The College 2024 wrapped: Taking a look at the most-read stories from this year
Artificial intelligence, March Mammal Madness and smelly planets took center stage among a range of extraordinary research and learning opportunities at The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University.
Here are The College’s top stories from 2024 across its humanities, natural sciences and social sciences divisions.
No. 10: Putting the ‘AI’ in humanities
ChatGPT and the use of artificial intelligence have been at the center of a lot of conversations at ASU — especially since a university partnership with Open AI was announced this past January.
Now, six classes in the Department of English are challenging students to use the technology in meaningful and responsible ways, from experimenting with generative AI for business writing to viewing the programs through thematic lenses.
No. 9: Remembering Yan Liu
The School of Molecular Sciences and the Biodesign Institute honored the memory of Professor Yan Liu, who passed away in July. Liu specialized in DNA nanotechnology and understanding the physical chemistry aspects of DNA-based self-assembly for nanomedicine.
“Yan was an integral part of our School of Molecular Sciences and will be greatly missed,” said Tijana Rajh, professor and director of the school. “Her contributions to our school, science and the research community will not be forgotten.”
No. 8: Exceptional research abroad
Three faculty from The College were selected for this academic year’s group of Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awardees. Nilda Flores-González, Stuart Newfeld and Karen Taliaferro, who is a former ASU professor, were among nine chosen to participate from ASU.
Every year, around 800 participants are chosen to teach or conduct research in affiliation with institutions from around the world.
No. 7: Groundbreaking virtual reality tech reimagines classroom learning experiences
ASU is innovating ways to help inspire a new generation of students in STEM-related studies and careers. Enter NeoBio, a fresh take on teaching science in the university’s introductory biology courses.
One attention-grabbing aspect of NeoBio is its VR lab, Dreamscape Learn. The immersive and interactive learning experience utilizes VR technology that places students in an intergalactic animal sanctuary to analyze and solve problems.
No. 6: Inspiring the next generation
Pauline Cheong was one of three ASU faculty members named as this year’s President’s Professors, one of the university’s top distinctions for faculty.
As a professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Cheong researches sociocultural implications of communication technologies such as social media. She has also been a key figure in mentoring students and guiding them through research projects.
No. 5: Going dancing — animal style
Sixty-five enter the field, only one is victorious. Since 2013, the School of Human Evolution and Social Change has hosted the annual March Mammal Madness, a spin-off of the NCAA basketball tournament, featuring matchups of different critters and predators. This year, the shark defeated the giant squid to swim out on top.
9,500 educators from around the world planned to use the materials in their classrooms in 2024. That’s over 870,000 learners.
No. 4: What’s that smell?
A team of researchers, including Luis Welbanks and Michael Line from the School of Earth and Space Exploration, sniffed out an exoplanet 64 light years away using the James Webb Space Telescope.
The rotten-egg smell emitting from the planet is caused by an atmosphere made up of hydrogen sulfide and is offering scientists new insights on how sulfur is influencing gas worlds and atmospheres outside our solar system.
No. 3: Furthering the mind-body connection
Department of Psychology researchers led by President's Professor Heather Bimonte-Nelson are studying links between the brain and the uterus and have found that the reproductive organ has more of an impact on brain health than previously thought.
The investigation stemmed from the effects of hysterectomies, the second most common surgery for women after cesarean sections. Bimonte-Nelson’s team found clues that suggest the removal of the uterus may be linked to cognitive changes such as memory impairment.
No. 2: Life is a ‘blue highway’
Researchers from the Institute of Human Origins and the School of Human Evolution and Social Change are unearthing human migration patterns in African regions. A study published in Nature found that humans may have dispersed on so-called “blue highways” formed by seasonal rivers.
The dispersals came after Toba, one of history’s largest super-volcanoes, erupted around 74,000 years ago. These specific highways came from the behavioral flexibility of humans at the time and potentially influenced the later migration out of Africa.
No. 1: An origin story for the (Stone) ages
A new study found that humans started gaining technical knowledge through social learning around 600,000 years ago, possibly predating the divergence of Neanderthals and modern humans. The research points to the origin of cumulative cultureThe accumulation of technological modifications and improvements over generations. and its allowance for humans to adapt to different environments.
“Cumulative culture is key because it allows human populations to build on and recombine the solutions of prior generations and to develop new complex solutions to problems very quickly,” said Charles Perreault, an Institute of Human Origins research scientist and School of Human Evolution and Social Change associate professor.