Campus & Community
Homecoming heritage: Groundskeeping manager named 2021 dedicatee
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. 
Research & Academics
New research shows natural climate protection may be written in stone
Postdoc Pawlok Dass is a co-author on a paper, published this week, that found that the rocky surface of our planet’s geology may provide a buffered bumper to absorb excess carbon. The catch is that society must take steps to protect it. The authors found that something as simple as rock-weathering reactions—slowly releasing nitrogen once bound up in rocks, which nature has been doing long before humans—delivers natural fertilizers around the world, allowing large areas of terrestrial habitat take up carbon dioxide. 
Research & Academics
Are we alone? The search for life across solar systems
Amber Young is looking for life on other planets, and now NASA is helping her out. The third-year doctoral student in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences analyzes chemical components and specific biosignatures from exoplanets that could show potential signs of life. Young was recently awarded a NASA Training Grant that will fund her research project at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Research & Academics
Warming slows microbes’ growth, NAU researchers find in first-in-kind long-term experiment
In a first-of-its-kind warming experiment, researchers at NAU found that microbes’ growth rate decreased over 15 years of warming. The research, published in Global Change Biology, showed that under warmer climate conditions, growth decreased among all types of microbes in the community and suggested a loss of soil carbon may be responsible for the slowdown. 
Scientists partner with Indigenous communities to study effects of climate change and human development on Arctic caribou
The project, led by assistant research professor Logan Berner, will help train the next generation of Arctic scientists in wildlife ecology, environmental informatics, natural resource management and social science. Berner received a $718,000 NSF grant to fund this research. New research shows natural climate protection may be written in stone
Postdoc Pawlok Dass is a co-author on a paper, published this week, that found that the rocky surface of our planet’s geology may provide a buffered bumper to absorb excess carbon. The catch is that society must take steps to protect it. The authors found that something as simple as rock-weathering reactions—slowly releasing nitrogen once bound up in rocks, which nature has been doing long before humans—delivers natural fertilizers around the world, allowing large areas of terrestrial habitat take up carbon dioxide. Campus & Community
NAU’s donors are increasing access to higher education, one gift at a time
NAU donors invested in more than 20 new scholarships last year which when added to existing scholarships, yielded more than $3.5 million distributed via more than 2,200 scholarships to a diverse group of motivated and hard-working students during the current academic year. The impact of scholarships on student success is multifaceted. While state funding for higher education dwindles and many families struggle to pay their bills, scholarships create access and opportunity for students while reducing reliance on multiple jobs or the burden of student loan debt. 
Health care in all languages
Seeing her non-English speaking parents struggle to navigate healthcare, Rebeca Flores-Lopez decided to pursue a career as a physician assistant. The Phoenix Biomedical Campus student hopes to use her bilingual skills and love of medicine to help the Hispanic community. In honor of Physician Assistant’s week, here is her story. 
Lumberjacks for life: NAU Homecoming 2021
NAU Homecoming week begins Monday, Oct. 11, and ends Saturday, Oct. 16. Homecoming is all about connecting students, faculty, staff and the community and celebrating the university through campus events and activities. 
