In the Spotlight: Oct. 11, 2013

Kudos to these faculty, staff and students

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  • Paul Lenze, Jr., lecturer of politics and international affairs and Middle East relations specialist, finalized a book contract with First Forum Press for his book, Civil-Military Relations in Islamic ’Democracies:’ Military Intervention and Withdrawal in Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey. The book is due to be published late 2014 or early 2015.
  • An essay by Nicole Walker, associate professor of English, is a notable essay in the 2013 Best American Essay anthology. Walker’s “Skin of the Earth” was published by Zone 3 Press, which also recently released her book, Quench Your Thirst with Salt.
  • J. Judson “Jut” Wynne, a biological sciences doctoral candidate and research ecologist with the Colorado Plateau Research Station, recently published papers describing three new species of insects found on Easter Island, Hawaii and in the Gulf of Mexico. The discoveries were published in Zootaxa and El Mercurio.
  • Samuel HayesFreshman Samuel Hayes is among 35 winners of the “I’m First Scholarship,” awarded by nonprofit Center for Student Opportunity. The $2,000, four-year renewable scholarship is awarded to first-generation college students attending four-year colleges that partner with the center.

    As a scholarship winner, Hayes will share his college experiences and give advice to younger students as a blogger on imfirst.org, an online community celebrating and supporting first-generation college students. Hayes is one of eight winners this year and joins 27 upperclassmen who won the scholarship in previous years and continue to serve as student bloggers.

  • NAU physician assistant students were featured on KPNX 12 in Phoenix on Monday alongside weatherman James Quinones to celebrate National Physician Assistant Week, Oct. 6-12, a national movement to increase awareness of the profession as well as the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Brian Kummet, a first-year NAU physician assistant student, spoke with Quinones about how PA practitioners are the answer to the primary health care shortage in Arizona. The 12 News team tweeted that the students are “Life-savers in training.”
  • Members of the NAU chapter of the Pi Beta Phi fraternity for women recently donated more than 500 books to Kinsey Elementary School in Flagstaff. The books were collected during the chapter’s philanthropy night as part of its fall member recruitment. Throughout the month of October, members of Pi Beta Phi also are volunteering three times a week at the school in second-grade classrooms, where they listen to the young students practice reading aloud.