UNM Grand Challenge Undergraduate Water and Climate Science Communication Fellowship Presentations

The University of New Mexico, Explora

UNM Grand Challenge Undergraduate Water and Climate Science Communication Fellowship Presentations

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SAVE THE DATE!

Join us for a double‑header showcase featuring UNM’s Undergraduate Water & Climate Science Communication Fellows-students who transform cutting‑edge water and climate research into creative, engaging communication projects for the public.

Friday, April 17, 2026

1:00 – 4:00 PM (UROC)

6:00 – 9:00 PM (Explora Adult Night)

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About the Fellowship

The UNM Grand Challenge Water and Climate Science Communication Fellowship pairs undergraduate students with mentors who study water or climate to develop a communications project based on their mentor’s research.

This year’s cohort includes:

  • 16 fellows

  • 12 different majors & 8 minors

  • 15 mentors

Student names, project titles, majors, and mentors appear below. Presentation order will be shared as the date approaches.


Event Schedule

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Conference (UROC)

Friday, April 17, 2026
1:00 – 4:00 PM MT
UNM Student Union Building Acoma A/B

No registration required!

Zoom Option: 

https://unm.zoom.us/j/97334407809?pwd=0apBAUXWBX4zlKbyCaWayUbQusCEct.1
Meeting ID: 973 3440 7809
Passcode: scicomm


Explora Adult Night – SciComm Fellows Showcase

Friday, April 17, 2026
6:00 – 9:00 PM MT
Explora Science Center & Children’s Museum

Link to tickets: https://www.explora.us/programs/adult-night/

Specific presentation times will be posted soon.


Acknowledgement

This program is generously supported by the US EPA Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program and the UNM ARID Institute.


2026 Fellows & Projects

Student Name Major Project Mentor
Alexandra Anaya Communication Rio Rally Guidebook Jeff Tuttle, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority
Amelia Martinez Civil Engineering Portfolio One: A Quest for Water Diane Agnew, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority
Andres Sanchez Environmental Design Building Tomorrow’ Home Maryam Hojati, UNM Civil Engineering
Angie Grace Espinosa Civil Engineering Spreading the Birds’ Word Amos Arber, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority
Anna Cao Economics Voices from the Field: Agricultural Water Users’Preferences for Water Conservation Programsin the Middle Rio Grande Basin  Jingjing Wang, UNM Economics
Annabelle Fleming Architecture Your Water, Your Voice Sara Fox, New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission
Arlette Guerrero Biochemistry The Rio Grande in Our Backyard:A Community Calendar onFloodplain Carbon Science Marisa Repasch, UNM Earth and Planetary Sciences
Demetrius Johnson Electrical Engineering Tsoodził (Mount Taylor, Diné kéhji),Kàwêeshtima (Mount Taylor, Keres), áádóó (and)Łéétsoh Bahane’ (the story of uranium) Thomas De Pree, UNM Civil Engineering
Gianna Benelli Civil Engineering A Sponge City: Expanding Infrastructurefor Rainwater Harvesting in New Mexico Morika Vorenberg Hensley, Santa Fe Watershed Association
Isabella Mendez Anthropology Wack the Jetty Jacks! Jancoba Dorely, Bureau of Reclamation
Katrina Frazier Civil Engineering Every Drop Counts Allyson McGaughey, UNM Civil Engineering
Maximus Esquibel Chemical Engineering New Mexico Elevation Gradient Board Marcy Litvak, UNM Biology
Nicolai Morford-Oberst Biochemistry What’s in my water? Sebastian Medina, UNM Pharmacy
Noel Candelaria History Nosedive in the 505: Air Quality Edition Sofia Martinez, Los Jardines Institute
Shin Thant Hlaing Political Science “Sinking Land” in Estancia, Land Subsidenceand Aquifer Depletion Eric Lindsey, UNM Earth and Planetary Sciences
Willow Cunningham Biology Postcards for Data Marcy Litvak, UNM Biology

 

Date And Time

2026-04-17
 

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