Research & Academics
McAllister fellows invite communities to think, act on climate
Climate needs more than scientific solutions. To tackle these difficult questions, NAU selects five artists, teachers and scholars for the Mcallister CEED Fellowship, a two-year grant to support community-centered climate change programming. These fellows will work in their respective fields to imagine inclusive new ways to engage and educate their communities around climate. 
Campus & Community
A photographic legacy comes home to NAU
Landscape photographer David Muench spent more than six decades using his camera lens to bring the wonders of the American Southwest to the world. Muench spent much of those years in northern Arizona, photographing the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, the red rocks of Sedona and the San Francisco Peaks, capturing fleeting moments that became eternal through his photography. He recently donated his entire collection to Cline Library's Special Collections and Archives. 
Campus & Community
Happenings
Celebrating Hispanic, Latiné Heritage Month at NAU
National Hispanic, Latiné Heritage month is celebrated every year from Sept. 15 through Oct.15. This month-long celebration traditionally honors the culture, history and contributions of the Hispanic and Latiné communities. At NAU, that means a variety of events that includes a book drive, cooking demo, Spanish conversations tables, movie viewings, guest lectures and more that are open to the community. Join fellow Lumberjacks and celebrate the diversity that make this university (and our world) so great. Research & Academics
NAU research collaborative receives $21M grant to continue pioneering work into health equity in the Southwest
The Center for Health Equity Research received a $21 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to continue the Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative for another five years. The results of the first five years of SHERC are unmatched: 72 projects, $40 million of external grants, dozens of community partnerships and answers to critical health questions about COVID-19, cancer, opioids and more. Upcoming projects include creating a better model to predict the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, increasing physical activity among people incarcerated in jails, and studying how the gut microbiome can influence asthma, which is seen as disproportionately high rates in poor urban communities in Arizona. 
Reducing H. pylori in Navajo Nation tribal members through testing and education
H. pylori, one of the most common bacterial stomach infections worldwide, accounts for nearly three-quarters of all gastric cancer, which occurs at a disproportionately high rate on the Navajo Nation. A recent study out of CHER looks at the local social, behavioral and environmental factors associated with the infection and how to reduce infection rates. 
Researchers from NAU, Washington tackling an elusive Valley Fever vaccine
Is Valley Fever the next epidemic? In Arizona, where the fungal disease thrives, it's a major health concern—one that's increasing as climate change leads to hotter, drier regions nationwide. It's critical enough that congressional leaders gave the National Institutes of Health a mandate to develop a Valley Fever vaccine in the next decade. Paul Keim, executive director of the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, is leading a $7.5 million collaborative effort with the University of Washington School of Medicine to develop that vaccine, with PMI professors Bridget Barker and Erik Settles playing key roles in the research. 
