other news

  • President Joins Steering Committee of the Higher Education Climate Network

    The American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) announced recently that President Mark Huddleston joined its steering committee. In this role, Huddleston will help guide policy and direction of this national network of colleges and universities that have made institutional commitments to lower greenhouse gas emissions and promote the research and educational efforts needed to help society address climate change.

    Huddleston is among 18 college and university presidents named today to the steering committee, which includes presidents from seven New England schools. The steering committee is the chief governing body of the ACUPCC and is responsible for guidance, policy, and direction of the ACUPCC. Its members reflect the diversity of higher education in the United States.  

    “I am honored to be part of the next phase of ACUPCC work’s to help society address climate change in positive and proactive ways,” Huddleston...

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  • One of Greatest Living Historians Presents UNH Dunfey Lecture Oct. 18

    Natalie Zemon DavisNatalie Zemon Davis, who is considered who is considered one of the greatest living historians, will present the 2012 Dunfey lecture Thursday, Oct. 18, discussing how slaves and masters in 18th century Suriname communicated with each other.

    "Dealing with Strangeness: Language and Information Flow in an Early Modern Slave Society" will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. in MUB, Theatre I. The lecture is free and open to the public.

    According to Jeffry Diefendorf, professor of history and the Pamela Shulman Professor of European and Holocaust Studies, Davis was the second woman elected as president of the American Historical Association. 

    “The election of Davis marked both the greater influence of women historians in our profession and the rising interest in micro-history....

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  • Political Views Trump Facts for Some on Climate Change, New UNH Research Finds

    For some people, scientific facts help determine what they believe about an issue. But for others, political views trump scientific facts and determine what information they will accept as true. It’s a phenomenon that is particularly prevalent on the issue of climate change.  

    These are among the research findings presented by Lawrence Hamilton, professor of sociology, in the article, “Did the Arctic ice recover? Demographics of true and false climate facts.” The article is available online now in the journal Weather, Climate, and Society.

    “Science education and outreach efforts commonly aim to communicate basic information that underlies scientific conclusions. An information-to-conclusions ordering follows the natural logic of science, but it fares less well with public opinion on politicized topics...

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  • Angel Investor Market in Steady Recovery, UNH Center for Venture Research Finds

    Jeffrey SohlThe angel investor market in the first two quarters of 2012 showed signs of steady recovery since the correction in the second half of 2008 and the first half of 2009, with total investments at $9.2 billion, an increase of 3.1 percent over the same period in 2011, according to the Center for Venture Research at UNH. 

    A total of 27,280 entrepreneurial ventures received angel funding during the first half of 2012, a 3.7 percent increase from the same period in 2011, and the number of active investors in Q1 and Q2 2012 was 131,145 individuals, a 5 percent increase from Q1 and Q2 2011. The increase in total dollars and the matching increase in total investments resulted in an average deal size of $336,390 in the first half of 2012, comparable to the deal size in the same period in 2011 of $338,400. 

    “These...

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  • Grant Demonstrates Positive Outcomes for Youth with Autism in N.H., Maine

    A collaborative study from the universities of New Hampshire and Maine has found that youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) benefitted significantly from a family-centered transition services model, with 90 percent of participants finding employment after high school. 

    In a randomized experimental trial, researchers found that, during the first year, youth with ASD who received services through the Family-Centered Transition Project (FCTP) had significantly higher student expectations for the future, parent expectations for the future, self-determination, and vocational decision-making ability than a control group. 

    “FCTP’s process has been proven effective and results in good transition outcomes,” said David Hagner, project director with the UNH Institute on Disability (IOD). “About 90 percent of the students who participated in our first project have obtained employment since graduating from high school.”

    Results of the study were published in the...

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  • Siobhan Senier Begins Full Term Hayes Chair

    This story first appeared in the fall 2012 Center for Humanities newsletter.

    Siobhan SenierIn September, Siobhan Senier, associate professor of English, began a full-term appointment as the James H. Hayes and Claire Short Hayes Professor of the Humanities, commonly known as the Hayes Chair. Through the end of academic year 2016, Senier will continue her work on the literature and culture of Native people in New Hampshire and throughout New England.

    “In 2011, New Hampshire convened the first Commission on Native American Affairs to recognize and promote the historic and cultural contributions of Native Americans to the state and to further the needs of New Hampshire’s Native American community through state policy and programs. So this is an auspicious moment for UNH, as the state’s...

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  • Safety Training Pays Off: Fire Extinguisher Training Testimonial

    On June 29, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety sponsored live fire extinguisher training for the UNH community.  One of the 153 people who participated had to put that training into use at home:

    “I wanted to let you know that I attended the fire extinguisher training at UNH on June 29. I went because I’d always wanted to know what it was like to use one, without having to use one. It sounded like fun. The training was well done and I appreciated the opportunity. You made it very easy to attend.  

    Then last Friday, the wall socket behind my dryer burst into flames and I had to put out a fire. Everything worked exactly as it should have, and by the time the fire department arrived, they only needed to bring in fans to pull all of the smoke out of the house. Having had an opportunity to be trained meant I didn’t have to try to read instructions or worry I was going to do it wrong. Under no circumstances could I have read those instructions...

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  • Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes Summary Sept. 10, 2012

    I.  Roll – The following senators were absent:  Fagerberg, Kazura, Scherr, and Simos.  Guests were John Aber, Terri Winters and Sonic Woytonik.

