‘Something you can use in the real world’
Maliya Peyketewa, a freshman at Greyhills Academy High School in Tuba City, wants to become an app and web developer when she gets older. A virtual after-school coding course offered to STEM students at her school and taught by NAU volunteers is helping her learn one of the computer languages she can use to get there.
Want to take on the world’s complex, constantly changing problems? Start with making sure all of the world’s population have the opportunity to engage with the science, technology and engineering that is remaking the world. For International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Feb. 11, The NAU Review talked to some of the many women on our campus who are tackling questions of climate change, ecological diversity, computing, forest health and semiconductors—everything from the tiniest organisms and microchips to the entire universe.
Do you know how Black history has shaped the history of Flagstaff and NAU? Through events, panel discussions and guest speakers, NAU commemorates the legacy, heritage and brilliance of our Black community. During Black History Month, learn about the significant contributions of Black Americans to our community and the United States and gain a greater understanding of how that legacy continues to evolve and affect Black and African Americans today.
Estevan Ramirez, a master’s student in archaeology, has made good use of his time at NAU—multiple research trips to Belize to study Preclassic Maya archaeology, restarting the Student Association of Graduate Anthropologists and gaining a greater understanding of the border crisis. In his final semester, he’s taking on new challenges as he prepares for graduate school and a career in anthropology.
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Applications open for NAU’s Early Learning and Development Center
The ELDC is integrating programming knowledge from NAU’s College of Education and aims to demonstrate, observe, study and teach exemplary practices in early childhood education, speech-language pathology and other related fields. The ELDC serves children aged 3–5 years old and their families, supporting their intellectual growth, social-emotional intelligence and physical development. Priority enrollment is being offered to NAU student-parents, staff and faculty. Applications for enrollment and financial assistance are currently taking place.
Lights, camera, SCALPEL!
When the stage lights and hospital beds meet, greatness happens. Students from NAU’s School of Nursing and the Department of Theatre collaborated to create a simulation lab as part of the Health Care Theater Class, giving students hands-on experience in their respective fields of study.
2022 was a year of missions to space, inspiring stories of achievement despite the odds, game-changing research, creating new ways to help Arizonans go to college and putting a local spin on global issues. Check out The NAU Review’s top 10 most-read stories of last year, plus a few favorites that we just can’t stop thinking about.
Addressing cancer disparities in tribes
The Center for Native American Cancer Health Equity, funded by a new $4 million grant from the American Cancer Society, aims to improve education and screening rates in Native American tribes, which have disproportionately high rates of cancer.
The annual Northern Arizona University Vocal Jazz Madrigal Festival will take place February 9 and 10. It is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the United States and features special guest clinicians and over 140 high school ensembles from Arizona and nearby states. The two-day festival includes a concert featuring the Accent, one of the premier popular vocal ensembles in the world, alongside NAU’s Shrine of the Ages Choir on February 9 and 10 @ 7:30 PM in Ardrey Auditorium.
Residents of the La Plaza Vieja and Southside neighborhoods are invited to attend the first Neighborhood Partnership Coalition (NPC) meeting on Thursday, Feb. 23, from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at the Murdoch Community Center. Hosted by the City of Flagstaff and Northern Arizona University, staff will share updates relevant to the two neighborhoods and engage in related discussions with attendees.
Northern Arizona University will host Made Here, a juried student exhibition in the Beasley Gallery within the Performing and Fine Arts building, February 9 through February 24. The Beasley Gallery will host a free public opening of Made Here on February 9 at 5-7 p.m.
This exhibition is an annual competition open to all students enrolled in coursework in the School of Art. Jurors from outside the institution select the works for the exhibit and choose distinctive awards. Student artists and designers working in all media and art disciplines are included.
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Department of History is sponsoring Jennifer Klein, Durfee Professor of history at Yale University, who will speak on “Women, Work, and Welfare: A History of Gender and Precarious Labor” at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23, NAU Campus, Liberal Arts building, room 120.
