{"id":72711,"date":"2024-08-13T15:43:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T22:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=72711"},"modified":"2024-08-13T15:43:19","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T22:43:19","slug":"in-the-spotlight-aug-12-16-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/in-the-spotlight-aug-12-16-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Spotlight: Aug. 12-16, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kudos to these faculty, staff and programs.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Do you have a spotlight item to share with the NAU community?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">E-mail your announcements to <\/span><a href=\"mailto:Inside@nau.edu\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Inside@nau.edu<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, or use our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/news-tip\/#.YEjwNWhKg2w\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">online submission form<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Twenty-two <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NAU students and faculty members<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> were chosen to participate in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.org\/longbeach2024\/plenaries\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">2024 Ecological Society of America annual meeting<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in Long Beach, California. This year\u2019s meeting focused on highlighting ecologists, who study the natural world, and the importance of supporting their research by raising awareness and investing in their studies. Presentations and workshops led by NAU representatives were as follows:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Graduate students <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Darby Bergl <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Oscar Zimmerman<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> co-organized a workshop with postdoctoral scholar <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Mostafa Javadian <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">on PhenoCam, a network of over 700 cameras that uses timelapse photography to study ecosystems around the world.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Graduate student <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">William Cannon <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">presented research exploring which factors influence how wildfire evacuations are planned and experienced.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Graduate student <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Alicia Formanack <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">presented research she co-authored with <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kiona Ogle<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS), on how climate variability impacts tree growth.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ogle also discussed the relationships between tree growth, carbon balance and hydraulic function in the wake of a drought, research she completed with NAU alumni <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Shelby Lamm<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Drew Peltier <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and former research assistant professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kimberly Samuels-Crow<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Peltier presented a study he completed with Ogle, research associate <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Rohan Boone<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and associate SICCS professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Jarrett Barber <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">detailing the different ways tree growth is influenced by past climate conditions and major climate events.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NAU alum and researcher <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ivan Gonzalez<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> presented an in-depth look into Connecting Landscapes (CoLa) software based on algorithms he developed with SICCS assistant research professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Patrick Jantz.<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Postdoctoral scholar <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Jenna Keany <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">detailed a study she co-authored regarding how African forest elephants impact tropical forest structure. Keany originally completed the research with senior research scientist <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Patrick Burns<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, Jantz, SICCS Regents&#8217; professor<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Scott Goetz <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and SICCS associate professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Christopher Doughty<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Graduate student <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nicholas Link <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">discussed the potential of using fuel breaks, where vegetation is removed or rearranged around vulnerable communities, to combat wildfires. Link\u2019s study was co-authored by graduate student <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Felecia Amundsen<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, Department of Accounting, Economics, and Finance chair <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Joseph Little<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, biological sciences assistant professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Xanthe Walker <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and biological sciences Regents\u2019 professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Michelle Mack<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Graduate student <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Quentin McCalla <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">investigated the survival of Fremont Cottonwood seedlings along the Verde River, one of the last living forests of its kind. McCalla completed his analysis alongside sustainability professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Abraham Springer <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and forestry Regents\u2019 professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Peter Ful\u00e9<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">SICCS associate professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Joseph Mihaljevic <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">detailed his studies quantifying how temperature influences the infection dynamics of ranaviruses in salamander species. Mihaljevic initially completed this work with research assistant <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kelsey Banister<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, collaborative campus associate <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Molly Bechtel<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and biological sciences associate professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Jason Ladner<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Postdoctoral scholar <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kayode Oshinubi <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">presented a study he completed with SICCS professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Eck Doerry<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, Mihaljevic, SICCS associate professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Crystal Hepp<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and mathematics associate professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ye Chen <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">connecting climate variation to mosquito population.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Jessie Rack<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, an assistant teaching professor for the Department of Biological Sciences,<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">co-organized a field trip where meeting attendees embarked on a nature walk along the Los Angeles River to learn how its channeling impacted the city over time.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Graduate student <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Emma Reich <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">presented research she completed with Samuels-Crow, Boone, Peltier and Ogle evaluating how plants and ecosystems respond to precipitation pulses, which are rapid increases in carbon dioxide levels caused by precipitation.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Graduate student <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Jack Scherer <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">spoke about how fire impacts arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), known for alleviating environmental stress on its host plants, in the Sonoran Desert.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Postdoctoral scholar <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Alice Stears <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">discussed her work developing models that predict landscape-scale vegetation composition and biomass productivity to help accurately forecast droughts.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Postdoctoral scholar <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Brandon Strange <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">presented research examining the impacts of North American Monsoons on forest growth and carbon sequestration in ponderosa pine forests, which he completed with co-authors Peltier and Ogle.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Barber presented research he conducted with Boone, Ogle, Strange, Peltier, Formanack and Samuels-Crow identifying which climate conditions are most commonly associated with extreme high and low tree growth.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Assistant forestry professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Catrin Edgeley<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, NAU alumna and ecologist <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sara Gabrielson <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and postdoctoral scholar <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Camille Gaillard <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">were also selected to present their research, though these presentations were ultimately canceled.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nico Young <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">was one of 10 college athletes featured in the BestColleges article \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bestcolleges.com\/news\/college-athletes-competing-team-usa-paris-olympics\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Here Are Some Standout College Athletes Competing in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201d in early July. Young was recognized for placing third in the men\u2019s 10,000-meter dash at the U.S. Olympic Trials and later finished 12th in the event during the 2024 Paris Olympics.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Cline Library archivist and collections manager <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Melissa Lawton <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and archivist for discovery <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Samantha Meier<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> co-authored the article &#8220;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mydigitalpublication.com\/publication\/?m=30305&amp;i=827411&amp;p=8&amp;ver=html5\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Processing the David Muench Photography Records<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u201d published in the Society of American Archivists newsletter, Archival Outlook.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NAU <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">was one of five organizations across Arizona to receive grant funding from AmeriCorps in late July to support Public Health AmeriCorps members and ultimately strengthen the public health workforce. AmeriCorps gave NAU $663,071 to support 93 AmeriCorps members in the Center for Service and Volunteerism.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Institute for Human Development <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(IHD) received a second year of funding for its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nau.edu\/ihd\/paths\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">PATHS: Providing Accessible Training and Home Support for Parents with Intellectual Disabilities<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> program from the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. With this continued funding, the PATHS team will focus on developing and delivering training to educate home visitors about the needs of parents with intellectual disabilities and how to support them.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"6\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The National Institute of Mental Health recently funded a research project developed by <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NAU IHD<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the College of Health and Human Services <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">designed to identify ways of improving the cultural responsiveness of autism spectrum disorder assessment practices for Din\u00e9 families, titled Advancing H\u00f3zh\u00f3 in Autism Assessment for Din\u00e9 Families.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"search-results-excerpt-link\" href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/in-the-spotlight-aug-12-16-2024\/\">Kudos to these faculty, staff and programs.\u00a0\u00a0 Do you have a spotlight item to share with the NAU community?\u00a0\u00a0 E-mail your announcements to Inside@nau.edu, or use our online submission form.\u00a0\u00a0 Twenty-two NAU students and faculty members were chosen to participate in the 2024 Ecological Society of America annual meeting in Long Beach, California. This year\u2019s&hellip;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spotlight"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72711\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}