In the Spotlight: Oct. 23, 2015

Kudos to these faculty, staff and students

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  • Northern Arizona University has been recognized as a sustainability leader in the 2015 Sustainable Campus Index, achieving “top performer” rankings in the areas of Campus Engagement and Coordination and Planning. The index highlights top-performing colleges and universities in 17 areas, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System. NAU achieved 100 percent of the available points available in both subcategories.
  • NAUPD presentation
    NAU Police Chief G.T. Fowler presents students Jessica Atkinson and Justin Hall with Certificates of Appreciation for their safety efforts.

    NAUPD presented certificates of appreciation to students Jessica Atkinson and Justin Hall for their efforts in campus safety. After receiving an NAU Alert, the students called NAUPD with tips that led to the apprehension of a suspect on campus. After receiving the certificates, the students were given a tour of the dispatch room and discussed preventative safety measures. NAUPD encourages the campus community to “stay alert, stay aware, and if you see something, say something.” Find more of their safety tips here.

  • President Rita Hartung Cheng welcomed a delegation from the National University of Tucuman in Argentina who arrived in Flagstaff to kickoff the 100,000 Strong in the Americas project on Geology and Energy Policy. Four NAU and UNT students will participate in the field course exchange that highlights the unique natural resources in northern Argentina and the southwestern United States. This is NAU’s first partnership with an Argentine university.
  • NAU students Mari ClevenEmily Rose Litvack and Tyler Miranda received two student production Emmy awards at the Rocky Mountain Regional Emmy Awards ceremony October 17 in Scottsdale. The winning student production pieces included “Fires of Change” and “AstroNuts.” NAU-TV’s Jerry Anderfuren and Alexander Thomas won two professional regional Emmy Awards in the categories of “Promotion Program-Single Spot or Image” and “Photographer-Short Form” for “We are NAU: Inspiring Artists.”
  • John Hultgren, lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Affairs, had a book titled Border Walls Gone Green: Nature and Anti-immigrant Politics in America published by the University of Minnesota Press. The book examines American debates over the environmental impacts of immigration and argues that attention to the realities of migration can help to forge a new, more effective brand of environmental activism.
  • Aileen Farrar, lecturer of comparative cultural studies, presented her paper, “Reforming the Specters of Science in Frankenstein: A Monster’s Newtonian Philosophy,” at the International Conference of Romanticism held in Park City, Utah. The conference invited interdisciplinary scholars to speak on issues of transgressive Romanticism. In her presentation, Farrar challenged the notion that Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, is a cautionary tale against the sciences and anticipates increased attention to the novel as its bicentennial in 2018 draws near.
  • Forest signing Wally Covington, Regents’ professor and executive director for NAU’s Ecological Restoration Institute, was a speaker at the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project final Record of Decision signing ceremony on October 22 at the Museum of Northern Arizona’s Easton Collection Center. Covington, pictured fifth from left, joined county, city and Forest Service officials to address the value of forest restoration and the multiple benefits of managing forests, including increasing water resources. The signing includes the use of novel harvesting methods to reduce hazardous fuels on the steep slopes above Flagstaff’s key watersheds. NAU’s Diane Vosick, Abe Springer and Dave Huffman have also provided science and leadership support for the project.
  • Cyndi Banks, dean of the University College, and British lawyer James Baker have co-authored a book titled, Comparative, International, and Global Justice: Perspectives from Criminology and Criminal Justice. The text presents and critically assesses a wide range of topics including comparative criminal justice, international criminology, and transnational and global criminology.
  • Ishmael I. Munene, associate professor of educational leadership, served as a reviewer and resource specialist for the Council for Development of Social Science Research in Africa’s African Diaspora Research Methodology Workshop held October 19-24 in Nairobi, Kenya. Following the workshop, more than 20 research projects were awarded research grants for collaborative book projects between African-based scholars and those in the Diaspora.
  • NAU’s Department of Education Psychology will represent NAU at two national meetings in support of the White House’s Reach Higher InitiativePatricia Young, assistant clinical professor and coordinator of the NAU Phoenix School Counseling Program, will attend the Southern Region Education Board national meeting in San Antonio that focuses on updates to the college and career access curriculum for school counseling students and professionals in the field. Joyce DeVoss, professor and coordinator of NAU’s Tucson Counseling Program, will attend the White House Convening of Leaders in College Access in Jacksonville, Fla. where the emphasis will be on measurement of goal outcomes made by the Arizona College and Career Ready team.