Spotlight

In the Spotlight: Feb. 6-10, 2023

Kudos to these faculty, staff, students and programs 

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  • Daphne Chen, assistant professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS), has been selected as one of Outstanding Associate Editors for the year 2022 on Frontiers in Nanotechnology. This award highlights members of Frontiers in Nanotechnology’s editorial board who have significantly contributed to the growth of the journal. 
  • Regents’ professor Julie A. Baldwin, Department of Health Sciences and director of the Center for Health Equity Research, recently published Understanding Resilience and Mental Wellbeing in Southwest Indigenous Nations and the Impact of COVID-19: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study in JMIR Publications with 15 other authors from NAU. This community-engaged study lays the groundwork for future studies addressing Indigenous mental health, well-being and resilience. 
  • Pamela Rogers Bosch, professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, was the lead author of “Association of Caregiver Availability and Training With Patient Community Discharge After Stroke” in the Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation through funding from the Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative (U54MD012388). Indrakshi Roy, assistant research professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Maximillian Fabricant, Audrey Mann and Amit Kumar from the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training also were co-authors. They found that caregivers increase a patient’s likelihood of discharge from from inpatient rehabilitation facilities; the added benefit of caregiver training needs to be further assessed, with essential elements prioritized prior to patients’ inpatient rehabilitation facilities discharge. 
  • Angelina E. Castagno, professor in the College of Education’s Educational Leadership Program and director of the Institute for Native-serving Educators; Regents’ professor of chemistry and biochemistry Jani Ingram; and Ricky Camplain, assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Center for Health Equity Research, recently published, “Opening Up STEMM Pathways Among Indigenous People In The U.S.: What Is The Role Of Cultural, Spiritual, And Ethical Conflicts In Indigenous People’s STEMM Educational And Career Decisions?” in the International Journal of Science Education. The publication addressed how ethical, cultural and spiritual issues impacted the education and career paths of Indigenous people in STEMM fields. They found that some Indigenous people experience uniquely significant ethical tensions between standard practices, norms and expectations in STEMM fields and their own cultural and spiritual commitments. 
  • Monica Lininger, associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, was the lead author of “Building Research Infrastructure: The Development of a Technical Assistance Group-Service Center at an RCMI” published recently in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health through funding from the Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative (U54MD012388). Christine Kirby, research coordinator in CHER; Kelly A. Laurila, research scientist in CHER; Indrakshi Roy, assistant research professor in the Department of Health Sciences; Marcelle Coder, assistant director of CHER; Catherine R. Propper, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences; Robert T. Trotter II, researcher in the Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative, and Julie A. Baldwin, Regents’ professor in the Department of Health Sciences and CHER director, were co-authors. The publication details how they developed the Technical Assistance Group Service Center at NAU’s Center for Health Equity Research to support faculty engagement in health equity-related research at a southwestern RCMI institution.
  • The NAU track & field teams had a successful return to the Skydome during the Ron Mann Classic, with two school records and one conference record falling. 
    • Madeline Wilson broke the heptathlon school record, scoring 3,882 points. She earned PRs in high jump, shot put, long jump and the 800-meter. Wilson’s jump of 1.73 meters in the high jump places her at No. 5 all-time in school history in the event. 
    • Alyssa Colbert broke her own 60-meter record after tying it in the prelims. She ran a time of 7.24 in the finals, setting a new school and conference record. Colbert’s time puts her at No. 12 in the nation.
    • LaTrouchka Duke ran a time of 7.38 to set a new personal best. Duke also PR’d in the 200-meter, running a time of 24.05 to put her at No. 3 on NAU’s all-time records list. 
  • The Princeton Review selected The W. A. Franke College of Business as one of 243 Best Business Schools for 2023 for the on-campus MBA program. The schools for this project were selected based on data from surveys of 20,300 students attending the schools and of administrators at those schools. 
  • The Northern Arizona University Police Department has been awarded two grants from the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety totaling $15,000 to be used for a variety of initiatives that will increase roadway safety initiatives throughout northern Arizona.  
    • The first award of $10,000 will allow NAUPD to dedicate officers to DUI enforcement during multi-agency DUI task forces on all major holidays and significant NAU event weekends such as homecoming. 
    • Another grant totaling $5,000 will allow officers to engage in bicycle patrols to educate cyclists, skateboarders and pedestrians on applicable laws as well as take enforcement action on violations if needed. A portion of the grant is also allocated to purchase 400 bike lights to distribute during move-in week to students that do not have a bike light. 
  • Senior forward Montana Oltrogge earned Big Sky Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honors. Oltrogge’s 15 points, 10 rebounds and career-high four steals led the Lumberjacks in each category as they came away with a 62-59 victory in overtime against the Bears in Greeley, Colorado. 
  • Chad Trujillo, associate professor in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science (APS) and David Trilling, APS department chair and professor, are co-authors on one of the American Astronomical Society’s most downloaded papers of 2022, “A Deep and Wide Twilight Survey for Asteroids Interior to Earth and Venus.” This paper discusses the findings of conducting these surveys and how comparing the actual population of asteroids found interior to Earth and Venus with those predicted to exist by extrapolating from the known population exterior to Earth is important to better understand the origin, composition and structure of the NEO population. 
  • Trilling, along with SICCS assistant professor Mike Gowanlock, astroinformatics master’s student Daniel Kramer, former postdoc Andrew McNeill and others have a new paper out in which they present the design, architecture and first data release for the Solar System Notification Alert Processing System (SNAPS). SNAPS is a Solar System broker that ingests alert data from all-sky surveys. 
  • APS Ph.D. student Rebecca Carmack has published her first, first-author paper. This publication, “Pore Accessibility in Amorphous Solid Water” discusses how the porous nature of amorphous solid water (ASW) can significantly affect the chemical evolution of any planetary or astrophysical surface it forms on due to its ability to trap and retain volatiles. Other authors on this paper include Ph.D. student Patrick Tribbett and faculty adviser Mark Loeffler. 
  • Paul Lenze, senior lecturer in the Department of Politics & International Affairs, spoke with Fox News 10 in Phoenix on Feb. 3 and Feb. 4 with Fox News’ LiveNOW streaming service about the Chinese spy balloon. 
  • The Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative blog recently published an article covering the education and outreach program, Four Corners Science and Computing Club. This lab is co-led by professor of biological sciences Greg Caporaso’s lab and is part of an effort to increase interest in and awareness of the role of computers in science before students get to college.
  • The NAU track & field teams had three athletes earn Big Sky Athlete of the Week honors after strong performances at the Ron Mann Classic.
    • Alyssa Colbert was named Big Sky Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after she broke both the school and conference records in the 60-meter. She ran a time of 7.24 to break her own school record. Colbert ranks first in the Big Sky and 21st nationally in the event.
    • John Murphy competed in the weight throw, hitting a new personal best of 20.28 meters to be awarded Big Sky Men’s Field Athlete of the Week. Murphy is ranked first in the Big Sky in the weight throw and is ranked 43rd nationally.
    • Brodey Hasty was awarded the Big Sky Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after his performance in the mile last Friday. He ran a time of 4:07.66 in the event, easily winning the event. Hasty’s time leaves him ranked first in the Big Sky and 36th nationally.

 

 

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