Saint Mary's Newsroom

GSS staff Andy Robertson, John Anderson, and Eric Lindquist recently returned from fieldwork in southwestern New Mexico. The three were accompanied by staff members of the New Mexico Environmental Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands Inventory program. The group was gathering insight on wetlands in the study area for an upcoming wetland mapping project. Area hydrology, vegetation, local knowledge, and other characteristics were gathered and compared for the landscape-level mapping. The knowledge and data gathered will be used to create a ‘wetland key’ for photo interpreters to guide them in creating modern digital wetland and riparian area data. When completed, this two-year project will result in the first-ever comprehensive wetland inventory for this region of the state. For more details and photos, visit geospatialservices.org/news.

Join in on upcoming Food Week events happening Oct. 6-12. Events include trips, on-campus events, a film screening, Food Journal Challenge, Eat and Learn sessions every weekday, and so much more! Registration for off-campus trips and more information can be found at smumn.edu/connections. Students, faculty, and staff are all invited to attend events and engage in this multidisciplinary look at food.

Educators from across the world gathered to discuss research in crucial areas, such as online learning, spirituality, women in leadership, and more, as part of the seventh annual International Symposium on Lasallian Research Sept. 21-23.

The symposium, held annually at the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus and co-sponsored by Christian Brothers Conference, involved 126 professors, administrators, researchers, and students from 11 countries.

Creative minds gathered to dialogue about the key characteristics or key areas that comprise the field of Lasallian research today; look beyond a study solely of the origins, tradition, and heritage in Lasallian research; break open the possibilities for Lasallian research in the 21st century; and propose avenues or topics for future needed Lasallian research.

Through sharing research, attendees were able to gain ideas, ask questions, and collaborate on future projects that revolve around critical global topics.

Three keynote presentations were featured at the symposium:

• “From Chaos to Ethical Clarity: The Quest for Lasallian Higher Education in Today’s Global Society,” delivered by Brother Louis DeThomasis, FSC, Ph.D., president emeritus of Saint Mary’s University.
• “Conversations on Cross Institution Research,” delivered by Carmelita Quebengco, AFSC, Ph.D., consultant to the president and chancellor emeritus at De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines.
• “Making Peace Possible: Grassroots Peacebuilding Leaders,” delivered by Brother Christian Diaz, FSC, Ed.D. ’18, principal of the Normal School in Gigante, Huila, Colombia.

Participants at the symposium also heard from several other researchers during breakout sessions and panel discussions centered around four themes: innovation in education; environment and sustainability; food, nutrition, and health; and health care. There were also ample opportunities for networking through shared meals and social gatherings.

Saint Mary’s is part of a global network that includes 90,000 individuals engaged in the Lasallian Catholic educational mission of serving society and nearly one million students throughout 79 countries. The Lasallian network is also comprised of nearly 4,000 De La Salle Christian Brothers carrying out the tradition founded by Saint John Baptist De La Salle, a priest and educational innovator of 17th century France.

To see more photos from the event, visit smumn.edu/photos.