Assistant professor Marc Tollis of Northern Arizona University’s School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS) worked staunchly with researchers to explore potential factors that dictate why some species are more prone to cancer than others, including adult mass and gestational time. Results of the study suggest that higher adult mass and longer gestation time may contribute to an increased risk of developing cancer among vertebrates. It is also thought that the insights of the study may help… Read more
Research
Disease ecologist awarded $3.5 million to build revolutionary epidemiological platform
Mathematical modeling—which combines math, statistics, computing and data—is a critical tool for public health professionals, who use it to study how diseases spread, predict the future course of outbreaks and evaluate strategies for controlling epidemics. Assistant professor Joe Mihaljevic of Northern Arizona University’s School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS) has been working with public health partners across the state and the country to share computer models mapping the spread of the coronavirus. Mihaljevic, a disease ecologist who applies… Read more
NAU scientists studying how climate change is impacting caribou populations
Scientists say caribou are arguably the most important land animals in the arctic, and they’re hoping new research will help them understand how they are being impacted by climate change and human development. Through drones, satellite images, and GPS collars with video cameras, Logan Berner with Northern Arizona University is one of the experts working on the new project. The research, which will span over the next three years, includes a number of institutions and was made possible by… Read more
Decoding biological mysteries with algae: NAU team wins $3M from NSF to model microbiome
The tiny cosmos of organisms living on a streamer of algae in a river—the algal microbiome—could help scientists learn what turns an environment from healthy to toxic and back again. A multidisciplinary team led by Northern Arizona University has won $3 million from the National Science Foundation to translate the codex contained in the microbiome of common algae into computer algorithms that can predict a wide range of microbial interactions. Read more.
Three SICCS researchers among first cohort of NEON Ambassadors
Three SICCS researchers were named among the first cohort of nineteen NEON Ambassadors. NEON, the National Ecological Observatory Network, is the world’s leading continental scale ecological research infrastructure. NEON’s Ambassador Program is envisioned to empower and connect researchers and educators who are eager to engage with their communities. They will help their communities use NEON to accelerate scientific discovery, enhance educational opportunities, increase diversity and inclusion of the scientific community, and/or inform public policy. Meet… Read more
Congratulations Dr. Vigil-Hayes on receiving Best Paper Award at ACM CSCW conference
Morgan Vigil-Hayes’ ACM CSCW paper on co-designing mobile health systems to be culturally relevant to Native American youth received a Best Paper Award as well as a Recognition for Contributions to Diversity and Inclusion. The ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing is the premier venue for research in the design and use of technologies that affect groups, organizations, communities, and networks. A full list of papers that received recognitions can be found here.
This award-winning paper included… Read more