New Mexico State University will celebrate its newly achieved Carnegie R1 institution status during its annual Research and Creativity Week, which kicks off Wednesday, April 23.

This year's Research and Creativity Week will take place through April 29 and feature more than 25 events on and off campus, including thesis exhibitions, film screenings, concerts and a metal-pouring demonstration. More than 500 people are expected to participate in this year's events and activities, which offer an increased focus on the arts and celebrating the contributions of undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate researchers, all organized around the main theme of Ascent to R1.

"Becoming a Carnegie R1 institution is an achievement worthy of a weeklong celebration," said Luis Cifuentes, NMSU vice president of research, creativity and economic development. "This transformational moment in NMSU's history belongs to the faculty, students, and staff whose creativity, scholarship and dedication made it possible. Let's honor their work, and our collective future, together."

"RCW 2025 provides numerous opportunities for members of the public to explore the research and creativity being conducted by NMSU researchers that has implications for the wider society and offers the public the chance to engage with researchers about their work," said Aubrey Iglesias, NMSU University Research Council chair and associate professor at the NMSU Library.

Among the week's highlights are Talitha Washington's keynote presentation, "Empowering the Next Generation to Drive Research and Innovation," hosted by the NMSU Office of Research, Creativity and Economic Development and NMSU Black Programs. Washington is the executive director of the Howard University Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics and a renowned mathematical scholar. Her presentation will take place from noon to 1 p.m. April 24 in the Corbett Center Student Union auditorium, second floor.

Keynote speaker Ramona Emerson, a Diné writer and filmmaker, will speak from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, at the University Art Museum, 1308 E. University Ave.

A panel discussion moderated by Cifuentes, titled "Ascent to R1: Which Path Will We Take?", will feature NMSU interim Provost Lakshmi Reddi; Chemical and Materials Engineering Professor Jessica Houston; Plant and Environmental Sciences Professor Niall Hanan; Elizabeth Horodowich, head of the Department of History; Michael Hout, associate dean for research in the College of Health, Education and Social Transformation; and NMSU Ph.D. student Samantha Escamilla.

Bertha A. Bermúdez Tapia, an assistant professor of sociology at NMSU, will lead a faculty plenary, "Devolution by Design: The Dismantling of Asylum and the Normalization of Violence at the U.S.-Mexico Border," from noon to 1 p.m. April 28 in the Doña Ana Room of the Corbett Center Student Union. Bermúdez Tapia's research focuses on the impacts of state power on migrant and border lives, and the reproduction of violence, especially on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Student research is also a large part of RCW. This year, 235 undergraduate students are scheduled to present at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Arts Symposium, while 130 graduate students will present their research at the Graduate Research and Arts Symposium, which will feature oral presentations, an open mic, art session lightning talks and poster presentations, with prizes awarded to the best presentations in each category. The awards ceremony will take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. April 28 at Pete's Patio, in Corbett Center Student Union.

To register for RCW and view the full schedule of events, click here. Events are free and open to the public, although some require registration.

For more information, visit https://research.nmsu.edu/Other/RCW/index.html. 

 The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-s-research-and-creativity-week-to-celebrate-ascent-to-r1/s/bea9b7d6-289a-4a9f-9bd0-aed8f13962ed