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Northern Arizona University knows that diversity of thought turns challenges into solutions, and the university continues to welcome diversity through its new research center.听听

The Northern Arizona University (NAU) Center for Materials Interfaces in Research and Applications, also referred to as 隆MIRA!, is geared to be a center of inclusivity for diverse students interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).听听

隆MIRA!, which means 鈥榣ook鈥� in Spanish, is set to represent Arizona鈥檚 diversity and combat the barriers underrepresented students face.听听

鈥淏arriers that exist, they鈥檙e not unique to NAU. They鈥檙e not unique to Arizona. They鈥檙e not unique to the southwest. There is a systemic problem across the country,鈥� said Gabriel Monta帽o, MIRA chief scientist.

Monta帽o explained that people naturally have a resistance to change, so they usually hire and connect with 鈥渨hat they know.鈥澨�听

鈥淲e鈥檙e recognizing the flaws of the system and we鈥檙e doing everything we can to combat that because we know that it鈥檚 a lot,鈥� Monta帽o said.

鈥淲e embrace diversity of thought and even cultures. We understand that that鈥檚 how you solve complex problems,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ost of the problems in science and STEM are really what we call complex, hard problems. They require input from various perspectives.鈥�

隆MIRA! proves its dedication to embracing diversity through its staff. Of the participating faculty, 50 percent are from underrepresented minorities or are women.听听

鈥淭hat鈥檚 unheard of in this type of materials research,鈥� Monta帽o said.听

In addition to providing a welcoming environment for underrepresented students, 隆MIRA! will help students connect with industry professionals.听听

鈥淣etworking is key and it鈥檚 something that we鈥檙e pretty good at. [隆MIRA! leadership has] spent a lot of time trying to figure that out and we鈥檝e done a lot of it in our previous work,鈥� Monta帽o said.听

隆MIRA! focuses on materials science, which is an interdisciplinary field in that it applies to varying areas of science and engineering. The center will address the need for well-rounded STEM professionals with interdisciplinary skills.听

鈥淲e want this to be a premier research experience for the students. We want this institute- not just underrepresented students, but all students that are coming in to our program- we want them to have the best research experience they can get,鈥� Monta帽o explained.听

隆MIRA! had a soft launch in the spring 2019 semester and will be in full operation fall 2019.