The U-RISE Leadership Team
The U-RISE Program continues the MARC Program that has been at UNM for more than 15 years. In 2015, Dr. Takacs-Vesbach became Co-Director of the MARC Program.
Program Manager
Dr. Jenna Fonta
I am a Visiting Lecturer at UNM as well as the U-RISE program manager. I received my PhD in Plant Biology from Penn State University, where I studied rice root genetics and physiology for drought tolerance.
Writing Course Instructor
Dr. Julianne Newmark
Julianne Newmark has worked with MARC students for two years and is excited to work with upcoming cohorts of URISE students. Newmark teaches Technical & Professional Communication (TPC) and serves as the Assistant Director of Core Writing and the Coordinator of the TPC certificate and minor. Her research interests concern the school-to-work transition, multimodal community-creation in online classrooms, and usability/user-centered design. Newmark also publishes, teaches, and conducts research in an area of Indigenous Studies that concerns early-twentieth-century Native activist writers’ rhetorically impactful navigations of bureaucratic writing conventions, particularly in Bureau of Indian Affairs contexts. She received a two-year 2017 CCCC/NCTE Emergent Research Grant for her book project "Reports of Agency: Retrieving Indigenous Professional Communication in Dawes Era Indian Bureau Documents.” Her 2015 book The Pluralist Imagination from East to West in American Literature was published by University of Nebraska Press. Newmark is also the Editor-in-Chief of Xchanges, a Writing Studies.
Dr. Julianne Newmark
Julianne Newmark has worked with MARC students for two years and is excited to work with upcoming cohorts of URISE students. Newmark teaches Technical & Professional Communication (TPC) and serves as the Assistant Director of Core Writing and the Coordinator of the TPC certificate and minor. Her research interests concern the school-to-work transition, multimodal community-creation in online classrooms, and usability/user-centered design. Newmark also publishes, teaches, and conducts research in an area of Indigenous Studies that concerns early-twentieth-century Native activist writers’ rhetorically impactful navigations of bureaucratic writing conventions, particularly in Bureau of Indian Affairs contexts. She received a two-year 2017 CCCC/NCTE Emergent Research Grant for her book project "Reports of Agency: Retrieving Indigenous Professional Communication in Dawes Era Indian Bureau Documents.” Her 2015 book The Pluralist Imagination from East to West in American Literature was published by University of Nebraska Press. Newmark is also the Editor-in-Chief of Xchanges, a Writing Studies.
Graduate Assistant Mentor
Conner Mertz
I am a PhD student in the Vesbach and Newsome lab at UNM. My research interests include microbiology, cell physiology, and immunology. Right now, I am studying the gut microbiome of deer mice to better understand host-microbial interactions. I am using a combination of techniques including compound-specific amino acid stable isotope analysis and genetic analysis. With these tools, I hope to determine the role of the gut microbiome in host protein metabolism. In my free time I enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling, and trying new foods.
Graduate Assistant, Writing
Claire Doherty
I am a fourth year PhD candidate immersed in the captivating world of Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan parasite of global clinical significance. As an immunologist, I explore the intricacies of the host immune response using Toxoplasma as a model organism. My recent research delves into the fascinating realm of host-parasite interactions, focusing on manipulating long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), deciphering cytokine responses, and uncovering novel mechanisms of T lymphocyte protection. Alongside my scientific pursuits, I am a dedicated advocate of science communication, bridging the gap between intricate scientific concepts and the broader public. Through my work, I strive to make scientific knowledge accessible and inspire curiosity in audiences beyond academia. You can explore my contributions on Google Scholar.