NM needs scientists, and I plug Leadership NM

Last year, the good people at the Journal were nice enough to send me through the Leadership New Mexico program for “emerging leaders.” In addition to being tons of fun, I connected with interesting young professionals from around the state. We spent a lot of time hearing from experts about issues affecting New Mexico, and staying up late thinking and talking about how we could make a difference.

My Leadership NM colleague Amanda Trujillo is putting this stuff into action, by starting an Oil and Gas Education and Career Fair. Tomorrow and Wednesday, 250 high school juniors and seniors from around the state will learn about the oil and gas industry in New Mexico. The fair will be held in Artesia, where Amanda works, and students will get to see oil and gas explorations sites and see equipment in use.

One purpose of the fair is to address the need for science and tech workers in New Mexico, which I addressed fairly in-depth in this story. I think the fair also tells an interesting story about public-private partnerships, and how valuable it may be for private companies to get involved in the education system and cultivating the workers they need. Amanda works at Yates Petroleum as an environmental scientist.

And here, just for fun, is a story by my colleague Mike Hartranft, which is about Leadership New Mexico visiting Yates. Whoa, convergence.