Spotlight

In the Spotlight: April 2, 2021

Kudos to these faculty, staff and programs

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  • Northern Arizona University received a 2021 Thankie Award for Best Holiday Video, presented in the annual award ceremony. A collaborative effort between the NAU Advancement Annual Giving team, NAU Socialand NAU Communications, the “Warms Donors Hearts” video, which features Louie the Lumberjack and students sending donors personalized appreciation for Valentine’s Day, beat out national nominees University of California, Davis and A Step Beyond.
  • Professor of mechanical engineering Peter Vadasz published two articles. “Centrifugal buoyancy in a rotating fluid layer next to and distant from the rotation axis” was published in Physics of Fluids and is an analytical investigation of the stability and onset of natural convection in a rotating fluid layer subject to a centrifugal body force. “A Hidden Anomaly in the Binary Mixture Natural Convection Subject to Flux Boundary Conditions” was published in Physics and investigates an anomaly regarding natural convection in a binary mixture subject to realistic boundary conditions.
  • Igor Steinmacher, assistant professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS), and associate professor of SICCS Marco Gerosa co-authored the article, “Can I Solve It? Identifying APIs Required to Complete OSS Task” in Software Engineering. The study investigates the feasibility and relevance of labeling and issues in regards to Open Source Software projects. Gerosa also co-authored the article, “How Do Software Developers Use GitHub Actions to Automate Their Workflows?” published in Software Engineering. The study evaluated the use of GitHub Actions, a tool that provides automated workflows for repository maintainers.
  • Octaviana Trujillo, professor in the Department of Applied Indigenous Studies, was the recipient of the Mike Charleston Award sponsored by the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas Special Interest Group for the American Educational Research Association. The award recognizes distinguished contributions to research in Indigenous education.
  • Research professor of forestry Nadine Laporte was an expert panelist for the event, “Carbon Dioxide Removal Program 2021 Deep Dive” organized by ClimateWorks Foundation. Panelists discussed case studies in countries where significant potential exists for natural carbon capture in farms and forests.
  • Professor of forestry Carol Chambers contributed to the USDA’s final report for the Blue Ribbon Panel titled, “Surveillance, Management and Research of Vampire Bats and Vampire Bat Rabies in the U.S.” The report is the result of a 34-person panel discussion on vampire bat surveillance, management, research needs and communication strategies with a primary focus to address potential range expansion of a novel species and rabies virus into the U.S.
  • Steven Gehrke, assistant professor in the Department of Geography, Planning and Recreation, co-authored the article, “Patterns and predictors of dockless bikeshare trip generation and duration in Boston’s suburbs” published in Case Studies on Transport Policy. The study analyzed GPS data from the first 18 months of the Boston region’s recently-suspended Lime dockless bikeshare program, highlighting the spatial equity-related impacts of this promising active mobility option.
  • Associate professor of forestry Matthew Bowker presented his work titled, “Wonders of dryland moss: Syntrichia from genomes to ecosystems” at the UC Berkeley Jepson Herbarium workshop. The workshop was funded by an NSF Dimensions of Biodiversity grant which funded six partner institutions including NAU.
  • Professor of English Nicole Walker was featured in the interview, “‘Processed Meats’: Author Nicole Walker Looks At Personal Life To Explore Ties Between Communities, Individuals” published by KJZZ Radio Show. Walker discussed the construction and themes of her latest collection of essays, Processed Meats.
  • Assistant professor of anthropology Emery Eaves was on Flagstaff’s “20 Under 40” list. The Arizona Daily Sun and the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce have partnered to recognize local business and professional leaders achieving success in their field before the age of 40.
  • Associate professor of anthropology Sharon Moses was selected as a general section regional representative for the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS). AAFS is an organization that provides leadership to advance science and its application to the legal system.
  • Parwez Besmel, lecturer in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, published the article, “Pathway to Transitional Justice in Afghanistan” in the Journal of Global South Studies. The article presents a perspective on peace and justice in Afghanistan that is grounded on the sociopolitical realities of the country, the literature of transitional justice and the experiences of several other countries that dealt with post-conflict justice when faced with the dilemma of peace and justice.
  • Assistant professor of forestry Alark Saxena, part-time faculty of forestry Alder Keleman Saxena and assistant research professor of SICCS Patrick Jantz presented at an international webinar titled, “Impacts of the pandemic on forest communities and forest resource use – What do we know, what do we need to know and how to find out?” The title of their presentation was “The Role of Forests in a ‘Green Recovery’ from the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.”
  • Arden Day, research associate with the Institute for Human Development (IHD); Michele Lee, research coordinator for IHD; Ronda Jenson, associate professor of psychological sciences; Erica McFadden, IHD; Maureen Russell, assistant research professor in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; Kelly Roberts, executive director of IHD and professor of educational specialties; John McDermott, IT support analyst at IHD; and Nicholas Blum, community program coordinator with IHD co-authored the article, “Coming Together during COVID-19: A Mixed Methods Exploratory Study on Collective Efficacy in a State Developmental Disabilities Network” published in Developmental Disabilities Network Journal. The study examines reported attributes of collective efficacy prior to COVID-19 and the predicted likelihood CE attributes will continue in the future among Developmental Disability Network members and their partners.
  • Russell; Cathron Donaldson, assistant director of IHD; Jill Pleasant, assistant director of IHD; and Roberts co-authored the article, “Using Telehealth to Adapt Service Delivery for Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic” published in Developmental Disabilities Network Journal. The article discusses the processes and the decisions that were made when converting several services offered by IHD to telehealth services during the pandemic.
  • Jenson co-authored the article, “The Impact of COVID-19 on Disability Services and Systems: Perspective from the Field,” published in the Developmental Disabilities Network Journal. The study looked at the effects experienced by individuals with disabilities and caregivers, the shifts in practice and research and supportive systems.
  • Heather Williamson, assistant professor of occupational therapy, co-authored the article, “Adapting Participatory Action Research to Include Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic” published in Developmental Disabilities Network Journal. The study shares ideas and ways to include more researchers with disabilities in ongoing research efforts during the pandemic.
  • Jiun-Yi Tsai, assistant professor of communication, was selected as a Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar and will receive a grant of $5,000 for research regarding corporate social advocacy. The project will contribute two blog posts to the Arthur W. Page Center, a final written report and a chapter to a forthcoming book or a journal article for publication.
  • Galen Collins, interim associate dean in the W. A. Franke College of Business and professor of hotel and restaurant management, published the fourth edition of his textbook, “Overcoming the Customer Service Syndrome: How to Achieve and Sustain High Customer Satisfaction.” He also published the article (in Russian), “The Role of Hotels in City Sustainability” in the Herald of the University of Moscow Government. The article discusses the benefits of hotels practicing sustainability and the ways they can be better stewards of the environment.