In this exclusive interview

Brian Lauritzen, 2006 graduate of Southern Adventist University, is a big name in broadcasting in Los Angeles.

Shasta Nelson, Adventist-pastor-turned-relationship-expert, talks about her new book Frientimacy, her national friendship business and the importance of close relationships.

Question: You have a new book out called Frientimacy: How to Deepen Friendships for Lifelong Health and Happiness. Who should read this book? Why is this topic important? Don't most of us know how to have friendships already?

Grant Perdew, whose film won at the SONscreen Film Festival this year, talks about the inspiration of Wes Anderson, the power of film to change the world and the amazing opportunities at Walla Walla University.

Chris Blake, associate professor of English and Communication at Union College, is chair of Lincoln's Interfaith Peacemaking Coalition. He spoke to Spectrum about the Coalition's big event last Sunday, which attracted lots of local news coverage, featured the city's mayor, and even boasted a long-distance message from the Dalai Lama. 

Tiffany Summerscales is an associate professor in the Physics Department at Andrews University. She is a member of the LIGO collaboration which recently announced the first observation of gravitational waves. In this guest interview, physics lecturer and postgraduate student Clinton Jackson talks with Summerscales about the extraordinary discovery.

Managing editor Benjamin Baker describes how the new Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists will be researched, written and reviewed before going live online at the next General Conference Session in 2020.

Eliel Cruz is a graduate of Andrews University who has gone on to do organzing work and journalism at the intersections of faith and the LGBT+ community. Cruz recently launched a new venture, in the fundraising stage, that will document gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and gender nonconforming individuals of many faith traditions. Cruz travels to various conferences on faith and sexuality, and in the process, has learned the stories of many for whom their religious identities and LGBT+ identities overlap.

Paul Mikov, an Adventist in New York City, describes his roles as UN liaison for NGOs World Vision, and now CMMB, working to improve the lives of vulnerable people around the world.

In the United States, 2015 was a landmark year for transgender people.