This lecture is co-sponsored by the Commission on the Status of Women, the Department of Sociology, the Department of Social Work, and the Department of Women and Gender Studies.
Klein’s talk will offer a historical discussion of women’s precarious labor in the U.S., spotlighting the gendered development of urban wage work from the mid-19th century to the era of Uber and TaskRabbit.
(Postponed until April 5)
ENCUENTRO NAU: A Symposium, a Teach-in, and a Celebration of Latinidad! will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 5 at the Du Bois Center.
We will have a full day of panels in the Du Bois Center (with a light breakfast and lunch provided). NAU President Cruz Rivera will kick off the day at 9 a.m.
Click here to see the schedule
On April 17th, 2023, Northern Arizona University will host Graham Akhurst, award-winning Aboriginal Australian author. Akhurst is from the Kokomini of Northern Queensland and currently lives on Gadigal Country in Sydney. Akhurst will read from his work and discuss his experiences as a writer representing Indigenous Peoples in fiction.
Akhurst’s international reputation as an author, and his involvement in addressing colonization and indigenous issues make the reading of particular interest to the Northern Arizona Community.
Residents of the La Plaza Vieja and Southside neighborhoods are invited to attend the first Neighborhood Partnership Coalition (NPC) meeting on Wednesday, April 19, from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at the Murdoch Community Center (203 E Brannen Ave). Hosted by the City of Flagstaff and Northern Arizona University, the NPC meeting will create a space for staff to share updates relevant to the two neighborhoods and engage in related discussions with attendees.
FLAGSTAFF — The NAU Dept. of History will present “Bridges and Barriers: A History of the US-Mexican Borderland” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20 at Liberal Arts 136, Flagstaff.
AU’s Chief Sustainability Officer) will present “Making the Hidden Visible: An Interdisciplinary Assessment of the Environmental, Social and Developmental Impacts of The War on Drugs in Central America” at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 24 in LA136, Northern Arizona University.
Enjoy music that broadens your horizons and brings the world to your doorstep every Sunday through July 30 at 3 PM in Kitt Recital Hall.
FLAGTAFF — Pedro Gonzalez Corona, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Martin-Springer Institute will be giving a talk titled “Echoes of Racial Fantasies: The Politics of Mexican Antisemitism,” at 7;30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28 at Liberal Arts 120.
Presented by the Martin-Springer Institute. His current research focuses on Mexican antisemitism and the phenomenon of forced disappearances. He will also teach a course on this topic in spring 2024, HUM 382 Cultures of Disappearance on Mondays from 4-6:30 p.m. for CCS.
Free and open to the public.
FLAGSTAFF — Chilean singer songwriter Nano Stern will play a free concert, “Nano Stern Sings Victor Jara” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct 13 at the Kite Recital Hall at Northern Arizona University.
Free and open to the public.
As the world commemorates 50 years since the coup d’état in Chile, Nano Stern revisits the songs of legendary folk singer Víctor Jara, who personifies the spirit of the day through his timeless music and poetry. With austere virtuosity, Stern gives new breath to this immortal repertoire.
More than 2,400 students have applied to graduate this semester; they will be celebrated in two ceremonies at the Skydome on Dec. 16. Learn about parking, traffic, the clear bag policy and how you can get updates on commencement.
When life throws you unexpected challenges, the only way forward is through. Graduate student Altoveda Tortice has embodied this moral throughout her master’s program while working full-time, raising a family and dealing with loss. Tortice first graduated from NAU in 2007 with a degree in psychology. Now, 13 years later, she’s ready to graduate again, this time with a degree in human relations and a goal of helping other students reach their educational goals.
Lorie Lee never imagined she’d make it to university; she is now graduating with two degrees, having won the prestigious President’s Prize. A mother of three and non-traditional student, her inspiring tale begins earlier than her first day at NAU. As a child, Lee experienced poverty, a mother with substance abuse issues and a father unwilling to care for her. Through the support of her friends and teachers, Lee found a love and passion for education and excelled academically. Married and raising three children with special needs, Lee enrolled at NAU’s North Valley campus and is earning a bachelor’s degree in both elementary education and special education.
