The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced a nearly $16 million investment in three research projects led or supported by The University of New Mexico (UNM). This funding is part of a broader $77.8 million NSF initiative under the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), aimed at building climate resilience capacity.
"This is not only an investment in University of New Mexico-led research, but in research that will positively impact the entire State of New Mexico as well as our neighboring states and regional tribal communities," said Ellen Fisher, UNM vice president for research. "These three projects show the breadth of interdisciplinary work that happens every day on our campuses where our student and faculty researchers seek to tackle today’s challenges to enhance tomorrow's future."
One of the key projects focuses on indoor farming. The NSF will invest $6 million in this UNM-led project titled “Harnessing Controlled Environment Agriculture to Secure Sustainability and Economic Growth.” Nearly $2.2 million will be allocated to UNM over four years. Collaborating institutions include the University of Wyoming (UW), the University of South Dakota, New Mexico State University, and Santa Fe Community College.
Jingjing Wang, associate professor in the Department of Economics and associate director of the Water Resources Program, is leading this project. Co-primary investigators include David Hanson from UNM’s Department of Biology and Yolanda Lin from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.
“Our collaborating EPSCoR jurisdictions...are home to 36 federal reservations, making for some of the most disadvantaged regions in the nation,” Wang said. “Using a convergent approach...we will leverage biological and socio-economic knowledge about controlled environment agriculture.”
UW’s Carmela Rosaria Guadagno emphasized Wyoming's strategic approach: “By partnering with other states facing similar challenges, we aim to harness scientific knowledge necessary to ensure food security for all while driving innovation in CEA technologies.”
Another significant project involves integrating Indigenous knowledge with Western science. The NSF will allocate nearly $4 million for this collaborative effort with the University of Oklahoma. Approximately $1.47 million will go to UNM.
Lani Tsinnajinnie from UNM’s Community and Regional Planning Department leads this initiative alongside other Indigenous faculty members such as Elspeth Iralu, Ted Jojola, and Leola Paquin.
“Together, we will be working on furthering partnerships...to develop strategies for climate change adaptation around impacts on land, air, and water,” Tsinnajinnie stated.
Additionally, UNM participates in a project led by the University of Alabama aimed at converting waste into construction materials using negative emission technology. This project has received $5.99 million from NSF funding with $1 million designated for UNM's role.
Maryam Hojati from UNM’s Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering leads this project along with Susan Bogus Halter, Madura Pathirage from Civil Engineering, and Sungjin Kim from Chemical Engineering.
For more information about EPSCoR programs, visit nsf.gov.
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