2023 in review: ASU's top stories
As the sun sets on this year, ASU News is spotlighting some of the top stories from the past 12 months
It has been a year of big announcements at Arizona State University — a medical school, a microelectronics hub, membership in the Association of American Universities and plenty of high-powered, high-impact research.
So let's take a moment to revisit some of the top stories from around the ASU community in 2023.
January
The year started strong with online programs ranked among best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. ASU research also gained interest nationally, from new approaches to education to forensic bugs.
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Thunderbird School brings Hollywood-style technology and digital avatars to classroom
The $1.1 million volumetric capture lab on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus is showing what is possible when Thunderbird School of Global Management students can interact with holograms of professors in augmented reality, virtual reality and on 2D screens.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Study of California groundwater prompts a wake-up call for Arizona
A team of scientists that pioneered methods to observe changes in global groundwater stores over the past two decades made a surprising discovery about the aquifers that supply California’s Central Valley region. Despite the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act adopted in 2014, the groundwater depletion rate has accelerated to a point where groundwater could disappear over the next several decades.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Study explores effects of dietary choline deficiency on neurologic, systemwide health
Choline, an essential nutrient produced in small amounts in the liver and found in foods including eggs, broccoli, beans, meat and poultry, is a vital ingredient for human health. A new study explored how deficiency in dietary choline adversely affects the body and may provide missing clues in the puzzle of Alzheimer’s disease.
Photo from Pixabay
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Partnership between ASU, YouTube, Crash Course expands to offer courses for college credit
In its continued effort to make college more accessible through innovative methods, Arizona State University partnered with YouTube and Crash Course to offer college courses that begin on YouTube.
Image courtesy of Study Hall
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Deputy secretary of education gets firsthand look at ASU initiative
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten visited Mesa Westwood High School to learn about the Next Education Workforce initiative developed by ASU. Westwood is one of 50 schools across 10 school systems that have put into practice the team-teaching approach, which was born out of conversations school officials had five years ago with leaders from ASU's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.
Photo courtesy of Tim Hacker/Mesa Public Schools
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CS'fly': Insect data holds clues to crimes
For the past two years, Assistant Professor Jonathan Parrott has been developing one of Arizona’s first genetic and developmental databases of forensically important blowflies to assist both crime scene investigators and the courts.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
February
ChatGPT started making headlines, with ASU experts weighing in on the potential benefits and concerns. (Read more about artificial intelligence on the ASU News website.) In other news, ASU added a ninth design aspiration, and the Super Bowl involved Sun Devils in all sorts of ways.
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A slate of Super Bowl stories
Students worked the game; Blaze Radio turned pro; a look at the history of the game; NFL held events for Black History Month; efforts expanding access to education were honored; alumni were on the host committee; a professor explained if the bowl results in
Photo courtesy of Luis Pintor Zavaleta
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New personalized biology curriculum prioritizes student success
ASU has reimagined the way that biology will be taught, using a curriculum that focuses on real-world skills, such as problem-solving, and prioritizes student success. The personalized curriculum, called Neo Bio, combines skills-based lessons with the narrative-driven Dreamscape Learn virtual reality lab experiences.
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ASU’s endowment reaches $1.39B and top 100 list for fiscal year 2022
The ASU endowment outperformed many of its peers during fiscal year 2022 and reached the industry’s list of top 100 endowments by size for the first time. According to the survey results, ASU's 2.4% investment return for fiscal year 2022 places ASU's endowment in the top decile of peer institutions with endowments of $1 billion or more.
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New ASU design aspiration emphasizes values in innovation
ASU's mission is guided by nine design aspirations, institutional goals to help the university achieve excellence. The most recent addition is Principled Innovation, the ability to create change guided by values and ethical understanding. It’s a way to integrate intentionality into all decisions to be as inclusive as possible.
Photo by Chloe Merriweather/ASU
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March Mammal Madness tournament celebrates decade of science engagement
The world’s most popular simulated animal tournament was back for another year of exciting matchups. March Mammal Madness, which was established in 2013, celebrated a decade of science education, innovation and impact during a virtual event.
Illustration by Charon Henning
March
ASU at Lake Havasu celebrated 10 years — making it just slightly younger than an ASU Online student gaining national notice for her smarts and her work paving the way for young STEM students. (She graduated at age 15 this December, with plans to begin pursuing her PhD next fall.) The West campus expanded, and the ASU community mourned former Navajo Nation President and ASU alum Peterson Zah.
