2022 in review: ASU's top stories

A closeup of a tassel hanging from a graduation cap with a 2022 charm
December 16, 2022

With the full return to campus, in-person commencements, a lively Homecoming and buildings opening near and far, time seems to be moving awfully fast these days. The close of the year is a good time to take a moment to appreciate all that the Arizona State University community has achieved and experienced in 2022.

So stay out of the chilly weather, pour a cup of something warm and enjoy many of the notable moments from the past year.

January

While some news from the previous month continued to get lots of notice — such as the arrival of the Afghan students and NASA awarding $130 million to the Orbital Reef space station — January held plenty of news of its own, including ASU again ranking among the nation's top research universities. New faces joined the Sun Devil community while ASU honored the legacy of those we lost near and far.

February

Russia's invasion of Ukraine this month had us turning to many of our experts for help in understanding the context, the trauma, the politics and more.

March

Though ISTB7 would have its grand opening later in the year, we were introduced to its architecture bridging our past to our thriving future this month. We also as a community began learning about ASU's Science and Technology Centers, a key component of the New Economy Initiative.

April

As the university neared commencement time, we began celebrating notable graduates, including one student who was earning five bachelor's degrees and another who was the designer behind the iconic "No Pity for the Kitty" T-shirts. We also toured a newly renovated and rededicated Durham Hall.

  • fireworks and lasers on display at new Thunderbird building in downtown Phoenix

    Thunderbird School celebrates grand opening

    In an event that also celebrated the Thunderbird School's 75th anniversary, a name for its new building was unveiled: the F. Francis and Dionne Najafi Thunderbird Global Headquarters. The building would later be recognized for accessibility.

    Photo by Brandon Sullivan

  • Workers installing a large cylindrical container

    1st 'MechanicalTree' installed on Tempe campus

    Nestled among the sun-lit trees on the east side of ASU’s Tempe campus is a different kind of tree. It’s a first-of-its-kind mechanical tree, primed to become a major technology in the global fight against climate change.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

  • Rob and Melani Walton walk the exterior corridors of the Rob & Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health

    New ASU research building named in honor of sustainability donors

    The Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health, the new name for ISTB7, will bridge programs to better understand the past while developing global solutions for the future so people and the planet can thrive together.

    Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU

  • Ocean bay with mountains behind it

    ASU leaps to No. 2 globally for UN Sustainable Development Goals, retains top US spot

    Arizona State University was recognized as a global leader in sustainability efforts, coming in second in the world and first in the U.S. in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.

    Photo by Greg Asner/ASU

  • Illustration of a head made out of graphic lines among multiple square lines

    Professor wins $1M DoD grant to boost AI technology

    Pavan Turga's Geometric Media Lab has been working on fusing different methods, including mathematical, physical and data-driven, to better process and understand imaging data. Turga's work will improve the way that computers discern images for the U.S. Department of Defense.

    Graphic by Alejandro Cabrera/ASU News

May

A month marked by exciting moments — including ASU's first in-person spring commencement since 2019 and a new dawn for supercomputing at the university — also saw its share of losses. The ASU community mourned several deaths, including those of a promising young scholar and a noted paleoanthropologist.

  • Portrait of ASU student Armando Montero on palm walk at the Tempe campus.

    Student wins Truman Scholarship to pursue public service career

    Triple major Armando Montero was elected as the youngest-ever member of the Tempe Union High School District governing board in 2020. This year, he was awarded a Truman Scholarship.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

  • scrapbook with sepia photo of woman and her name

    Photo album sparks discovery of ASU's 1st Black female graduate

    One couple's discovery in a family photo album led them to an archivist at ASU, where they would uncover the story of Stella McHenry and correct the record of the first African American female graduate from ASU.

    Images courtesy Michele Neptune McHenry and Joseph McHenry

  • Portrait of ASU Professor Frank Wilczek.

    Physics professor receives Templeton Prize

    Frank Wilczek, a Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist and author whose boundary-pushing investigations into the fundamental laws of nature have transformed our understanding of the forces that govern our universe, was announced as the winner of the 2022 Templeton Prize.

  • Portrait of student on the Navajo reservation

    A student’s journey toward the stars

    We told the story of Kiera Charley, who started at ASU at 16 studying astrophysics. But it’s also the story of thousands of Native American students who enter college each year: their challenges, their triumphs and how higher education is changing to better serve them.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

  • Image of a neuron

    Designer neurons offer new hope for treatment of Parkinson's

    In new research, Jeffrey Kordower and his colleagues described a process for converting non-neuronal cells into functioning neurons able to take up residence in the brain and restore capacities undermined by Parkinson’s destruction of dopaminergic cells.

    Illustration by Shireen Dooling

  • Portrait of ASU Professor of Practice Azmat Khan.

