{"id":73904,"date":"2025-02-03T15:09:28","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T22:09:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=73904"},"modified":"2025-02-03T15:09:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T22:09:28","slug":"in-the-spotlight-feb-3-7-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/in-the-spotlight-feb-3-7-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Spotlight: Feb. 3-7, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kudos to these faculty, staff and programs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Do you have a spotlight item to share with the NAU community?<\/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<\/span><\/a><\/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\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NAU-Yuma<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and Arizona Western College were recognized as one of the top three partnerships in cohort three of the Aspen-AASCU Transfer Student Success Intensive, which tasks teams of community colleges and four-year institutions with developing plans to improve transfer student outcomes. The team\u2019s strategy included expanding the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nau.edu\/yes\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Yuma Educational Success (YES) Program<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and enhancing dual enrollment opportunities in both schools. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Catherine Harpst<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, an assistant clinical professor in the College of Nursing, was a recipient of the 2025 Deborah E. Trautman Future Nurse Leader Scholarship. The award recognizes graduate nursing students, chosen from a competitive pool of applicants, who are emerging leaders in nursing academia. As one of the chosen winners, Harpst earned $3,500 and an opportunity to attend a virtual conference with national nursing leaders. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The NAU Foundation Board<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> was one of five higher education governing boards that earned the 2025 John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership. This award is presented to higher education governing boards demonstrating exceptional leadership and initiative. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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\">Fred DeMicco<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, professor in the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, co-authored the opinion article \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hospitalitynet.org\/opinion\/4125543.html?key=636c47a4858f8142380d1bc6ccfcdb06\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">An Innovative and Strategic Model for Health and Well-Being Travel to Enhance Comfort of Older Travelers<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u201d published on Hospitality.net. The article promotes Florida Medical Tourism\u2019s strategic model for health and wellness, arguing centuries-old natural therapies and proper nutrition could hold the secret to combating late-stage chronic pain.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NAU Mock Trial <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">broke several records this invitational season, including most individual awards won and most teams sent to the most tournaments, with seven teams attending three tournaments this fall and returning with seven individual awards. The group also saw its first team trophy placement when captain <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ryan Roberts<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and members <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Vance Lambert<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Meeah Rhodes<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Veronica Summers<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Ethan Ward, Jesse West<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Mason Wulbrecht <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">placed second at the Denver Duels Invitational. Other individual award winners include <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Tatum Ross<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Hannah Thomas<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Samuel Van Nuys<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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\">Astronomy and Planetary Science (APS) doctoral student <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Shaelyn Raposa <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">was the first author of the article \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iopscience.iop.org\/article\/10.3847\/PSJ\/ad8fac\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Deriving the N2\u2013CO Binary Phase Diagram Using Experimental Techniques and Thermodynamics<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u201d published in The Planetary Science Journal. The paper, which looks at how carbon monoxide and nitrogen mix and change phases, includes doctoral student <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Cece Thieberger<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, alumna <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Anna Engle<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, APS professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Steve Tegler<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry associate professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Gerrick Lindberg <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and Astrophysical Ice Lab adjunct faculty <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Will Grundy <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Jennifer Hanley <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">as co-authors.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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=\"7\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">APS graduate research assistant <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Laura Lee <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">was quoted in the Space.com article \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/the-universe\/mars\/food-grows-better-on-the-moon-than-on-mars-scientists-find\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Food grows better on the moon than on Mars, scientists find<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u201d following her research poster presentation at the 2024 American Geophysical Union (AGU). At the AGU meeting, Lee presented her work growing agricultural plants in regolith soil simulants, which she completed with Regents\u2019 professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nancy Johnson<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> from the School of Earth and Sustainability.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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=\"8\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Undergraduate students <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Cassie Beaumont<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Noah Fernandez<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, who both study physics and astrophysics, gave oral presentations at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington, D.C. This is the largest meeting of professional astronomers held each year.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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=\"9\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">APS postdoctoral scholar <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ben McKeeby <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">was the first author of the article \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S001910352500003X?via%3Dihub\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Quantifying lava surface heterogeneity on Mars using THEMIS brightness temperature data<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u201d published in Icarus. The study aims to quantify the temperatures and roughness of igneous rocks on Mars and correlate them to past lava flows, a task historically difficult due to dust deposition obscuring the planet\u2019s observable features.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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=\"10\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Di Wu<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, an associate teaching professor for the Department of Global Languages and Cultures, received a grant from the American Short-Term Study in China Initiative to support NAU\u2019s summer study abroad program in Chongqing, China. The scholarship will cover all tuition, boarding and medical insurance costs for involved students.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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=\"11\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">School of Earth and Sustainability associate research professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Helen Rowe <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and her team have earned funding to organize three workshops around fire management and adaptation in the Sonoran Desert. Fire managers and other stakeholders will participate in a series of three workshops over the next two years, with the first being planned for April. Each workshop will focus on exploring the impacts of various potential fire management strategies, evaluating existing ones and developing updated implementation and monitoring plans.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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=\"12\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NAU\u2019s chapter of the <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Blue Key Honor Society<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> won three awards at the organization\u2019s national student leadership conference in January: the Outstanding Chapter Award, which recognizes chapters whose actions and activities promote leadership, scholarship and service; the President\u2019s Award, which celebrated the dedication of NAU Blue Key Honor Society President <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Karli VanderMeersch<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">; and the Outstanding Advisor Award, which was given to NAU Honors College assistant director <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Glenn Hansen<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for his 25 years of society involvement. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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-feb-3-7-2025\/\">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 NAU-Yuma and Arizona Western College were recognized as one of the top three partnerships in cohort three of the Aspen-AASCU Transfer Student Success Intensive, which tasks&hellip;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"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-73904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spotlight"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73904","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\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73904\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}