When New Mexico Highlands University math instructor Carlos Martinez was star gazing as a child from his home in Sapello, he never dreamed that one day he would discover an asteroid and get to officially name it the Sapello asteroid. The night sky in Sapello, 12 miles north of Las Vegas, is known for the brilliance of its stars. Martinez, a fourth-generation Sapello resident, said he always found the stars mysterious and beautiful. Now his asteroid discovery puts Sapello on the astronomical map. It started when Martinez, who earned his bachelor’s degree with a double math/physics major from Highlands, was working as an assistant on an asteroid project at NMHU with professor Bill Ryan. Later, while in graduate school at the University of New Mexico, Martinez and Ryan, now a New Mexico Tech professor, discovered the Sapello asteroid together. Both are named on official International Astronomical Union documents for the asteroid. Martinez credits Ryan for sparking his interest in physics and encouraging him to pursue his master’s degree. Martinez’ interest in physics evolved into astronomy, a branch of physics that studies celestial bodies. Martinez, who has a knack for explaining science in every-day language, said that asteroids look like stars whether you’re looking through research-grade telescope or the naked eye. The main difference is that asteroids move continuously while stars don’t. NASA defines asteroids as rocky fragments left over from the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago. Asteroids orbit our sun and are too small to be called planets. Most asteroids are gathered in the main asteroid belt in between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The Sapello asteroid is in this main asteroid belt. “Usually new asteroids are discovered by robotic telescopes,” Martinez said. “We discovered the Sapello asteroid in a different way. We used a 1.8 meter research-grade telescope and an astronomy analysis software program with images in time series that detect movement. We were using a Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope on Mount Graham in Arizona studying a different asteroid when we discovered the unexpected movement of an unidentified asteroid. Knowing that you help discover something new that no one has seen before and then naming it is very cool.” The International Astronomical Union oversees the formal scientific verification of new asteroids as well as the naming process. The Sapello asteroid became official once the IAU gave its seal of approval. “We are very proud of Carlos and are absolutely lucky to have him come back to Highlands as a math instructor,” said David Olivas, department head of the Math, Engineering and Physics Department at Highlands. “He’s an accomplished mathematician and is willing to teach introductory as well as advanced math. His students relate well to him.” Martinez said: “I really like teaching and working with students. I try to make math relevant to their life by using interesting applied problems. For example, people listen when you illustrate a complex math concept that relates to money.” Olivas said that Martinez’ success in discovering the Sapello asteroid shows how science comes first when making these kinds of discoveries. “Carlos had to know the physics and math first before he could discover the Sapello asteroid,” Olivas said. “We don’t use telescopes in a random fashion.” Olivas said he is pleased that Highlands has a 16” telescope that students use beginning in an introductory astronomy class. He said spring semester registration for this class filled up on the first day. “Astronomy is fun,” Olivas said. “It’s great that we have a telescope at Highlands to offer this scientific learning opportunity to our students.”

Royce Hall is a building on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Designed by the Los Angeles firm of Allison & Allison (James Edward Allison, 1870-1955, and his brother David Clark Allison, 1881-1962) in the Italian Romanesque Revival style and completed in 1929, it is one of the four original buildings on UCLA's Westwood campus and has come to be the defining image of the university. Named after Josiah Royce, a California-born philosopher who received his bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley in 1875, the building's exterior is modeled after Milan's Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio.[1] Severely damaged in the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, it underwent a $70.5 million restoration that was completed in December 1997. The hall, post renovation, covered 191,547 square feet (17,795.3 m2).[2] Its unique Romanesque architecture prompted the State Historic Preservation Office to select it for restoration to its original design. In 1936, University of California President Robert Gordon Sproul appointed a committee to oversee programming and in 1937, Royce Hall's first performing arts season was born. The first subscription series included the great contralto Marian Anderson, the Budapest String Quartet, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition its world-renowned acoustics, the monument is a must-see for anyone who visits UCLA, especially because of its asymmetrical features. Due to its acclaimed acoustics and 6,600-pipe Skinner pipe organ, the building's 1,833-seat concert hall has often been used for recording sessions of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It serves as one of the home venues for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Luminaries who have appeared on its stage include musicians George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, and Ella Fitzgerald,[3] and speakers Albert Einstein and John F. Kennedy.[citation needed] Presentation of the annual Los Angeles Times book prizes are made during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in association with UCLA in Royce Hall.