Improving lives: Big risks, bold rewards in ASU research
W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair and Professor of Supply Chain Management Karen Donohue presents on supply chain sustainability research during the inaugural Research Impact Day. Courtesy photo
Collaboration across disciplines is essential to solving the world's most pressing challenges. That's not just a theory — it's what Arizona State University is actively doing.
On April 28, the W. P. Carey School of Business hosted its inaugural Research Impact Day, inviting researchers, faculty and students to explore cross-disciplinary partnership opportunities and discover how ASU research is shaping industries, influencing policy and improving our lives.
"We created Research Impact Day to celebrate not just the pursuit of knowledge, but the ability of research to create real change, to have an impact on industries, communities and society at large," said Jeffrey Wilson, associate dean of research and inclusive excellence, in his welcome remarks. "Research is always important, but when it connects with the world and drives positive change, it becomes even more powerful."
3 takeaways from Research Impact Day
1. Meditation and food choices
A study found that subjects who meditated increased their chances of consuming healthier foods.
2. Grocery store inventory waste
Food retailers order more products than they sell to compete with other grocers, but consumers have the power to demand responsible changes.
3. Green consumer choices
The most effective way to nudge a consumer to choose a sustainable shipping option was by identifying it as a green option, sometimes through the image of a green leaf or other visual indicators.
Building on Wilson's remarks, Charles J. Robel Dean Ohad Kadan acknowledged the bold risks that faculty take through research to create a positive change.
"This is one of those times where we need to think big, try to solve the big questions, and address the big issues," said Kadan, also the W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair.
The event featured a series of mini-presentations from seven faculty members across various disciplines. Each speaker highlighted how their recent research addresses real-world challenges, from AI in health care to mindfulness to supply chain resilience.
Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management Kevin Dooley kicked off the presentations with an update on his work with The Sustainability Consortium, a global organization dedicated to making all consumer products sustainable. He echoed Kadan's remarks about risk-taking in research.
"My deans and department chairs have always allowed me to take risks to achieve impact, and for that I'm eternally grateful," said Dooley, The Sustainability Consoritum's chief scientist.
Dean's Council Distinguished Professor of Agribusiness Carola Grebitus also shared details about the impact of her research, which explored the effects of stress and meditation on food choices.
Her recent study, which was conducted online and at the ASU Polytechnic campus, investigated whether meditation lowers a subject's cortisol levels, a stress hormone that can hamper a person's ability to choose healthy foods. Grebitus's study found that subjects who meditated increased their chances of consuming healthier foods.
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Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management Kevin Dooley discusses his work with the Supply Chain Consortium.
Courtesy photo
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Ohad Kadan, Charles J. Robel Dean and W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair, welcomes attendees to the W. P. Carey inaugural Research Impact Day.
Courtesy photo
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Olivia Liu Sheng, professor of information systems and W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair, shares research on using deep-learning models to predict health care costs for patients with diverse health needs.
Courtesy photo
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AT&T Professor and Regents' Professor of Supply Chain Management Thomas Choi is researching the fragility and resilience of global supply networks.
Courtesy photo
After exploring the topics of personal decision-making and stress, the event shifted toward the business side of food systems.
Elliot Rabinovich, Avnet Professor in Supply Chain Management, tackled grocery store inventory competition and approaches to food waste. His research found that food retailers order more products than they sell to compete with other grocers on food price and availability. While avoiding all food waste is impossible, there are ways for grocers to limit food waste or use waste to benefit the community, like Kroger's "Zero Hunger, Zero Waste" campaign.
Rabinovich talked about the power consumers have to demand responsible changes in the food industry.
"If consumers are vocal enough, such that they make companies take notice of this excess waste, that's another way to make them disengage from these vicious cycles," he said.
W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair Karen Donohue shared how consumer choices are also critical to improving the sustainability of e-commerce logistics. Donohue's research focused on nudging consumers to choose green options, like opting to delay a package delivery to allow shipping via truck or train, which would lower its carbon emissions by 95% compared to having the product shipped via plane, when buying products online. She found that the most effective way to nudge a consumer to choose a sustainable shipping option was by identifying it as a green option, sometimes through the image of a green leaf or other visual indicators.
Expanding the conversation into the intersection of technology and health care, Olivia Liu Sheng, professor of information systems and W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair, shared how she is using deep-learning models to predict health care costs for patients with diverse health needs, and Luis Gomez-Mejia, the Weatherup/Overby Chair of Leadership and Regents' Professor, presented on how family-owned businesses are loss averse to socioemotional wealth.
AT&T Professor and Regents' Professor of Supply Chain Management Thomas Choi discussed his research on the fragility and resilience of global supply networks. He shared that most networks are leaning away from highly interconnected global systems and instead focusing on regional structures.
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