Spotlight

In the Spotlight: June 14, 2019

Kudos to these faculty, staff and programs

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  • David Hodge, an affiliate member of the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, recently became a member of PathSensors’ Scientific Advisory Board. Hodge has previously worked with PathSensors, a biotechnology and environmental testing company, as an expert in chemical and biological threats.
  • Assistant professor of physics and astronomy Christopher Edwards was co-author on an article recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Sensors. “Spatially Consistent High-Resolution Land Surface Temperature Mosaics for Thermophysical Mapping of the Mojave Desert” discusses new data-fusion techniques that generate mosaics of nighttime and daytime land surface temperatures across large regions.
  • Crystal Hepp, assistant professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, published a perspective piece in a special issue of mSystems, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology. In “Towards Translational Epidemiology: Next-Generation Sequencing and Phylogeography as Epidemiological Mainstays,” Hepp details research projects that her group collaborates on with county and state public health agencies, where the objective is to identify pathogen source locations with the longer-term goal of implementing proactive interventions.
  • The Wall Aquatic Center was featured in Athletic Business. The article highlights the center’s pool as an international training destination and calls it “one of the best high-altitude training sites in the world,” citing the many upgrades the center has received.
  • Assistant clinical professor in physician assistant studies Jacob Gubler was elected president of the Arizona State Association of Physician Assistants (ASAPA). Gubler follows in the footsteps of fellow faculty member Jennifer Feirstein, who now is immediate past president on the ASAPA board.
  • Matthew Wangeman of the Institute for Human Development recently attended a Disability Studies Symposium at Eastern Washington University. He plans to host a similar symposium at NAU in the near future to showcase the university’s disability studies program and share its work with others in the field. Wangeman will speak at Midwestern University in Phoenix this month about the importance of rehabilitation professionals taking a disability studies approach with their patients to better understand individual goals of the rehabilitation process. Wangeman’s short documentary about his life through his son’s eyes, “My Dad Matthew,” was released to the public on YouTube in May.
  • Arizona Business Magazine named Robert Kellar a 2019 Healthcare Researcher of the Year for his advanced work with developing regenerative medicines in the biotechnology field. Kellar is an associate professor in the Center for Bioengineering Innovation, adjunct faculty member in mechanical engineering and co-director of the bioengineering doctoral program and the Imaging and Histology Core Facility at NAU. Orthopedics This Week also published an article highlighting Kellar.
  • Assistant professor of practice in the School of Communication Harun Mehmedinovic was the cinematographer on the climate change documentary “Ice on Fire.” Leonardo Dicaprio served as a producer on the film, which premiered on HBO this week and will have its world premiere later this month at the Cannes Film Festival as an official selection. 
  • The School of Nursing received accreditation for all its programs for the next 10 years. SON programs include a bachelor’s degree in nursing, a master’s degree in nursing with specialty tracks for nurse generalist and family nurse practitioner, a post-master’s certificate for family nurse practitioners and a doctorate of nursing practice.
  • Northern Arizona University was included in a number of national rankings:
Cheyenne Jarrette