The NAU Review — Meet the Gold Axe Award winners, NAU’s newest Elder Cultural Advisor and the Grand Canyon’s astronomer in residence

Nov. 16, 2023

The NAU Review. The official news source for Northern Arizona University.

Group photos of accomplished students who received an award

Honoring our elites

Two students in the Class of 2023 were awarded the President’s Prize, NAU’s highest honor for undergraduates, and more than 20 other students were recognized as Gold Axe winners or Distinguished Seniors at a ceremony Tuesday night. The awards, which recognize excellence in the classroom, in research and in life, are one of the highlights of the year for senior leadership; in a video presentation, President Cruz Rivera said he always appreciates the opportunity to brag about the students and experience the sense of joy and accomplishment felt by the award winners and their families, friends and mentors who have supported them throughout their collegiate career.

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Meet Elder Cultural Advisor Albert Chase

In August, a third elder joined NAU’s Elder Cultural Advisors program with the support of donors David and Marianne Gates and others. Albert Chase, who is Diné, does fabric arts, wool work, weaving, basket-making, beading, traditional outfit- and moccasin-making, traditional dance and more, as well as working in education to help ensure the preservation of the Diné language and culture. Hear more from Chase and learn more about the elder cultural advisors program.

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David Koerner stands in front of large telescope

Humans of NAU
with David Koerner

Many people have rafted through the Grand Canyon. How many have done it with a string quartet? David Koerner has. An emeritus professor of astronomy, Koerner also is an accomplished musician. He’s combining his two loves with his new appointment: astronomer in residence at the Grand Canyon.

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Students walk through outdoor greenhouse and observe vegitation

Transforming the United States’ food system

We need to eat. And we need to live safely in a fire-prone landscape. Two projects led by NAU researchers received grants from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which awarded more than $15 million nationwide to HSIs taking on the critical issues facing agriculture and land management.

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