4 HIDALGO COUNTY HERALD i FRIDAY, JANUARY 20 2012 DTMS Students of the Week Students of the Week at Dugan-Tarango Middle School are Matthew May, Breon Young and Joseph Gonzales.They are pictured above with Mr. Garcia. These Dogies display their certificates with pride. Courtesy photo WNMU biology professor awarded $273,000 National Science Foundation grant The project will involve col- laboration between Jost and WNMU chemistry professors Dr. Shawn White and Dr. Mahesh Pattabiraman. One aspect of the project involves determining the molecular structures of wasp venom molecules using 'the new mass spectrometry equipment acquired by the WNMU Natural Sciences Department in 2011 through a grant from the Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Foun- dation. "This new NSF grant isn't just about wasps and spiders," said Jost. "It's about cross-disciplin- ary collaboration, putting our new mass spec equipment to good use, and raising the capac- ity and standards of scientific re- search at WNMU. Most signifi- cantly, it will allow us to build a new, permanent molecular re- search lab in Harlan Hall, and give students some of the first oppor- tunities for molecular 'research and training that WNMU has ever offered." Over the 3-year course of the project, a rotation of up to six se- lected Natural Sciences students Submitted by ABE VILLARREAL/WNMU Silver City, NM - Biology Professor Dr. Manda Clair Jost has been awarded a competitive re- search grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that will bring more than a quarter of a million dollars to Western New Mexico University over a period of three'years. The award will fund an original research project exploring the ecological, evolu- tionary, and molecular interac- tions between spider-wasps in New Mexico and the spiders they hunt in order to feed their own offspring. It will also fund the creation and equipping of a new shared-use molecular biology lab facility at WNMU for both fac- ulty and student research. "Most people have seen the big black wasps known as taran- tula hawks," said Jost. "But what many people don't know is that there may be up to a hundred dif- ferent species of these wasps in New Mexico, each with their own specialized venoms that help them paralyze the spiders they prey on." will participate each semester in paid research training, fieldwork, data collection, and travel to sci- entific conferences to present their findings. "The development of the re- search laboratory associated with this grant will allow students the opportunity to develop a wide range of molecular biology tech- niques used to compare organ- isms," said Dr. Jeffrey Hill, Natu- ral Sciences Department Chair. "More importantly this lab will allow undergraduate students to be involved in research of the kind required for advanced gradu- ate degrees and widely used by land management agencies like the Forest Service." Spider-wasps, which belong to the wasp family Pompilidae, possess chemically simple ven- oms that are used to paralyze spi= ders such as tarantulas, wolf-spi- ders, and orb-weavers, which are then kept alive and used as food provisions for the wasps' own parasitic larvae. Wasp venoms are specialized to interact with the spiders' nervous systems, and it is believed that some spiders may have evolved partial or complete resistance to wasp venoms, prompting the wasps in turn to evolve more effective venom tox- ins - a process that biologists call an "evolutionary arms race". Perhaps the best-known spi- der-wasp is the large local spe- cies Pepsis formosa, the "taran- tula hawk", which in 1989 was declared the official New Mexico state insect as a result of a cam- paign led by elementary school students in Edgewood, NM. the DOCJItOUSE? Central students read 100k words Ange!o Moreno and Angel Hernandez have each read 100,000 words at Central Elementary School. Courtesy photo Souhwet Gifts & We cnM /tel? re; 00,ou out/ 575.542.8880 • Tuition hikes jeopardize New Mexico Lottery Schc,,00]rship Fund Submitted by NM VOICES FOR CHILDREN/Albuquerque With the state's vast network of universities, 'community col- leges, and branch campuses-- coupled with relatively low tu- ition and the lottery scholar- ship--a post-secondary educa- tion in New Mexico has been • rela- tively inexpensive. But the reces- sion and changes in the state bud- get have made college much less affordable. Moreover, tuition hikes have squeezed the state's lottery scholarship fund. Those are some of the main conclusions from a report 're- leased today by New Mexico Voices for Children, "Higher Edu- cation Expenditures and College Affordability in New Mexico." "The lottery scholarship has been a great success in making a college education possible for New Mexicans," said Gerry Bra- dley, NM Voices' Research Direc- Lordsburg Sc 0000)ols breakfast/Lunch Menu Monday, January 23 Breakfast Quesadilla Salsa Juice Asst. Lowfat Milk Lunch Hamburger Tator Tots Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles Fresh Fruit Asst. Lowfat Milk Tuesday, January 24 Breakfast Sausage On a Stick Juice Asst. Lowfat Milk Lunch Corn Chip Pie Corn Tossed Salad Chilled Pears Asst. Lowfat Milk Wednesday, January 25 Breakfast Peanut Butter & Uncrustable Juice Asst. Lowfat Milk Lunch Lasagna Salad w/Dressing Breadstick Orange Wedges Asst. Lowfat Milk Thursday, January 26 Breakfast Sausage Biscuit Jelly Juice Asst. Lowfat Milk. Lunch Turkey Gravy over Mashed Pota- toes Green Beans School Roll Pumpkin Cake w/Topping Asst. Lowfat Milk Friday, January 27 Breakfast Breakfast Pizza Juice Asst. Lowfat Milk Jelly Lunch Comfy Dog Ranch Style Beans Veggies w/Ranch Apple Asst. Lowfat Milk tor and report author. "But by the state's own reckoning, the fund will near depletion in 2015 even if tuition is not raised again," he added. The report shows that while more future jobs will require some college education, New Mexico is actually graduating fewer high schoolers. And, while the onset of the recession has led to an increase in college enroll- ment, the state has steadily de- creased the amount of money it spends on a per-student basis. "Lawmakers did not have to deal with the budget shortfalls Of the last few years by cutting fund- ing to programs like higher edu- cation. Instead of raising tuition at a time when more and more people need to improve their edu- cation and job skills, lawmakers could have chosen to raise new revenue. But they forced the col- leges to raise the revenue from students," Bradley added. One of the recommendations in the report is to make the lot- tery scholarship based on need so that it is available, only to students " who could not afford to attend college without it. The report is available . online at: http:// www.nmvoices.org/wp-content/ uploads/2012/01/Higher-Ed-in- NM-12-1 l.pdf Central students read 500k words Ryan Roybal and Brooklyn Kempton have each read 500,000 words at Central Elementary School. Courtesy photo Central Students of the Month Congratulations to Damien Nava, Cody Barka, Stephanie Rendon, and Katie Martinez on being selected as Student of the month at Central Elementary School for December 2011. Courtesy photo ELBROCK DRILLING, LLC We now P, O Box -- accept . . O1 Mostercard & Animas, New Mexico 88020 (575) 548-2429 NM License #WD806 .. ! I   ", AZ License #WD676 1 .  AZ ROC Category # C-53 15,001,265 SEPTIC TANK SERVICES [] Septic Tank Installation [] Septic Tank Pumping & Inspections [] Portable Toilet Rentals & Service. 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