Loughran’s research on the Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) demonstrates that for these snakes, body size most critically determines their daily “schedule” and survival. Juvenile snakes possess a much higher surface-area-to-volume ratio than adults, meaning their outer skin area is large compared to their overall body mass. As a result, they heat up and cool down more quickly.

Eastern Washington’s volatile climate brings dramatic temperature swings between dawn and dusk, forcing these snakes to operate within much narrower safety windows. Loughran’s thermal modeling shows that an adult snake can use its mass to buffer against a sudden spike in solar radiation or intense sunlight. However, a younger snake can overheat lethally in just minutes. This high-stakes balancing act forces younger generations to adjust where they hide and when they hunt prey.

In addition to thermal biology, Loughran’s work challenged the belief that rattlesnakes are strictly solitary except during winter hibernation. “Field observations show the consistent use of communal shedding sites—specific geological features called ‘shed rocks,’ Loughran explained.

This is where dozens of snakes gather to shed their skin, a process called ecdysis. These sites are not chosen at random but represent essential social and biological hubs. The snakes return to them year after year, a behavior known as site fidelity. This site fidelity suggests a more complex social organization than previously understood in herpetology—the study of reptiles and amphibians. “It points toward a shared environmental intelligence among local populations,” Loughran said. By documenting these gatherings, Loughran shows that the biological needs of these reptiles often drive them toward communal behaviors once thought reserved for only a few social animal species.

Loughran conducted extensive research on lizard heat-stress physiology during his time at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and has published several papers on the topic. He investigated how lizards use panting as a thermoregulatory tool and found that a species’ capacity for evaporative cooling, which reflects the thermal demands of its habitat, can affect its climate risk differently.

Loughlan is also working with colleagues to develop a project investigating the effects of solar farms on wildlife microclimates; he also recently authored a review paper with colleagues, which was just published in the journal Biological Reviews.

Loughran has also applied for a grant to study how climate change affects the Gila’s local snake populations. He views his ongoing work in the Pacific Northwest as a foundation for future local projects involving �鶹ֱ�� students. Additionally, Loughran is in contact with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and is hoping his findings can eventually inform their conservation strategies.

The post SSSlithering Toward Survival: �鶹ֱ�� Professor’s Research Unlocks the SSSecrets of Rattlesnake Resilience appeared first on Western New Mexico University.

Kinesiology, the science of human movement, is divided into two specialized pillars at �鶹ֱ��: exercise physiology and sport psychology. Peltonen, an expert in exercise physiology and a former professional bicycle racer, focuses on the body’s physical responses to exertion. Sato specializes in the psychosocial aspects of movement, exploring how mental performance and motivation influence both elite athletes and everyday individuals.

“Our students aren’t just reading about health; they are leading it,” said Peltonen. Through a collaboration with the Western Institute of Lifelong Learning (WILL), �鶹ֱ�� offers the Get Fit Seniors program. The 12-week exercise course allows top kinesiology students to act as lead instructors for older adults, gaining invaluable leadership skills while translating academic theory into life-changing results for participants.

The program’s reach extends to Silver City’s youth through the “�鶹ֱ�� Kids’ Bicycle Program.” Meeting at Regent Square, local elementary students gather for seven weeks each semester to learn the joy of movement, guided by �鶹ֱ�� students who gain experience in youth physical education and motor development.

�鶹ֱ�� faculty is also challenging the traditional separation of mind and body. “There is not a system in the human body that physical activity does not have a positive benefit on,” Peltonen explained, noting that exercise can even increase brain mass in the hippocampus, slowing cognitive decline.

Sato echoed this holistic view, emphasizing that movement supports social and psychological well-being. “We focus on how we can encourage people to stay active, whether they are elite athletes needing mental support for competition or individuals recovering from illness who need to relearn basic motor skills like walking or holding a cup,” said Sato.

Despite its modest size, the Kinesiology program uses sophisticated equipment to prepare students for graduate-level research. Students have access to a metabolic cart to measure VO2 max—a primary indicator of cardiovascular fitness—and resting metabolic rates. This data-driven approach allows students to analyze real-world performance metrics, such as cardiometabolic status and lipid levels, particularly within the senior population they serve.

Furthermore, the faculty is dedicated to combating health misinformation. In an era of “old wives’ tales”—such as the myth that running is inherently bad for knees or that humans have a “limited number of heartbeats”—�鶹ֱ�� professors teach students how to navigate peer-reviewed literature to find the facts.

“We practice what we teach,” said Peltonen. “We aren’t just talking about it; we are out there running, biking, and living it. That passion is what we pass on to our students,” Sato added.

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Western New Mexico University (�鶹ֱ��) conducted its annual spring symposium in late April; the two-day event showcased academic excellence, creative scholarship and the diverse research initiatives of the university’s faculty and students. The event provided a comprehensive platform for the university community to engage with emerging insights on topics from local historical preservation to advancements in environmental science.

