Andres Del Aguila

Aspiring architects propose alternatives to border wall

“A wall will not only divide two neighboring countries, but two cultures and alliances that have been shared throughout the history of both nations,” Nicole Zollner said during a presentation on creating a “shared city born out of boundaries.” On Wednesday, students in UNM’s School of Architecture and Planning presented alternatives to President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall, such as renewable energy to drone patrols. UNM assistant professor Ane Gonzalez said she chose this topic to challenge her students to think about the “role of architects” in solving social and political problems.

A glimpse into the life of an APD Sergeant

“We are not going to go home until we figure or find out who killed that little girl,” Albuquerque Police Sergeant Hollie Anderson said, recalling a case where she worked for 36 hours to solve the murder of girl who died in a drive-by shooting. “It takes a lot of dedication and the cops here are willing to do it.” Anderson solved murders as a homicide detective from 2011 to 2015. Now, as a Sergeant, she leads her own team out in the field. With 20 cases under her belt, Anderson has a 90 percent solve rate and a 100 percent conviction rate. “I really enjoy this job,” she said. “It’s way more than I had ever expected. And I have been happy my entire career.” When she was in the homicide unit, Anderson said her team had the “highest solve rate in the nation to go along with the high homicide rate.”

Truvada: A ‘game changer’ in the fight against HIV/ AIDS

In the ongoing fight to end the HIV/ AIDS epidemic, healthcare providers are beginning to prescribe a pill that acts as a bulwark against the disease by decreasing the chance of infection by 99 percent if taken every day, according to clinical trials. Truvada, also known as PREP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), is a combination of two anti-retroviral drugs that block an enzyme which fuses the HIV virus with a person’s DNA. The pill also prevents HIV replication in the bloodstream, which ultimately leads to the virus’ death. “Truvada is a game changer,” said Student Health and Counseling Executive Director James Wilterding. “It has been proven to decrease transmission rates. We have seen in the United States that it has been so effective that, in the past year, most healthcare plans have started paying for Truvada.”

Journalism students prepare for an evolving industry

As the news industry evolves alongside technological advancements, students in the UNM Communication and Journalism department are honing their multimedia and mobile reporting skills to meet the demands of future employers. Kate Nash Cunningham, a distinguished print journalist and UNM professor, said journalists must have the ability to portray a story on multiple platforms. “It used to be in journalism that students would go and write for the newspaper, and that was it,” she said. “You would go to the City Council, write the story, file it and go home. Now, a student who is working for a news organization or writing for their own blog, not only are they writing a story for deadline, they are going to be live tweeting, taking photos, sending video and audio.”

Several businesses suffering from ART

“No one wants to be on Central, not even the students,” Olympia Café owner Charlie Akkad said, frustrated over the restaurant’s 30 percent drop in revenue since the start of ART construction. “Mayor Richard Berry should have represented the people -- [ART] is a hindrance and it’s going at a snail’s pace.” Many owners and managers of local restaurants along Central Avenue echoed Akkad’s frustrations. Since the start of the project, many businesses in the area have experienced consistent drops in revenue, requiring them to cut hours and work with a smaller staff to prevent layoffs.

Trump’s proposed budget creates uneasy future for public media

In an effort to rein in federal spending, Donald Trump proposed an “America First” budget that slashes $54 billion from numerous federal departments and programs, including the elimination of funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. KUNM, a public radio station that originated on UNM’s campus, faces a $251,825 cut to its budget if Trump’s budget is passed. The cut represents 12 percent of the station’s $2 million annual budget, which is primarily funded by donors.

Community utilizes social media to combat rise in auto thefts

Auto theft is on the rise in Albuquerque, resulting in thousands of victims in recent years, many of whom are taking on an active role to combat the issue by utilizing social media to spread information on stolen vehicles and seek help from the online community. Albuquerque nearly tops the chart for being the worst city in the country for auto theft, closely following Modesto, California, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. An Information of Public Records request revealed that 7,351 cases of auto theft were reported in 2016, a 62 percent increase from when the trend began in 2012.

UNM researchers win $7 Million Air Force contract

Students in the School of Engineering are set to play an integral role in an Air Force project that seeks to create next-generation material and technology to improve space satellites. Cosmiac, a research center at the School of Engineering, received a $7 million 5-year contract with the Air Force to research, design and test semiconductor materials for electronics that can survive the harsh conditions of space. “This is a major project — one of the largest research contracts that the School of Engineering has ever received — and it is another great example of the strength of UNM as a top-tier research institution,” said Engineering School Dean Joseph Cecchi.

Students learn about racism, history in lecture to infer on race relations in 2017

Barack Obama’s historic election in 2008 signaled to many a post-race era. However, students in the Community Regional Planning Department at UNM doubt that assertion and are taught that Trump’s presidency ushered in an era signified by an increase in racial tension. The department hosted an “Understanding Trumpism through Racism and Whiteness” lecture for their Tuesday installment of Teach Week, a project set to teach students who voluntarily attend to oppose Trump’s agenda.

Locals rally to thank local politicians for opposing Trump agenda, supporting Planned Parenthood

Around two dozen New Mexicans gathered in downtown Albuquerque Wednesday to praise New Mexico’s U.S. Congressional Democrats for resisting the agenda set by President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans. Sen. Martin Heinrich, Sen. Tom Udall, Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan have been vocal members of the local opposition, having denounced Trump’s appointees, immigration policies and Congressional Republicans’ efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.

Sergeant Hollie Anderson starts off a 10-hour shift by reviewing cases in her office on Friday morning.