    ASU professor wins Pulitzer Prize

    ASU Professor of Practice Azmat Khan was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for her work on the New York Times series “The Civilian Casualty Files,” about the civilian toll of U.S.-led airstrikes in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

June

The supply chain continued to have hiccups — the latest shortages being tampons and fireworks — while the Interplanetary Initiative honored one underresourced Guatemalan team's very big accomplishment.

  • Student presenting the weather on news

    Student chosen to help tell CNN weather, climate news

    Payton Major helped establish ASU's weather club and anchored Cronkite News’ weekly weather broadcast. This summer, she was picked from a competitive pool of applicants to be CNN's Summer Weather and Climate Intern.

    Photo courtesy of Payton Major

  • ASU partners with U.S. Space Force

    US Space Force selects ASU as newest university partner

    The U.S. Space Force and Arizona State University signed an agreement making ASU the newest member of the service's University Partnership Program.

    Photo courtesy of Defense Visual Information Distribution Service

  • Graduates waving at Hispanic convocation

    ASU named a Hispanic-Serving Institution by US Department of Education

    The recognition by the U.S. Department of Education is a major milestone in ASU's commitment to increase the diversity of its student body and reflects the university’s efforts to better serve its community through a range of support programs and resources.

    Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU

  • Portrait of Tara Williams, new dean of ASU's Barrett, The Honors College.

    Tara Williams named new dean of Barrett, The Honors College

    For the first time in nearly 20 years, there was new leadership at the start of fall at Barrett, The Honors College — Tara Williams began Aug. 1 as the college’s next dean.

  • person typing on laptop

    ASU Online expands to offer more than 300 programs

    With the addition of 22 new programs this fall, ASU Online offers more than 300 degrees, certificates and emphases. Among the changes is a huge increase in clubs and organizations for fully online students, as well as the opportunity to participate in Barrett, The Honors College.

    Photo courtesy of Pixabay

July

The Sun Devil community welcomed eight new Flinn Scholars and mourned the passing of Lonnie Ostrom, remembered for his service to students, colleagues and donors. Meanwhile, the rise of monkeypox around the world left people with many questions; an ASU epidemiologist had answers.

August

ASU set new records with its fall enrollment as the Arizona Board of Regents celebrated President Michael Crow's first 20 years as ASU president with accolades, testimonials and a new title. Meanwhile, generous gifts expanded the reach of the Luminosity Lab and the Department of English's creative writing program to underserved students.

  • Portrait of student in front of Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine

    Former Sun Devil wide receiver ready for career in medicine

    At 23 years old, former ASU wide receiver Kyle Williams decided to walk away from a career in the NFL. Instead, he had a different plan for his life. He’s now a medical student at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, the first step toward his goal of becoming a surgeon.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

  • Man talking to two people sitting in chairs inside hockey arena for event

    ASU recognizes Mullett family with naming of new multipurpose arena

    The new on-campus multipurpose arena was named Mullett Arena in recognition of Donald “Donze” and Barbara Mullett’s commitment to ASU and Sun Devil Athletics.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

  • Man talking to students in front of sound board in theater

    MIX Center in downtown Mesa opens doors to students

    The new Media and Immersive eXperience Center in downtown Mesa will put ASU in the top tier of academic filmmaking and media production facilities. Called the MIX Center, the cutting-edge building had its official grand opening in October.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

  • Group of national and local leaders on tour of ASU building

    Policymakers tour MacroTechnology Works

    Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Sen. Mark Kelly and other lawmakers and business partners toured the research and manufacturing facility, followed by Defense Under Secretary Heidi Shyu and the Mexican ambassador.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

  • silhouette of person jumping across stream

    Huge milestone in easing path for transfer students

    ASU works hard to make sure that transfer students can apply as much of their existing work as possible toward their degree. One team of staffers at ASU recently hit a remarkable milestone — 1 million course equivalencies evaluated over the last 10 years.

    Photo courtesy of Pixabay

  • CRJ-200 Flight Simulator at Arizona State

    A flight plan for COVID-19 air travel recovery

    To meet the growing demands for trained airline industry professionals, ASU’s robust roster of degree programs is sending its grads into the industry as pilots, airfield operations specialists, airline dispatchers, flight staffing planners and air traffic controllers. 

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

September

In other places, this month heralds the start of autumn with changing leaves and crisp weather. But here at ASU, September marks the season of innovation rankings — this year, the university was named No. 1 in innovation for an eighth straight year. It was a banner month, as ASU also was ranked eighth worldwide for utility patents, earned its second Seal of Excelencia certification and was awarded the lead of a new National Science Foundation I-Corps Hub.

October

ASU was named a top university for community and national service this month. Sun Devils put that spirit of service to work in many ways, including creating an app to help caregivers at this year's Hacks for Humanity event.

