2026-2027 Phoenix Board

President: Andrea Moseley Fund Development: Marilyn Hayes Membership: Libby Crouch University Relations: ASU - Judy LeMarr, NAU - Denise Belt, UA - Kimberly Olney Recording Secretary: Laura Martin Treasurer: Sharon Ponce Corresponding Secretary: Alex Shepard Field Trips: Nancy Rink Past President: Sydney Fox

Above: Photos from the 2026 April Awards Dinner

Dear ARCS Members and Supporters,

As I begin my tenure as President of our ARCS Phoenix Chapter, I am excited for all that lies ahead. My goal in the coming year is simple — to expand our internal understanding of the incredible impact of ARCS while at the same time ensuring that our time together is fun, meaningful, and inspiring to the membership that works so hard toward our goals.

Though I am still working, I intend to cut back so that I can dedicate the time, energy, and passion to ARCS and the wonderful opportunities our chapter offers to us and our scholars. I am truly looking forward to becoming even more involved with each of you throughout the year.

With the help of Sydney, Anna Maria, and Judy, we have created handouts with job descriptions that should help guide you into and through your position. If you did not receive your packet, I will be reaching out to connect and arrange the handoff.

I look forward to reconnecting with everyone at our meetings, field trips, and special activities throughout the year. We are also excited that our Annual Tea will temporarily be held at Paradise Valley Country Club, where we will continue to honor our wonderful ARCS sister and friend, Sandra Matteucci, and her lasting contributions to our chapter.

The rest of our Board Members and I truly welcome everyone’s ideas and input as we work together to make our programs, events, and activities engaging, informative, and enjoyable for all.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support, enthusiasm, and friendship.  I am excited by your faith in me and grateful for each of you as we look forward to a wonderful year together.

Andrea Moseley
President, ARCS Foundation Phoenix Chapter

Upcoming National Events

National Board Forum (Virtual) - September 30, 2026

National Board Meeting (Virtual) - October 7, 2026

Check out other events here.

STUDENT:  Laura Lee, NAU

Laura is an Astronomy and Planetary Science PhD student and the ARCS Kucera Scholar. Below, she shares her research in the Radiant Center for Remote Sensing.

I am a fifth year PhD candidate in Astronomy and Planetary Science, a Graduate Research Assistant in the Radiant Center for Remote Sensing, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Scholar at Northern Arizona University. The main theme of my research covers Preparing Future Planetary Missions which encompasses three diverse projects on instrumentation for NASAs ESCAPADE mission to Mars, collecting telescopic observations of targets in the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA), and conducting crop growth experiments for long-duration crewed presence on the Moon and Mars.

In the first project, I am the Instrument Scientist for the visible and thermal infrared cameras (VISIONS) designed and developed by students and faculty at NAU for NASAs ESCAPADE mission to Mars. VISIONS has provided me with numerous first-hand experiences in instrument design and development, assembly, environmental testing, calibration, and space operations and communication. On top of this I am also gaining exposure into how space missions operate and are structured. Building on this, I was recently accepted into a NASA summer school program for planetary science mission design, where I am currently working alongside 17 other graduate students/early career professionals to understand the intricacies of proposing and developing a planetary mission for NASA. This program has been super informative and I am looking forward to working with professionals at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory later this summer!

My second project focuses on classifying the selected asteroids in the United Arab Emirates upcoming mission to the asteroid belt that is launching in 2028. Over the past couple of years I have collected visible spectra of the 7 EMA asteroids using the Lowell Discovery Telescope right outside of Flagstaff. This observing campaign spanned over multiple years because asteroids and the Earth are constantly moving, so for these targets to be in view from the northern hemisphere and during the right time of day (night time), it takes a bit of planning. On top of this, observations are very dependent on weather conditions and even high humidity can prevent you from observing. With spectra collected of the 7 asteroids, I determined their class-types using established asteroid class spectra, which allows us to infer information about the surface composition and conditions of the asteroid. I currently have a paper in review for publication that reports the results of these findings.

