Kudos to these faculty, staff and programs.
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- Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science (APS) assistant professor Haley Sapers hosted a “Science on Tap” presentation on March 19 at Mother Road Brewery. Titled “Searching for life as we DON’T know it,” Sapers was one of many monthly community lectures in the “Science on Tap” series providing a platform for NAU scientists.
- Former APS postdoctoral scholar Lauren McGraw, associate professor Cristina Thomas and professor Josh Emery co-authored the paper “Hydration Features on Near-Earth Objects: Integrating New Data with Prior Results,” published in The Planetary Science Journal. The paper synthesizes new observations of water features on near-Earth objects with preexisting databases.
- The Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation recognizes doctoral students nationwide with awards for outstanding accomplishments in innovative technologies. This year, all five nominees from APS were selected, comprising Alicia Allen, Will Burris, Kennedy Farrell, Laura Lee and Ana Morgan.
- Thomas and APS alumnus Colin Chandler co-authored the paper “Isotopic Evidence for a Cold and Distant Origin of the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS,” published in the journal Nature. The paper reports on measurements of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which reveal an elemental composition unlike any other body in the solar system.
- Thomas also reports that the latest Yearly Opportunities for Research in Planetary Defense (YORPD) proposal for the ongoing MIT-Hawaii Near-Earth Object Spectroscopic Survey (MITHNEOS) was accepted, a project that now includes assistant professor Diego Muñoz as a co-investigator. These professors, alongside incoming doctoral and postdoctoral scholars, will build on 20 years of MITHNEOS data collection through a three-year, $762,000 project emphasizing smaller objects than previous.
- NASA announced this year’s selections for the James Webb Space Telescope this month, including about 250 selected proposals prepared by 2,333 unique global investigators. Of these 250 proposals, 10 have past and present NAU affiliates as lead or co-investigators. These individuals include:
- Current faculty members Emery, research professor Will Grundy, Thomas, professor Steve Tegler and Chair David Trilling.
- Current graduate students Allen and Lucas McClure
- Alumni Audrey Martin, Ryder Strauss, Ryleigh Davis, Eric Maclennan, Brittany Harvison and Maggie McAdam
- Senior NAU diver Grace Wesche competed in the 3-meter diving event at the NCAA swimming and diving national championships, finishing 21st in the preliminary round with a score of 296.10. This marks the highest finish by a Lumberjack at the national level.