The NAU Review — 10 ways NAU attacks wildfires, the next phase of quantum computing and HAPA’s annual lu’au

March 31, 2022

In 2020, federal fire agencies spent a whopping $2.2 billion—that’s billion with a “B”—fighting fires. That number has increased tenfold in the last few decades. For Southwest Wildfire Awareness Week, take a look at NAU’s diverse efforts to increase forest health, improve firefighting capabilities, help communities become more resilient and rebuild after a fire and better understand fire behavior.

Quantum computing can change almost everything about the world we live in, but despite the billions of dollars spent studying it, it’s still too unwieldy for regular use. NAU assistant professor Ryan Behunin is working to change that. He received an NSF CAREER grant to study how to reduce the noise produced in the process of quantum computing, which will make it better and more practical.