In the Spotlight: March 4, 2016

Kudos to these faculty, staff and students

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  • Northern Arizona University was named among the top online military friendly colleges by the Guide to Online Schools. The 2016 rankings considered colleges that provide students with military and academic support programs, financial aid services, credit transfer choices and participate in the Yellow Ribbon program. Schools also were evaluated on military culture, online support and flexibility. The complete list of the 2016 rankings can be found online

  • Björn Krondorfer, director of the Martin-Springer Institute and professor of comparative religious studies, had a chapter titled “Masculinities and Identity” published in the Handbook of Global Contemporary Christianity. In January, his chapter “Unsettling Empathy: Intercultural Dialogue in the Aftermath of Historical and Cultural Trauma” appeared in Breaking Intergenerational Cycles of Repetition: A Global Dialogue on Historical Trauma and Memory. Another chapter titled “Religion und Theologie,” published in Männlichkeiten, is the first survey on men and masculinities in the world religions. Krondorfer also guest-edited a special issue “Antisemitism and Islamophobia: Probing the History and Dynamics of Hate” in the journal CrossCurrents.

  • School of Forestry doctoral students Kristina Young and Henry Grover, along with forestry professor Matthew Bowker, published an article in the international journal New Phytologist. The article titled “Altering biocrusts for an altered climate” discussed the biocrust session at the Biennial Conference of Science and Management on the Colorado Plateau and Southwest Region held last October in Flagstaff.
  • Brant Short, professor in the School of Communication, had an essay titled “‘Conserving not scenery as much as the human spirit itself’: The Environmental Oratory of Sigurd Olson” published in Green Voices: Defending Nature and the Environment in American Civic Discourse. The book, released March 1, examines the broad sweep of America’s environmental history from the perspective of famous and influential environmental figures. The collection is divided into fifteen case studies of significant environmental speeches and speakers.
  • Betsy Buford, lecturer for Academic Transition Programs, and Raymond Chaira, instructional technologist for e-Learning Center, were selected to present at the International Center for Academic Integrity’s annual conference in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. During their session titled “Fostering Culture of Academic Integrity,” the pair discussed student and faculty expectations of academic integrity in the classroom. The session also provided best practices, course design, discussion and an overview of NAU’s Academic Integrity Workshop in Bb Learn. The presentation has been given at NAU and online through the Faculty Professional Development program.
  • Northern Arizona University was named among the top colleges for Native American Studies by Great College Deals. Schools were selected based on the presence of a well-rounded Native American studies curriculum, field-related internships and scholarship options. NAU offers both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Indigenous Studies as well as four AIS minors. The rankings also highlighted, NAU’s Pledge program and reduced tuition for residents of most western states.
  • Undergraduates Kaitlyn Haskie and Brittany Begaye were accepted into the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Summer Research Training program. The students will spend the summer at the National Institute of Health’s campus in Bethesda, Md. At the end of the program, they will have the opportunity to participate in the NIH Summer Research Poster Day and share their work with the scientific community.
  • NAU Ambassadors received the Best Student Presentation Award at the Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education’s regional conference in Pomona. Undergraduates Shannon O’Neill, Taylor Hudzinski, Kyle Weiss and Kiersten Gaetano received the showcase award for their presentation titled “Going the Extra Mile.”