First, youth and young adults were invited to craft creative COVID-19 public health messages. Now, it’s the community’s turn to choose their favorites.
The Arizona Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities set out to inspire Arizona youth and young adults to showcase their artistic talents through the “It’s Our Turn” contest, asking them to add their unique spin on public service COVID-19 messages, especially around masks and vaccines.
Jamie Begay, who earned a master’s in public health, has spent her educational career doing outreach and research on public health in Indigenous communities; finding a program that allowed her to specialize in Indigenous health brought her back to her alma mater for a second degree. At no time did this come together more than when the COVID-19 pandemic struck the Navajo Nation particularly hard; she kept busy delivering food, medicine and other necessities to Indigenous communities and checking in with people. The love of community drives Begay. “The value of that experience stems from my appreciation and responsibility I feel for my community. Through that experience, resilience was the foundation of our efforts.”
When Alondra Angelica Alvarez Ortiz was seven years old, her family moved from Mexico to the U.S. She spent every night thereafter crying herself to sleep—she missed her little hometown of Gomez Palacio, visiting her tia’s snack cart after school and dressing up in a long traditional skirt and bright red lipstick to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day. She didn’t understand America, with lines down the middle of the roads and lack of people in the back of pickups. She also didn’t understand the “better life” her mother insisted she would have here, for which she sacrificed so much. How could a society so fixated on working and money be better than her simple and carefree Gomez?
For the first time in two years, NAU will celebrate commencement in the Skydome, with almost 2,800 students completing their degrees and President Cruz Rivera officiating his first commencement as president of NAU. With snow in the forecast, people traveling for commencement are encouraged to sign up for text alerts (by texting “NAU” to 237233) and leave extra travel time.
Graduate Eduardo Moreno’s experience in NAU-Yuma’s nursing program encompassed a breadth of experiences—working in the COVID-19 unit during clinicals, educating the community about the stigma behind mental illness and substance abuse and spending a little time in the hospital as a patient. He did it all with the goal of increasing access to affordable and effective health care.
Medical anthropologist Lisa Hardy says we all need to get comfortable with questions this season: Are you vaccinated? Do you mask appropriately? Will you wear a mask in my house? This kind of communication prioritizes safety and socializing.
One of our favorite NAU Thanksgiving traditions is winning a national cross-country championship … but we’ll get to that in a minute. 😉 For the rest of us, it means cutting down a Christmas tree, spending days putting together a puzzle, drinking at a local dive bar, crafting with kids, creating a tablecloth full of memories, celebrating Native American heritage and more. Here’s how our Lumberjacks spend the holiday.
NAU and President Cruz Rivera honored the Class of 2021 President’s Prize recipients, Maree Mahkewa and Angel Marshall, 29 Gold Axe Award winners and nine Distinguished Seniors at a formal ceremony on Nov. 16 at the High Country Conference Center.
Ora Marek-Martinez understands the need for Indigenous students to find community in order for them to reach their full potential in college. Marek-Martinez, who is of the Diné, Nez Perce and Hopi tribes, felt lost more than once while a student at NAU. As executive director of the Native American Cultural Center, her role is to create a place where the students who come after her will find the support, academic resources and familial and spiritual services needed to be successful at NAU and beyond.
Zach Hamilton enlisted in the Marine Corps, “caught up in the romantic dream of dress blues and honor.” During his service, which included a stint in Afghanistan, and since leaving the Marines in 2013, he has reflected often on words his father, a veteran of Desert Storm, told him: The military provides experience he wouldn’t get anywhere else, but someday, he might look back at that experience through a different lens. In honor of Veterans Day, he reflects on that counsel in this Views from NAU.
A cancelled flight didn’t slow down President Cruz Rivera’s week, which included meetings with leaders from campus, local government, the Navajo Nation and higher education; a meaningful conversation about diversity, inclusion and justice with Black/African American faculty and staff; and attending the naming ceremony for the Clara M. Lovett Art Museum.