In project three, I lead crop growth experiments in soils that are similar to the Moon and Mars to prepare for future long duration crewed missions on these planets. In these experiments, I test to see if a microscopic fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can be beneficial to crop growth in these harsh soils. As these experiments progress, I’ve also begun testing sustainable fertilizer options that involve processed human waste. For corn crops, we’ve found improvements in plant survival and biomass production when they are grown with this fungi and we’ve observed an additional increase in biomass production when the corn is grown with processed human waste fertilizer. Biology of course is a complicated science and results vary depending on the crop, so there is more science to be done! In the meantime, I have another paper in review for publication covering the results of these experiments and I was recently awarded first place at NAUs 3 Minute Research Presentation competition covering results from this project.

As I step into the final year of my PhD program, I am beginning to explore career avenues for my future in planetary science.

Get to know your new President!

Andrea Moseley, President/CEO of AWE Corporate Interiors, wife, mother
of 2 beautiful grown children and native Phoenician. UA graduate!

My husband would call me a bit scattered; I prefer thinking that I am available to
multiple opportunities at a moment's notice!  I do not do well in stasis.  I need to be
moving, productive, and accomplishing to be at my most relaxed.  I cannot sit on the beach and just read a book, but I can build a sandcastle, walk along the waves, and engage with people - even if I have to go find them!  My house is my oasis, and where I can be as eclectic and diverse in my design as I see every day in my work.  My husband is the pepper to my salt, and sometimes vice versa!  We like our down time (I still don't sit) and like walking in the neighborhood in the morning and a nice Happy Hour once in a while is not out of the question.

1.  Cats or Dogs - The Eternal Question, and we have both, and almost always have.  
2. Tea or Coffee - Coffee for sure, but never more than a cup or two in the morning or
one in the afternoon.
3.  Books - I love to read, and fiction is my favorite.  I am currently into a run of Micheal Crichton, but John Grisham has been known to be in my rotation.
4.  Comfort Food – AWEsome yet difficult question… I love all foods, however, pizza or
pasta that someone else has made is the best!!
5.  Most Beautiful Place in the World - Kauai, Hawaii, though several places come in a close second. Growing up in the desert may be why tropical destinations always make me smile.
6.  Shocking but True - I was once involved in ballet, but a bit of growth brought that to a halt. Oh well, I enjoyed it while it lasted.

All ARCS members are welcome to all events! Look for registration links in your email and bring a friend! 

Jul 1 - New fiscal year starts with Andrea Moseley as President

Sep 8 - Board meeting 11:30 am at the home of Anna Maria Matteucci

Oct 6 - Fall luncheon and meeting: Paradise Valley Country Club

JULY
4 Liz Nofen
9 Kay Berry
15 Sheila Grinell
17 Nancy Rink
29 Betty Hayes
29 Jane Lawson

AUGUST
8 Stevie Eller
15 Jocelyn Stoller
23 Anna Maria Matteucci
29 Paulette Dalke

SEPTEMBER
2 Kate Thompson
6 Sandra Seward
13 Alex Shepard
14 Marilyn Hayes
16 Amy Moseley
24 Bettie Crawford
28 Kimberly Olney

ARCS Alumni? We want to connect with you!

Please share with us your career and research updates even after you have graduated!

For Alumni residing in the Phoenix area, we welcome you to speak at our local meetings, and for Alumni to become ARCS members. Reach out to phoenix@arcsfoundation.org for additional information.

For Alumni wishing to further the mission of ARCS through future ARCS Scholars, donations to ARCS can be made on our website https://arcsfoundation.org/ by clicking "Ways to Give." If you would like to fund a named scholar award (full or half award), please reach out to us. Thank you for your generosity.

SHARE WITH US

Scholars - did you recently publish an article? Present at a conference? Spend a month doing field work? We want to hear about it! Please share with us by emailing hansa.magee@gmail.com - we want to feature you in a future newsletter!

OUR MISSION

ARCS Foundation advances science and technology in the United States by providing financial awards to academically outstanding United States citizens studying to complete degrees in science, engineering and medical research.

OUR IMPACT

Since 1975, the Phoenix Chapter has committed more than $9.2 million to fund 1,365 Scholar Awards at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and The University of Arizona.

ARCS Foundation Phoenix (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists)
3104 East Camelback Road, PMB 975
Phoenix, AZ 85016
phoenix@arcsfoundation.org

a 501(c)(3) Non-profit Corporation
Tax ID: 86-0319947

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