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The end of an era for ASU's 'voice of graduation'
If you are one of the nearly 600,000 Arizona State University alumni, you’ve likely heard the voice of Mike Wong, who has lent his voice to hundreds of ASU commencement ceremonies and athletics events during his nearly four-decade career with the university.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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National Science Foundation awards $90.8M to ASU to advance X-ray science
In the largest National Science Foundation research award in the university’s history, the NSF awarded $90.8 million in funding to advance groundbreaking research in X-ray science. The award will support a five-year project to build the world’s first compact X-ray free electron laser, a one-of-a-kind, room-sized X-ray laser instrument that can explore the intricacies of complex matter at atomic length and ultrafast time.
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ASU community mourns Sun Devil and former Navajo Nation President Peterson Zah
Peterson Zah, the first president of the Navajo Nation, a former special advisor to the president of Arizona State University and an ASU graduate, died March 7 at age 85. The following month, family, friends, prominent leaders and Zah's former students gathered on the Tempe campus for a celebration of his life and impact.
Photo by Tom Story/ASU
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ASU teaches tech used in 'The Mandalorian' to film school students
The Sidney Poitier New American Film School offers virtual-production technology with extremely high-resolution LED wall and floor screens made by Planar Studios at the ASU California Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU
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West campus expanding to serve the evolving West Valley
Arizona State University celebrated its West campus in March by kicking off a large-scale project that will add three new academic schools and two new buildings. The event, called “West Valley Forward,” highlighted ASU’s commitment to meeting the educational and economic growth needs of the booming West Valley.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
April
The rankings piled up this month, with ASU in the top 10 among U.S. universities granted U.S. utility patents; 14 ASU graduate programs in top 10 nationwide; and ASU’s sustainability practices earning a No. 1 ranking from an esteemed higher-education rating system. Elsewhere, a college reorganized and a residence hall was named after a former mayor.
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Bringing bee research to ASU Online students
A new research program uses 4K technology that records footage from a transparent observation beehive to provide an unparalleled look inside the hive for online students. Students are also invited to the Tempe campus for an immersion experience where they get to visit the university’s Bee Lab Annex, one of the largest bee labs in the U.S.
Photo by Meghan Finnerty/ASU
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College of Integrative Sciences and Arts reorganizes into 3 new schools
The reorganization will better serve students and meet the needs of the East Valley community around ASU’s Polytechnic campus.
Photo by ASU
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Army ROTC helps Chandler woman honor the memory of her uncle and a very special 48-star flag
Denise Riggs had questions about four U.S. flags she had inherited — specifically if one belonged to her uncle that died in the Korean War. ASU’s Army ROTC met with the Chandler resident to perform a flag-folding ceremony where she finally got some closure.
Photo by Samantha Chow/ASU
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Residential hall renamed for former Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon
Arizona State University renamed its residence hall on the Downtown Phoenix campus from Taylor Place to Gordon Commons, in honor of former Mayor Phil Gordon, who was a driving force behind the creation of the campus 20 years ago.
Photo by Samantha Chow/ASU
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ASU expands fashion program, embraces legacy of Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
Arizona State University announced the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles will be part of the expansion of fashion education at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at ASU. ASU’s fashion program will now be named ASU FIDM, incorporating both the FIDM community and campus, and it will operate in both Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Photo by Armand Saavedra/ASU
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Why Willie Bloomquist left relaxed life to become ASU's baseball coach
When Willie Bloomquist was a special assistant to Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall, rarely a day went by when the former Sun Devil didn’t hear about his baseball heritage or why he’d be such a great fit managing the Sun Devils. On June 11, 2021, the wishes of those fans came true — Bloomquist was named ASU’s manager. Less than two years later, he has ASU in first place in the Pac-12 and ranked 12th in the country by Baseball America.
Photo courtesy Sun Devil Athletics
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ASU students solve real-world problems for Department of Defense
During the spring semester, a team of Arizona State University students saved the U.S. Department of Defense five years of work as part of their Hacking for Defense class, and representatives from the department came to town to thank them.
Photo by Richard Holland/ASU
May
About 19,700 ASU students earned a total of nearly 20,500 degrees at spring commencement, with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy urging new grads at Undergraduate Commencement to "put people first." An ASU-published story also gained notice from Hollywood and will be adapted into a film to be directed by Ben Stiller.
