About the Bilby Research Center
& Research Support Services

The Ralph M. Bilby Research Center, built in 1981, is a small white dome located near the center of campus (building 52). Although originally intended for use as a vocational or technical training center, it was never used for that purpose, but was dedicated instead as a research facility. The center was named for Ralph Mansfield Bilby (1917-1981), an illustrious Arizona businessman and politician with a long career in public service.

Our mission at the Bilby Center is to promote research, creative, and scholarly activity in all areas across the NAU campus, and to help researchers produce high-quality publications and presentations. We employ an editor, an illustrator, a photographer/videographer, a part-time photographer, a web designer, an administrative assistant, and a project director, and provide such services as illustration and photography, editing, and web page design to NAU researchers.

The Bilby Center also provides lab space to researchers from a variety of departments and colleges across campus; over the years, this has sparked many fruitful and interesting collaborations across disciplines. Our conference room, which can comfortably hold about 25 people, is available for meetings and is the NAU home of the Flagstaff Community Supported Agriculture Project.

Over the years, the Bilby Center has been responsible for establishing several other programs and facilities at NAU. The Quaternary Studies Program, for example, was begun and initially housed in the center. The Avian Cognitian Lab, Small Animal Care Facility, and Research Greenhouse also all had their beginnings at the Bilby Research Center. One of our former directors, Dr. Richard Foust, was important in initiating the construction of the Forestry Sciences Complex, and another, Dr. Henry Hooper, was responsible for beginning the Center for Sustainable Environments, which was initially housed in the Bilby Center.