ASU's year in review 2019

New degrees, groundbreaking research, expanded partnerships and continued top rankings characterized 2019 for Sun Devils

Silhouettes of two people making a pitchfork sign over their heads
December 12, 2019

Arizona State University took great strides forward in 2019, cementing partnerships to further student access and success, facilitating groundbreaking scientific research and earning prestigious awards and grant funding. The university also earned its fifth-straight "No. 1 in Innovation" title.

And above all, Sun Devil students, faculty and staff remained committed to serving their community. Here's a look back at the top stories of 2019.

Discoveries

ASU scientists were hard at work this year, looking for solutions to issues such as autism treatment, cancer vaccines and cellular longevity.

  • dog cancer vaccine

    World’s largest canine cancer vaccine trial begins

    Meet Trilly: The 9-year-old Gordon setter received a shot that may also contain the very first vaccine intended to prevent cancer. Trilly is one of 800 dogs participating in Professor Stephen Johnston's study.

    Photo by Meghan Lepisto/UW-Madison

  • microbiome

    Autism symptoms reduced nearly 50% 2 years after fecal transplant

    ASU researchers demonstrated long-term beneficial effects for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder through a technique known as Microbiota Transfer Therapy.

    Image by Shireen Dooling

  • pulaski

    The general was female?

    Count Casimir Pulaski came to America to fight in the War of Independence. One of the Revolution’s great heroes, he harbored a secret that lay unknown for more than 200 years, until an ASU bioarchaeologist discovered the truth. 

    Image courtesy of the Library of Congress

  • weight loss

    Big fat lies about obesity

    An ASU professor challenged the long-held premise that obesity is the primary cause of many major weight-related health conditions. “Health encompasses much more than a number on a scale,” said Glenn A. Gaesser of the College of Health Solutions.

    Photo by Pixabay

  • methuselah, world's oldest tree

    Can plants tell us something about longevity? 

    The oldest living organism on Earth is a plant, a bristlecone pine that is over 5,000 years old. Can we learn something from plants about longevity and stay young forever — or even recapture lost youth? 

    Photo by shoenberg3/stock.adobe.com

  • mother and kids

    Invisible labor can negatively impact well-being in mothers

    A study found women who feel overly responsible for household management and parenting are less satisfied with their lives and partnerships.

    Photo by Pixabay

  • Hayden lawn

    ASU urban climatologist reveals hottest and coolest spots on Tempe campus

    Urban climatologists Ariane Middel and Scott Krayenhoff did a three-year study of the Tempe campus, mapping out the three coolest (and three hottest) spots on campus.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

  • rocket launch

    Mini-spacecraft built by ASU students will study urban heat island effect

    On Saturday, Nov. 2 at 6:59 a.m. Arizona time, the ASU-led Phoenix CubeSat was launched into space onboard the Antares II rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

    Photo by Craig Knoblauch/ASU

Arizona Impact

Amid updates on the progress of Mirabella, the Novus Innovation Corridor and a new facility in downtown Mesa, ASU Now also shared rattlesnake safety tips and stories celebrating the Grand Canyon.

ASU News

A new name for an arena, a generous gift to promote scholarship on dementia and caregiving and a fifth consecutive No.1 in innovation title were among the year's top headlines.

Sun Devil Life 

Goodbye CLAS; hello, The College. Nice to meet you, Echo from the Buttes. And welcome, welcome to the largest and most diverse first-year student class in history.

  • the college

    'The College' debuts

    The idea that The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the “academic heart” of the university was reinforced with the rebranding of The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from its former acronym “CLAS” to its new informal title of “The College.”

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

  • echo from the buttes

    Echo From the Buttes: Old tradition, new name

    Each August, ASU's first-year students paint the gold A on “A” Mountain white to signify a fresh start to the school year. This year, however, the tradition got a new name. 

    Arizona Board of Regents

  • triple majors

    Triple threat: When one major isn't enough

    A triple major takes a lot of hard work and intricate planning, and not many students take it on. There were 39 this year, including a group of three roommates.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

  • new class

    Record class hits the books

    Nearly 14,000 first-year students began their ASU academic journey this fall, the largest, most diverse and most academically prepared class to attend the university to date. 

    Photo by Marcus Chormicle/ASU Now

  • roman rozelle

    ASU wrestler inspires beyond the mat

    ASU student veteran Roman Rozell is a survivor of divorce, drugs and even a lightning strike. He's also an author, an undergraduate, a motivational speaker and a father. And he's the oldest walk-on wrestler in school history.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

  • Starbucks and sparky

    5 years later, still going strong

     At the fifth anniversary of the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, more than 3,000 people have earned their bachelor’s degree while working at Starbucks. 

    Photo Courtesy

Solutions

This year in problem-solving, a first-of-its-kind laser lab gets off to a great start, mechanical trees head to market and a new tool aims to show the true cost of our food.

  • beuses

    Beuses' $10 million gift to build world’s first-of-its-kind X-ray laser lab at ASU

    With a $10 million investment in the CXFEL, Leo and Annette Beus want to help shape the future of medicine and improve the lives of others. 

    ASU

  • asu shovel

    The future of health to have new home

    ASU and Mayo Clinic broke ground on the new Health Futures Center, a 150,000-square-foot building that will feature a MedTech Accelerator, biomedical engineering and informatics research labs, nursing programs and more.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

  • cow in a pen on a farm with a tag on its ear

    The environmental impact of the protein we consume

    How does the average consumer weigh both the nutritional quality and the environmental impact of a food? Thanks to research that included Carol Johnston and Chris Wharton as authors, there now exists the basis for such a tool.

