Annually, the University Communication and Marketing (UCAM) Department compiles a list of its Top-10 General News stories during the course of the year. Below is the list of UNM's Top-10 General News stories for 2014. The stories are listed in chronological order.

UNM celebrates 125th birthday
Lobo Day, the annual event UNM Student Activities organizes to celebrate the founding of the university on February 28, 1889, is made more special this year as UNM celebrates its 125th birthday. As in years past, a birthday cake kicks off the celebration on Friday, Feb. 28 at noon in the Student Union Building atrium. Added attractions include piñatas and a confetti-shooting cannon. Students wear cherry and silver for a group photo that will grace a wall in the SUB.

UNM prepares for the worst
New Mexico is now better prepared for a disaster, after more than 40 emergency responders completed a week of advanced training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Alabama. The CDP is operated by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and is the only federally chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction training facility and fully equipped training hospital in the nation.

New research by UNM Sociologist Brian Soller discovered that profound health and developmental consequences can result from early romances. Photo credit: Anya Kubilus.

To Thine Own Self Be True
The consequences of being “caught in a bad romance” can be extreme, according to UNM Sociologist Brian Soller, who reveals that not being true to oneself in an early relationship can severely impact an adolescent’s mental health and sense of development.

UNM study reveals cost benefits in housing the homeless
The University of New Mexico Institute for Social Research conducted a study for the City of Albuquerque on the cost and benefits of housing the homeless in the city. Results of the Albuquerque Heading Home Initiative reveal that it is cost effective to house the homeless.

UNM stretches its reach with Massive Open Online Courses
This fall, the University of New Mexico is offering three massive open online courses or MOOC’s through Coursera, a company developed by professors at Stanford University to reach out to students who don’t want to step onto campus.

Understanding healthy sexual relationships is part of a college education
When the Women’s Resource Center advertises an event titled, “I Love Female Orgasm,” the response is overwhelming – some 750 showed up for the session two years in a row. But the intent isn’t titillation; it’s education.

UNM English Professor Gary Harrison (l.) and Biology Research Assistant Professor William Gannon.

Frankenstein and the Institutional Review Board
If Victor Frankenstein had been forced to face an institutional review board in 1790 before he created his monster, would he ever have been able to begin his project to create a human life from the remaindered parts of dead bodies.

The peripatetic philosopher
Adrian Johnston is a philosopher and a peripatetic, a Greek word meaning "given to walking about.” But he doesn’t conduct his lectures in the Lyceum in ancient Athens like philosopher and teacher Aristotle, to whom the expression is often ascribed. Johnston, professor of philosophy, conducts his lectures in the classrooms at the University of New Mexico.

Transitioning from soldier to student
Transitioning from a military to campus landscape presents a new sort of battlefield for a soldier. A student veteran faces very different challenges than the traditional incoming student. Precise data on how well they do in college is not available, but studies indicate that large numbers are not making it to graduation. At the University of New Mexico, people and organizations are dedicated to turning the numbers around.

UNM Law Professor Nathalie Martin takes on predatory lending
Lawyers are happier when they find their own purpose, according to a study released earlier this year. Nathalie Martin, University of New Mexico professor of law, has found purpose – and happiness – both in teaching and in going after predatory lenders.