ASU names 4 faculty as Regents' Professors for 2014-2015

June 4, 2015

Four Arizona State University professors have joined the ranks of the highest faculty honor at the university, as Regents’ Professors for the 2014-2015 academic year.

The title is conferred on full professors who have made exceptional achievements that have brought them national and international distinction. The expertise from this year’s candidates ranges from Chinese culture to earthquake engineering. Stephen Bokenkamp, Janet Franklin, Edward Kavazanjian, Flavio Marsiglia Clockwise from top left: Stephen Bokenkamp, professor in the School of International Letters and Culture, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Janet Franklin, professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Flavio Marsiglia, professor in the College of Public Service and Community Solutions; and Edward Kavazanjian, professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Download Full Image

Here’s a look at the 2014-2015 Regents’ Professors:

Stephen Bokenkamp, School of International Letters and Culture, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Bokenkamp is universally recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on Chinese religion, including Buddhism, in the formative early medieval period.

As the top scholar of Daoism in the U.S. and among a handful of leading authorities internationally, his insights have greatly increased the understanding of the religion worldwide. Bokenkamp recently won a Guggenheim award for work on his new book: a study and translation of the seminal work “Zhen’gao” or “Declarations of the Perfected,” a sixth-century Chinese book of celestially revealed material.

Janet Franklin, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Franklin’s research bridges the academic disciplines of geography and biology.

She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in April 2014 for her pioneering work employing geospatial data and spatial analytical tools to examine the evolving biodiversity of ecosystems over time, as they relate to the physical environment, ecological processes and human influences.

Her research in spatial analysis using remote sensing and geographic information technologies has significantly changed the course of research in this area and led to new discoveries concerning the changing landscape of the earth.

Edward Kavazanjian, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

Kavazanjian is particularly well known for his work on analysis, design and construction of landfills and waste-containment systems, especially under earthquake loading. His contributions in earthquake engineering have crucial importance to catastrophic events that occur with frequency.

Kavazanjian was elected into the National Academy of Engineering in 2013. He has also received a number of prestigious awards in recognition of his scholarship, including awards from the most recognized and respected civil engineering organization in the world.

Most recently, Kavazanjian has become a pioneer in the newly emerging field of biogeotechnical engineering.

Flavio Marsiglia, College of Public Service and Community Solutions

Marsiglia's work on diversity, substance use and youth development is regarded to be among the best and most influential in the field and has been credited with a measurable reduction in drug use and high-risk behavior among youth in Phoenix and in more than 30 other states and foreign countries.

He has developed and tested interventions to prevent substance abuse and HIV transmission, especially among minority populations of the Southwest. One such intervention, the school-based "keepin'it REAL" substance-abuse prevention program for Latino children and youth, is being widely replicated and tested with other ethnic groups both in the U.S. and internationally.

Lisa Robbins

Assistant Director, Media Relations and Strategic Communications

480-965-9370 lisarobbins@asu.edu

5 honors students receive prestigious study-abroad scholarships

Five students in Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University will study abroad in the 2015 Fulbright Summer Institute in the United Kingdom.

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5 honors students receive prestigious study-abroad scholarships

June 4, 2015

Kaleigh Johnson, an Arizona State University chemical engineering major and student in Barrett, the Honors College, has never traveled abroad – until now.

Her first overseas trip has come courtesy of a prestigious scholarship from the US-UK Fulbright Commission. Kaleigh Johnson, an Arizona State University chemical engineering major and student in Barrett, the Honors College, will spend four weeks at the University of Exeter, where she will explore climate-change issues, among other topics. Photo by: Kaleigh Johnson Download Full Image

Johnson is one of five ASU students who have been awarded scholarships to participate in the 2015 Fulbright Summer Institute in the United Kingdom. Like Johnson, the other four also are Barrett Honors College students.

The US-UK Fulbright Commission is the only bilateral, transatlantic scholarship program offering awards and summer opportunities for study or research in any field at any accredited U.S. or UK university. The commission is part of the Fulbright program established by U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright in the aftermath of World War II to promote leadership, learning and empathy between nations through educational exchange.

Each year, the commission provides scholarships to about 60 undergraduate students in the U.S. and the United Kingdom for programs at leading institutes in those two nations. This year, the commission is hosting nine Summer Institute programs throughout the UK.

“There are only 60 scholarships available, so with these students winning, ASU students will represent 8.3 percent of all 2015 Fulbright UK Summer Institute scholars. That’s a significant achievement,” said Jacquelyn Scott Lynch, Deans Fellow and Honors Faculty Fellow at Barrett Honors College, who assists students with applying for national and international scholarships.

Johnson will spend four weeks, June 27-July 25, at the University of Exeter, where she will participate in Fulbright Week exploring climate-change issues and three weeks at the university’s International Summer School.

“I was thrilled to find out I was selected to attend the University of Exeter. As it will be my first experience with global travel, I am excited to gain a broadened perspective and see what life is like as a university student in the UK,” she said.

“I also hope to learn how universities in the UK are tackling important issues involving sustainability. I hope the knowledge I gain will make me a more well-founded engineer as I continue to research this important field through chemical engineering.”

Brandon Dorr, a biomedical engineering major, will spend June 10-26 at the University of Bristol, where he will study the transatlantic slave trade and its implications on current society.

“As a biomedical engineering major with an interest in economics and trade, the idea of being immersed in the living history of an economic hub such as Bristol will provide an outstanding opportunity to develop as a scholar with a global mind-set," Dorr said.

“I hope to bring my interest in ethical considerations of trade practices into discussion, while studying alongside accomplished students from all over the United States.”

Brittney McCormick, a biological sciences major, will also go to the University of Bristol, where she will learn about the history and culture of Bristol and the UK, including the relevance of 18^th-century slave trade and smuggling, and explore the specific role Bristol has played in U.S. history.

Patricia “Patty” Esch, an engineering major, will head to Scotland for a five-week program, July 5-Aug. 8, at the University of Dundee and the University of Strathclyde.

Esch is NASA Space Grant undergrad research intern and has been working on computational models to study the co-existence and competition of mirror life-forms in the emergence@asu group. At the Summer Institute she will study Scottish history and identity, health and society in modern Scotland, and science and technology.

Jane Cadwalader, who is majoring in art and museum studies, will go to Nottingham Trent University on July 6-31 to participate in an academic program that examines local culture, history, architecture, fine art and museum and heritage studies.