By Sue Vorenberg
Tribune reporter

     New Mexico's high-tech sector has a new forum for discussion -- and an avenue to explain its work to the community.
     Three weeks ago, KOB-AM (770) introduced its new Sunday show, Hi-Tech New Mexico. The show brings together experts from different high-tech fields each week to discuss issues and explain aspects of the state's growing technology economy to the lay person.
     "We just really felt there was a need for more discussion of what's going on in the high-tech community," said KOB Account Executive Marti Lelko. "We wanted to have a forum where representatives of the high-tech community could have a discussion with each other. We also just felt the people in the community needed to know what these people are doing."
     The first show featured representatives from MUSE Technologies Inc. and Voyager Communications speaking about New Mexico's computer industry. The second had representatives of Cell Robotics International Inc. and Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute talking about the state's biomedical sector. Yesterday's show was SVS Inc. and Emcore Inc. talking about the state's optics and photonics cluster.
     "We really want to be entertaining," Lelko said. "We want people to understand what's going on, while still having people that are easy to understand."
     Explaining complex technical issues to the lay person can be daunting. The key is to boil concepts down to experiences that everyday people can relate to, said Mike Langner, the show's host, and director of engineering for Citadel's eight Albuquerque radio stations.
     "You talk with people and you share stories," Langner said. "The question is: 'What can the high-tech industry and its products do for me?' When we talked with the person from Cell Robotics about their personal lasette, which helps reduce the pain of drawing blood for diabetes patients, you could see it. Here's a quality of life that New Mexico's high tech is making possible. Here's a way to use it and benefit from it."
     The show also gets high-tech companies to talk to each other and share what their businesses are doing.
     "One interesting thing was when the Lovelace Respiratory person realized that Cell Robotics was making a product that could help Lovelace Respiratory's research," Lelko said. "There was a realization that there was the potential for a marriage there that people didn't know about. Those companies wouldn't know they were in the position to help each other if they weren't on the show."
      The show will look at other high-tech issues in the future. Telecommunications, the digital divide and genetics are on the list. Also slated are high-tech bugs and surveillance techniques, New Mexico's nuclear waste and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, computer hacking and how to improve technology in schools.
     "It's one of those areas where we're not going to run out of topics," Lelko said.
     The show is taped Thursday for Sunday broadcasts from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on KOB-AM (770). People can make suggestions or pose questions on the radio's Web site at www.770kob.com, or by calling Langner at 767-6763.
     "We're constantly looking for interesting topics and suggestions," Langner said. "There's a whole lot that goes on in this state in high tech that is vitally important. People often see us just for tourism, but we'd like to show them that while mesas and white sands are important, clear sands -- silicon -- are just as important for New Mexico."