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Astronomers make groundbreaking discovery of first extrasolar radiation belt
Originally discovered first around Earth in 1958, radiation belts are now known to be a common feature in the solar system: All of the planets with large-scale magnetic fields — including Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — have them. However, no radiation belt has been clearly seen outside of our solar system — until now. A small team of astronomers discovered the first radiation belt outside our solar system.
Image by Chuck Carter/Melodie Kao/Heising-Simons Foundation
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ASU to lead new DOE Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute
The U.S. Department of Energy selected ASU to receive up to $70 million to establish a new Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute devoted to the challenge of fighting greenhouse gas emissions from industrial process heating. ASU will lead the multi-institution effort known as Electrified Processes for Industry Without Carbon, or EPIXC.
Photo by GCShutter/iStock
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ASU hosts first-ever tri-nation North America Semiconductor Conference
Arizona State University hosted government and industry leaders from the U.S., Canada and Mexico at a high-level conference in Washington, D.C., to ensure North America’s future in the semiconductor industry.
Photo by Samantha Chow/ASU
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Fiber-reinforced concrete speeds up Phoenix rapid transit construction
Phoenix Valley Metro and construction firm Kiewit-McCarthy were able to save time and money, be more sustainable and reduce safety risks while working on a recent light rail extension, thanks to a partnership with ASU that proposed using fiber-reinforced concrete instead of rebar-supported slabs.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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ASU-Slate publication catches attention of Hollywood movie makers
A short story written for Future Tense Fiction — a partnership between ASU's Center for Science and the Imagination, Slate magazine and New America — will get the Hollywood treatment. “This, But Again,” written by TV and film scribe David Iserson, is being adapted into a film to be directed by actor and filmmaker Ben Stiller. It's the latest in a line of speculative fiction pieces from the publication that are catching the attention of producers.
Image by Natalie Matthews-Ramo/Slate
June
Some major news this month, as ASU announced it was launching a medical school, and the university joined the prestigious Association of American Universities. Sun Devils also got a jump on the dog days of summer with research in action making a dog park cooler and a survey that shows "running with the pack" may be key to healthier living for canines.
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ASU to launch medical school
The Arizona Board of Regents has asked ASU to expand medical education in Arizona by launching a new medical school, one charged with addressing the significant and growing health care needs of the state. The new ASU School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering will integrate clinical medicine, biomedical science and engineering.
Photo by ASU
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ASU retains No. 1 in US and top 10 spot globally in UN Sustainable Development Goals ranking
The internationally respected Times Higher Education Impact Rankings recognized ASU as the No. 1 institution in the U.S. and sixth in the world for impacts made addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Photo by ASU
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ASU joins prestigious Association of American Universities
Arizona State University was selected to join the prestigious Association of American Universities, which comprises the nation’s elite research universities. Membership is by invitation only and based on an extensive set of quantitative indicators that assess the breadth and quality of a university’s research and education.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU
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Turning the tide on our coral reefs
With a group of core partners, ASU is creating a new $25 million collaboration to preserve and restore vitality to Hawaii's coral reefs and the health of its coastlines. Named ʻĀkoʻakoʻa, the community-based effort looks to fuse state-of-the-art science programs with the leadership and cultural knowledge of Hawaii’s community partners to enable coastal and reef sustainability for generations to come.
Photo courtesy of the ASU Global Airborne Observatory
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Starbucks to partner with ASU on programming for new sustainability lab in Costa Rica
Starbucks announced plans to develop a new sustainability learning and innovation lab at Hacienda Alsacia — the company’s global agronomy headquarters for research and development, located in Costa Rica. ASU will work with Starbucks as early as this fall to offer educational programming for select Arizona State University students and Starbucks partners
Photo courtesy of Starbucks
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The unintentional executive
Fourteen years ago, Jacob Moore held a part-time management intern position with ASU while he was studying for his MBA, with no long-term plans to work at the university. He's evolved from a management intern to executive leadership and now is the new vice president and special advisor to the president on American Indian affairs.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
July
Things kept heating up this month, with Sherine Gabriel tapped to lead ASU Health, ASU's Sol supercomputer was listed among the top-performing supercomputers globally and the world registered the hottest day on record.
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ASU rises to 40th among US universities — and top 20 for US public institutions — in QS World University Rankings
Arizona State University ranked 40th in the U.S. among top universities by QS World University Rankings for 2024 — up from 47th in the 2023 rankings — and is in the top 20 of U.S. public universities. In addition, ASU’s global ranking jumped 40 spots from last year.
