with the goal of preparing them for careers in the STEM fields.

During the 7-week session students participate in a variety of learning experiences including classroom instruction, guest lectures, hands-on experiments, and field trips. Students take courses in logic, algebraic structures, probability and statistics, computer science, and technical writing. Nothing surpasses the student favorites, however, like the rocket launch and mouse trap car competition.

“The most significant thing about PREP is the impact it makes on the students to keep them in the STEM fields. It really encourages them,” PREP Project Manager, Karen Mikel, said.

Although all students are encouraged to participate in PREP, the program targets minorities and females. In 2006, 153 students completed one of the three PREP components. Eighty-seven percent of this group are minorities and of that group, 56 percent are female while 76 percent are Hispanic.

The PREP program is important

of engineering. The academic enrichment is outstanding but the event itself is fun to be part of and exciting and inspiring for the students.”

Senator Pete Domenici, R-NM, could not be present at the PREP Graduation Ceremony but he sent his regards to the students via video. He offered his congratulations for their hard work and encouraged them to continue learning and seeking opportunities in the STEM fields.

Students that participate in PREP leave with a newfound sense of discipline, responsibility and inspiration.

“Overall, PREP has become such a positive part of my summer, goals, and life mainly because they have taught me not to cut corners and to always go above and beyond the limit, with everything

from school to my dreams,” a third-year PREP student said.

Students that have successfully completed PREP 1 are more likely to finish high school and go onto college, a recent survey revealed. Of the college attendees, 64 percent are majoring in science, engineering or mathematics, 79 percent are members of minority groups, and 90 percent are currently enrolled at NMSU. “PREP makes a

tremendous impact on those who participate,” Mikel said.

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2006 PREP Students visit the Fred Hervey WasteWater Treatment Plant in El Paso, TX exposing them to modern water treatment technology. (Photo by Karen Mikel/IEE)

Pledge signatories consider the social and environmental aspects of potential jobs before accepting the positions. Some even turn down specific employment options or make changes on the job that conflict with their green values. The Pledge operates on three levels: 1) Students making choices about their employment, 2) Schools educating students about values and citizenship, in addition to knowledge

and skills, and 3) Stressing the fact that the workplace and society should consciously be concerned about more than just the bottom line.

Students who take the Pledge not only have a commitment to being environmentally responsible for their actions, but also a deeper sense of citizenry. Educating youth and students about environmental consequences and encouraging them to make green choices creates a socially conscious citizen and, by doing so, a healthier planet and

GreenIt’s Easy Being GreenMore and more college students

are becoming green. Each May, graduating seniors from every university in America walk across the stage to receive their college diploma. Among the honorary cords and stoles, something new is a part of the graduating senior’s attire-a green ribbon.

Students are exposed to issues of eminent environmental challenges, frightening and threatening to our lives and those of the generations to come.

That’s why college students are taking an initiative to improve the environment. This means more than recycling paper or conserving water. This means making environmentally conscious decisions every day.

The Green Pledge Alliance is one of the ways students are making a “green” impact on the world. Founded at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, the Green Pledge states, “I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organization for which I work.”

What exactly does going “green” mean? Being green essentially means making choices in day-to-day life that reduce our negative impact on the environment. Making green choices can be as simple as unplugging appliances when they are not in use, recycling paper, cans and glass, and swapping out standard light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs.

Most people think that living an environmentally-conscious life is expensive, time-consuming, and difficult. In reality, living green can save one money and most “green” choices do not require more time.

After graduation, Green

better world. Professor of management,

David Boje, at New Mexico State University was the first to initiate the Green Pledge at New Mexico State University in 1997. Boje has continually encouraged his students to sign the Pledge, but the majority of the campus is neither aware nor informed about it, only about 30 students a year, sign the Pledge.

Boje, one of the initial signers of The Organizations and the Natural Environment (ONE), an interest group dedicated to the advancement of research, teaching, and service in the area of relationships between organizations and the natural environment, encourages students that are interested in making a positive impact on the environment to learn about green technologies and incorporate them into internships, class projects and papers. “Everyone is answerable to doing something green,” Boje said.