Every November, the NACC joins with the Office of Indigenous Student Success to celebrate Native American Heritage Month alongside Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, First Nation and Aboriginal students who have found a new home at NAU. Located near the Navajo and Hopi reservations, NAU offers a variety of events to help students, staff and faculty celebrate and foster awareness of Indigenous cultures and contributions during the month of November and throughout the year.
In this Views from NAU, Karen Schairer, associate professor in the Department of Global Languages and Culture, writes about how Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is first and foremost a celebration and a reminder that life and death are both part of the same experience. Neither is to be feared and both are to be celebrated with joy and laughter, music and dancing and a heartfelt appreciation of family and all who came before us.
Fires in the West have been getting more severe and threatening more communities in the last 30 years. A team, including ecologists and economists from NAU, received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study how communities can use fuel treatments to keep themselves safe and preserve their relationship to the forests they love.
My name is Katie Mommaerts and I am a licensed clinical social worker and fourth year Interdisciplinary Health doctoral candidate at Northern Arizona University completing my dissertation. I am conducting research to determine the relationship between self-reported symptoms of anxiety and self-esteem from the perspectives of female Mexican-American adolescents (ages 14-17) and mental health therapists.
I am inquire about your interest in participating in this study and/or referring someone who may be interested. I attached the flyers (one for adolescent participants and one for mental health therapist participants) that can be distributed.
From Make it Monday and Flannels and Flapjacks to the carnival, parade and winning football game Saturday, relive the fun and excitement of NAU’s 2021 Homecoming Week.
The age-old question of ‘are we alone?’ is a compelling one, and third-year doctoral student Amber Young is committed to finding an answer. She is looking for life on other planets, and now NASA is helping her out. The Department of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences student recently recieved a grant to analyze chemical components and specific biosignatures from exoplanets that could show potential signs of life. As part of the grant, she will work with NASA team members on the LUVOIR Mission to build computer modeling tools that will allow her to examine which observational scenarios are ideal for detecting and interpreting biosignatures.
Monday, Oct. 11, was National Coming Out Day, and IT project manager Grace Huang Ditsworth (they/them) shares what coming out has meant to them. Ditsworth said it is not a singular moment; rather, coming out is a process of wayfinding as they align themself with who they are and directs others to find and recognize them.
After celebrating virtually last year, the NAU community is invited to come together in person to celebrate the university’s 122 years of academic excellence and show off their Lumberjack pride during this year’s Homecoming week beginning Monday, Oct. 11. Events include Make it Monday, Traditions Day pep rally, bonfire and chili cook-off, a carnival sponsored by ASNAU, the Homecoming Parade and more.
Ralph Padilla thought it was a regular quarterly meeting for Facilities Services. But there was only one item on the agenda: announcing Padilla as this year’s Homecoming dedicatee. Every year, student organizations vote for one member of NAU’s faculty and staff for this honor; that person represents NAU’s values and mission. For Padilla, who marks his 33rd year as a Lumberjack, the news was a wonderful surprise.
Nearly one in five individuals in the U.S. identifies as having a disability, and it is important to recognize the experiences of those people. Throughout the month of October, NAU is celebrating Disability Pride and Heritage Month. NAU’s Commission on Disability Access and Design will host events that focus on inclusivity like the accessibility scavenger hunt and sitting volleyball, along with accessibility design workshops and others, all of which are free and open to the public.
The United States has experienced an unparalleled epidemic of incarceration in the past 40 years, and the effects of that trend have been far-reaching, complex and long-term. Health equity researcher Ricky Camplain, who this year became the first NAU researcher to win a Career Development Award from the NIH’s National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, is studying one critical piece of this. Her research examines the high rates of anxiety, high blood pressure and poor sleep quality among inmates and looks for simple solutions to reduce those adverse health effects. The answer? Physical activity.
All this week, Lumberjacks have shown up to NAU’s test kitchen, masked and ready to chop, wash, roast, bake and box up delectable meals to go to members of the Flagstaff community. The School of Hotel and Restaurant Management collaborated with the Flagstaff Family Food Center, which closed for a week for renovations, to make sure no one went to bed hungry. Community members, faculty, staff and a lot of students—some with kitchen experience, some without—pitched in to make sure people who needed it got a hot meal made special with Lumberjack love.