Figuring out how to get out of an escape room can be stressful. Now imagine your challenge isn’t to get out of the escape room—it’s to build one, troubleshoot it and then make fixes on the fly when things break as people move through them. That’s what mechanical engineering student Valentin Gamez did alongside his compatriots in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. It was a great opportunity to put their engineering skills to good use as well as let the community have a good time. It also provided a rare opportunity for Gamez’s family to come from California and experience the work he did. Gamez graduates next week and starts his new job at Gore in 2023.
NAU’s School of Forestry recently received the first HSI grant for the Flagstaff campus. Yeon-Su Kim, executive director and professor, and Anita Antoninka, assistant research professor in the School of Forestry, won an award of more than a quarter-million dollars for support in the professional development and training of the next generation of Hispanic leaders to manage resilient forests under a changing climate. The community is mourning the unexpected death of Yeon-Su, who leaves behind a legacy of scholarship, numerous grants, professional firsts and faculty and students supported and mentored by her.
Valerie Pietrczak, who graduates in December, has kept busy during her time at NAU. She’s had three internships, including a six-month stint at Audi HQ in Germany; she is in the NAU Wind Symphony, which went to the national championship this year; and she’s a member of the Honors College. As for what’s next, well, figuring that out is part of the fun.
After stellar performances by runners Nico Young and Drew Bosley (who placed second and third, respectively), the men’s cross country team defended their title as national champions, winning for the third consecutive year. The women placed sixth—the team’s best finish since 2007. This is only the fourth time in program history that both teams have placed in the top 10 and the first time that both teams have placed in the top six.
Space exploration goes underground
For millennia, caves have served as shelters for prehistoric humans. Caves have also intrigued scholars from early Chinese naturalists to Charles Darwin. Cave ecologist Jut Wynne has been in and out of these subterranean ecosystems, examining the unique life forms—and unique living conditions—that exist in Earth’s many caves. But what does that suggest about caves on other planetary bodies? In two connected studies, Wynne, along with dozens of co-authors including engineers, astrophysicists, astrobiologists and astronauts, lay out the research that needs to be done to get us closer to answering the age-old question about life beyond Earth.
President José Luis Cruz Rivera and Vice President for Native American Initiatives Ann Marie Chischilly announced Monday that NAU’s popular Access2Excellence program, which provides a tuition-free education for Arizona students from households with an annual income of $65,000/year or less, will now be expanded to first-time undergraduate students who are members of Arizona’s federally recognized Native American tribes. The program, which goes into effect in Fall 2023, reflects the university’s longstanding commitment to Native American and Indigenous students.
Former Marine finds a new calling
Tyler Derzay had a plan for his life. It didn’t involve math classes and final exams, and it definitely never included a graduate degree in engineering. Yet, this former Marine, who will graduate next month as the standard-bearer for the College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences before beginning grad school, found a journey worth taking. As a Lumberjack, he made connections with professors and at the Veterans Success Center, met his wife and found a new life path that honored his family history as much as his military career did.
View this email as a webpage. Nov. 8, 2022 LumberSNAPS: Homecoming 2022 From the student carnival and dedicatee banquet to the Saturday morning parade and a hard-fought football game, Lumberjacks from near and far celebrated a week of Homecoming at…
It’s a tight fit in the cleanroom, but the students wearing “bunny suits,” who move around each other and all the equipment, are too focused on the work to worry about personal space. They’re part of a new project called VISIONS—a mission to design, build and test a new dual wavelength camera system that could go into space. Planetary sciences professor Christopher Edwards is leading a team of 27 students on the project, which is being done to NASA’s exacting standards, with the dual goals of getting it onto a spacecraft in upcoming years and giving students unparalleled hands-on experience that will prepare them for graduate school or industry careers.