Photo by FJ Gaylor
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ASU's Léon Marchand swimming toward Olympic gold
Student Léon Marchand may not look like one of the best swimmers in the world, but that’s what he is, and he was gunning for multiple gold medals — and possible world records — at the World Aquatics Championships.
Photo by Samantha Chow/ASU
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ASU, Applied Materials to create Materials-to-Fab Center at ASU Research Park
Arizona State University and Applied Materials Inc. announced an alliance, aided by the Arizona Commerce Authority, that brings more than $270 million to create a world-class shared research, development and prototyping facility — the Materials-to-Fab Center — in the university’s MacroTechnology Works building at ASU Research Park.
Photo by Jayce Hayden/ASU
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World registers hottest day ever recorded; what’s to come?
On July 3, the hottest day ever was recorded globally. ASU President's Professor Randy Cerveny, the keeper of the world’s records of weather for the World Meteorological Organization, provides insight into record-breaking temperatures and what the future may look like if the world keeps heating up.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
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ASU, TSMC announce partnership for workforce and research innovation
Arizona State University and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company announced a partnership agreement that will deepen the existing relationship between ASU and the world’s leading manufacturer of semiconductor chips. The partnership will focus on student support, training and recruitment, and faculty work projects and research.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
August
A 16-year-old nursing student made history at ASU, hip-hop turned 50, and a psychology class about Taylor Swift gained notice from national media.
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ASU, Mountain America Credit Union reach one of most significant naming-rights deals in college sports
The 15-year partnership — the most significant in the athletics department’s history — includes ASU’s football stadium, which now will be called “Mountain America Stadium, Home of the ASU Sun Devils.”
Photo by Samantha Chow/ASU
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ASU, Arizona and Utah will move to Big 12 Conference
Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and the University of Utah will join the Big 12 Conference in 2024, positioning the universities and their student-athletes for increased stability and success. The move will help create a strong Arizona-Utah-Texas portion of the conference that will extend current rivalries, create new ones and offer regional travel for student-athletes. The change is effective Aug. 2, 2024.
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As hip-hop turns 50, experts weigh in on art form's evolution
In the last 50 years, hip-hop has grown to become an expansive culture of music, dance, fashion, art, language and identity that has been exported around the world and is now studied by scholars. To mark the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, five experts at ASU talked about the different facets of the genre.
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A 'swift' approach to learning psychology
A new ASU class offered this fall teaches students about social psychology concepts by relating them to American singer-songwriter and cultural icon Taylor Swift. “The course is basically using Taylor Swift as a semester-long example of different phenomena — gossip, relationships, revenge,” said PhD student Alexandra Wormley, who is leading the class.
Photo by Alexandra Wormley
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ASU partners with Chandler on new model of startup incubator open to all
A ribbon-cutting event celebrated the opening of the E+I@ACIC coworking space at the ASU Chandler Innovation Center and the start of the Chandler Endeavor Venture Innovation Incubator, which will be based in the building. The entrepreneurship resources are open to anybody in the community.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
September
ASU was named among the top 20 public universities in the Wall Street Journal’s Best Colleges in the U.S. for 2024, the university earned the top spot for innovation for the ninth straight year, and ASU was selected by the Department of Defense to lead a Microelectronics Commons hub.
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ASU ranked No. 1 in innovation for 9th straight year
Arizona State University is again No. 1 in innovation among American universities, ahead of Stanford and MIT, in the annual “Best Colleges” 2024 rankings by U.S. News & World Report. The continued recognition underscores ASU’s commitment to being a New American University — an enterprise dedicated to the simultaneous pursuit of excellence, broad access to quality education, and meaningful societal impact — and joins a series of top rankings that ASU has earned in high-impact areas.
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Students in extended-reality degree programs use world building for social good
Students in ASU’s extended-reality degree programs are learning how to build worlds in order to solve problems using the latest technology as it becomes available. Extended reality, called XR, creates immersive, interconnected three-dimensional worlds using technologies that include virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence and blockchain.
Photo by Matter Films
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ASU selected by Department of Defense for Microelectronics Commons hub
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announced the award of $238 million in CHIPS and Science Act funding for the establishment of eight Microelectronics Commons regional innovation hubs.
Photo by iStock
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Students design spectacular drone halftime show
A team from ASU animated the sky with 600 lighted drones in a spectacular show before more than 53,000 people at Mountain America Stadium. The four- to five-minute drone show during halftime was designed by three students and a professor in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and was the culmination of nearly three months of work. The drones danced in a space above the scoreboard that was as big as a 30-story building, swirling and zipping around to create a series of 3D animations.