What’s the best way to encourage Native American students to go into STEM fields, including scientific computing? Give them opportunities for hands-on learning and mentoring well before they hit college. That’s the goal of a collaborative program, which will send NAU researchers into K-12 schools throughout the Southwest to create awareness of diverse career opportunities in scientific computing, introduce students to state-of-the-art scientific computing software, allow them to ask questions and gain experience, then bring them to NAU’s campus, helping students see college and STEM careers in their future. The program also centers Native American researchers, giving students mentors who come from the same background and understand their experiences.
Carlos Zavala, a student veteran majoring in finance, joined the army as a way to help him achieve his educational goals. “I came to NAU because of the Veteran Success Center. They were really helpful when I was trying to set up my benefits and made me feel really comfortable. That is the environment I wanted to be in,” he said. Through the VSC, Zavala was able to enroll in a class in which other veterans shared their stories of success, inspiring him to dream bigger than he thought possible.
“The overall goal I have for celebrating Hispanic, Latina/o/x Heritage Month on campus is for students who identify that way to know they have a community of support here at NAU,” Vidal Mendoza, assistant director of Hispanic, Latina/o/x Initiatives, said. “Cultural representation is something I valued as an NAU student, and I am sure many students today still feel the same.” Image courtesy of the National Archives.
… In celebration of Northern Arizona University’s first year of being able to partake in the 2021 National Hispanic Serving Institutes Week, we would like to kick off our 1st annual Librito (Little Book) Drive. Donate a bilingual book (all ages) for the Flagstaff Community…
Beginning Sept. 15, Northern Arizona University is celebrating Hispanic, Latina/o/x Heritage Month with a collection of events hosted by NAU’s Office of Inclusion. Through these events, NAU strives to honor the culture, history and diversity of individuals in the Latina/x/o community.
Hispanic, Latina/x/o Heritage Month was first celebrated in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week and was later expanded to cover a full month, lasting until Oct. 15, in 1988.
“The most important thing to me about Hispanic, Latina/o/x Heritage Month is recognizing the contributions of my history, culture and achievements that we have brought to this country,” said Vidal Mendoza, assistant director of Hispanic, Latina/o/x Initiatives at NAU. “As a Latina, staying connected with my roots is a huge part of my identity that I own with pride. Unfortunately, identifying as Hispanic or Latina/o/x isn’t necessarily looked upon with a smile or admiration. But even so, I am proud of identifying as a Latina, Mexicana or Chicana. I love my brown skin, rich culture and community. The diversity within our people is so vastly different and beautiful all at once.”
As the climate changes and land, air and water are at risk, Native Americans are threatened in two ways. Many tribal members, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous peoples are seeing their water sources dry up or become toxic and their land become infertile or disappear under rising sea levels, putting these rural communities at greater risk from climate change. But there’s a deeper issue. For these peoples, who consider such resources sacred, their way of life and existence are coming under attack from rising global temperatures.
It’s safe to assume American politics has played a significant role in the COVID-19 pandemic, and different ideas about contagion, health behaviors and the actions of governing bodies impacted the spread of the virus and its subsequent effect on our lives. This, of course, was just a theory—until now.
Lisa Hardy, associate professor in NAU’s Department of Anthropology and director of the Social Science Community Engagement Lab, is the lead author on a study that looked at sociocultural responses to the virus and identified differences and similarities in anxiety, fear, blame and perceptions of the country across political divides.
Space needs you! The next time you and your date head out to stargaze, volunteer to scan the sky for asteroids. NAU doctoral student Colin Chandler just launched a major project to recruit thousands of volunteers in the search for active asteroids—rare objects that have asteroid-like orbits but look more like comets. Chandler hopes to quadruple the number of known active asteroids and, in the process, answer key questions about where water on Earth came from and where it might exist on other planets, both within and outside our solar system. Ready to join the search? Visit the Active Asteroids project site to get started.
Nicholas Villas-Fletcher sat in the office filling out the paperwork to graduate from Northern Arizona University.
He will be the first generation in his family to complete a college degree, and the journey was made possible with the help of TRIO Student Support Services at Coconino Community College.
