Dear colleagues, 

I am delighted to provide an overview of the remarkable research activities and achievements at New Mexico State University. Our research community continues to drive innovation and excellence across a broad range of disciplines, addressing critical global challenges and enhancing our educational mission. At the risk of unintentional omission of some of our research, let me pick four broad categories: 

1. Environmental and Agricultural Sustainability:

• Dr. Rajan Ghimire's projects on carbon management and soil health, funded by USDA NRCS and USDA NIFA, focus on sustainable agricultural practices in arid environments. These efforts aim to enhance soil health and carbon sequestration, involving interdisciplinary collaboration across NMSU departments and external institutions.
• Dr. Soum Sanogo's USDA NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative project addresses the reduction of Phytophthora blight in vegetable crops through a multi-institutional approach.

2. Innovative Technologies and Engineering:

• Dr. Mahdi Haghshenas-Jaryani's NASA-funded research on artificial muscle-driven robots aims to advance planetary exploration technologies, engaging undergraduate students in cutting-edge research.
• The pursuit of NSF and DoD grants by Dr. Patricia Sullivan, Dr. Pei Xu, Dr. Luis Rodolfo Garcia Carrillo, and Dr. Jesse Waller reflects our commitment to interdisciplinary research in sustainability and national defense.

3. Health and Biomedical Research:

• Dr. Humaira Rahman's study on well water contamination in underserved populations highlights significant environmental health risks and has garnered recognition with the Mountain-West CTR-IN’s Outstanding Poster Presentation award.
• The renewal of the NM INBRE program with a $19.9 million NIH award under Dr. Shelley Lusetti's leadership supports biomedical research and collaboration with new partners like Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and Doña Ana Community College.

4. STEM and Educational Initiatives:

• The establishment of the STEM+ Education Research Institute (SERI) under Interim Director Dr. Susan Brown focuses on innovative teaching and learning methodologies, bolstering our mission of serving diverse student groups.
• Drs. Monique Matute-Chavarria, Anita Hernandez, and Sarah Wiegand's Department of Education-funded project aims to enhance culturally responsive special education services in New Mexico.

Also, congratulations to the innovators at the Learning Games Lab for their recognition as the IP Award Honoree of 2024. The Learning Games Lab serves as both a research facility and a learning space, dedicated to the study and evaluation of game play mechanics. Led by Dr. Barbara Chamberlin and her teams, the Lab has developed multimedia tools that cover a diverse range of topics, including financial literacy, food safety, nutrition, obesity prevention, math education, workplace safety, rural mental health, and various fields of agricultural sciences.

These highlights represent just a fraction of the innovative and impactful research conducted at NMSU. Our faculty and staff's dedication and hard work are truly inspiring. We are NMSU.

Lakshmi N. Reddi
Interim Provost
New Mexico State University