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Time on your hands? Dive deep into these top ASU Now stories

When it's time to give yourself a break from constant news updates, try these long reads perfect for long afternoons


ASU Old Main
March 26, 2020

We get it. You want to be informed, but you’ve been in the house for days on end with nothing but coronavirus updates in all of your feeds and headlines. But now, you just need a break.

In that spirit, ASU Now presents thrilling tales of your university. Maybe you missed them the first time, or maybe you couldn't fit them into your busy reading schedule when they appeared. These long reads now are perfect for a socially distanced weekend afternoon.

Here are a few of our favorite stories of adversity, triumph, friendship, love and the nation's most innovative university.

Arizona and ASU history

Searching for the first Sun Devil war heroes
Like Pat Tillman, the first known ASU students to die in combat volunteered to fight in World War I.

ASU's Rough Riders and the path to statehood
The story of the Tempe Normal School men who headed to Cuba to fight for Roosevelt and helped Arizona earn a star on the flag.

Shots fired in 1918 Arizona still resonate 
On the 100th anniversary of the infamous Power brothers shootout, an ASU professor and an alumnus with a key role in the story shed light on the fascinating, horrible tale.

Palm Walk: A tale of trees, death, rebirth and mystery
Iconic ASU pathway celebrates turning 100 — or as close as we can figure — with new trees replacing those at end of their life span.

ASU students storm Gettysburg battlefield
McCain Institute field trip with a general and an ambassador offers timeless lessons of character-driven leadership.

Inspiring stories

Love and loss in the Grand Canyon
A true story about three people, passion, a place — and triumphing over tragedy.

ASU professor's solar-powered library is transforming global education
The SolarSPELL device provides lessons and health information to remote communities.

ASU scholars save priceless manuscripts from obscurity
An art historian and a musicologist felt it was their duty to preserve centuries-old manuscripts detailing the lives of some unconventional nuns.

Sun Devil wrestler inspires beyond the mat
Student veteran Roman Rozell uses his past to brighten the future of others.

3 lives, many letters, 1 friendship
ASU professors unearth details of the lives of three powerhouse Spanish-speaking women.

Tales of comfort and self-care

Tips for living well in 2020
ASU professors weigh in on mindfulness, heart health, smoking cessation and more.

Professor couple speaks the language of humor
Don and Alleen Nilsen live their lives, both personal and professional, with laughter.

In pursuit of happiness
ASU professors share how our relationships with each other, the world around us and ourselves can make us happy.

New ASU online program will train adults to help foster youths prep for college
The Empower program helps educators with navigating special challenges like documents and waivers.

ASU prof pinpoints optimal age of puppy cuteness
Canine researcher Clive Wynne's discovery reveals more about the depth and origin of the human-dog relationship.

Sun Devils making a difference

ASU's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute to provide Peace Corps experience for members
The program lets older adults travel to Belize, become "citizen scientists" and expand their worldviews.

Arizona Legal Center helps residents navigate the law
Student-based volunteer program helps more than 2,000 people a year find legal guidance.

Casting out demons, myths and stereotypes
ASU’s Project Humanities hosts a community engagement program designed to dispel falsehoods surrounding religion.

ASU biologist’s research is for the birds
Kerrie Anne Loyd’s work fills in important gaps in knowledge about owl activity.

Making Thunderbirds cooler than ever
A 68-year-old veteran patents an automotive part designed in an ASU engineering class.

More Science and technology

 

Inside pages of book with an illustration of people doing different tasks around a house

ASU author puts the fun in preparing for the apocalypse

The idea of an apocalypse was once only the stuff of science fiction — like in “Dawn of the Dead” or “I Am Legend.” However these days, amid escalating global conflicts and the prospect of a nuclear…

ASU student Henry Nakaana holding a petri dish and a dropper and wearing lab gear.

Meet student researchers solving real-world challenges

Developing sustainable solar energy solutions, deploying fungi to support soils affected by wildfire, making space education more accessible and using machine learning for semiconductor material…

Tiffany Ticlo wearing a dress, her Miss Arizona sash and crown, sits at a desk in front of a classroom, pointing to a presentation screen.

Miss Arizona, computer science major wants to inspire children to combine code and creativity

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2024 graduates. “It’s bittersweet.” That’s how Tiffany Ticlo describes reaching this milestone. In May, she will graduate…