Participate in different events, including speakers, panels, Stew Fest, Rock Your Mocs and a variety of other interactive and educational activities. The month recognizes the significance of Native American history, culture and issues and what this means to our students, faculty, staff and the Flagstaff community. “Most importantly,” Ora Marek-Martinez said, “we would like to take the time this month to educate our communities about the important sacrifices and contributions that Native Americans have made to our country and communities.” NAU sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, on homelands sacred to Native Americans throughout the region. We honor their past, present and future generations who have lived here for millennia and will forever call this place home.
Opportunity + Choice = Justice
Arantxa Amaya always knew she wanted a career that allowed her to help underserved communities become healthier. This goal led her to NAU’s occupational therapy program at the Phoenix Bioscience Core, where she is working on her doctorate. For World Occupational Therapy Day, learn more about one of the NAU students preparing for a career in this critical field of health care: “In the future, I would like to continue my OT journey in the field of pediatrics. I know I want to serve my community, working with underrepresented populations and advocating for diversity within the profession.”
How can big data help eliminate health disparities?
Amit Kumar grew up in one of the poorest areas of the world. He’s seen firsthand how systemic inequalities, often attributed to race and poverty, affect people’s health. The assistant professor’s research has looked at these disparities in various communities, particularly focused on stroke care, and his work is going to a new level with a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The project won’t just identify disparities in treatment and health outcomes among stroke patients; Kumar’s goal with this work is to help health care providers, policymakers and patients make more informed decisions and provide better care.
We know the Earth is warming, and society is struggling to slow emissions quickly enough to make a real difference. So scientists are looking at other options, including removing greenhouse gases from the air. Easy, right? According to mechanical engineer Jennifer Wade, it’s a difficult task, but not an insurmountable one. She is leading two federally funded projects that are addressing the critical question of how to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, thus slowing the devastating effects of global climate change. It’s part of a national effort called the Carbon Negative Earthshot: Being able to remove carbon at $100 a ton at a scale of a million tons per year. Learn how her lab is working toward that goal.
Mark your calendars! It’s time to celebrate the Lumberjack family.
This year, NAU is celebrating 123 years as an institution, and Lumberjacks from near and far are returning to their alma mater to help celebrate during Homecoming week. With a variety of activities scheduled for Nov. 1-5, Lumberjacks of all ages are encouraged to participate. VP of Alumni Engagement Stephanie Smith said, “We sure do have a lot to celebrate this year! If this is your first year at NAU or your 20th year in Flagstaff, Homecoming is a fun time for all. And don’t forget to bring your roommate, friends, neighbors and family to the parade before cheering on the Jacks against Montana State!”
Surviving refugee camps, abuse and losing loved ones to suicide
Personalized Learning student Aida Sibic grew up in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There, she experienced firsthand the horrors of war, genocide and the trauma that followed. She recently sat down with The NAU Review to discuss her childhood, how she and her family escaped war, what brought her to NAU and her recently published memoir, Luck Follows the Brave.
This weekend, NAU played host to thousands of VIPs—the families of our Lumberjacks. This year’s Family Weekend included a barbecue, casino night and football and volleyball victories. NAU Social captured it all, snapping pictures and interviewing a few Lumberjack families about why they love Flagstaff and NAU. Check out the photos, listen to the podcast and watch the video now.
Alicia Voytek named Homecoming dedicatee!
Voytek was presenting to a group of campus living staff when the team’s meeting was interrupted by a crowd of people who marched in the room, waving pompoms and cheering loudly. “Um, what’s happening?” she asked. The intruders circled around her, and Voytek’s eyes began to well as she realized the cause for the unannounced parade: she was this year’s Homecoming dedicatee.