“I desperately needed help,” Villas-Fletcher said. “They made a difference. TRIO is a vital service for students who don’t have support like others.”
As NASA prepares to send astronauts, including the first woman, to the moon, understanding the lunar environment has never been more important. A study led by doctoral candidate Christian J. Tai Udovicic, in collaboration with associate professor Christopher Edwards, offers insights into the moon’s surface, and how the sun affects the evolution of the lunar surface. The scientists discovered that solar radiation could be an important source of lunar iron nanoparticles; that means these particles, which can be detected in small amounts from a great distance, can be a great indicator of change on the moon.
After a summer filled with research, designing and creating, the NAU Communications team is excited to unveil The NAU Review. This refreshed newsletter will continue to feature the research, programs and departments of the university while highlighting the voices of NAU through a fun, easily digestible tone and engaging multimedia, including more videos and photos. Expect The NAU Review in your inbox on Tuesday and Thursday.
Northern Arizona University and the city of Flagstaff are teaming up for the 4th Annual Community Welcome walk. On Wednesday, August 25, between 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., a team of elected officials, city and NAU staff, police officers and students are visiting homes throughout La Plaza Vieja and Southside neighborhoods. Teams will be providing information and resources to help foster a culture of community and neighborhood engagement.
Matthew Greyeyes and Beyonce Bahe both have plans for medical school after graduating with long-term goals of improving healthcare for their Native communities, all while carrying on Elouise Cobell’s legacy and challenging societal norms.
On Monday, José Luis Cruz Rivera started as the 17th president of Northern Arizona University. A leader in diversity and equity in higher education, he aims to advance NAU’s mission of student success and access, particularly for underrepresented groups.
Northern Arizona University offers summer courses for the whole family—in Flagstaff, Phoenix and online. NAU students can supplement their studies or get ahead, and community members can explore topics of personal or professional interest.
From finding more effective ways to communicate at the workplace, to brewing quality beer or learning about the world of Esports at a youth camp, it is easy to learn something new at NAU this summer.
NAU students, community members and future Lumberjacks can choose from more than 1,400 classes.
“We are excited to engage our students and community members in a wide range of learning opportunities this summer,” said Gayla Stoner, vice provost and dean of Online and Innovative Educational Initiatives. “Students of all ages can benefit from these quality educational experiences.”
The Northern Arizona University President’s Diversity Award recipients have been announced for the 2020-21 academic year. These awards are presented by the Center for University Access and Inclusion and the Office of the President.
The annual awards recognize the work of people and organizations who support and further diversity, equity and inclusion at the university. This year’s awards celebration will be postponed to the fall semester to anticipate the possibility of an in-person event.
Castro Felix is graduating with a bachelor’s of science in nursing from NAU-Yuma. During her undergraduate education, she received 18 scholarships and volunteered at various flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinics in her community.
Regents’ professor is a recognition afforded to only 3 percent of all faculty and is truly an honor. Each was nominated by their peers for outstanding achievements and international recognition in their fields. The Arizona Board of Regents approved the promotions at their meeting Thursday.
The Hispanic Student Convocation Committee is seeking nominations to recognize three outstanding Latino graduating seniors and one outstanding graduate student.
César Chávez Award: Recognizes students with strong leadership skills, a demonstrated care and concern for fellow students and a history of involvement on behalf of the Hispanic community
Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Award: Recognizes students with demonstrated leadership abilities, strong attachments to their cultural heritage and demonstrated advocacy regarding women’s rights
Gabriela Mistral Award: Recognizes students with a strong commitment to education and to promoting multicultural understanding
Outstanding Hispanic Graduate Student: Recognizes a graduate student with strong leadership skills who serves as a positive role model for their undergraduate colleagues, demonstrates care and concern for fellow students and possesses a history of involvement on behalf of the Hispanic community
Northern Arizona University now meets U.S. Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) criteria and has earned recognition from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) as an HSI.
The designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution gives NAU greater access to grants, including Title V, which provides funds to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment of, Hispanic students. This designation denotes that a college or university’s Hispanic enrollment makes up at least 25 percent of its total enrollment and is a recognition of the diversity of its student population.