At some universities the Green Pledge is a formal part

of the graduation ceremony, with graduating seniors and

supporting faculty wearing green ribbons. NMSU has yet to include this aspect of the Green Pledge in its university graduation ceremonies, but with continued awareness and involvement of the Pledge on campus, it is a possibility for the future.

Students from well over a hundred colleges and universities have used the pledge on some level. The schools involved include liberal arts colleges, state universities, and private research universities. The Pledge is also found at graduate and professional schools, high schools, and schools overseas.

Environmental Awareness on Campus

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On November 30th, the WERC family bid farewell to one of its own, Kathy Fieldcamp. Fieldcamp joined the WERC staff on January 18, 2002. She has since devoted her graphic art talents to refining the look of WERC’s many publications. As with all families, members eventually move on to bigger and better things. Fieldcamp is moving to Houston, Texas, where she will continue in design or pursue a career as an elementary school teacher. Fiedcamp’s possibilities are vast and the WERC family wishes her well. She will be missed by all that have had the good fortune to know her and be able to work with her. Good luck, Kathy!

STUDENTS COMPLETE WERC MINOR Five WERC students at NMSU have completed the Environmental Management minor for the Fall semester:

Angela L. Allred - Environmental Science

Sandy K Apodaca - Environmental Science

Jesse T. Berryhill - Wildlife Science

Tiffany Lovato - Environmental Science

Cheryl Rosel - Soils (Master of Sciences)

Certificates were awarded to the following:

Karen Northup - Civil Engineering

Andres Sanchez - Civil Engineering

Farewell to

FieldcampFieldcamp

Making a Difference: This Y

ES Major Receives WERC Fellowship

New Mexico State University Environmental Science major was

awarded a Fellowship by the WERC Fellowship Program for the 2006 fall semester.

Brian Barrick, a junior majoring in environmental science with health and safety, also received a $1000 Research Fellowship summer one and two sessions.

The WERC fellowship program is available to all full-time students in all academic majors as long as the student can demonstrate how their major is related to the environment. The Fellowship Program was designed to help students develop a program leading to environmentally-related career opportunities upon graduation.

Barrick, who was born in New Mexico but has spent most of his life in Minnesota, transferred to NMSU from the University of Minnesota for more environmental-based

ew Mexico State University chemical engineering major, Cessna Baca, was

awarded a WERC scholarship through the Fellowship Program for the 2006 fall semester.

Baca was awarded $300 for her involvement with the WERC program and her interest in an environmentally oriented career. In addition to her Chemical Engineering major, Baca is minoring in biochemistry and environmental management, the latter is a WERC-based minor.

“I think that the WERC program and environmental management is a very good backbone for a chemical engineering career,” Baca said, “It’s just a way of being better prepared and making decisions based on more than just economics,” she said.

Baca is currently working

on research with head of the Chemical Engineering Department, Dr. Martha Mitchell, on a project titled Predicting Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium for Hydrazine using Gibbs Monte Carlo Simulations with updated OPLS Force Field Parameters. The purpose of this project is to find vapor-liquid equilibrium data which is dense, for example, for the highly reactive liquid base called hydrazine under high temperature conditions. Hydrazine is primarily used by NASA as a rocket propellant fuel but it is also used for antidepressant and Parkinson’s disease drugs.

The goal of the research is to obtain data through molecular simulations in a way that is safe and less expensive. The software program is UNIX based and called Towhee. Baca was able to present this research at two conferences last semester.

Baca has been a part of the Fellowship Program since the 2006 spring semester. She has participated in many WERC activities, including the Environmental Design Contest, Career Fair, Colloquium, the Environmental Health and Science Fair, and as a judge in the Southwestern New Mexico Regional Science and Engineering Fair. “It’s not just taking classes. It is getting involved with community service and networking. It gets you to go out there and really apply what you have learned,” Baca said about the WERC Fellowship Program, “It gives you an idea of what you are going to be doing and what you can do.”

After she graduates, Baca hopes to attend graduate school for her masters in chemical engineering and plans to focus

on environment-based research. One of the biggest problems today regarding our planet is creating a new technology and a renewable source of energy that does not harm the planet, Baca said.

“…It’s something that we are going to have to deal with on a bigger scale tomorrow so we might as well try to prepare today,” Baca stated. “I am just trying to do whatever I can do right now but I really do want to focus on something environmental since I have two tools to work with. I have the chemical engineering background but I also have the environmental consciousness and responsibility,” Baca said.

