NAU Mock Trial competed in the Los Angeles Opening Round Championship Series on March 8-9, earning a record of 3-4-1 to tie for 15th. These results placed NAU in the top 120 mock trial teams in the country. NAU Mock Trial also earned the Spirit of AMTA award during the competition, which the American Mock Trial Association gives to teams embodying its values of honesty, civility and fair play.
Bill Carter, associate professor of practice for the School of Communication, hosted a panel discussion at the Tucson Book Festival on March 16. Carter spoke on the intricacies of his writing process and how to translate books into films to more than 650 attendees, drawing on his experiences transforming his memoir “Fools Rush In” into the film “Kiss The Future.”
Janice Sweeter, an associate professor of practice for the School of Communication, will be sharing research she completed with associate professor Jiun-Yi Tsai, associate professor of practice Amy Hitt and graduate students Claire Ewert and Martine Follestad-Jutilla in a presentation titled “Harnessing AI in the Strategic Communication Classroom and Workplace” on March 28 in the Cline Library. As a part of the Transformation through Artificial Intelligence in Learning (TRAIL) program, the study examines how generative AI is reshaping classroom experiences and career preparedness in strategic communication. Sweeter, Tsai and Hitt will also host a workshop on this research on April 28.
First-year anthropology master’s student Kate Collette, supervised by Department of Anthropology assistant teaching Professor Kayeleigh Sharp, won the Young Forensic Science Forum's poster award at the American Academy of Forensic Science's Annual Conference for her poster “Transforming Bioarchaeology: Computer Vision for Sex Identification in Skeletal Remains.” The poster details Collette’s research collecting images of skeletal human remains from the Lambayeque region of northern Peru and using them to train a deep learning algorithm to predict the age and sex classifications of the remains using their skeletal structures alone.
Department of Social Work assistant teaching professor Brandie Reiner and students enrolled in her SW 420 course—Social Welfare Policy Practice—participated in the National Association of Social Workers’ Legislative Education and Advocacy Day at the Arizona State Capitol. NAU’s social work students were recognized as distinguished guests by state Reps. Quantá Crews and Lorena Austin, gathering valuable insight into how social work operates in policy-making spaces throughout the event.
Department of Sociology professor Janine Schipper’s book, “Conservation is Not Enough: Rethinking Relationships with Water in the Arid Southwest,” has officially been published through the University of Wyoming Press this month. The book analyses water issues in the Southwest and asserts water conservation efforts are limited in their efficacy, drawing from Indigenous cultures and mindsets to build water use recommendations.
College of Health and Human Services associate clinical professor Oaklee Rogers was one of 21 health professionals selected to participate in the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions’ 2025 Leadership Development Program. The two-phase program trains health educators in management skills, leadership styles, budgeting and conflict resolution.