Photo by Nova Sky Stories
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Biden announces national library at ASU honoring legacy of Sen. John McCain
President Joe Biden announced a major federal grant to the state of Arizona to help design and build a new McCain National Library at ASU. The new 80,000-square-foot McCain National Library will include archives for McCain’s papers and materials from his decades of high-profile work while in office. A visitor’s center and an Arizona home for the Washington, D.C.-based McCain Institute are among other elements planned for the site.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
October
Sun Devils cheered on the Arizona Diamondbacks during their World Series run (and got in some snake trivia), the W. P. Carey School of Business celebrated 20 years since its endowment, and the Downtown Phoenix campus was chosen for the future medical school. Another campus was renamed, a space mission took to the stars and ASU gained another MacArthur "genius grant" awardee.
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‘College Tour en Español’ debuts at ASU
During a special red carpet premiere at ASU, hundreds of Hispanic families had the opportunity to watch the "College Tour en Español," a 30-minute film featuring the personal journeys of 10 students at ASU, which is scheduled for livestreaming on Amazon Prime later this year.
Photo by Armand Saavedra/ASU
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Law, medicine intersect in new mental health training for judges
A group of ASU Law alums are hoping a new training program they developed with help from legal professionals and doctors from Mayo Clinic will help prepare judges and attorneys to better handle mental health issues in and around their work.
Photo by Tabbs Mosier/ASU
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Water expert Amber Wutich named a 2023 MacArthur Fellow
ASU President's Professor Amber Wutich, a water expert with two decades of research experience under her belt, was selected as a 2023 MacArthur Fellow by the MacArthur Foundation. The highly coveted fellowship, sometimes referred to as a “genius grant,” is awarded to talented individuals who have shown exceptional originality in and dedication to their creative pursuits.
Photo courtesy of MacAurthur Foundation
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A space launch 12 years in the making
Friday the 13th — for a space mission beset by challenges — turned out to be a very lucky day indeed. At precisely 10:19:43 a.m. Oct. 13, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a spacecraft destined for a metal-rich asteroid. The Psyche mission, the first NASA deep-space mission led by ASU, is a story of perseverance and inspiration, of art and science, and the possibilities of the unknown.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Unearthing climate solutions with cattle and soil
Peter Byck has spent the last four years meeting with scientists and farmers, exploring how an underutilized way to graze cattle could improve soil health and documenting the process along the way. He chronicles the journey in a docuseries titled “Roots So Deep (You Can See the Devil Down There),” which had its Arizona premiere at ASU on Oct. 26.
Photo courtesy Carbon Nation, 2023
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ASU renames West campus to better reflect connection to the community
Announced at a WESTMARC Best of the West awards dinner held in Glendale, ASU has renamed its West campus as ASU West Valley to better reflect its position as a centerpiece of life in the fast-growing area. Vice Provost Todd Sandrin said, "It’s a subtle change that conveys a big statement about the university’s place as a partner in the western area of Maricopa County.” That same week, a new residence hall was announced.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
November
ASU ranked in top 5 for inventions, patents, patent deals and startups; the university was named the top public university choice for international students for the third straight year; the Biodesign Institute began its yearlong 20th anniversary celebration; and Ray Anderson stepped down as athletic director. The U.S. surgeon general returned to speak to students about loneliness, and one ASU audience got a sneak peek of a musical about food banks.
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ASU researchers discover Earth's blobs are remnants of an ancient planetary collision
A new study suggests that two continent-sized blobs of unusual material located deep near the center of the Earth are remnants of an ancient planet that violently collided with Earth billions of years ago, in the same giant impact that created our moon.
Artwork by Hernan Canellas/Courtesy of ASU
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Comedian Kristina Wong draws laughs as 'food bank influencer'
Kristina Wong, the ASU Gammage artist-in-residence, was the keynote speaker at the ASU Graduate College Distinguished Lecture, where she presented a show that gives a humorous take on the magnitude of the food-insecurity problem. The following week, she appeared with globally recognized chef and Nobel Peace Prize nominee José Andrés at the 2023 Celebration for Resilience at ASU Gammage.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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To deal or not to deal: ASU hosts mock NBA trade competition
More than 125 students from 35 collegiate programs across the country came together at ASU's Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in downtown Phoenix to take part in the inaugural Mock NBA Trade Deadline Competition. The event was conceived and organized by a third-year ASU Law student to give students real-world-like experience and make contacts with officials from around the league.