Chemical Engineering Major Cessna Baca Photo provided by Ms. Baca

N A

Chemically Improving the Environment

Year’s Fellowship Recipientswith research on the Boston Hill Project. Barrack’s job was to mix different formulated batches of crumb rubber slurries, lab test and analyze them. The purpose of the project is applied research and field demonstration to find innovative, environmentally sound mixtures using waste materials in slurry or other forms for use in safeguarding abandoned mine land features.

“I get to do a lot of outreach and I get exposed to a lot more topics that I wouldn’t otherwise...” said Barrick about WERC’s Fellowship Program.

Barrick is vice president of the NMSU Environmental Sciences Student Organization (ESSO) open to any students

interested in environmental sciences and focused on volunteer and community outreach. “We try to bring in guest speakers and professionals in the field to speak on environmental science or to get exposure to current issues or current fields,” Barrick said. Currently, the ESSO is working on coordinating presentations for high school students with the goal of recruiting students to environmental science degrees but, more importantly, exposing and educating them on environmental issues.

“Most of it is just getting knowledge out to the people,” said Barrick, “Most people don’t know about the issues or intricacies. They are just given what the popular media or political standpoints tell them. Increasing public knowledge is important.” As Vice President, Barrick intends to strengthen ties between WERC and ESSO.

Barrick is currently working on research of phytoremediation of plants and heavy metals with plants. Phytoremediation is a general term used to describe various mechanisms by which living plants alter the chemical composition of the soil matrix in which they are growing. Essentially, it is the use of green plants to clean-up contaminated soils, sediments, or water. Barrick hopes to apply this research to the work he will need to complete to get into Graduate School.

Being involved with WERC has helped facilitate Barrick with the opportunities, exposure and hands-on experience that will assist him in getting into graduate school and in attaining an successful, environmentally-based career.

opportunities, extra curricular activities, and co-ops.

Since his involvement with the Fellowship Program in the fall of 2005, Barrick has participated in numerous WERC activities, including the Southwestern New Mexico Regional Science Fair, Spring Visitors Day, the Environmental Design Contest and the Chihuahuan Desert Expo. Barrick also presented on the importance of watershed awareness to first through third grade students at the Annual Environmental Health and Science Fair. In addition, he is also getting a WERC minor in environmental management.

This summer, Barrick assisted WERC Project Manager, Jim Loya,

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Environmental Science Major Brian Barrick (Photo by Melissa Hubbell/IEE student)

Jim BickelAssociate Director

Mike ChastainComputer and Networking

Brenda DunnAdministrative Secretary

Tom FreeloveMultimedia Manager

Abbas GhassemiExecutive Director

David C. JohnsonSpecial Projects

Jim LoyaSpecial Projects

Karen MikelSpecial Projects

Steve MoatesEnvironmental Design Contest

George Mulholland Associate Director

Pat PinesReceptionist

Therese ShakraMedia and Public Relations

Bryan SwainK-12 Programs

Roseann ThompsonR & D Programs

Jack B. TillmanAssociate Director

Barbara ValdezDegree & Fellowship Programs

IEE Fa

ce 2 Fa

ce@ W

ER

C

Milen BartnickSpecial Projects

Stuart HaddoxStudent

Melissa HubbellStudent

Kira LuethStudent

Stacey MathewsStudent

Marisa ValenzuelaStudent

Chris CampbellPollution Prevention

Nicole HeckathornSpecial Projects

2006Summer Environmental Academy

The 2006 Summer Environmental Academy was held July 16-21, hosted by Carson National Forest in Taos, New Mexico with the theme of Environmental Education in a Cross-Cultural Context.

The Theme had two points of focus:

• How the environment was historically affected in New Mexico, how it was managed and

used, and how it used today.

• How the cultural influence of Native American communities, Spanish settlers and

Europeans affected New Mexico.

The teachers and students performed a number of service learning projects in the areas of the Rio Grande Gorge, Stewart Meadows Wetlands, and the Taos Pueblo Red Willow Center. Service projects included:

• Preparing an educational garden plot at the Red Will Education Center;

• Soil profiling for further development of sur- face water at Stewart Meadows Wetlands;

• Improving water quality with tree planting along the San Antonio River; and

• Riparian assessment regarding Tamarisk at the

Rio Grande Gorge.

