Meet the faculty and staff
Dr. Steven M. Frank, Academic Department Head
Dr. Steven M. Frank's education includes a B.S. in Surveying Engineering and a M.S. in Civil Engineering (Surveying option) from California State University, Fresno, and a Ph.D in Surveying Engineering from the University of Maine. Dr. Frank teaches plane surveying, boundary law, subdivision design, and land information systems. He has been licensed as a professional land surveyor in California since 1980 and in New Mexico since 1996. He has worked in California, Saudi Arabia, and Maine and has been self-employed as a surveyor prior to moving to New Mexico. Dr. Frank is a past-President of the New Mexico Professional Surveyors (NMPS) and the American Association for Geodetic Surveying (AAGS). His research interests are related to land information systems, boundary surveying, and surveying ethics. He is the co-author of a textbook, Professionalism and Ethics in Surveying.
Phone 505-646-8171, fax 505-646-1981, email sfrank@nmsu.edu
Earl F. Burkholder, Associate Professor
Professor Burkholder earned a BS in Civil (Geodetic) Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1973 and worked 5 years for an international engineering firm which provided services to the utility industry. He earned a MS in Civil Engineering (Geodesy) from Purdue University in 1980 and taught surveying at Oregon's Institute of Technology from 1980 to 1993.
After being self-employed for five years, he came to NMSU in August, 1998. One of three faculty in the Surveying Engineering Department, he teaches classes such as surveying fundamentals, advanced field operations, computer applications, construction surveying, use of map projections, US Public Land System surveying, survey computations, least squares adjustments, and geodesy.
He is (or has been) registered both as a Professional Surveyor and as a Professional Engineer in Michigan, Oregon, Ohio, and New Mexico. He was Editor of the ASCE Journal of Surveying Engineering from 1985 to 1989 and again from 1992 to 1996. Since 1994 he has served in various capacities on the Related Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (RAC/ABET).
His research interests include the three-dimensional characteristics of geo-spatial data and he has written numerous papers on his favorite topic, the Global Spatial Data Model (GSDM). For more information see his web page, http://www.zianet.com/globalcogo.
Phone 505-646-6066, fax 505-646-1981, email eburkhol@nmsu.edu
Dr. Kurt B. Wurm, Assistant Professor
Professor Wurm’s educational background includes a B.S. in Surveying from Ferris State College in Big Rapids, Michigan. He earned an M.S. in Spatial Information Science and Engineering and a Ph.D. in Spatial Information Science and Engineering at the University of Maine, with a minor in adult and continuing education. His area of research is concerned with the development and long-term maintenance of the national cadastre.
He is a member of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, the National Society of Professional Surveyors, the American Society for Engineering Education, and has recently accepted the position of secretary of the Southern Rio Grande Chapter of NMPS.
Phone 505-646-6748, fax 505-646-1981, email kwurm@nmsu.edu
Kurt Wurm's web site http://web.nmsu.edu/~kwurm/
Christine Ochs, PLS, College Instructor
Christine Ochs' educational background includes a Bachelors of Criminal Justice with a minor in Surveying, a Bachelors of Science in Surveying, and a Masters of Public Adminstration each from NMSU.
Christine worked in surveying in New York and New Mexico prior to pursuing her surveying degree. She is a licensed surveyor in New Mexico and has worked with the City of Las Cruces since 1996. As the City's land manager, Christine maintains records of all City land and easements, acquires and disposes of land, negotiates agreements and oversees the city airport.
Ms Ochs has served as vice president of New Mexico Professional Surveyors, as president of the Southern Rio Grande chapter of NMPS and as editor of NMPS' Benchmarks. She is currently chair of the Surveying Engineering Industry Advisory Committee.
Thomas Maestas, PLS, Adjunct Faculty
Thom is native to New Mexico and began his career with USDI, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1981as a coop-student in Santa Fe, NM. Upon graduation from New Mexico State in Civil Engineering Technology he continued as a professional land surveyor with the BLM. In 1993, he transferred to the BLM Las Cruces field office where he continues to serve as a land surveyor (Team Lead). He has been associated with the Dept. of Surveying Engineering at New Mexico State University since his arrival in 1993. He is a licensed professional land surveyor in New Mexico. He is an instructor for the BLM’s Advanced Rectangular Cadastral Survey at the National Training Center in Phoenix, AZ. Thom has had Appointments as a Board Member of the Surveying Engineering Industrial Advisory Committee at New Mexico State University, as well as a Board Member of the NMPS Education Foundation. Thom is a member and past president of the New Mexico Professional Land Surveyors, Southern Rio Grande Chapter.
Dr. James P. Reilly, (Emeritus)
James P. Reilly received his B.S. in Mining Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, and his M.S. and Ph.D in Geodetic Science from Ohio State University. His research, under a NASA contract with Ohio State, involved geodetic networks satellites and made him a member of the first generation of today's Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
In addition to teaching surveying courses within the department, his duties as Department Head include: administration of the department, developing and maintaining a comprehensive , contemporary surveying engineering program, and establishing a working rapport with the student constituents. He is frequently called upon to develop and present surveying-related seminars and workshops, mostly for State Surveyor Society continuing-education requirements. Dr. Reilly also writes a column on GPS for P.O.B. magazine. He is a Past-President of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping.
Cindy Adair (Departmental Secretary)
Cindy has been the department secretary since February 1995. She graduated from International Business College as an executive secretary, where she received the outstanding student award. She has been a notary public since 1991. Cindy helps students with registration and other problems that may arise. She keeps students informed of up coming employment.
Phone: 505-646-5375, Fax 505-646-1981, email cynadair@nmsu.edu
NMSU Department of Surveying Engineering PO Box 30001 Dept. 3SUR Las Cruces, NM · 88003-001 Phone: (505) 646-5375
Last updated: June 2003
