Last year, Megan Mulready injured her back and had to call 911. “A bunch of firefighters came up to my place and said, ‘What’s going on?’” Mulready said. “I said, ‘Don’t you dare mess with me. You need to stay healthy so you can help other people.’” That’s the same energy Mulready, an athletic trainer and assistant clinical professor at NAU, brings to her…

When the Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires roared through northern Arizona last summer, they didn’t just destroy the Grand Canyon Lodge and hundreds of thousands of ponderosa pine trees. They also affected a humble yet ecologically important native succulent: the paradine plains cactus. It’s not a plant many Four Corners visitors are likely to notice. Shaped like a tiny green…

Northern Arizona University’s School of Earth and Sustainability and the Wyss Foundation have named environmental science and policy graduate students Taylor Hartness and Tia Hatton as 2026-2027 Wyss Conservation Scholars. The prestigious program supports innovative graduate-level education to advance a new generation of leaders in U.S. land conservation. Scholars are chosen for their commitment to conservation and their leadership qualities. They are pursuing interdisciplinary graduate studies to develop effective new approaches to today’s most…

When we hear the word “lab,” we probably think of test tubes and fluorescent lights. But at one NAU lab, research is done through art and storytelling. The Social Science Community Engagement Story Lab (SSCL) was established as a collaborative research hub. Led by anthropology professor and founding director Lisa Jane Hardy, it focuses on public scholarship and collaborative writing, working with individuals and groups to help them document and communicate their experiences through creative and research-based methods, while…

An estimated 1,900 Coconino County residents have dementia, the syndrome that causes a decline in memory, speech and behavior later in life. Some with dementia need round-the-clock attention, leading to caregiver burnout. But now, with help from NAU and an Arizona nonprofit, caregivers and patients both have a little more time to recharge. The memory care organization Oakwood…

Artificial intelligence is changing our world, and NAU is helping students and working professionals get a better understanding of how and when it can be used as a tool. This summer, four AI courses will emphasize practical, human-centered uses of AI, reflecting a growing demand for AI literacy beyond the tech industry. Chih-Hsiung Tu, professor in the Department of Educational Specialties, said AI…