Photo by Paula Soria/ASU
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Earth's surface water dives deep, transforming core's outer layer
An international team of researchers including ASU scientists has revealed that water from the Earth's surface can penetrate deep into the planet, altering the composition of the outermost region of the metallic liquid core and creating a distinct, thin layer. Their research was recently published in Nature Geoscience.
Image courtesy Dan Shim/ASU
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Amid loneliness epidemic, surgeon general asks students to focus on connections
Loneliness is a dangerous, nationwide epidemic, according to the country’s top doctor, who told a crowd of students at ASU that they must try to create a culture of connectedness to heal. Murthy was visiting as part of his nationwide “We Are Made to Connect” tour to colleges this fall to talk about loneliness. The ASU visit was his only stop at an Arizona university.
Photo by Armand Saavedra/ASU
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Tuskegee Airmen chapter honored during Salute to Service game
Retired Air Force Col. Richard "Dick" Toliver says it’s an honor to take a bow on behalf of the Tuskegee Airmen — the first African American aviators in the U.S. military — and has spent a good portion of his life keeping their legacy alive. Toliver was one of 10 members of the Archer-Ragsdale Arizona Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen recognized during a timeout at the Nov. 18 ASU football game, which capped off the university’s 2023 “Salute to Service” campaign.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
December
More than 11,000 ASU students graduated this fall, with President Michael Crow urging the new grads to be “soldiers for the future.” The Morrison School of Agribusiness celebrated 25 years, and ISTB12 had its ceremonial groundbreaking, promising to be a major economic boost in the region. And a Phoenix Suns uniform and a hydration vest — both designed by ASU faculty or staff — made headlines.
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Research expenditures neared $800M in fiscal year 2022
ASU’s research enterprise has leaped forward again, according to the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development survey. With $797.2 million in research expenditures for fiscal year 2022, ASU ranked No. 38 overall (out of 637 institutions), a jump of four places from the prior year. ASU ranked in the top 4% for all universities with research expenditures.
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Judicial icon, groundbreaking Arizonan Sandra Day O’Connor dies at 93
Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court and the namesake of ASU’s law school, died Dec. 1. A trailblazer throughout her career, she made history as the first American woman to serve as a state Senate’s majority leader, as well as the first contemporary woman to have a law school named after her. "She embodied the type of leader, legal professional and public servant we want our community to aspire to be," said ASU Law Dean Stacy Leeds.
Photo courtesy of ASU Law
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Dutch, Flemish delegations visit ASU, tour lab and fabrication space
The prime minister of Netherlands and minister-president of Flanders, along with manufacturing company representatives from the region, visited Arizona State University to discuss semiconductor research and development and tour ASU's MacroTechnology Works facility, a unique lab and fabrication space.
Photo by Samantha Chow/ASU
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Art instructor designs El Valle uniforms for Phoenix Suns
School of Art instructor Miguel Godoy is the designer of a new Phoenix Suns jersey that has popped up on the courts this season — an El Valle design that pays tribute to Chicano culture. "It wasn’t about me,” said Godoy, a muralist whose works have been exhibited around the Valley the past five years. "It wasn’t about the money. It was really about doing this for our people. It was personal.”
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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40-year study charts oceans in peril
Recent years have seen dramatic global effects due to the Earth’s changing climate. In a new study, the result of 40 years of ocean research, scientists identify changes in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Bermuda. The research has implications for oceans worldwide. The paper provides the longest sustained time series in the global ocean, tracking critical ocean trends over four decades.
Photo courtesy of Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences
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ASU staffer's design for outdoor recreation gets national attention
During Charlotte Bowens decade-long journey to improve her health, she created a way to help more people like her become more fit. Bowens, a research administrator at ASU, invented an ultralight hydration vest that’s designed for people with bigger bodies, so they can drink water easily while exercising or hitting the trails. The VestaPak was featured as one of the 10 best gifts for outdoor enthusiasts in USA Today.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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ASU inaugurates US-ASEAN Center in partnership with Department of State
Arizona State University, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, celebrated the grand opening of the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (U.S.-ASEAN) Center in Washington, D.C. Headquartered at the ASU Barrett & O'Connor Washington Center, the new U.S.-ASEAN Center will help bolster support for U.S. economic and cultural engagement with Southeast Asia.
Photo by by Samantha Chow/ASU
Top photo by Chris Goulet/Arizona State University
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