When professor David Ripley’s son was 3, the child fell asleep upon the couch in a timber-frame house his father was building for the family. As Ripley looked down upon his son that day curled up, he said to himself, "My God, if I could put that into a song." Later that day, the lyric came to him. 

Ripley, a professor of music who specializes in voice and opera, recorded the original composition, “The Sleeping of a Child,” on his 1990 "Mustard Seed, Songs of Faith" recording. For many years, he thought about arranging it for choir, but never did -- until the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. 

“I had to respond in some way to this horrific event. That was the catalyst for my decision to arrange the song for the UNH Concert Choir, which I will be directing this spring while their regular conductor, Bill Kempster, is on leave. This, I hope, will be a response, among others I am sure, from the entire UNH community to the tragedy of the Newtown massacre,” Ripley says...

The state of New Hampshire is in good civic health, ranking higher than the national average on several key indicators such as voter turnout, engaging in political discussions, contacting public officials, volunteering, and charitable giving, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at UNH.

 The new research is presented in the Carsey Institute report “2012 New Hampshire Civic Health Index” in partnership with the National Conference on Citizenship, The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, Campus Compact for New Hampshire, the University System of New Hampshire, and the New Hampshire College & University Council. The research was conducted by Bruce Mallory, interim director of the Carsey Institute and professor of education at UNH, and Quixada Moore-Vissing, a doctoral student in education at UNH and a graduate research assistant at the Carsey Institute....

Migration to and from different parts of the United States has become adriving force underlying population redistribution in the United States. New research from the Carsey Institute at UNH on age-related migration patterns provides a fuller understanding of the complex patterns of demographic change in the United States.

The new research is summarized in the Carsey Institute brief “Age and Lifecycle Patterns Driving U.S. Migration Shifts,” coauthored by Kenneth Johnson, senior demographer at the Carsey Institute and professor of sociology, and his colleagues Richelle Winkler, assistant professor of sociology and demography at Michigan Technological University, and Luke Rogers, a research assistant at the Carsey Institute and a doctoral student in sociology.

“These migration patterns have important implications for people, institutions, and communities of both rural and urban America, as well as for the design of policies and practices that foster the development of...

The Peace Corps and UNH have teamed up to launch a Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program partnership, an initiative that provides graduate school scholarships to returned Peace Corps volunteers who wish to pursue a Master of Arts in development policy and practice.

“The Peace Corps is delighted to have the University of New Hampshire as a partner in the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program,” said Carrie Hessler-Radelet, acting Peace Corps director. “This new partnership enables returned Peace Corps volunteers to continue their work in public service through meaningful internships in underserved American communities. Experience overseas and graduate studies position Peace Corps Fellows to launch a career by combining coursework with service.” 

Fellows selected for the Coverdell program will receive between $1,000 and $2,000 tuition scholarships for the summer, fall, and spring semesters that can be applied to the cost of the Master of Arts in Development Policy and...

Barbara Jago, associate professor of communication arts at UNH Manchester, has been named the 2013 UNH Kidder Award faculty recipient. 

The university’s Kidder Award is presented annually to the faculty, staff members, and students whose outstanding efforts foster a greater understanding of sexual orientation. 

Jago was recognized as a faculty leader for her longstanding commitment to educating her students and colleagues about gender identity and sexual orientation, and for creating a safe and respectful forum to have conversations of sex, gender, and sexuality.  

As an example of her commitment, this spring she coordinated a Sidore Lecture Series titled “InQUEERY: Explorations of Sex, Gender, and Sexuality” with adjunct professor Mason Dunn. The series explores identity, aging, health, faith, and the law from a queer perspective. 

Jago teaches courses and conducts research in relational communication, with an emphasis on...

The University of New Hampshire lowered its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 26 percent compared to a 2001 baseline, it reported in its latest greenhouse gas emissions inventory, released today. Based on current emissions reduction goals set forth in UNH’s Climate Action Plan, called “WildCAP”, the university is well on the way to achieving its goal of reducing emissions 50 percent by 2020.

The latest greenhouse gas emissions inventory public report and a longer technical report can be downloaded at www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/ghginventory.

UNH has steadily reduced its carbon footprint, primarily because of its cogeneration heat and power plant, the EcoLine landfill gas project, and a revolving energy efficiency fund (EEF) that invests in on-campus energy efficiency projects. UNH sells the renewable energy certificates (RECs) associated with EcoLine’s electricity generation and uses the funds generated...

When Northern Ohio’s Cuyahoga River caught fire back in 1952, the depth of American environmental degradation was made manifest. The startling image helped spawn the environmental movement and the eventual passage of laws that cleaned up the nation's water and air.

In like fashion, if the ever-thickening blanket of planet-warming carbon dioxide were to blacken the sky, would mankind move with similar resolve to apply the brakes on global warming?

"There is a critical need in the whole range of climate change science to make the invisible visible," says Cameron Wake of the Earth System Research Center, "and measuring carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a great example."

If people could see the parts per million of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, Wake says, "I think there...