    II.  Remarks by and questions to the provost – The provost said that President Huddleston will come to the Faculty Senate meeting on October 8.  The president and the provost meet with the senate chair and vice chair on a monthly basis.  The provost and the president have just been attending a Board of Trustee retreat where strategic updates were presented from each USNH institution.  The provost said that the president gave strong support to UNH faculty in his presentation and also stated that UNH will sustain its traditional commitment to high quality undergraduate instruction, select excellence in graduate education, research and competitive excellence.  The provost said that today the senate...

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  • NSF Grants of $947,000 Help UNH Professor Boost Ethanol Efficiency

     Xiaowei Teng, assistant professor of chemical engineering, has received two National Science Foundation grants totaling nearly $1 million to improve the efficiency of ethanol oxidation fuel cell reactions.  

    “With these grants, we’re trying to promote ethanol as a future renewable fuel in the power generation industry,” says Teng. “Our research tries to target the most efficient way to burn it.”  

    Fuel cells, far more efficient than internal combustion engines, are emerging as a way to generate electricity from chemical energy; they are much like batteries in their function. Ethanol, which has been added to gasoline for use in autos, is at least four times more efficient in fuel cell reactions than in internal combustion engines. While hydrogen is the best-studied fuel in fuel cell reactions, ethanol presents several advantages.  

    “It’s less toxic compared to other fuels, and it can be obtained from a renewable...

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  • Irving Oil President Discusses North American Energy Trends at CEO Forum Oct. 11

    The president of Irving Oil will discuss the changing energy landscape in North America, with particular focus on oil and gas and the refining business, at the next meeting of the UNH CEO Forum. 

    The event will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012. The program begins at 8 a.m. in Huddleston Hall with coffee and networking, with a full breakfast at 8:30 a.m. 

    Mike Ashtar is president of Irving Oil, and since July 2008, he has led the company’s refining, commercial, and marketing operations. He is the former executive vice president of Suncor Energy where he managed operations and major capital growth projects. Ashtar holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and economics, a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, and an MBA from the University of Toronto.  

    Irving Oil, founded in 1924 by K.C. Irving, is a family-owned and privately held regional energy processing, transporting, and marketing company headquartered in Saint John, New...

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  • UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites via Satellite

    Researchers from UNH have been awarded funds from NASA’s Space Archaeology program to investigate the transition of indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures in the U.S. Great Lakes region to agricultural-based communities prior to European contact between AD 1200-1600.  

    The three-year, $365,698 project will be conducted by principal investigator Michael Palace of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space (EOS) Earth Systems Research Center (ESRC), co-investigator Meghan Howey of the department of anthropology, and post-doctoral researcher Crystal McMichael of ESRC.  

    The focus of the study will be to determine if “micrometeorological lake effects” around major inland lakes contributed to settlement and development of prehistoric agriculture by creating favorable conditions for an extended growing season.  

    To verify the lake effects, the researchers will use ten years of satellite “remotely sensed” imagery from two identical...

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  • Carsey Director Search Announced

    Dear Colleagues,

    We are pleased to announce the creation of a search committee for the new director of the Carsey Institute. This is the first step in the important process to recruit, review, and recommend candidates for the next director.  The goal is to appoint someone to continue and expand on the excellent leadership provided by Interim Director Bruce Mallory and Mil Duncan prior to Mallory’s appointment.  

    The search committee includes: 

    Rosemary Caron, associate professor of health management and policy

    Mark Ducey, professor of forest biometrics

    Kevin Gardner, professor of civil engineering and environmental research group

    Curt Grimm, deputy director of the Carsey Institute

    Ken Johnson, professor of sociology and Carsey Institute researcher

    David Pillemer, professor of psychology

    Erin Sharp, assistant professor of family studies

    Sally Ward, professor of sociology (chair)

    Tim Allison, UNH...

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  • NSF Grant Will Create Network to Prepare Roads, Bridges for Changing Climate

    flooding

    On very high tides along the New Hampshire coast, this causeway is almost submerged, illustrating the importance of infrastructure engineers to collaborate with climate scientists.
    Credit: Steve Miller, Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. 

    As our climate changes, will roadways built to withstand New England winters hold up to increasingly normal Maryland-like summers?  If sea levels rise, will ships still be able to pass under bridges? How will the bridges themselves survive more powerful storms?  

    A new National Science Foundation grant led by researchers from UNH hopes to jumpstart our ability to answer these questions by bridging...

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  • UNH Receives Outstanding Community Tree Farm Award

    tree measuring

    Steve Eisenhaure, land use coordinator in UNH’s Woodlands and Natural Areas Office, measures a white pine at UNH’s Woodman Farm. Credit: Victoria Forester Courtland, UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture.

    UNH has been named Outstanding Community Tree Farm by the New Hampshire Tree Farm Committee for its role as a working forest that serves to educate the public on sustainable forestry. Steve Eisenhaure, land use coordinator in the Woodlands and Natural Areas Office, and Jon Wraith, dean of UNH’s College of Life Sciences and Agriculture (COLSA), accepted the award last month at the New Hampshire Tree Farm field day in Lyme. 

    “The New Hampshire Tree Farm Committee is truly...

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  • Visiting Scholar Discusses “The Origin of the Elements” at UNH Oct. 18

    Wick HaxtonWick Haxton, professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar at UNH, will peer back to the first instants following the Big Bang to discuss “The Origin of the Elements” in a public lecture Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012. The lecture, at 4 p.m. in Parsons N104, is co-sponsored by the physics department and the UNH Beta of New Hampshire chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. 

    “The astronomer uses a telescope to look back in time, gathering the light emitted from the surfaces of distant stars, eons ago. The chemical elements are another important tool for ‘cosmic archeology,’ allowing us to look back to the first instants after the Big Bang. In this lecture I discuss the puzzle of why there is any matter at all in our universe – why isn’t the universe void, consisting...

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