The group poses at the historic Taos Pueblo at the 2006 Summer Environmental Academy. (Photo by Roseann Thompson/IEE)

20

Water Stewardship: A Chapter Ends

After three years of teaching children and teachers about the importance of water, one of our most critical resources, and water-related issues, the Community Water Education Festival completed its closing event on September 21, 2006.

The Community Water Education Festival began in 2004 under the Water Stewardship Education Program. The event was designed to provide stewardship education for students and teachers grades K-12 in relationship to water resources protection, pollution prevention, and conservation. It provides awareness to children and professional development trainings for teachers.

The Water Festival is an annual, interactive event for students and teachers K-5 living in the Paseo Del Norte region, El Paso and Southern New Mexico including the Truth or Consequences (T or C) area.

Students who attend the Festivals participate in a variety of hands-on activities. Children learn everything from capillary action and surface tension in water to how ground water works and how to protect it. Students also participate in role-playing activities that focus on the importance of water in history.

“The benefit for the

stakeholder, the young elementary student, is learning how to protect the resources that they will need as they grow,” Training Coordinator of K-12 programs at WERC, Bryan Swain, said.

Festival supporters also present learning activities. Students might be taught the basics of water law by state engineers or about natural law by New Mexico Game and Fish.

In addition to increasing children’s awareness, the Water Stewardship Education Program provides professional development trainings for teachers. Since 2004, the festival has provided three teacher workshops on water education.

WERC staff Barbara Valdez, Steve Moates, Nicole Heckathorn, and Bryan Swain conducted the closing festival, co-hosted by Sierra and Truth or Consequences Elementary Schools. Hands-on water

educational activities were presented by 17 municipal, state and federal agencies and a middle school peer presentation team from the New Mexico Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement (MESA) Program.

Outstanding highlights of the festival included a water safety presentation by the Elephant Butte State Park Boating and Safety program, and a water survey done with a remote electronic survey system presented by Snell Middle School from Bayard, New Mexico. Just under 475 students and 31 teachers took part in the day long festivities.

“Water is so complex. We are just trying to make it simple enough for children to learn. Little bites of valuable water information. That is what is key in this whole effort,” Swain said.

The Water Stewardship Education Program is a WERC-affiliated program with grant sponsorship from the US Bureau of Reclamation and long-term program support from New Mexico MESA, International Boundary and Water Commission, US Environmental Protection Agency, Water Resources Research Institute, Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park, Office of the State Engineer, Las Cruces Water Resources, and New Mexico Environment Department Surface Water.

Left to right, Hank Hopkins Principal, Truth or Consequences Elementary; DeeDee Zambrano, Teacher/Event Coordinator; Kelly Tidings, Principal, Sierra Elementary in T or C. Host team recognized for a highly successful Community Water Education Festival for T or C elementary students and teachers. (Photo by Steve Moates/IEE)

$103,750. The funds will be used to support the 2007 Environmental Design Contest, April 1-5 of next year. The FDA is sponsoring Task 5, Bacteria, and/or Virus Removal from Pond Water. The grant will be active September 30, 2006 through September 29, 2007.

September 2006 – Las Cruces, NMWERC staff member George Mulholland is collaborating with the Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, and Mechanical Technology for Work program on the Biomass Distributed

IEE/WERC Briefs

August 2006 - New MexicoWERC staff member Chris Campbell has been representing WERC on the NM Mercury Reduction Task Force at meetings throughout the summer. The Task Force is charged with submitting recommendations to the State Legislature, NMED and DOH on the best ways to reduce mercury exposure to the general public. Mercury is a major concern in public health. WERC joined with the City of Albuquerque and others for the past three years to install mercury amalgam separators in local dental clinics. They work to capture solid mercury before it enters the wastewater collection system in the city. The data from this project has been presented to the Task Force and will be a factor in the final recommendations due this fall.

August 15, 2006 – Socorro, NMWERC staff member Bryan Swain represented WERC as a session moderator and student competition judge during the 2006 New Mexico Water Research Symposium presented by the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute-WRRI at New Mexico Tech. The highly successful student research competition, sponsored by the American Water Resources Association-NM, saw 21 university students from throughout New Mexico and El Paso, Texas seeking awards. More than 200 water researchers and educators attended this year’s symposium.