    Photo by Pixabay

  • woman exercising

    Less might just be more when it comes to physical activity

    Glenn Gaesser and Siddhartha Angadi, professors at ASU’s College of Health Solutions, researched the effects of high-intensity interval training on various health outcomes. 

    Photo by Pixabay

  • Klaus Lackner

    Carbon-capture technology moves to commercialization

    ASU and Silicon Kingdom Holdings announced an agreement to deploy carbon-capture technology developed by Professor Klaus Lackner. Popular Science also picked the 'MechanicalTree’ as a 2019 top technology.

    Photo by Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

  • happy woman jumping with umbrella

    In pursuit of happiness

    ASU Now asked a handful of professors from various disciplines about the science of happiness. It turns out that happiness has a lot to do with relationships — with each other, with the world around us and with ourselves.

    Photo by Pixabay

Global Engagement

From Fulbright scholars and online learning for refugees to new Thunderbird degrees, ASU remained committed to a global worldview in 2019.

  • asu in washington

    ASU to offer Thunderbird global affairs master's degree at DC location

    ASU will soon begin accepting students into its first degree program based entirely at its 1-year-old Washington, D.C., location. The executive master of arts and global affairs and management degree will be offered starting in January 2020.

    Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

  • thunderbird groundbreaking

    Thunderbird breaks ground on new global HQ

    The Thunderbird School of Global Management broke ground on its new headquarters with a renewed commitment to globalism. The international management school will move into its new building on the Downtown Phoenix campus in April 2021. 

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

  • Education for Humanity

    ASU offering rapidly deployable online courses to refugees

    Education for Humanity, an initiative of ASU, is meeting the need for education for refugees by offering online courses in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Uganda and Rwanda. 

    Photo by Marc Alan Sperber/EdPlus at ASU

  • Tasmanian tiger

    Bringing back extinct species: If we can, should we?

    In his new book, “The Fall of the Wild: Extinction, De-Extinction, and the Ethics of Conservation,” ASU’s Ben Minteer looks into the ethical dilemmas of the loss and recovery of animal species.

    Public domain photo

  • Shanghai skyline

    New Thunderbird degree will take students around the world

    The new yearlong Executive Master of Global Leadership and Strategy degree will begin in January and engage students at hubs in six locations: Phoenix/Los Angeles, Geneva, Mumbai, Shanghai, Sao Paulo and Nairobi.

    Photo by Pixabay

  • world map

    ASU once again a top producer of students who win Fulbright awards

    ASU has 21 students in the flagship international educational exchange program for 2018-19. ASU’s selection rate was 39.6% — the highest among top-producing schools.

    Photo by Pixabay

  • deep sea diver

    Why biodiversity matters

    ASU’s Leah Gerber was one of the lead authors of the United Nations' global assessment of biodiversity. Gerber provided her thoughts on the assessment and what needs to be done to improve biodiversity of the planet.

    Photo courtesy Leah Gerber

Creativity

The Roden Crater partnership made a splash early in the year, and Sun Devils continued to flex their creativity in a multitude of ways all year long.

  • roden crater

    Letting in the light

    An evolving partnership between James Turrell and ASU will help complete the artist’s magnum opus, Roden Crater, making it accessible to many more people in the future and developing an academic component to inspire transdisciplinary approaches to creativity. 

    Copyright James Turrell/Photo by Klaus Obermeyer

  • Desert WAVE

    ASU women's robotics team places first in country, third in world

    In their rookie year, ASU’s all-female underwater robotics team, Desert WAVE, placed third in the world and first in the country in the international RoboSub competition in August.

    Photo courtesy Desert WAVE

  • human brain

    New curriculum will focus on philosophy of artificial intelligence

    Several ASU faculty members have won a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to create a new curriculum that will challenge students to think about complex issues while they’re learning how to create technology.

    Photo by Pixabay

  • music program

    New popular music degree will set students on path to entertainment industry

    The new popular music concentration within the bachelor of arts degree in music is for students interested in becoming singers, songwriters, DJs, producers, engineers or entrepreneurs in the entertainment world. 

    Image courtesy ASU School of Music

  • Scooby doo

    Scooby-Doo! How old are you?

    Everybody’s favorite crime-cracking cartoon canine celebrated a golden anniversary this year. We spoke with Associate Professor and Scooby expert Kevin Sandler and did some sleuthing on our own. Here are 50 Scooby snacks, uh, facts. 

    Flickr

Entrepreneurship

Multiple generations of Sun Devils make their family business a success, hundreds of entrepreneurs pitch their solutions to earn funding and students dive into the business of beer: The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well at ASU. 

More Sun Devil community

 

Headshot of Isabel Haas

ASU grad tackles global challenges through applied math

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2024 graduates. Isabel Haas embraces the “master of all trades'' approach when it comes to her education at Arizona State…

Read more
Convocation
Palo Verde Blooms

May grad Yash Raka’s roles included mental health advocate, student government senator, researcher and volunteer

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2024 graduates. Yash Raka, who is graduating from Arizona State University in May, is most proud of his advocacy for free…

Read more
Student government Convocation Health care Undergraduate research
College of health solutions grad Kylie Wilson

College of Health Solutions graduate wants to get students up and moving

By Aidan Hansen Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2024 graduates. College of Health Solutions doctoral graduate Kylie Wilson is working to improve the…

Read more
Healthy Living Convocation Health care