Research & Academics
Tracking and identifying indigenous plants: There’s an app for that
Anyone walking or hiking through Arizona can be a community scientist. The Tribal Nations Botanical Research Collaborative, hosted on the iNaturalist platform, has highlighted 34 culturally important plants to Arizona’s tribes. Users can snap a picture of a plant, upload it and get an ID while also providing important information to researchers, including NAU’s Sara Souther. 
Campus & Community
Building ‘Comunidad, cultura y conexión’: NAU first in the state to launch a Spanish website
Northern Arizona University created a new website, NAU en Español, a fully Spanish experience for prospective students and their families. NAU is the first university in the state to have a Spanish site built from the ground up. 
Campus & Community
NAU Food Recovery Network helps tackle food waste and hunger at Super Bowl
The NAU Food Recovery Network went to the Super Bowl and rescued surplus food from the players' tailgate, hosted by celebrity chef Bobby Flay. They redirected the food to the Phoenix Rescue Mission and Hope Rescue Mission, saving 2,901 pounds of food from ending up in the landfill. The NAU group is student-led and meets every day to recover food that would otherwise go to waste and take it to the nearby Sunshine Rescue Mission in downtown Flagstaff. Their efforts show that small actions can make a big difference in reducing food waste and helping those in need. Research & Academics
DoD funds new project aimed at protecting global supply chains, infrastructure
We all remember the empty shelves that marked the early days of the pandemic or the high fuel prices that accompanied the war in Ukraine. Access to food, water, energy and other supply chains is critical for the U.S. economy and the well-being of the American people, yet the infrastructure that keeps the supply chain moving is at risk—not only from world events but also from hackers or terrorists. NAU is building on its FEW-View technology, a groundbreaking project that maps the entire U.S. supply chain, to reduce these risks through data science and technology. 
The relationship between humans and stress? It’s complicated.
A study coauthored by psychology professor Eric Cerino found that stress decreases as we age, partly because we are likely to develop better coping mechanisms as we age. The data, collected during a 20-year period by returning to the same study participants every few years, is the first of its kind to examine these age patterns in daily life. It is, overall, good news—less stress is better. But the study shows there’s more to the story. 
Bacteria from meat likely to cause more than half a million urinary tract infections in the U.S. every year
The findings of this new study, which was led by former NAU researchers Lance Price and Cindy Liu and co-authored by Regent's professor Paul Keim, could lead to better ways to prevent potentially life-threatening infections. Campus & Community
NAU Lyric Theatre presents modern twist on Mozart's Don Giovanni with live opera movie
Get ready for a modern twist on Mozart's Don Giovanni. NAU Lyric Theatre presents a live opera movie using high-tech projection mapping to create a vivid and dynamic world. It's a collaboration between multiple departments, creating a unique and immersive experience. Two chances to catch this show, and don't miss the free pre-show lectures. See you there! 
The Living Library: A virtual journey to understanding and empathy
The Living Library is not your typical library. Instead of books, you get to read people! The "books" share their life stories with you. Numerous NAU libraries, colleges and organizations collaborate to create these events to promote empathy, reduce bias and increase awareness about healthcare disparities. The events are safe spaces where people can share their experiences of discrimination in healthcare and where "readers" can learn more about an empathetic healthcare future; get ready to learn something new! 
Focusing on the future: NAU celebrates opening of Early Learning and Development Center
On Monday, NAU celebrated 30 years of of feasibility studies, task force, promises to students, faculty and staff and a commitment to a bolder and brighter future for all Lumberjacks with the opening the Early Learning and Development Center, a facility that will set the gold standard for early childhood education for the NAU and Flagstaff communities. Amid the university and community leaders who attended the ribbon cutting there were other VIPs—the NAU education graduates who will work at the ELDC, the student-parents who received life-changing grants to enroll their children in the center and even a few of the children who will attend. 