  • A crowd of people mingle in the ornate lobby of the Herald Examiner building in LA

    ASU celebrates opening of California Center

    The university marked its expansion in Los Angeles at the historic Herald Examiner Building — home to the ASU California Center — with a series of events that explored some of the issues facing our communities.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

  • Close-up of a hand putting a cryo-EM grid into a glow discharger, used to clean the grid prior to performing cryo-EM.

    ASU researchers solve a Lyme disease mystery

    Karie Behm has devoted her energies to unlocking some of the secrets of Lyme disease, a tenacious ailment affecting some 500,000 Americans every year. And for the recent ASU doctoral graduate, it's personal, having contracted the disease following a tick bite when she was younger.

  • The majority of the image shows the black background of space. Two large, very bright galaxies dominate the center of the image. The elliptical galaxy at left is extremely bright at its circular core, with dimmer white light extending to its transparent c

    Webb images reveal interstellar discovery

    ASU astronomers shared one of their first and most beautiful NASA James Webb Space Telescope images of a galaxy pair at a distance of about 700 million light-years away from us.

    Image by NASA, ESA, CSA, Rogier Windhorst (ASU), William Keel (University of Alabama), Stuart Wyithe (University of Melbourne), JWST PEARLS Team

  • Man shaking hands with pope

    ASU climate scientists featured in YouTube film with Pope Francis

    A new YouTube Originals documentary that centers on an encyclical letter written by Pope Francis calling for collective action to tackle the environmental crisis features two ASU scientists.

    Photo courtesy Laudato Si' Organization

  • Engineering students celebrating on stage at graduation

    ASU engineering hits record enrollment

    The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering has reached an impressive milestone — student enrollment hit a high of 30,000 students this fall. Here's a look at some of the rankings, programs and accreditations that have contributed to its success.

    Photo courtesy of the Fulton Schools

  • Photo illustration of a student interacting with a VR course.

    VR biology lab leads to student success

    Students at ASU are learning biology in a unique virtual reality experience, hurtling through space to interact with creatures in an intergalactic wildlife sanctuary. And a recent study showed that the experience is working.

    Image courtesy of Dreamscape Learn

  • Ex-quarterback who went viral as balcony opera singer performs at ASU

    Gus Farwell’s life — from high school football player to ASU Sun Devil to the pandemic balcony opera guy — is operatic in its highs and lows. His journey came full circle when he performed at a free event in November called “Gridiron to ASU Gammage” at ASU.

    Photo courtesy of Gus Farwell

November

ASU continued its efforts to serve students, including ranking No. 1 in the U.S. for hosting international students and exploring new ways offer military students a seamless entry into university. And the community was again hit hard by loss, marking the passing of generous philanthropist Leo Beus and Nobel-winning economist Edward Prescott.

December

Sun Devils were hard at work to close out the year, and a rainy forecast turned into gorgeous skies for the fall commencement. December also brought a slew of space stories, including a rundown of Mastcam-Z's latest discoveries, research on the faint "ghost light" around our solar system and a study on stunning galaxy views taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

  • Two students seated in a classroom talking to each other. In the background, a sign on a wall says

    Innovative college pathway for students in Yuma

    Launched earlier this year, ASU Local’s Yuma site has a cohort of 35 transfer students, most first-generation collegegoers. As a group, these students can lean on one another while they take classes via ASU Online, while benefiting from in-person coaching, tutoring and programming.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

  • The Next Education Workforce from Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College addresses realities in the teaching profession

    ASU-developed team-teaching model a hit at Valley schools

    Westwood High School in Mesa, Arizona, is one of 50 schools across 10 school systems that have put into practice a team-teaching approach, which was born out of conversations school officials had with leaders from ASU's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. 

    Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

  • Exterior view of the ASU Old Main buidling.

    2 students receive prestigious Quad Fellowships

    Two ASU students are among 25 students nationally who have been awarded a Quad Fellowship, an initiative created by the United States, Australia, Japan and India to build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists.

    Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU

  • Portrait of coach holding football to camera

    Coaching ASU football a dream for Kenny Dillingham

    Alum Kenny Dillingham is the ASU's new football coach — a job that has been on his radar since he was a graduate assistant here. Find out how he came to love Sun Devil Football.

    Photo courtesy Sun Devil Athletics

  • Marshall Scholar to tackle global water crisis

    Katie Sue Pascavis was chosen as only one of 40 students nationwide to be a 2023 Marshall Scholar. With the award, she will study water sanitation and sustainable engineering in the U.K.

  • A robot autosampler prepares reagents for analyzing COVID variants

    ASU increases research activity by nearly 6 times over past 20 years

    With $677.7 million in research expenditures in fiscal year 2021, ASU ranked No. 6 among 750 other institutions without a medical school in the NSF HERD rankings.

    Photo courtesy Andy DeLisle

Top photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

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