The NAU Review — What the ancient Maya landscape can tell us, why NAU’s land acknowledgement matters and Peter Friederici answers our questions

Jan. 31, 2023

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

Estevan Ramiez and another student in front of Maya ruins in Belize

Exploring the history of the ancient Maya landscape

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.

Read the story

Why does NAU do a land acknowledgement?

Ron Lee explains his roots as a Diné man, the importance of heritage to all Indigenous people and why it matters that we acknowledge that this land is sacred to many Indigenous tribes.

Read the story

The Native American Cultural Center with Dook’o’ooslííd in the background.

three women in NAU shirts in front of the NAU Yuma campus

In Yuma, a new program helps fill a gap in elementary schools

While school districts nationwide have a shortage of speech-language pathologists, Yuma’s is particularly acute given the need for bilingual professionals. Alumnus Matt Kaste, who oversees special education in the school district, turned to NAU for a unique way to tackle the problem.

Read the story

Humans of Flagstaff
with Peter Friederici

Journalist, field ornithologist, author and professor are all roles Peter Friederici has performed. The professor and director of NAU’s Sustainable Communities master’s program talks life, love of nature and his recently published book, “Beyond Climate Breakdown: Envisioning New Stories of Radical Hope.”

Read the Q&A