In the Spotlight: July 2026

In the Spotlight: July 2026 

Kudos to these faculty, staff and programs.   

Do you have a spotlight item to share with the NAU community?   

E-mail your announcements to Inside@nau.edu, or use our online submission form.   

• NAU’s men’s and women’s tennis squads garnered All-Academic Team honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. On the women’s side, students  Elen Jantacova, Madelynn Ludwig,  Natalie Rainke and Leontina Stojanovic were named Scholar-Athletes, while Ivan Perisic, Jakub Jedrzejczak, and Jakub Volesky each grabbed the title on the men’s side. 

• NAU quarterback Ty Pennington was among 30 players named to the Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List. Pennington is among 11 quarterbacks on the preseason watch list, three of whom are from the Big Sky Conference. 

• The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America recognized NAU’s swimming and diving team as a Scholar All-America Team for the Spring 2026 semester. To earn the honor, teams must post a grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the semester. NAU finished the semester with a 3.61 team GPA. 

• The River Management Society awarded NAU students Jacey Beery, Kendrick Estes, Kennedy Gilmore, Trey Kettering and Jack Lootens the River Studies and Leadership Certificate, celebrating the competition of interdisciplinary coursework and hands-on field experiences that deepened their understanding of river science, policy, recreation and education.  

• Angelina E. Castagno, professor at the Department of Education Leadership; Anita Antoninka, associate research professor in the School of Forestry; and Cathy Propper, professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, published the book “Equity by Design in STEM Higher Education: Communities of Practice, Action Plans, and Institutional Change.” The publication includes chapters from Monica Brown, professor in the Department of English; Christina Baze, assistant professor of STEM education; Kyle Winfree, associate professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems; and Amy Whipple, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. This work is the culmination of a multi-year collaboration with other universities to learn about and implement equity-centered work across classrooms, labs and other STEM spaces. 

• Frederick DeMicco, a retired professor from the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, was featured in WalletHub’s recent review of the American Express Platinum Card. 

• 2010 NAU alum Marc Sternberg received a Fulbright Specialists Program (FSP) award to conduct a variety of educational and training activities within the field of business administration at the Institute of Economy and Trade of TSUC in Tajikistan. Recipients are selected based on their academic and professional achievements, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the United States and abroad.  

• Mick Kelly, assistant director of Environmental Health & Safety, received a

  

  Bronze Voluntary Environmental Stewardship award from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for his team’s consistent compliance record in managing NAU’s Hazardous Waste Program. The award recognizes organizations that go beyond what is legally required to protect public health and the environment. Kelly’s success is a direct result of his commitment, technical expertise and focus on campus partnerships.

• Anthropology professor Rima Brusi’s award-winning memoir Fantasmas will be published in English on Nov. 30. The English translation by Jessica Powell includes two new chapters written by Brusi. 

• George Kusche, NAU 2023 MS Statistics graduate, won the Comrades Ultramarathon in South Africa, setting a new record time of 5:15:56 – besting the old record by nearly 9 minutes. Kusche was a member of the NAU National Championship cross-country team in 2022.  

• Several people affiliated with NAU will present their research at the Public Affairs Office of the Ecological Society of America’s annual meeting, July 26-31 in Salt Lake City. They include: Clare Aslan, executive director of the School of Earth and Sustainability; Kelsey Banister, research assistant at the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute; Jeremy Forsythe, research associate in the Center for Ecosystems Science and Society; Jane Marks, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences; Kiona Ogle, professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems; Daniel Schlaepfer, senior research scientist in the Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes; Ted Schuur, Regent’s professor in the Department of Biological Sciences; Thomas Whitham, professor emeritus; and students Mairead Brogan, Eva Deegan, Alicia Formanack, Keven Griffen, Evan Landis, Nicholas Link, Laura Nicholson, Allyson Quigley, Marlee York and Oscar Zimmerman