By Demetrius Johnson, Electrical Engineering Major, Mentor Thomas De Pree.
During the Cold War Era (1947-1989), uranium mines around Mount Taylor in
Northwestern New Mexico supplied the United States with over half of its uranium ore
for its weapon and energy needs, thus earning its nickname “Uranium Capitol of the
World”. This current United States administration is revitalizing uranium mining around
Mount Taylor, despite decades of research on the environmental and health impacts in
the region. On January 20, 2026 the United Nations University Institute for Water,
Environment, and Health (UNU-IWEH) released a report declaring that the world has
entered an era of “water bankruptcy” — meaning rivers and water basins are losing their
ability to recover to their historical “normal” water level. In New Mexico, rising
temperatures, drought, below average snowpack, and the revitalization of mineral
mining accelerates water bankruptcy. Indigenous communities, particularly those that
live near sites of mining, have been facing water and environmental challenges that the
world is now experiencing on a larger scale. With the research from UNM METALS, the
collaboration with Indigenous Nations, and the support from grassroot organizations,
there is a mixture of science and community activism to remediate and protect the water
and land impacted from uranium mining. My communication project will support this
effort by creating an augmented reality (AR) diagram to educate community members of
all ages, especially younger members, about the research done between UNM
METALS, community organizations, and Indigenous Nations to encourage them to take
a larger role in protecting the environment for generations after them.