News at NAU
Featured updates from around NAU
Play can improve health. Tech is making that happen.
A new grant from the Flinn Foundation is allowing computer scientist Jared Duval to expand his work around making healthcare technology both effective and fun. Duval, an assistant professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, won the two-year, $300,000 grant to support his work in health-related research that benefits Arizona. His far-reaching work, which includes everything from helping…
NAU honors President’s Prize, Gold Axe winners and Distinguished Seniors
Northern Arizona honored the outstanding members of the Class of 2026 at a ceremony Tuesday night for the President’s Prize and Gold Axe winners and Distinguished Seniors. This year’s class is composed of 50 Gold Axe winners, including six President’s Prize winners—the highest honor awarded to undergraduate students. Additionally, 10 students were honored as Distinguished Seniors of their colleges. “Each…
Making college more accessible for online transfer students
A new partnership offers a more accessible avenue for students to earn an online degree from Northern Arizona University. NAU is partnering with Campus, a fully online community college based in California. Campus students can earn an associate’s degree in business or IT, then transfer to NAU Online to complete their bachelor’s degrees. No credits are…
Campus and community
NAU honors President’s Prize, Gold Axe winners and Distinguished Seniors
Northern Arizona honored the outstanding members of the Class of 2026 at a ceremony Tuesday night for the President’s Prize and Gold Axe winners and Distinguished Seniors. This year’s class is composed of 50 Gold Axe winners, including six President’s Prize winners—the highest honor awarded to undergraduate students. Additionally, 10 students were honored as Distinguished Seniors of their colleges. “Each…
Making college more accessible for online transfer students
A new partnership offers a more accessible avenue for students to earn an online degree from Northern Arizona University. NAU is partnering with Campus, a fully online community college based in California. Campus students can earn an associate’s degree in business or IT, then transfer to NAU Online to complete their bachelor’s degrees. No credits are…
Know the risks: Campus Health’s guide to responsible cannabis use
Not every college student uses cannabis, but for those who do, it’s important to know how to reduce potential risks. This April, learn about the resources available through Campus Health Services to help you reduce your risk and finish the semester strong. Cannabis use is not a replacement for self-care and good stress management practices. Using cannabis can lead to adverse mental health outcomes, like heightened anxiety, feelings of paranoia…
How to join NAU’s first-ever Spring into Service Challenge
Ready to put those paid community engagement hours to use, Lumberjacks? With National Volunteer Month just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to (ahem) spring into action. NAU’s Center for Service and Volunteerism (CSV) is hosting its very first Spring into Service Challenge from April 1-22, bringing to campus some fresh volunteer opportunities, community-enriching events and a recognition party with…
Three years of growth and recognition for NAU’s Early Learning and Development Center
Back in fall 2023, as the weather turned cold, spiders and ants sought refuge inside NAU’s Early Learning and Development Center. The young students, ages 2-5, noticed—and they had some thoughts. “Some said, ‘Whoa, cool, let me look closer,’ while others went, ‘Gross, get it away, squish it!” said Rebecca Cirzan, director of the center. “All of them had opinions.…
New statewide effort helps Arizona schools act on existing flexibility to improve student success
The Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy (AIEE) at Northern Arizona University and the Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA), with support from KnowledgeWorks, have jointly launched Permission Granted, a statewide effort designed to help Arizona school systems move from perceived constraints to practical action. Composed of two complementary tools—a Policy Primer and an Innovation Guide—Permission Granted clarifies what education policy flexibilities already exist and how…
Snooze smarter with these Campus Health sleep hygiene tips
A great night’s sleep can soothe any ailment, but when the road back to your bed is paved with looming stressors, liters of caffeine and eye-burning blue light, the idea of peacefully dozing for at least eight hours can seem more like a dream than a reality. If you want to correct your slumber habits…
From summer camp to career path
This summer, three different camps from the School of Communication are opening their gates, not just to give high school students a fun break, but also to give them a head start on their future. Each camp is built around hands-on experiences and clear pathways to possible careers, so instead of guessing what to study when they get to college, students can explore fields that could become their future professions. “We are thrilled to…
Free writing workshops open the door to every story
Have you ever dreamed of writing a book, polishing a poem, sharpening your reporting skills or simply learning how to turn a scattered idea into a compelling story? A series of free monthly writing workshops hosted by NAU’s Thin Air Magazine might help you do just that. The literary magazine run by creative writing master’s students has been hosting writing workshops since May 2025. Their goal: to provide a…
The making of a filmmaker
After graduating from Northern Arizona University (NAU) with a degree in illustration, James Ward Byrkit is returning to campus to share his experiences with Lumberjacks as part of the new partnership between NAU and the Sedona International Film Festival (SIFF). Byrkit, a Flagstaff native, said he was obsessed with drawing from a young age, making picture books of epic tales. “I would just draw hundreds and hundreds…
Research and academics
Play can improve health. Tech is making that happen.
