Kudos to these faculty, staff and programs.
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- Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science (APS) associate professor Cristina Thomas was featured in the book “How to Kill an Asteroid: The Real Science of Planetary Defense.” The nonfiction publication covers the technology and rigorous work that went into NASA’s 2022 Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which was the first initiative to use kinetic force to deflect asteroids near Earth.
- APS Chair David Trilling’s proposal, “A rapid-response program to characterize Near Earth Objects with LCO’s MuSCAT instruments,” was selected by NASA’s Yearly Opportunities for Research in Planetary Defense (YORPD) program. The $556,000 three-year program will support the work of doctoral student Remi Cantelas using Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) telescopes in Hawaii and Australia.
- Haley Sapers, an APS assistant professor, visited the University of British Columbia from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1 to meet with the students and faculty involved in the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmosphere Science (EOAS) and the Department of Microbiology. Her visit included a special seminar and giving the weekly EOAS colloquium.
- Undergraduate APS student Hunter Brooks co-authored the study “New Cold Subdwarf Discoveries from Backyard Worlds and a Metallicity Classification System for T Subdwarfs,” published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement. The article details the discovery of 25 subdwarfs, each with varying levels of metal deficiency.
- APS alum Colin Chandler, postdoctoral student Will Oldroyd and associate professor Chad Trujillo co-authored the article “The Volatile Composition and Activity Evolution of Main-Belt Comet 358P/PANSTARRS,” published in The Planetary Science Journal. The research details the scientists’ use of the James Webb Space Telescope to detect water vapor associated with the titular comet, the second time a sublimation product has been detected from a main-belt comet. They also concluded that the comet’s dust production has decreased over the last 10 years.
- The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation officially accredited NAU’s initial and advanced education programs across the College of Education, College of Environment, Forestry and Natural Sciences, College of Health and Human Services and College of Arts and Letters. Accreditation for programs leading to teacher certification or educator licensure will last from Oct. 20, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2031.
- Visual communication professor Rodrigo de Toledo’s art exhibition “Kin” will be on display at the Coconino Center for the Arts from Oct. 21 to Dec. 21. De Toledo will also visit the exhibition to host an artist talk on Nov. 21, discussing the motivations and meanings behind the collection’s acrylic paintings, which pull from mythological and otherworldly inspirations to depict fantastical ancestors.
- Anna Lorena Masini Aleman, who studies culinary arts and hotel and restaurant management, and Taya Pierce, who is majoring in hospitality, were two of 18 students nationwide who received the US Foods Scholars scholarship. Due to their outstanding achievements, both scholars will receive $20,000 to further their education and cover correlating expenses.
- NAU will host the 10th annual conference of the Four Corners Conflict Network, which aims to connect scholars in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah universities specializing in violent and nonviolent forms of political and social conflict, from Apr. 25-26, 2025. The conference will be chaired by politics and international affairs professor Maiah Jaskoski and is sponsored by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the Center for International Education, the Department of Politics and International Affairs and the Martin-Springer Institute. Students and faculty are encouraged to submit presentation proposals for the conference online by Dec. 1.
- Caleb Churchill, an assistant teaching professor for the School of Communication, showcased his photography in the Museum of Contemporary Art Flagstaff’s group exhibition on Nov. 8. His work will be displayed at additional gallery hours from Nov. 23-24.
- The NAU Speech and Debate Team competed in the Robert Barbera Collegiate Forensics Invitational Tournament at California State University, Northridge on Nov. 2-3. Freshman secondary education student Nani Franklin placed first in the oral interpretation portion. Sophomore political science students Erin Swift and Alton Parker also placed first and third in their respective individual parliamentary debate events, with Swift being bumped up from the novice bracket to the junior division.
- Anthropology graduate student Romeo Panful published his personal essay, “Between Borders and Ballots,” on Allegra Lab, a digital anthropology publication. The article describes the weight and significance of the 2024 presidential election for international students, especially those identifying as LGBTQ+, despite the fact that many could not cast votes. Panful specifically discussed how topics like immigration, transgender rights, access to gender-affirming healthcare and protections against discrimination represent broader patterns of identity, security and belonging for international students and others immigrating to the U.S.