NMAS 2026 Board Election

Summary

It’s time to elect the 2026 NMAS Board of Directors. There are four positions open, and the board has found candidates to stand for those positions. The treasurer will be serving the second year of her term.

Vice president – the bylaws call for election of a vice president each year. The current vice president will become president-elect, and the current president-elect will assume the role of president.

Secretary – We bid adieu to our long-serving secretary, Malva Knoll.

Directors at large – The terms of two directors-a- large are expiring and they have both agreed to stand for re-election.

Take me to the ballot

Candidate Biographies

Vice President – Dr. Suparna Chatterjee
Dr. Suparna Chatterjee is an Assistant Professor of STEM Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at New Mexico State University (NMSU). After completing her Ph.D. in Science from Jadavpur University, India, and teaching science in high education for fourteen years, she completed a second Ph.D. in Education from NMSU, USA. Her research involves working at the intersection of science education, technology, and teacher preparation supported by grants from the NSF, EPSCoR, INBRE, Spencer Foundation, Leza Foundation, and Teach Access. She contributed to the Arkansas Academy of Science while serving as an Assistant Professor of Biology at Arkansas Tech University. She is the Science Education Co-chair for the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education.

Secretary – Tyza Faith Arenga Iwag 
Tyza Faith Arenga Iwag is an innovative and dedicated teacher of High School Physics, Chemistry, and Physical Science in Raton, NM. She incorporates technology into lessons and assessments, she utilizes modern tools to enhance student understanding of scientific principles and prepare them for academic and career success. Tyza has a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction; a Master of Arts in Education with a major in Physical Science; and a Bachelor of Secondary Education with a major in Physical Science from the Philippines. Tyza is the recipient of several awards including the 2025 High School Educator of the Year (STEMYS), the New Mexico Excellence in STEM Awards in New Mexico. She was the Most Distinguished Global Educator and Empowered Woman of the Year in the 10th Pacific Luminare Awards in Pasay City, Philippines. Tyza has participated in Teacher Professional Development programs in Albuquerque and Santa Fe with the Public Education Department, as well as in Michigan, Illinois, Phoenix, and Washington D.C. More importantly, Tyza Faith was the 2025 NMAS Outstanding Teacher of the year.

Director at Large – Professor Mubarak Syed
Professor Syed is a junior faculty at the UNM investigating neural development and training the next-generation scientists through research, teaching, and mentoring. Despite COVID and being new at UNM, he established the Pueblo Brain Science Program and many other initiatives to diversify STEM fields. Syed’s research program relates to understanding neural development in fruit flies. At UNM, he started an ambitious program, “Pueblo Brain Science”, which includes multiple training components targeting a diverse population of students. There are seven separate pieces with discovery-based lab courses, informal mentoring, workshops, meet a scientist program, as well Science outreach in high schools. Mubarak Syed recently received the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship in Neuroscience.

Director at Large – Dr. Juchao Yan
Dr. Juchao Yan is a Professor of Chemistry and the Graduate Coordinator and Department Chair of Physical Sciences at Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU). He teaches Analytical Chemistry at both undergraduate and graduate levels and Forensic Chemistry at an undergraduate level. He was a postdoctoral associate from October 1998 to November 2001 and a Research Assistant Professor from December 2001 to August 2002 at UNM. In December 1997, he earned his PhD in Analytical Chemistry in Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dr. Yan’s research interest has been in the fields of direct ethanol fuel cells, algal wastewater treatment, and organic solar cells. His research has been supported by NSF, NSF- & DOE-EPSCoR, DOE-Visiting Faculty Program, NSF-Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, and DOE-Office of Science Basic Energy Sciences.

NMAS Bylaws

For the complete bylaws and additional provisions, please see here.

Article IV. Board of Directors and Directors

Section 1. Board of Directors. The affairs of the Academy will be managed by the voting members of its Board of Directors herein referred to as “Board”, and all corporate powers shall be exercised by the Board, except as otherwise authorized or required by the Articles of Incorporation of the Academy or Bylaws. In the fulfillment of its duties, the Board shall:

  1. Approve the annual budget of the Academy at the first regular Board meeting of each year.
  2. Set membership and other fees, award honorary memberships, and create, if necessary, additional membership types.
  3. Subject to Article IV, Section 2(4) (d), Article IV, Section 8 and Article V, Section 5, appoint persons to fill vacancies in the positions of at-large director or officers caused by resignation, removal, or inability to serve.
  4. Approve the President’s appointment of standing committee chairs. Create or dissolve other committees as needed.
  5. Be empowered to remove any committee members or committee chair.
  6. Take any action required to perform its duties within and required by these Bylaws.

Section 2. Section 2. Number, Tenure and Qualifications.

  1. All Directors must be voting members in good standing (as defined above) of the Academy.
  2. There shall be a maximum of 20 Directors on the Board.
  3. Each of the 6 Officers shall be a Director during their respective terms of office.
  4. There shall be 2 at-large Directors, elected from the Academy at-large. These at-large Directors shall be elected by the members of the Academy who are eligible to vote as defined in Article III, Section 2.

Article V. Officers

Section 1. Officers. The Officers of the Academy shall be a President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and the Past-President.

Section 2. Election and Term of Office. The Vice President shall be elected by the membership of the Academy and shall serve in that office a period of 1 year commencing January 1 of that year and terminating on December 31 of same year. The elected Vice President shall, in successive years without further election, serve as President-Elect, President, and Past-President of the Academy. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer shall be for a term of 2 years commencing on January 1 of the first year and terminating on December 31 2 years hence. The term of the Past-President shall be 1 year commencing on January 1 following the end of the President’s term, until December 31 of the same year, at which time the new President becomes Past-President. In the event the Past President is unable to serve, the position will not be filled and the nominating committee chair will be appointed by the President subject to approval of the Board. If the election of Officers shall not be held during any year, it shall be held as soon as possible after the end of that calendar year, in which case newly elected Officers shall immediately assume office. Once Officers have completed their terms, they are no longer members of the Board but can be appointed by the Board to any available position.

Article VI. Membership Meetings and Elections

Section 2. Elections.

  1. Elections needed to fill positions for officers and directors at-large shall take place in the fourth quarter of each year. The election shall be by mail ballot, or electronically as directed by the Board.
  2. A nomination or nominations for each available position shall be submitted to the Board at the third quarter Board meeting by the nominating committee.
  3. Other nominations may be submitted by two or more members in good standing, but the nomination must be submitted in writing or electronically to the Secretary in time to be presented to the Board at the third quarter Board meeting. The Board will direct the Secretary to submit all nominations by mail or electronic ballot to the voting members, or as directed by the Board. Voting members of the Academy will have 30 days to return mail or electronic ballots to the Secretary.
  4. Each position shall be filled by the election of the nominee receiving the largest number of votes from the voting members of the Academy. The votes will be tallied by a committee appointed by the Board subject to Article IV, Section 1(7).