September 2006 – Las Cruces, NM The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded WERC a grant for

22

The tool is designed to document individual needs and delivery timelines for thirty-four community water systems across 16 NM counties previously assisted from the partnership. Training service options range from full-day workshops to web-based models and one-on-one site visits with community water operators and managers.

October 26, 2006 – Las Cruces, NMGaby Cisneros and Corey Asbill, engineers with the Institute for Energy and Environment (IEE), are finalizing the design of a new, solar power generation station to be built on the main NMSU campus. The station will use 18 kW (kilowatt) of photovoltaic panels (PV) as the canopy to a shaded parking structure. The PV parking structure will be at the NMSU Student Health Center and will supply more than 10 percent of the total energy required by the Center. The New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department under a Clean Energy Grant have provided funding for the PV Parking Structure. Scheduled project completion is February 2007.

October 2006 - New MexicoWERC staff members selected the winners for the Water Festival Bookmark Contest in Truth or Consequences. Winners were selected from the fourth and fifth grades. The theme was Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The assessment in learning was for USBR and the Water Stewardship Education Program. These bookmarks will be used for future K-12 Outreach.

Steven Moates of WERC , prepares to post a sign for the next phase of a bio-energy research project at Sierra Vista Growers in Vado, New Mexico. In the background is a biodigester that turns manure into energy and useful byproducts. (Photo by Tom A. Freelove)

Energy Project. Mulholland is using the expertise of the departments within the NMSU College of Engineering and the senior level students of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Technology are using this project to fulfill their senior level design requirements. Mechanical Technology students are modifying equipment for site testing on the project.

September 15, 2006 - New MexicoWERC staff members Chris Campbell and Bryan Swain developed a training matrix tool to align NM small water system educational needs for the Arsenic Water Technology Partnership.

IEE P2P Publication

The Tiger Bee is Sierra Elementary’s mascott.

2006 Water Festival Bookmark Contest

WINNERS

CALENDAR OF EVENTSThe Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE) is established through New Mexico State University’s College of Engineering. The Institute represents the expansion, inte-gration and restructuring of three Centers of Excellence, WERC, SWTDI, and CEMRC. IEE serves New Mexico, the Southwest, the Nation and beyond.

For more information, contact Dr. Abbas Ghassemi, IEE Director,800.523.5996, or visit iee.nmsu.edu.

www.werc.net

www.cemrc.org

www.nmsu.edu/~tdi

Creative Production Team:

Therese Shakra & Kathy Fieldcamp

WERC Media Assistants: Melissa Hubbell and Stacey Mathews

INSIGHT Institute for Energy and the EnvironmentNew Mexico State UniversityBox 30001, MSC WERCLas Cruces, NM 88003-8001

Phone: 800.523.5996E-mail: werc@nmsu.eduWeb: www.werc.net

DATE EVENT LOCATION INFORMATIONNovember 11 Dirty Bomb Training for First Responders Las Cruces, NM Jim Conca

November 17 Water Festival Project WET El Paso, TX Bryan SwainNicole Heckathorn

November 30 National Environmental Art Contest 2006Submission deadline

Las Cruces, NM Jim LoyaNicole Heckathorn

December 8 Registration Deadline: 2007 Environmental Design Contest

Las Cruces, NM Barbara Valdez

December 8-9 Arsenic Partnership Workshop New Mexico Chris Campbell

December 18-20 An International Perspective on Environmental and Water Resources

New Delhi, India Chris Campbell

January 26-February 3

NMSU Fellowship Info Fair Las Cruces, NM Barbara Valdez

February 15 National Environmental Essay Contest 2007submission deadline.

Las Cruces, NM Jim LoyaNicole Heckathorn

February 23 Southwest New Mexico Regional Science and Engineering Fair Forms due

Las Cruces, NM Karen Mikel

PREP 3 students visited the Very Large Array on June 30, 2006 as a part a series of field trips for hands-on exploration of various Engineering disciplines. (Photo by Karen Mikel, IEE)

For more information, call the appropriate contact at Call 800.523.5996, or visit iee.nmsu.edu