In a new, first-of-its-kind partnership, Northern Arizona University will partner with all ten community college districts across the state and the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) to launch the Arizona Attainment Alliance (A++). This collaboration aims to harness the collective impact of distinct institutions based on a shared desire to dramatically boost Arizona’s postsecondary attainment rate. A++ represents a new kind of student-centered postsecondary ecosystem, one based on collaboration across shared interests and priorities and the optimization of complementary assets in service to Arizonans.
Northern Arizona University will hold a Community Open House on Thursday, October 6 to discuss the development of its Smart, Sustainable, Comprehensive Campus Master Plan, which will provide a framework for land use, open space and facility development at NAU.
NAU is asking that you register for the session, which will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the High Country Conference Center.
The master plan will emphasize “smart campus” capabilities to drive new efficiencies, reduce carbon emissions, and effectively manage resources. NAU is working with DLR Group, a nationally recognized design firm, in developing the master plan.
On Monday, at 4:13 p.m. (Arizona time), more than 7 million miles away, NASA’s DART mission successfully slammed into the asteroid Dimorphos, making history as the first step toward a possible future planetary defense strategy that includes redirecting asteroids on a collision course with Earth. Cristina Thomas, assistant professor in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science and team lead on the DART mission, along with Jason Wilder, vice president for research, were at mission control in Laurel, Maryland, to witness the historic moment unfold.
Is Valley Fever the next epidemic? In Arizona, where the fungal disease thrives, it’s a major health concern—one that’s increasing as climate change leads to hotter, drier regions nationwide. It’s critical enough that congressional leaders gave the National Institutes of Health a mandate to develop a Valley Fever vaccine in the next decade. Paul Keim, executive director of the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, is leading a $7.5 million collaborative effort with the University of Washington School of Medicine to develop that vaccine, with PMI professors Bridget Barker and Erik Settles playing key roles in the research.
When Michelle Gardner arrived at NAU as a freshman, she didn’t know a single person. She wanted to make friends but had no idea how to meet people. Then, she attended the Welcome Week Club Fair and learned about New Student Government. She didn’t have a particular interest in government, but the people at the booth were nice, so she decided to get involved. The rest is history. She went on to join the Honors program, work for The Lumberjack newspaper, serve as an orientation leader, teach HON/NAU 100 and even host a radio show on KJACK—making countless friends and even more memories that shaped her entire college experience. Nearly two decades later, she now serves as the director of the Office of Leadership & Engagement and helps ensure all Lumberjacks have access to finding their own “home” or community. She has simple advice for students: GET INVOLVED—it will change your life.
Landscape photographer David Muench spent more than six decades using his camera lens to bring the wonders of the American Southwest to the world. Muench spent much of those years in northern Arizona, photographing the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, the red rocks of Sedona and the San Francisco Peaks, capturing fleeting moments that became eternal through his photography. He recently donated his entire collection to Cline Library’s Special Collections and Archives, where it joins the collection of his father, Josef Muench, a longtime Arizona Highways photographer.
Assistant chemistry professor Naomi Lee had a number of mentors through her undergraduate and graduate work, each encouraging her to try something new, take a risk, set high goals and keep working toward them. When she was looking for jobs after completing postdoctoral fellowships, she was drawn to NAU not only for the scientific opportunities but for the chance to be that mentor to other Native students in the sciences and to help her own community.
“I want to be the first Native researcher who designs a vaccine specifically for Native communities,” Lee said. “While my work may be beneficial to the general population, I strive to look at research questions through an Indigenous lens. I want to use my skills to make healthier, happier communities.”
For World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10, Flagstaff community member Megan McCarthy shares the story of her son, Lane, who lost his life to suicide at the age of 23. McCarthy has a message for everyone dealing with depression, pain, sadness, anxiety or mental illness: You are not alone. Join the conversation and help break the stigma surrounding mental health. “We can be the voice that changes the future,” she said.
How do you find a needle in a haystack? You write an algorithm that can scan the haystack and identify the tiny needle amid all the hay. That’s what seven undergraduate students did during an inaugural astroinformatics bootcamp, only the haystack is the entire universe, and the needle is some outlier event that may not even be identified yet. The bootcamp, a collaboration between the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science and the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, was geared toward students from underrepresented groups and aimed to give them experience that will jumpstart their career or journey to grad school.
