{"id":77573,"date":"2026-04-06T15:11:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T22:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=77573"},"modified":"2026-04-17T08:51:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T15:51:20","slug":"in-the-spotlight-april-6-10-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/in-the-spotlight-april-6-10-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Spotlight: April 6-10, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kudos to these faculty,\u00a0staff\u00a0and programs.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\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=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">E-mail your announcements to\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"mailto:Inside@nau.edu\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Inside@nau.edu<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u00a0or use\u00a0our\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/news-tip\/#.YEjwNWhKg2w\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">online submission form<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/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;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science (APS) assistant professor\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Haley Sapers\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">was announced as a new investigator for the Joint Genome Institute\u2019s 2026 Community Science Program portfolio. Every year, the institute selects biological and environmental research proposals from investigators who have not led institute-accepted projects before. The\u00a0decision\u00a0 will\u00a0give Sapers access to five years of\u00a0high-throughput\u00a0metagenomic sequencing for her project, titled \u201cCharacterizing functional potential of microbial dark matter in permafrost hosted methane seep cold springs.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\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;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Multiple APS faculty members and students presented at the 57th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston. Those who presented includes:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\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;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Professor\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Christopher Edwards<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, research professor\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Will Grundy<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, Radiant Center senior research scientist\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Chris Haberle<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, professor\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Mark Loeffler<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, assistant professor\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Alicia Rutledge<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, associate professor\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Mark\u00a0Salvatore<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and assistant research professor\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Jean-Francois\u00a0Smekens<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\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;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Graduate students\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Amelia Ascione<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Anna Baker<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Rachel Fry<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Emily Kriner<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\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;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Undergraduate student\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Aubrey Schrameck<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\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;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">APS graduate student\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Alicia Allen\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">co-wrote the paper \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11214-026-01285-8\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Mobilization of Unconsolidated Granular Material on Asteroid (101955) Bennu by Spacecraft Interaction<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u201d published in Space Science Reviews. The paper uses data from the OSIRIS-REx mission and detailed modeling to make discoveries about granular material from Bennu, a small asteroid.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\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;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">APS doctoral students\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sam Hemmelgarn<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Katie Breeland-Newcomb<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">; alumni\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Hanna Zigo<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Mitch\u00a0Magnuson<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Brian Burt<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">; postdoctoral scholar\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Annika Gustafsson<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">; former postdoctoral scholar\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Michael\u00a0Mommert<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">; and associate professor\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Cristina Thomas<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0co-wrote the paper \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2603.15872\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">NEO Colors from The Mission Accessible Near-Earth Object Survey (MANOS)<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u201d published in The Planetary Science Journal. The paper presents data on the spectrophotometric\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">griz<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0colors of 189 near-Earth objects collected through MANOS.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\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;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Thomas also co-authored the papers \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/2603.20445\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Isotopic Signature of Organic Molecules from Beyond the Solar System: An Enriched Methane D\/H Ratio in the Interstellar Object 3I\/ATLAS<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201d and \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/2603.20460\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Coma Physics of an Interstellar Object: JWST Spatial-Spectral Mapping of 3I\/ATLAS<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u201d published in Nature Astronomy and The Astrophysical Journal Letters, respectively.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\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-april-6-10-2026\/\">Kudos to these faculty,\u00a0staff\u00a0and programs.\u00a0\u00a0 Do you have a spotlight item to share with the NAU community?\u00a0\u00a0 E-mail your announcements to\u00a0Inside@nau.edu,\u00a0or use\u00a0our\u00a0online submission form. Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science (APS) assistant professor\u00a0Haley Sapers\u00a0was announced as a new investigator for the Joint Genome Institute\u2019s 2026 Community Science Program portfolio. Every year, the institute selects biological&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-77573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spotlight"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77573","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=77573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77573\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}