The NAU Review — NAU’s record-breaking year of research, how to start a farm and a Q&A with a multitalented local musician

April 9, 2024

NAU saw the largest annual increase in research expenditures in fiscal year 2023, leading to a record-breaking amount of research in a year that also saw NAU’s projected achievement in R1 research status. Leaders say it’s a testament to NAU’s teacher-scholar model and the university’s mission of recruiting professors who can help students excel in the classroom while thriving in the research field as well. Learn more about the significance of these numbers for NAU’s research program and meet three of NAU’s researchers who are on the front lines of planetary science, health equity and inclusion.

How do you acquire a menagerie? It starts with some fluffy yellow chicks … and there’s no telling yet where it ends. For National Farm Animals Day on April 10, communications assistant manager Jessica Clark tells the story of how she started with three baby chicks, but in only a few years found herself taking on not only an entire flock of chickens, but also two goats and a rotating cast of barn cats. **Editor’s warning: Seeing these photos will make you want to start a farm. Check local zoning laws—and how much patience you actually have—before bringing home a chicken. And be kind to your neighbors and don’t get a rooster.**