Olivia Konig is full of successes. She is an Honors Indigenous peer mentor with two majors—international affairs and Japanese. She’s heading to Japan in the fall for a year of work and study. She’ll come back to play piano in Carnegie Hall. She wants to be a lawyer after she finishes her degrees at NAU. And to top it all off, she won a Cobell Scholarship—an award that honors a pioneering Native American woman.
Students moved into their residence halls, attended their first concert, showed up for the annual NAU Letters tradition and yesterday attend their first classes of the academic year—and first college classes ever for the Class of 2026. Relive the excitement of NAU move-in (while dodging monsoons), the welcome back concert and the Letters in this slide show.
At the inaugural University Convocation Monday, President Cruz Rivera discussed with faculty and staff the highlights of Academic Year 2021-2022 and shared NAU’s three overarching goals for the next academic year: defining the New NAU System, differentiating NAU Online and developing a strategic enrollment management plan that will expand the number of people to whom an NAU education is available.
Calling all students: Kick off your Lumberjack experience at Welcome Week!
Whether you’re new to NAU or returning after a summer away, start the year off right with a host of fun Welcome Week activities, including concerts, ice cream socials, club fairs, the NAU Letters photo for the Class of 2026 and more. Get involved. Get connected. Get ready for a great year!
The Holocaust means something different when you stand in the gas chamber at Auschwitz or the tunnels underneath Langenstein. For 20 Arizona public school teachers, how they teach the Holocaust will be changed forever after spending 17 days in Germany and Poland, learning about the Holocaust where the atrocities happened and how those nations and their people grapple with this difficult history in the present. NAU’s Martin-Springer Institute, with the help of several generous donations, led the once-in-a-lifetime educational journey.
Championing sustainability
Northern Arizona University’s commitment to sustainability largely manifests itself in the work and dedication of its environmental student groups and sustainability staff. Their efforts have lately culminated in the proposed Climate Action Plan, facilitated by Abraham (Avi) Henn, NAU’s manager of sustainability.
View this email as a webpage. July 27, 2022 ⭐ A flight to the stars ⭐ Oriel Humes got an unforgettable view of Flagstaff recently, with Venus, the crescent moon, Jupiter and Mars gracing the night sky over the city.…
Despite a rare condition affecting her joints and muscles, Kim Kolstad was determined to participate in outdoor sports. Through her research, she discovered the Adaptive Ski and Snowboard Program, a collaboration between NAU’s Institute for Human Development and the Northern Arizona Adaptive Sports Association and one of only six programs in the world that provides its participants with TetraSkis, state-of-the-art adaptive ski equipment featuring a joystick and a breath-controlled system for turning and controlling speed, allowing individuals with complex disabilities to ski independently.
Astronomy postdoctoral scholar Valerie Payré is on an international team that discovered the origin of the martian meteorite known as Black Beauty, one of the most-studied meteorites in the world. It may hold clues to the development of Earth and other terrestrial planets and help explain why Earth sustains life when its closest neighbor does not. The results of this study are shared in the latest Nature Communications.
Is a universal coronavirus vaccine in our future? Possibly, according to a recent study from TGen and NAU. The research team, which includes assistant professor Jason Ladner, found that COVID-19 vaccination activates antibodies targeting parts of virus spike protein shared between coronaviruses. This technology could help fine-tune future vaccines.
Our community is in desperate need of help as the monsoon season brings floods to neighborhoods below the burn scar. Homeowners in the affected areas, including some in our NAU community, need millions of sandbags to protect their property. Lumberjacks are encouraged to use their volunteer hours to fill sandbags—various filling stations are set up throughout the city and county. Consider taking a few hours over the coming days to fill sandbags with friends, coworkers, family and fellow community members. Check in with those who may be affected to see what you can do to help.