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While most histories mark the 13th Amendment as the end of slavery, Hernandez’s research reveals that Southwest New Mexico maintained exploitative methods like slavery and domestic servitude involving Indigenous peoples for nearly a century afterward. Backed by archival records and oral histories, the book exposes how displaced or orphaned Indigenous individuals were forced into local households and ranches under conditions constituting illegal and unethical enslavement.

“As a scholar, I’m dedicated to emphasizing the “human element” of history—ensuring that the story of Silver City isn’t only about mining or other basic elements of economic development, but about the diverse people who built the town,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez emphasizes that understanding the region’s modern identity requires direct confrontation with this persistent legacy. His research aims to provide an honest, unvarnished account of the experiences of those marginalized and exploited, thereby expanding the common understanding of the Southwest’s development. “By centering the voices of the enslaved or those otherwise taken as captives, the work contests the sanitized versions of frontier progress often found in local lore,” Hernandez explained.

The book explores the complex transition of Silver City from a volatile, high-stakes mining camp into a settled community, noting that the “boom” eras frequently depended on oppressive labor systems that lacked even the most basic human rights protections.

Hernandez identifies specific legal loopholes and rigid social structures that allowed slavery and closely related practices to persist in the shadows of the law until the late 1970s, denoting a significant and jarring break from standard historical chronologies of American labor and civil rights.

“My research contends that Silver City’s evolution depended not only on mineral resources and other forms of economic development but also on coerced labor tied to the partial assimilation of Native Americans that persisted through major national shifts,” Hernandez said. He argues that a system of hidden ownership existed, with Indigenous people forced into domestic roles and stripped of identity, showing a broad failure of oversight. “The book’s findings are positioned to spark the needed community and statewide dialogue about reconciliation and historical truth,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez concludes that confronting the community’s foundational injustices is essential for healing and accurate remembrance. His study argues that these violations are not distant history, but a lived experience for many residents. This recency stresses the ethical obligation to examine and address the region’s past.

“Unpacking Silver City: Revealing the Rich Tapestry of a Historic Town,” by Bart Roselli, features chapters from �鶹ֱ�� professors Hernandez and Scott Fritz, and is available for purchase through several online book retailers.

Visit wnmu.edu for information about degree programs and class offerings.

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While many Western mining camps collapsed following commodity crashes, Silver City’s longevity was built on a foundation of accidental diversification and fierce political self-reliance.

In his research, notably featured in the book “Unpacking Silver City,” Fritz argues that while Silver City followed the classic “boom-to-bust” trajectory of the 1880s, it possessed unique stabilizers.

“Unlike towns like Georgetown or Gila, which relied on a single commodity, Silver City relied on two: mining and cattle,” Fritz explains. “I don’t know if the town purposely thought about diversifying, but it happened from its beginning in 1870.�� It quickly became a regional hub where its businesses serviced the needs of a growing number of mines and ranches in the area. These businesses included hardware stores, shipping companies, and general stores. Because of the nearby smelters, the town had many residents who needed daily provisions, helping to explain the existence of Chinese-owned restaurants and grocery businesses, butcher shops, and liquor and drug outlets.”

The results of this economic layering were further fortified by Silver City’s status as the Grant County a seat in 1871, the arrival of the railroad in 1883, and the 1893 establishment of the Territorial Normal School (now �鶹ֱ��). “Indeed, from the beginning of the school’s existence, students brought money into the community and back in this early period, when there was no such thing as a ‘university bookstore,’ students would buy their books from local shops on Bullard Street, like Blackwell’s book and music shop,” Fritz said.

A significant portion of Fritz’s work highlights “Merchants of Modernity”—business leaders who pushed the region into the 20th century. Chief among them was��Silver City’s own Elizabeth Warren, a pioneer who became the first certified female insurance agent in the New Mexico Territory.

After her husband’s death in 1887, Warren ran an insurance and notary business serving miners and ranchers. A born entrepreneur, Warren also ran several other businesses simultaneously.

When the city mandated cement sidewalks in 1906, Warren pivoted, co-founding a cement business to meet the new legal demand. Her name can still be found stamped in the vintage concrete of Silver City’s older neighborhoods.

Fritz also explored the social role of the general store as a “third place”—a community hub where different cultures intersected. From the 19th-century mercantile firms like Amador y Macias to the movie theaters of the 1930s, these businesses functioned as the city’s social glue.

His research was fueled by rare primary sources, including recently recovered student council minutes from the 1930s and assessor records salvaged by local officials. Fritz is currently advocating for the digitization of these archives—including �鶹ֱ�� yearbooks dating back to 1901—to ensure the town’s history of resilience remains accessible to future generations.