In addition to a roundtable discussion on anti-Asian violence, in which several NAU professors participated, the HAPA Hawaiian Club’s 15th annual lū’au will be held virtually 6 p.m. on Saturday.
In addition to retaining the four-year Pledge tuition guarantee, NAU is not proposing any new mandatory fee increases for the 2021-2022 academic year and will continue to focus on eliminating class fees.
Employees and nursing students staff the testing site at the Fieldhouse, answering questions, keeping the lines moving, ensuring public health rules are followed and offering a friendly face in NAU’s efforts to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
On Wednesday, ABOR approved Dr. Cruz’s contract to be the 17th president of Northern Arizona University, effective June 14. He is planning a robust transition period with several visits to campus.
While their colleagues build a vaccine that only requires one shot, ¡MIRA! director Jennifer Martinez and the NAU team are building a box for the vaccine, which starts with creating the right nanomaterials.
The Arizona Board of Regents on Feb. 18 announced that José Luis Cruz is the finalist for the position of the 17th president of Northern Arizona University.
“Dr. Cruz has an extraordinary record of academic leadership, and I am confident he is the right leader to build on NAU’s success and ensure a bold and boundless future for this beloved and historic university,” said ABOR Chair Larry E. Penley. “He is a proven innovator in higher education who keenly understands the enormous opportunities that NAU offers as well as the challenges facing higher education. His unsurpassed commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, coupled with a long track record as a leading national advocate to improve educational outcomes for all students—especially those who have historically been underserved—will serve Arizona and NAU well. I am personally honored that he has accepted the opportunity to be the next president of NAU and offer my sincere congratulations.”
Joseph Moreno, senior lecturer in the Department of Ethnic Studies, published the article, “A Mexican and Latina/o Indigenous Perspective on The Current Global Coronavirus Pandemic” in the Journal of Global Indigeneity. The article examines how various U.S. Mexican and Latina/o Indigenous populations have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the economic, health, social and political impacts.
A team of scientists, including Chad Trujillo of the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, has collected enough observations to determine the planetoid’s orbit based on its slow motion across the sky.
With dreams of becoming a pop star and also changing the world, Guadalupe Hernandez found herself pursuing a bachelor’s in early childhood education and early childhood special education.
Throughout the month of February, the NAU community is invited to a variety of virtual events that celebrate and recognize the achievements and vital role of African Americans in U.S. history.
The findings of the study, of which assistant professor Jason Ladner was a lead author, may also explain how previous exposure could partially account for differences in severity between old vs. young patients.
The virtual presentation, which will feature keynote speaker Marc Lamont Hill, will reflect on the racial injustices affecting the nation in a time when the Black Lives Matter movement remains prevalent.
NAU’s Ethnic Studies and Somos Unidos to present virtual film, critical discussion “The Rise of the Latino Vote” hosted by Dr. José G. Moreno” from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 1.
FLAGSTAFF — The mechanical engineering department at NAU plans to host a girl’s STEM Engineering Camp this summer. We would love to share the details and goals of the camp. Below is information on the camp, camp flyer, and a link to…
A grant from 100,000 Strong in the Americas will give a dozen Northern Arizona University the opportunity for a unique cross-cultural learning experience with peers at both NAU and a university in Sonora, Mexico.
NAU is partnering with Universidad de Sonora (UNISON) in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico to put on The Big IDEA (La Gran IDEA), which will allow 12 students from each university to collaborate on finding solutions to challenges of food security and financial security in the Arizona/Sonora Megaregion. It is based on Jacks Big IDEA, which is put on by boundaryless@nau.
Coconino Community College graduate April Winters is at Northern Arizona University studying to be an English teacher.
While at CCC, she took American Sign Language courses to fulfill her foreign language requirements for her degree.
“The Deaf community is a smaller community,” Winters said. “And there is a need that isn’t always filled, especially in public schools.”
For two decades, NAU has led Arizona GEAR UP—a statewide program aimed at preparing K-12 students for college and a career after graduation with hopes to increase the percentage of adults who hold a postsecondary education credential or degree.
