Diffenbaugh named American Geophysical Union Fellow
Former Watsonville resident Noah S. Diffenbaugh was recently named as a 2020 American Geophysical Union Fellow and recipient of the union’s William Kaula Award, according to a release from Mount Madonna School.
Diffenbaugh is a 1992 graduate of Mount Madonna.
Diffenbaugh is a professor of earth system science at Stanford University, a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, and an affiliate of the Precourt Institute for Energy. He is one of 62 elected as 2020 American Geophysical Union fellows.
James Zachos, distinguished professor of earth and planetary sciences and the Ida Benson Lynn Chair of Ocean Health at UC Santa Cruz, commented on Diffenbaugh’s selection.
“The honor of the AGU fellowship is in recognition of Dr. Noah Diffenbaugh’s outstanding scientific contributions,” Zachos said in a prepared release. “The William Kaula award is in recognition of unselfish service to the scientific community through extraordinary dedication to, and exceptional efforts on behalf of AGU’s publications program.
Education
The following students were honored for academic achievement:
• Kiana Gilbert, of Felton, was named to the dean’s honor roll for the fall semester at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi.
• Katherine Kaminski, of Los Gatos, was named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Kirby’s Nazareth honored
Kirby School senior Michelle Nazareth has been named a semifinalist for the 2021 class of the Coca-Cola Scholars Program, moving to the next round of the selection process to become a Coca-Cola Scholar and receive a $20,000 college scholarship.
More than 1,600 high school seniors were selected as semifinalists from a pool of nearly 100,000 submitted applications (1.6%) from across the country based on their academic excellence, leadership and service demonstrated in school and community services.
Two added to Community Bridges board
Community Bridges announced the appointment of Brenda Griffin and Silvia Morales to its board, according to a press release from the organization.
Griffin is the president of the NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch. She has been on the steering committee of the Economic Justice Alliance and on the Santa Cruz Police Chief’s advisory committee to address issues around policies and accountability.
Silvia Morales is the executive director of the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz. She has demonstrated expertise in leading nonprofit and civic organizations in Santa Cruz County promoting diversity, advancing equity and advocating for justice, according to the release.
Additionally, Nicolette Lee has been appointed as the new board chair effective January 2021. Nicolette has been a member of the Community Bridge Board since 2017 and brings a wealth of expertise in advancing policies that benefit and serve our entire community.
Additional 2021 Community Bridges Board members are Sara Siegel, deputy probation officer, Santa Cruz County Probation Department; Lee Slaff, real estate broker; Jack Jacobsen, retired attorney; Steven McKay, associate professor in sociology at UC Santa Cruz and director, UCSC Center for Labor Studies; Stephanie Connor Kent chief nursing executive, Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center; Amy McEntee, chief medical officer, Salud Para La Gente; and Michael Babich, retired business owner.
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