Zac Fosler (BS 2006) was recognized by Congresswoman Debbie Dingell on Capitol Hill, where he accepted honorable mention in the public housing category of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition's annual Edson Awards. The AHTCC is a national trade organization of housing professionals who advocate for affordable rental housing financed using the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. Fosler is executive director/CEO of the Ypsilanti Housing Commission, which opened its New Parkridge affordable housing redevelopment project in January. Located at a former segregated housing site, New Parkridge was one of only three public housing projects nationwide honored through the awards program.

Mary Nash ('74 BSN) has announced her plans to retire in October after 43 years in nursing. She serves as chief nursing and patient care services officer for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and also associate vice president for health sciences and assistant dean for clinical affairs at the OSU College of Nursing.

Heidi Kattula ('98 MA) was a unanimous choice to become the new superintendent of East Grand Rapids Public Schools, effective Aug. 1. The board announced that it selected Kattula for "her strength in collaboration, her ability to increase student achievement through inclusion and accountability, and her experience in instructional leadership across all grade levels." She has 26 years of experience in public education, according to an EGRPS news release.

A collaboration between NMU and NASA began this week. Contractors are transporting instruments to Granite Island to set up an offshore solar radiation-monitoring site for NASA’s Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) experiment. CERES has been measuring Earth’s radiation via satellite for more than 30 years. In an effort to validate that data through ground measures—ideally over water, far from land contamination—NASA selected a Lake Superior location after decommissioning a previous Chesapeake Bay site because of safety issues. The goal is that analyses of  CERES data will lead to a better understanding of the role of clouds and the energy cycle in global climate change.