A new grant from the Flinn Foundation is allowing computer scientist Jared Duval to expand his work around making healthcare technology both effective and fun. Duval, an assistant professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, won the two-year, $300,000 grant to support his work in health-related research that benefits Arizona. His far-reaching work, which includes everything from helping…
How one NAU researcher studies wastewater to protect Arizonans’ health
For most of us, catching a virus isn’t so bad: We rest, we drink fluids and we’re back on our feet in a few days. But some viruses carry heavier consequences than others, and when those viruses spread, public health professionals need to be prepared. That’s where Crystal Hepp comes in. The associate professor in the School of…
Putting the kitchen to the test
Students in the Food is Medicine class were hard at work in their final lab of the semester. With aprons on and hair pulled back, groups of four students gathered around a cooking station in the HRM kitchen and read through their recipes. One group washed and chopped mushrooms, another mixed cookie batter and others prepared chicken or jackfruit to…
Space Farming
What started as a project to compost human stools has turned into an experiment that could open the possibilities for colonizing another planet. Jeff Meilander, research scientist and program manager in Greg Caporaso’s lab at the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute (PMI) at NAU, has been working with composting to improve crop growth for five years. His Ph.D. work focused on composting human waste to improve global sanitation and reduce water contamination, while also examining sustainable ways to reuse the…
One student. One research project. Three minutes.
Does a root fungus hold the key to growing food on the Moon? That’s a question Laura Lee, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, asked herself as she rotated through different specialties in her department. Her research, for which she received a Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP) from the National Science Foundation, focuses on water in space—also a…
The effect of wildfires on the water you drink
We know wildfires pollute the air we breathe—but a new study shows they can also pollute the water we drink. Siyu Pan, assistant professor in NAU’s Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting, has been researching the impact of wildfires on drinking water quality since 2023. Last year, under a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) from the U.S. Forest Service and along with her research team, she published a study about community water systems exposed to wildfires…
Honey, life is just a classroom
Rhetoric is one of the oldest academic subjects, so when you hear the word, you might picture a bunch of men in togas gathered in an ancient amphitheater. That dusty, fusty mental image? Shake it off. When it comes to teaching rhetoric, pop royalty works just as well as Plato. “Taylor Swift is so famous, so prolific,…
Turning open-source contribution into a quest-based learning experience
A recent project from Northern Arizona University demonstrates that, if you can make learning how to contribute to real-world open-source projects fun, students will learn more effectively. OSS-Doorway is a platform aimed at helping students learn to how to contribute to open-source projects using GitHub workflows through quests, tutorials and structured tasks, all done at their own pace. Northern Arizona University professors and students created the platform,…
ERI study targets cost hurdles in forest restoration
As the West faces increasingly destructive wildfires, land managers rely on mechanical thinning to reduce hazardous fuels and restore forest health. But one obstacle continues to slow this work down: Thinning costs are notoriously difficult to estimate from one project to the next. Uncertainty around those numbers raises concerns that outdated cost estimates may be holding critical restoration projects back. That uncertainty…
From robots to frog spots: Catch a sneak peek at this year’s Undergraduate Symposium projects
Undergraduate students dedicate thousands of hours in their higher education careers to drafting, revising and perfecting their research. Now, it’s time to show it off. Hundreds of students in fields ranging from astronomy to business to health sciences to forestry will highlight their academic feats at this year’s Undergraduate Symposium on April 24. Thousands of…
Messages from the NAU President
Welcome to the Spring 2026 semester, Lumberjacks
January 12, 2026 Dear Lumberjacks, Happy New Year, and welcome to the Spring 2026 semester at Northern Arizona University! I hope you had time over the break to rest and recharge. As classes begin today, our NAU community remains focused on what matters most: excellence in teaching and learning, impactful scholarship and creative activity, meaningful…
Generating our own light: Our focus for the year ahead
August 25, 2025 Dear colleagues, Welcome to the start of the 2025-2026 academic year! As our classrooms, campus, and community fill with the energy of our students and the start of a new semester, I want to thank all of you who joined me for last week’s Convocation, whether in person or online. Your engagement…
Announcing Uri Farkas as NAU’s new Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics
June 30, 2025 Dear Lumberjacks, I am pleased to announce that Uri Farkas has been appointed Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Northern Arizona University, effective July 1. Since stepping into the interim role in March, Uri has led with integrity, energy, and vision—qualities that have inspired excellence across Lumberjack Athletics. Under his leadership, our…
Steady steps. Bold moves. Our year at NAU.
May 8, 2025 Dear Lumberjacks, As this academic year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on what it means to lead a public university during a time of complexity, change, and deep need. I hope you’ll take a couple of minutes to watch the short video below—a collection of moments from the past…