Congratulations to Space Grant Associate Director, Barron Orr, for being named a 1885 Society Distinguished Scholar! The 1885 Society Distinguished Scholars Award was created in 2012 to acknowledge outstanding mid-career faculty whose leadership, research, scholarship and creative contributions promise to catapult their disciplines to new levels of innovation.

After a rigorous review at the college and University level, Barron Orr, associate specialist, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, received the esteemed recognition.

Congratulations to FY 2012 Space Grant Intern, Erica Hernandez, for being featured in a great Lunar Greenhouse spotlight with Dr. Gene Giacomelli! Incorporating a bioregenerative process, scientists and engineers are researching how to grow sustainable food crops in outer space with sustainable greenhouses.

FY 2012 UA Space Grant Intern Brian Franz led a senior design team to a Second Place win in the AIAA Region IV Student Paper Competition Team Division!  The competition, held March 28-30, 2013 in Salt Lake City, featured 55 students from 11 Colleges and Universities. Congratulations, Brian and team!

Roger Hungerford Graduate Student Award

The Roger Hungerford Award is given to a student who, while attending an Arizona college or univer-sity, made significant contributions to the management and conservation of Arizona's wildlife and/or habitat. Contributions are in the areas of wildlife research, education and training, management, conservation, or law enforcement. The Award is given in memory of one of Arizona's finest research biologists, Roger Hungerford.

This year, the Roger Hungerford Student Award was presented to FY 2010, 2011 Space Grant Fellow, Melissa J. Merrick, Doctoral Stu-dent University of Arizona. Melissa provides a combination of a truly innovative and important project with broad implications for forest ecology and management, professional drive and produc-tivity, passion to learn, dedication to conservation issues, and an enjoyable personality are not com-mon and will serve her well in the future.

AZTWS Newsletter Spring 2013 (PDF)

2013 Joint Fire Science Program Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN) Award

Melissa Merrick has been selected to receive a 2013 Joint Fire Science Program Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN) Award!

The purpose of JFSP GRIN awards is to enhance graduate student’s exposure to and interaction with fire and fuels managers, to develop appreciation and understanding of fire and fuels managers information and research needs, and to augment already planned research to develop information and/or products useful to managers. JFSP recognizes that graduate students of today are the managers, scientists, and leaders of tomorrow. These awards allow graduate students to conduct research that will supplement and enhance the quality, scope, or applicability of their thesis or dissertation, and to build skills needed for independent inquiry.

Working in collaboration with Dr. Koprowski and Coronado National Forest Safford District fire managers, biologists, and silviculturist Craig Wilcox, I will assess how past burn severity and current fuel reduction treatments in the Pinaleño Mountains influence natal dispersal movements of juvenile Mt. Graham red squirrels.

Congratulations to FY 2012, 2013 Space Grant Fellow, Pacifica Sommers, for her Graduate Student Award! Each department in the College of Science honors three graduate students a year for their achievements in scholarship, teaching, or service. These awardees also serve as the nominees for the overall College of Science awards in each category. I was recognized by the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department for the Service award, in large part due to activities and collaborations related to my Space Grant Fellowship project. This category is for "attention to broader impacts and involvement in activities outside of academic responsibilities that benefit the department, university and the larger community. For example, this student may represent graduate student interests on councils or committees, organize graduate student events, assist departmental recruitment, participate in K-12 outreach, etc."

J.J. Zanazzi is a first year graduate student working with Dong Lai at Cornell University, in the area of Theoretical Astrophysics.  He received two B.S. degrees from Northern Arizona University: a merged B.S. in Physics and Astronomy and a B.S. in Mathematics.  As an undergraduate, he has done research in a variety of fields and institutions.  At the University of California Davis, he has worked with Lloyd Knox in theoretical cosmology.  At Penn State, he has worked with Anton Petrunin and Misha Guysinsky in convex geometry and dynamical systems.  At Wayne State, he did research in experimental nuclear physics with Rene Bellwied.    And at Northern Arizona University, he worked with Ed Anderson searching for exoplanets under a NASA Space Grant.  In addition, he has also participated in two mathematics study abroad programs: the Math in Moscow Program at the Independent University of Moscow, and Mathematics Advanced Study Semesters (MASS) at Penn State.

In addition to research, J.J. Zanazzi also has interest in scientific writing and outreach, and has been a teaching assistant for the Knight Institute Writing in the Majors course in Astronomy, and received an award of Honorable Mention in the New Frontiers in Astronomy and Cosmology Student Essay Competition.  He is currently a teaching assistant for the new Cornell Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on Relativity and Astrophysics under David Chernoff, and is a participant in Cornell’s Ask an Astronomer team.

Congratulations to Zachary Johnson for being a winner in the Reach for the Stars ~ National Rocket Competition! Out of the entries submitted nationally, Johnson's was the closest average landing to the target at his level. Johnson received the privilege of launching his rocket at the Astronaut Hall of Fame!

These students "met and exceeded" all expectations of their NASA Mentor George Hamilton and others. As a result, the team lead Karlyn Saddoris, was invited to NASA Marshall in January 2010 to give a presentation about their work to NASA's senior program managers.

Erika Roesler, Space Grant Intern from 2002-2003, studied cometary photometry with Dr. David Schleicher of Lowell Observatory.  The internship gave Erika valuable experiences with observational astronomy, data analysis, and presenting research.  Following the internship and graduating from NAU, Erika continued her education and received a doctorate in Atmospheric Science from the University of Michigan. 

Erika is currently a Postdoctoral Appointee in the Geosciences and Atmospheric Sciences Department at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. Her research is in the field of atmospheric modeling. Her current research tools include large eddy simulations to test microphysics and turbulence parameterizations; uncertainty quantification software for parameter sensitivity explorations; generalized PDE solver libraries to explore first principles in cloud modeling; and atmospheric general circulation models used at high (1/8-degree) resolution, lower (1 and 2 degree) resolutions, and variable resolution to explore dependencies of methane, black carbon, and Arctic storm properties to grid spacing.

Erika is grateful for the lessons learned from the NASA Space Grant which laid positive foundations for developing good practices in research and science.

During his Ph.D. program, FY 2011, 2012 Space Grant Fellow, Casey Kahn-Thornbrugh, went to work as an adjunct geography instructor at Tohono O’odham Community College (TOCC) on the Tohono O’odham Nation. While being an Alfred P. Sloan Indigenous Graduate Fellow and a NASA Space Grant Graduate Fellow, he has spent much of his time mentoring Tohono O’odham college students at TOCC.

Casey’s goal is to continue working with Native communities to develop geography and environmental science curricula that is reflective of tribal/community values and culture, and prepares students for working in their communities, nationally, or internationally.