Undergraduate Student Awards
Congratulations to Environmental Sciences (ENV) student Joshua Rihs, selected as the School of Earth and Sustainability’s Outstanding Senior, and Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ESS) grad Natalie Pierson for a Gold Axe Award!
Our undergrads are very active with Green NAU and campus sustainability, and several were recognized with Sustainability Leadership Awards from the NAU Environmental Caucus – Taryn Bell (ENV), Natalie Pierson (ESS), and Paige Strickland (ESS).
Thanks to generous support from donors and friends of NAU and SES, we were also able to award the following scholarships and honors to support students in their continuing studies in Environmental Sciences (ENV), Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ESS), and Geology (GLG).
Bill Morrall Memorial Conservation Scholarship – Estella Percarpio (ENV)
Dragonfly Fund SES Scholarship – Ivory Bacy (ENV), Bo Sullivan (ESS)
Environmental Fund for a Sustainable Future Scholarship – Julia Freeborn (ENV), Natalie Pierson (ESS), Taryn Bell (ENV), Rebecca Winslow (ESS), Shalyn Nelson (ENV)
Environmental Science Scholarship – Emma Burns (ESS), Hallie Calhan (ESS), Jacob Vanetsky (ESS), Jeneveve Osborne (ESS), Mallory Decker (ESS),
Lisa Marie Jones Memorial Scholarship – Aileen Macias (ENV), Anna Alfermann (ESS), Danielle Munoz (ESS), Emily Roll (ENV)
Rod Parnell Fund for Water Resources Research Support – Treven Kasper (ESS)
Distinguished Geology Senior – Erin Kaplan (GLG)
Outstanding Geology Junior – Jessica Condon (GLG)
Nancy Riggs Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate in Geology – Krystal Ortiz (GLG), Griffin Riley (GLG)
Mueller Family Geology Senior Field Award – Letty Rodriguez (GLG)
Vesto Melvin Slipher Award – Emily Godin (GLG)
Graduate Student Awards
Graduate students in all our programs were also supported this year by generous alumni, donors, and prestigious national fellowships. Students in Environmental Sciences (ESP), Climate Sciences and Solutions (CSS), Geology (GLG), and our PhD program in Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability (ESES) all achieved great things!
Iris Garthwaite, a graduating student in our Environmental Sciences & Policy MS program, was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship AND the NAU Presidential Fellowship to continue on to a PhD.
The Wyss Scholars Program for the Conservation of the American West selected Sarah Colombo (ESP) and Yazhmin Dozal (ESP) as this year’s scholars.
At our annual Graduate Research Symposium several students were recognized for their terrific science communication. Valeria Cortes Rivas (ESES) was awarded the Montgomery Prize, and Alexis Riche (ESES) and Kelsey Brennan (GLG) won 3 Minute Research Presentation Awards. First year students presented posters on their proposed research, and awards went to Susan Wood (ESP), Samantha Barnett (GLG), and Frank Telles (ESES PhD).
Kelcie Kraft (CSS) was recognized with a Sustainability Leadership Award from the NAU Environmental Caucus.
Scholarships to support continuing graduate student research also included:
Becker Family Award in Geology – Frank Telles (ESES PhD)
Bill Morrall Memorial Conservation Scholarship – Kelcie Kraft (CSS), Mary Beth Bayruns (CSS), Roberto Heredia (ESP)
Brad McRae Fellowship for Innovation in Conservation of Biodiversity – Heidi Goodrich (ESP)
David Sanders Geology Research Assistantship Award – Lilianna Broussalian (GLG)
Friday Lunch Clubbe Alumni Awards – Eric Stauffer (GLG), Emma Palko (GLG)
Henry Hooper Student Fund Award – Dorcas Naa Aku Shika Quarshie (CSS), Caitlin Walker (ESP), Jessica Archibald (ESES PhD), Phoenix Eskridge-Aldama (ESES PhD), Ryan Yazzie (ESES PhD)
McCullough Award – Naya Deykes (GLG)
Muehlberger Family Award – Andrew Lewis (ESP), Lilianna Broussalian (GLG), Naya Deykes (GLG)
Ronald Blakey Award – Curt Knott (GLG), Emma Palko (GLG), Rachel Forney (GLG), Samantha Barnett (GLG), Sarah Zurkee (GLG)
Rod Parnell Fund for Water Resources Research Support – Andrew Lewis (ESP), Chris Hancock (ESES PhD), Lilianna Broussalian (GLG)
Tom and Rose Bedwell Award for Research in Earth Science – Alexis Riche (ESES PhD), Caitlin Walker (ESP), Christopher Hancock (ESES PhD), Curt Knott (GLG), Emma Palko (GLG), Frank Telles (ESES PhD), Joshua Burstein (GLG), Leah Marshall (ESP), Lilianna Broussalian (GLG), Naya Deykes (GLG), Rachel Forney (GLG), Ryan Yazzie (ESES PhD), Samantha Barnett (GLG), Tawfic Yakubu (GLG)
Faculty Awards
Congratulations to Dr. Nick McKay for winning the American Quaternary Association’s Eric Grimm Award for Excellence in Open Science and Data Stewardship. This new award recognizes an outstanding scientist with demonstrated excellence in research and an exemplary commitment to advancing open science. Two of our faculty this year also earned Sustainability Leadership Awards from the NAU Environmental Caucus – congrats to Dr. Erik Nielson (NAU Leadership) and Dr. Denielle Perry (Green Fund Project of the Year and Faculty of the Year).
Alumni Awards
Two of our School’s fantastic alumni were also honored this year with Sustainability Leadership Awards from the NAU Environmental Caucus. Dara Marks Marino (MS Climate Sciences and Solutions) was instrumental in Flagstaff Climate Emergency declaration, helping shape NAUs climate action plan and engaging students in climate action. Kevin Ordean (BA Environmental and Sustainability Studies) led entrepreneurial efforts for forest restoration under 4FRI (Four Forest Restoration Initiative).