In the Spotlight: Sep 4-8, 2023 

Kudos to these faculty, staff, students and programs 

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  • Vedran Dronjic, associate professor of applied linguistics, collaborating with principal co-authored an article in Cognition titled, Decomposition in early stages of learning novel morphologically derived words: The impact of linear vs. non-linear structure.” It is the first of a series of  articles coming out of a multi-year National Science Foundation and the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation funded project, talking about how adult learners of a second language break-up words into segments while they are learning. 
  • Christopher Edwards, associate professor in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science (DAPS), in conjunction with the Jet Propulsion Lab, received a $341,000 grant from NASA Planetary Data Archiving, Restoration, and Tools (PDAR) program to dervice near-global rock abundance on Mars from Thermal Emission Imaging Systam data.  
  • Diego Munoz, assistant professor in DAPS, co-authored an article in the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, talking about dynamics of circumbinary accretion in space. 
  • Munoz also is a co-PI on a recently accepted a proposal in NASA’s  XRP program for a project,”Building and Detecting Dust Enshrouded Planets”. This 3-year program will support an NAU graduate student for two years.
  • Mark Salvatore, associate professor and associate chair ofDAPS, was named a co-principal investigator on the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research (MCM LTER) Project.  The program investigates ecosystem dynamics within the Antarctic landscape to understand how the Earth is responding to climate change.   
  • DAPS Ph.D. student Ana Morgan is principal investigator for the newly selected Cycle 31 Hubble Space Telescope program, “An archival search for faint Trans-Neptunian Objects.” Morgan’s team will analyze HST data for faint objects in the outer Solar System as part of the program’s investigation. Professor and department chair David Trilling, professor and chair of NAU’s department of astronomy and planetary science, is a co-investigator.  
  • Fred DeMicco, executive director and professor in the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, co-authored an article about community-based creative solutions to the health care enigma in corporate America. These innovative programs provide a blueprint for high performance and practical health benefits.
  • The men’s cross country team was picked first in the USTFCCCA Preseason National Coaches Poll after winning their sixth national championship last year, while the women’s cross country team began their season ranked second in the nation after finishing fourth at the national meet last year.
  • The cross country teams swept the Big Sky’s first weekly awards of the season following winning performances at the George Kyte Classic. Women’s Athlete of the Week Ruby Smee led the women’s team in her first race as a Lumberjack, finishing .1 seconds ahead of teammates Elise Stearns and Aliandrea Upshaw to earn her first individual victory of the season. Men’s Athlete of the Week Drew Bosley finished first for the second consecutive year, running a 4.5-mile time of 21:32.7—the fastest in George Kyte history.
  • Marvin Glotfelty, an alumnus from the School of Earth and Sustainability, received the Ross L. Oliver Award for outstanding contributions to the groundwater industry from the National Ground Water Association. It is the association’s most prestigious award. Glotfelty is a principal hydrogeologist and co-founder of Clear Creek Associates in Phoenix. 
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