{"id":75371,"date":"2025-08-18T11:52:35","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=75371"},"modified":"2025-08-18T11:52:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:52:35","slug":"in-the-spotlight-aug-18-22-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/in-the-spotlight-aug-18-22-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Spotlight: Aug. 18-22, 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 form<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Cristina Thomas<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">, an associate professor for the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science (APS), recently joined the steering committee for NASA&#8217;s Small Bodies Assessment Group<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"none\">(SBAG). Established in 2008, SBAG is a community-based forum designed to provide input on the exploration of small bodies in the solar system like asteroids, comets, satellites and trans-Neptunian objects.<\/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=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Rocky Mountain\/Southwest chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences nominated several students from the <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">School of Communication<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for National Student Production Awards, which honor outstanding student achievement in media production. The NAU students and projects nominated are as follows:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cb\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cb&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Makayla Richardson<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Ava Nichols<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kayleigh Doyle<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Jordan Vallender<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Noah McNeil<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Connor Emery<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> were nominated in the College Newscast category for their contributions to NAZ Today\u2019s Super Bowl coverage.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cb\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cb&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Zach Hoerl <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">was nominated in the College Non-Fiction\u2014Short Form category for the project \u201cMikey Eggert Wildlife Photography.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cb\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cb&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Zachary Furman<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> was nominated in the College Fiction\u2014Short Form category for the project \u201cComputer Doctor.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cb\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cb&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nichols, Richardson, Emery, <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ashley Hinchy<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Reese Clarke <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">were nominated in the College Sports Program category for NAZ Today\u2019s Super Bowl coverage.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cb\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cb&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ariel Rieghard<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> was nominated in the College Animation\/Graphics\/Special Effects category for the project \u201cThe Secret Garden Title Sequence.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cb\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cb&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"6\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Eli Fritch <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Rahmi Soliman <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">were nominated in the College Editor category for the projects \u201cPart of a Balanced Breakfast\u201d and \u201cReverse Therapy,\u201d respectively.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cb\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cb&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"7\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Parker Hall <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">was nominated in the College Photographer category for the project \u201cGolden Boys.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cb\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cb&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"8\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Devon Walkenhorst <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">was nominated in the College Writer category for the project \u201cPickup Line.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/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\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">NAU alumna <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Lauren Biddle <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">was the first author of the paper \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-025-09324-0\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">One-third of Sun-like stars are born with misaligned planet-forming disks<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">,\u201d published in Nature Astronomy. In the study, researchers found that a considerable number of sun-like stars have planets that may have formed with misaligned orbits, meaning they have different rotational axes than their host stars.<\/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\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">APS Chair <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">David Trilling<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\"> recently joined the Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee, which advises the National Science Foundation, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy on issues within the fields of astronomy and astrophysics.<\/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-aug-18-22-2025\/\">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 form.\u00a0\u00a0 Cristina Thomas, an associate professor for the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science (APS), recently joined the steering committee for NASA&#8217;s Small Bodies Assessment Group&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-75371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spotlight"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75371","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=75371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75371\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}