ASU Online program, lab fellowship helps student work toward dream career in international affairs and human rights


March 20, 2023

Devin Parker was in her early 20s when she began contemplating a career in international affairs and leadership. But before she knew how to get there, she decided a good place to start was working with local nonprofits.

“I worked with women coming out of human trafficking, refugees, women in halfway homes and eventually for a nonprofit restaurant that employed young men and women coming out of the juvenile justice system,” Parker said. “The perspective I gained from working with underrepresented groups changed my worldview.” Portrait of ASU student Devin Parker. Devin Parker is pursuing a master’s degree in international affairs and leadership through ASU Online, and is gaining invaluable experience as one of the Leadership, Diplomacy and National Security Lab’s spring 2023 fellows. Photo courtesy Devin Parker Download Full Image

During that time, Parker had three daughters, another life-changing experience that ultimately brought her original goal back into focus.

“After I had my girls, it was a simple conversation with my husband,” she recalled. “He asked what I wanted to do for the next 30 or 40 years. I happened to be staring at a picture of my girls and responded ‘I want to ensure the rights of women and children globally.’ And here we are.”

Today, Parker is pursuing a master’s degree in international affairs and leadership through ASU Online, and is one of the Leadership, Diplomacy and National Security Lab’s (LDNS Lab) spring 2023 fellows. The program appealed to her partly because the courses are taught by former United States ambassadors and military general officers.

“I saw the value in receiving my education from those with lived experiences. It was a perspective I could not pass up,” Parker said.  

What’s more, the resources she gained access to as an LDNS Lab Fellow allowed her to participate in Washington Week — a weeklong leadership experience in Washington, D.C., where students hear industry experts speak from personal experience on international affairs and current issues.  

“Involving yourself within the lab is an opportunity to gain something valuable for your knowledge base and make connections with others in the program. It does take effort and commitment, but (it's) worth it,” Parker said.

In addition to that experience, Parker has led a cross-cultural exchange program engaging with other master’s students in Kyiv, Ukraine; is currently part of a project working with the embassy in Skopje, North Macedonia, doing research to produce a video and historical document to further enhance training in the area by the U.S. State Department; and is working with her mentor, Ambassador Edward O’Donnell, a professor of practice in the School of Politics and Global Studies, on ASU’s Genocide Awareness Week taking place April 17–21.

For Parker, pursuing her dream of a career in international affairs and human rights can come with its challenges. But she is grateful for the support of her family and is willing to put in the work to be a positive example for her daughters.

“When time gets tight and I am up until midnight writing papers or researching projects, I have their pictures hung above my desk for motivation to succeed,” she said. “I also have an incredibly supportive husband. I could not articulate the amount he has taken on while I am pursuing my master’s to help support me.”

Grace Peserik

Communications Assistant, School of Politics and Global Studies

ASU professor named AAAS Fellow for nanoelectronics research


March 20, 2023

Stephen Goodnick has built his career around the study of nanoelectronics. The David and Darleen Ferry Professor of Electrical Engineering at Arizona State University has focused his research on using tiny nano-sized electronic components to advance the fields they are used in, such as future information technology and solar power generation. Specifically, he hopes to improve capabilities of information technology and to make solar power generation more efficient and affordable.

In recognition of his nanoelectronics research career, which spans more than 40 years, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, named Goodnick one of 505 fellows of 2022. Goodnick, an AAAS member since 2001 and a faculty member in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU, is one of four fellows from ASU named in 2022 among a cohort from around the world. A portrait of Stephen Goodnick on a background of semiconductor material In recognition of his 40-year nanoelectronics research career, the AAAS named Stephen Goodnick one of its 505 fellows of 2022. Image by Rhonda Hitchcock-Mast/ASU Download Full Image

According to the AAAS, the title of AAAS Fellow “honors members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications in service to society have distinguished them among their peers and colleagues.”

“It was actually kind of a surprise,” Goodnick says of being named a fellow. “I didn’t know I had been nominated. I was very honored to have that recognition completely out of the blue.”

The AAAS dedicates itself to advancing scientific discoveries that benefit all of humanity. Its programs advocate for investment in scientific research and evidence-based public policy, encourage diversity in scientific fields, support science education and more.

“Such a prestigious organization as the AAAS awarding the title of fellow to Professor Goodnick is a great recognition of his many contributions to areas related to nanoelectronics,” says Stephen Phillips, director of the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering. “This is an honor for Professor Goodnick that builds on his many previous recognitions and adds to the growing list of accomplishments of the faculty in our school.”

Goodnick has worked at ASU since 1996, starting as a professor of electrical engineering and chair of the former Department of Electrical Engineering, which evolved to become the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering. During his time at ASU, he has worked as associate vice president for research, interim deputy dean for the Fulton Schools, and deputy director for both the Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center and ASU’s LightWorks research collaboration.

Before ASU, Goodnick held positions as a faculty member at Oregon State University and Colorado State University. He has also served as a Hans Fischer Senior Fellow, and earlier as an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at the Technical University of Munich, a visiting professor at Japan’s Osaka University, the Melchor Visiting Chair at the University of Notre Dame and a visiting scientist at Italy’s Universitá di Modena.

Past accolades awarded to Goodnick include the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE, Region 6 Outstanding Educator Award, the IEEE Phoenix Section Outstanding Faculty Award, the American Society for Engineering Education Electrical and Computer Engineering Division Meritorious Service Award, and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association Robert M. Janowiak Outstanding Leadership and Service Award.

Goodnick has also maintained involvement in numerous professional societies, including the IEEE, the American Physical Society and Optica, formerly known as the Optical Society of America, among others.

The ceremony for AAAS Fellows, where Goodnick and the other 2022 fellows’ election will be celebrated and each fellow receives a commemorative pin, will take place this summer in Washington, D.C.

TJ Triolo

Communications Specialist, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

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