Research & Academics

NAU professor using boxing to help Parkinson’s patients slow degenerative disease (VIDEO)

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Can boxing help slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease?

Linda Marie Denney, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Northern Arizona University, is studying the effects of boxing on people in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, specifically as it relates to sleep patterns and other pre-motor symptoms. Early results show the physical activity is having a positive effect in helping people retain control over their mobility.

“I figured it was either going to kill me or I was going to… Read more

Kiisa Nishikawa

NAU physiologist publishes findings on the role of the protein titin in muscle contraction

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In the field of muscle physiology, scientists study muscle movement at the molecular level—chiefly, proteins such as myosin, actin and titin—to understand how muscles contract.

Their research improves human health and quality of life in a wide range of areas, including rehabilitation engineering, prosthesis design and the treatment of neuromuscular diseases such as muscular dystrophy, which causes progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass.

Internationally recognized for her contributions in this field, Northern Arizona University Regents’ professor of biology Kiisa Nishikawa, director… Read more

Ann Huffman and Heidi Wayment

NAU psychologists developing app to help military personnel cope with stress

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In addition to combat-related health risks such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), military personnel face ongoing stressors such as separation from family and frequent relocation. When coping resources fall short, they are at risk for negative personal and occupational health outcomes such as sleep disturbance, health behaviors and anxiety.

Improving the quality of life for military personnel is the goal of a new smartphone app being developed by Northern Arizona University psychology professors Ann Huffman and Heidi Wayment. The two… Read more

New Orleans flooded

What data teaches about flood forecasting: NAU researcher co-leading crowdsourced app to gauge flood water

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According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), flooding is the most damaging natural hazard in the world, and most flood damage occurs in cities. As exemplified by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, this damage is projected to rapidly increase, both due to increasing extreme precipitation events and urban sprawl into marshes and floodplains—so it is critical that cities learn to adapt and respond more quickly to floods to save lives and prevent damage to infrastructure.

“The future of our nation’s… Read more

Saving the green: NAU students gain real-world experience analyzing university data for inefficiencies in energy, resource use

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As utility customers go, Northern Arizona University is complicated.

The dozens of buildings serve thousands of students, faculty and staff in a variety of ways—there are places to work, study, live, do experiments, play, eat and more. The campus is filled with people from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but activity doesn’t end with a traditional workday. Even the work done on campus varies among buildings—some house office workers on computers, others have artists with kilns or engineers building machines,… Read more

Hewitt field work

Feeding fungi: NAU researcher finds fungi in permafrost gets nutrients through surprising route

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Deep beneath the tundra near Eight Mile Lake in Alaska, at the “thaw front” where the active layer meets the permafrost, Northern Arizona University postdoctoral researcher Rebecca Hewitt has been observing a surprising rally: mycorrhizal fungi are congregating, in some cases taking up nitrogen as it’s released from the permafrost into the active layer. Using isotope tracers, Hewitt and her team have found these same fungi at the roots of plants whose root systems are too shallow to reach… Read more

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