September 15, 2026

The first Faculty Lightning Lounge of the 2026-27 academic year will be held 3:30- 4:30 p.m. Sept. 23 in Centennial Engineering Center’s Stamm Commons.

Lightning Lounge gives faculty from a broad range of disciplines an opportunity to give short talks about their research, creative works, teaching or outreach. Time is available for questions during and after the event, and participants can meet new people, network and learn.

The event open to faculty, staff, students and community members. No RSVP is required.

This month’s presenters will be:

• Fernando Moreu, a professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, who will present “Advancing Human-Machine Interfaces for Workforce Health and Prosperity”
• Sara Curran Ice, an assistant professor of costume design, who will present “Exploring India’s Textiles”
• Fred Gibbs, an associate professor of history, who will present “Expertise, Trust and Ai in Historical Perspective”
• Diana Dragomir, an associate professor of physics and astronomy, who will present “Patient Planet Hunting: Finding the Worlds that Take Their Time.”

This month features two of the awardees of this year’s Research and Creative Works Leadership Awards, Moreu and Dragomir.

Lightning Lounge is hosted by ADVANCE at UNM, the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of the Vice President for Research. 

Those interested in presenting research, creative works, teaching or outreach or want to recommend someone, contact Christopher Lyons, assistant vice provost for faculty affairs, at clyons@unm.edu or advance@unm.edu.