2008-09 News Releases

September 2008

Reception for University Professorships and Presidential Chairs

President Mark W. Huddleston and Provost and executive vice president Bruce L. Mallory invite members of the campus community to a reception honoring the recipients of the University Professorship and Presidential Chair appointments, Sept. 23, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the University Museum of Art, Paul Creative Arts Center.

Four professors have been honored for their outstanding contributions in their fields and to the university community. Mathematics professor Kevin Short has been named a University Professor. Professors Martin Lee, physics; William McDowell, natural resources; and Janet Polasky, history; have received Presidential Chair appointments.

The recipients of the University Professorship and the Presidential Chairs represent the high level of excellence for which UNH is known and further the university’s efforts to attract and retain talented faculty. Presidential Chairs are a new way to recognize faculty members’ many contributions and years of service. Funds for these awards are made available by the generosity of alumni and private donors through the UNH Foundation.

Physics Senior Wrote Computer Code for Eagerly Anticipated Large Hadron Collider

When the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator that is the world’s most eagerly anticipated physics experiment, starts up near Geneva, Switzerland, tomorrow (Sept. 10, 2008), a University of New Hampshire undergraduate will be among the 7,000 scientists worldwide to claim credit for the creation of this landmark scientific instrument. Austin Purves, a senior physics major from Silver Spring, Md., worked on ATLAS, one of two general-purpose detectors of the LHC and, at 7,000 tons, the largest volume particle detector ever constructed.

On a collision ourse with scientific history

Ice Age Lesson Predicts a Faster Rise in Sea Level

If the lessons being learned by scientists about the demise of the last great North American ice sheet are correct, estimates of global sea level rise from a melting Greenland ice sheet may be seriously underestimated.

Writing this week (Aug. 31) in the journal Nature Geoscience, a team of researchers led by UW-Madison geologist Anders Carlson reports that sea level rise from greenhouse-induced warming of the Greenland ice sheet could be double or triple current estimates over the next century. In addition to Carlson one of the co-authors of the study, which was funded primarily by the National Science Foundation is Joseph M. Licciardi of the University of New Hampshire.

James Hall Closed for Renovation

Work has begun on James Hall which will undergo complete restoration during the next year as well as the construction of a new 14,000-square-foot addition that will increase the square footage of the building from about 60,000 to about 75,000.

 The $25.5 million project is the first at UNH to seek LEED certification.

August 2008

Karen L. Von Damm
1955-2008

Karen Von Damm, a full professor and world-renowned researcher in marine geochemistry at the University of New Hampshire, passed away at her home in Durham, NH, on August 15, 2008.  She was 53 years old.

Karen was a world renowned geoscientist whose research contributed significantly to our basic understanding of the chemistry of the ocean.  She will be sorely missed by the many friends, colleagues, and students who knew her.  We have developed a short memorial web page at http://www.unh.edu/esci/von_damm.html. A more detailed tribute to Karen can be found at www.unols.org/committees/dessc/Karen_VonDamm.html.

UNH Tech Camp Inspires Innovation

“The UNH Tech Camp is just one way that the College is trying to develop a stronger people pipeline for the technical industries of the State and the region,“ commented Robert Henry, associate dean for the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.  “There are not many opportunities in New Hampshire for students to get hands-on experiences that are related to these careers.  The two-week UNH Tech Camp tries to address both of these issues with hopes to expand in the near future.”

DeMeritt Hall, Home of the Physics Department, Ready for Students

The new DeMeritt Hall isn’t much bigger than the one built in 1913 with money secured by its namesake Albert DeMeritt, but differences between the two buildings are huge.

“It’s about quality of space,” says Doug Bencks, university architect and director of Campus Planning. “The building is designed to give us what we need for the next 100 years.”

July 2008

UNH Internship Program Benefits the EPA nationwide ENERGY STAR Challenge

Together with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), UNH Pollution Prevention Internship Program works to help New England communities join the Community Energy Challenge by benchmarking their town building and municipal facilities.

UNH Gets Nod for $12.6M NanoTech Grant

NSF has recommeded the renewal of a $12.6 million, five-year grant for the Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing based at UNH, Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Bits Go a Long Way in Terms of Salary

It's no secret that technology jobs are hot!. "It's starting to get crazy again," Phil Hatcher, UNH chair and professor in Computer Science, said. "There simply are not enough graduates now to fill the demand."

Across the country, tech jobs average incomes around $80,000 annually, while Granite Staters average $65,500. Starting salaries hover around $50,000 in New Hampshire, so it comes as a surprise that there is a shortage of graduates matriculating with technology degrees. (www.fosters.com)

Database Training a Boost in Current Job Market

Unlike many graduates facing today's uncertain markets, UNH master's student in Computer Science, Sam Vohr, is virtually assured a job. That's because Vohr, and other computer science majors, will be entering a job market where demand for those with tech-training has far outpaced supply.

"I want to continue with things that keep me interested," Vohr explained during an interview Wednesday. "I get probably two or three emails a week from (professors) updating us on jobs postings companies have filed with the college.There are a lot of different options with this degree," Vohr added. "It's most important that it's interesting." (www.fosters.com)

UNH Undergrad Team Wins Rocket Payload Contest

Its no secret that making it smaller has become a gold standard in technology, and good spacecraft design is no exception. During the recent 2008 International CanSat Competition held in Amarillo Texas, UNH's 10-student team was the only one whose "satellite in a can" met all the various design criteria for the payload. Devices had to measure and transmit the tiny changes in atmospheric pressure encountered during a half-mile-high flight and use them to deploy a parachute, descend at a particular rate to a particular place, dump the parachute and then stand up, all on its own.