Fritz continues his research into local business history, including “tiendas” of Chihuahua Hill and minority-owned businesses.

“Unpacking Silver City: Revealing the Rich Tapestry of a Historic Town,” by Bart Roselli, features chapters from �鶹ֱ�� professors Fritz and Andrew Hernandez, and is available for purchase through several online book retailers.

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At the heart of��Ground Truthing��is a radical collaboration with the living world. Blanchette moves beyond traditional representation. She uses “biological participants”—specifically bacterial and yeast cultures (SCOBY)—grown with water drawn from the Gila River. By using these local water cultures, the artist lets the river act as a primary creator, not just a subject.

The exhibition features a striking mix of materials reflecting Silver City’s history. Blanchette pairs rocks from Boston Hill—a site known for its industrial mining legacy—with mycelium. Mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi, can reclaim and repair compromised soil. This pairing creates a dialogue between rigid extraction history and the flexible potential for healing.

For Blanchette, New Mexico’s visible environmental dualities sparked immediate interest. “Having the Gila Wilderness next to a mining town is interesting,” she said. “We have to extract to exist, but we can consider other ways to impact ecosystems.”

The aesthetic of��Ground Truthing��is defined by visceral, skin-like membranes. Blanchette uses hanging panels to show organic textures that metaphorically express the desert’s fragile state. These “skins” were as unpredictable as the environments they represent. During installation, several mycelium panels curled and twisted in reaction to Silver City’s arid, high-altitude air. Blanchette did not correct these movements. Instead, she embraced them, citing the unpredictability of living organisms as central to her method.

“I view these organic membranes as both a protective layer and a symbol of vulnerability,” Blanchette said. “You must be attuned to your materials to fit your concept, especially when working with natural materials.”

Blanchette also connected with local environmental organizations, including the Gila Resources Information Project (GRIP), as part of her research for the exhibition. This community-centric approach mirrors the unique culture she found during her time in the region. Compared to larger urban hubs, Blanchette noted a sense of real community in Silver City and a �鶹ֱ��. “It feels like there are more things happening here—a lot of community events. I’ve never experienced a community so close-knit before,” Blanchette said.

[Pictured: Lightboxes filled with water from the Gila River, spotlighting the live growth of SCOBY (bacteria and yeast cultures), lit from below.]

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This initiative addresses a critical need within the �鶹ֱ�� Department of Natural Sciences: the lack of specialized laboratory equipment required for advanced environmental research.��Despite being in one of the Southwest’s most ecologically diverse regions, students have historically faced limitations in conducting sophisticated onsite analysis.��The grant will fund the purchase of a��microbalance—a high-precision instrument accurate to within one microgram—and a��freeze dryer.

The project is led by��Professor of Chemistry, James Sanders, Ph.D., and Professor of Biology��Caleb Loughran, Ph.D. Sanders specializes in bioanalytical and environmental chemistry while Loughran’s research focuses on mapping the food webs of reptiles and amphibians in high desert ecosystems. Together, the professors supervise student researchers as they investigate how climate change, drought, and land-use shifts are altering the Gila ecoregion.

These tools are essential for preparing biological samples for stable isotope analysis, a foundational method used to track nutrient movement, food web structures, and environmental toxins.��“By bringing this preparation capability in-house, we will reduce research costs and turnaround times while ensuring students gain direct experience with professional-grade instrumentation,” said Sanders.

The equipment enables precise sample preparation required for external laboratory analysis, making it a critical step in student-led studies related to food web analysis, environmental toxicology, and ecosystem energy flow.

“By integrating stable isotope techniques into the biology, chemistry, and environmental science curricula, �鶹ֱ�� aims to equip approximately 100 student beneficiaries with highly marketable skills.��These analytical skills are in high demand across New Mexico’s scientific workforce, including roles in environmental consulting, public health, and agriculture,” Loughran said.

�鶹ֱ�� has established clear metrics to evaluate the success of this investment. The university will track:

• The annual number of students utilizing the new equipment for senior research projects.
• The number of graduating seniors who successfully secure employment in STEM fields or gain admission to graduate programs.
• Student contributions to professional dissemination, including peer-reviewed publications and presentations at regional meetings like the biennial Gila Symposium.

The project began in mid-January and ends January 2036.

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Since 2022, Norris has led a diverse team of 15 collaborators—ranging from botanists to expert photographers—to document the municipality’s botanical landscape. This ambitious project is set to become the first published urban flora study of a municipality in the Western United States, joining a select group of only 5 such studies nationwide.

While the current study began in earnest four years ago, it builds upon a legacy of botanical curiosity dating back to 1851. Over the last century and a half, various researchers have collected approximately 9,000 specimens within the region. However, Norris’ team has accelerated this work at an unprecedented pace.

“We have doubled the collection of specimens in our herbarium since 2021,” Norris stated, noting that the team has identified over 500 plant species within city limits to date.

The research required the team first to establish rigorous geographical boundaries and create custom mapping for the project. Despite the demands of a full teaching schedule, the team spends the busy growing season in the field. To ensure environmental sustainability, the team follows a strict protocol: they collect physical samples only when the plant population is robust enough to withstand the loss. For rare or isolated growths, the team uses high-resolution photography to document the find.

The study provides critical data on the resilience of local ecosystems. Norris reported that approximately 70% to 75% of the flora in Silver City remains native. This is a significant finding compared to regions like California, where non-native species often dominate the landscape.

“It sets a stage and establishes a baseline for flora at two different points in time for future research,” said Norris. Determining “nativity” is a complex science; the team cross-referenced 150 years of records to determine whether a plant has a history of occurring locally without records of its appearance in Europe or other global regions. Norris noted that plant distributions are fluid, citing that some local grasses that have been present for 10,000 years were not here 20,000 years ago due to natural migration.

The fieldwork has taken the team to every corner of the community, from public landmarks to private acreage. Norris highlighted several key areas for rare and non-native plant viewing, including:

• Boston Hill and San Vicente Creek
• St. Vincent DePaul Cemetery
• The intersection of Hill and Mississippi Streets
• Mill Road access points

One of the project’s highlights was the discovery of Wheel Milkweed on private land, documented with the landowner’s permission. These discoveries are currently in various states of processing—being identified, mounted, labeled, and uploaded to the digital herbarium portal.

With one year of fieldwork remaining, the team is entering a “treasure hunt” phase, searching for roughly 100 native plants that historical records suggest are in the area but have yet to be found.

Upon the conclusion of the fifth year of research, the team plans to publish their findings, providing the scientific community with a definitive look at the botanical life of a Western U.S. municipality. �鶹ֱ�� commends Norris and his fifteen teammates for their extraordinary “extra mile” efforts, proving that even at a teaching-focused institution, world-class research is blooming.

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Speaking on a panel dedicated to historical cartography, Taylor presented a compelling argument that they mythical figure, Prester John (Priest John) facilitated the shift from ideological Christian maps to empirical, landmass-focused maps used for sea navigation.

With the release of his new book, “The Global Legend of Prester John” (published by Cambridge University Press), and the continued expansion of The International Prester John Project, Taylor is bringing international recognition to the �鶹ֱ�� College of Arts and Sciences.

The project, which began over a decade ago as a dissertation chapter, has evolved into a definitive digital resource. Taylor’s research focuses on the elusive figure of Prester John—a mythical Christian king and priest said to rule a vast, wealthy empire in the East. For centuries, Europeans believed this figure could provide the military might needed to “wrap Islam in a Christian bubble,” a belief so potent it influenced Christopher Columbus’s voyages to India.

“Prester John is on all the Christian cartography maps, which is physically impossible,” Taylor explained. “The world moved from Christian drawn maps influenced by religion toward maps that were land-mass focused in the 14th and 15th centuries—trying to plot the world as it actually exists—I was interested in why Prester John remained and how he could be in multiple places at once. My argument is that Prester John served as a ‘bridge figure,’ easing the transition for the masses from a world defined by scripture to a world defined by geography.”

Taylor’s research also dives into the origins of the myth: a mysterious 12th-century letter purportedly written by Prester John himself. While traditional historians viewed the subsequent correspondence from figures like the powerful Pope Alexander III as evidence of genuine belief, Taylor suggests a more calculated motive.

“It was a brilliant move,” Taylor says. “The Pope was attempting to control the narrative and cement the power of the Church during a time of intense tension between secular and sacred authority by writing this mythical figure back.”

�鶹ֱ�� invests in faculty excellence and paved the way for Taylor’s research to reach an international stage. “I’m incredibly grateful to �鶹ֱ�� and the Humanities Research Committee,” Taylor remarked. “Their support enriches me and the academic experience I provide for my students.”

This spring, Taylor teaches Topics & Problems in World Literature: The Absurd, Shakespeare, and Intro to Literature, along with helping oversee a Capstone project for English majors. Additionally, he will reach the broader community through the Western Institute for Lifelong Learning (WILL), where he will lead a course on��Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde starting in February.

Taylor’s book can be purchased at:

Listen to Taylor’s “The Medieval Podcast” episode about Prester John at ��

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Associate Professor of Sociology at Western New Mexico University (�鶹ֱ��) Andreea Nica, who holds a Ph.D. in sociology, recently published a paradigm-shifting original research paper in��the September 2025 issue of��Frontier Sociology��that challenges traditional, passive conceptions of family estrangement. The paper, titled��“From family estrangement to empowered exits: new emotional developments,”��introduces an innovative process-oriented framework centered on the concept of��“empowered exits,”��fundamentally redefining how sociologists and the public understand family disconnections.

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