Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2023 graduates.

If not for the ASU Alumni Association Medallion Scholarship, Sierra Lockett would not be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in psychology this spring — for her, the scholarship made college possible.  Sierra Lockett, departing president of the Medallion Scholarship Program’s Leadership Council, is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in psychology. Download Full Image

“Not only was I accepted into a program that could make my dreams a reality, but I was also accepted into a group where I felt I belonged,” said Lockett, who is graduating from the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts. “The Medallion Scholarship Program is a group full of service-driven, highly intelligent go-getters. They have inspired me to work harder, to be a better human being for myself and the community.” 

Medallion Scholars are chosen from incoming Arizona high school students who have received the New American University Scholar Award (which recognizes academic achievement) and who apply for the Medallion Scholarship Program selection process. More than 200 students apply to the program each year, and final recipients receive a four-year, renewable financial award of $4,000.

To renew the award, the scholar must actively participate in regular meetings and activities, community service and maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average. Students must successfully complete a minimum of 30 ASU credit hours for the academic year.

Through the program, Lockett said she not only grew into a leader but also a leader who can lead other leaders, which she did in her role as president of the Medallion Scholarship Program’s Leadership Council.

“The benefits of this program are endless,” Lockett said. “I have grown into a confident young woman who believes not only in her work but also in the work I can do for others. I have a circle of support from this program that provides friendly faces that want me to succeed. The program's advisor wants every member to succeed. 

“Really what this program is about is seeing not only yourself succeed but watching others grow and succeed, too. The friendly atmosphere helps when life and school are stressful, and the community of the Medallion Scholars is one of the reasons I can say that (I'm graduating) with a great GPA.” 

Lockett said her college experience would not have been possible without her parents, fellow Medallion Scholars and scholarship advisor James Randall, ‘09 BA, ‘11 MEd, ASU Alumni Association director of student engagement. 

Question: What was your "aha" moment when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in?

Answer: My "aha" moment came after choosing my major (in psychology). I realized during the pandemic that isolation can be hard, and sometimes we need someone to talk to in such confusing times.

Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective?

A: I learned much about myself through classes and my connections with such diverse people. I learned to accept myself and who I was.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: I chose ASU because I wanted to follow in my mother's footsteps, as she was the first college graduate in her family. I wanted to start a legacy of Sun Devils.

Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?

A: Association Teaching Professor Kathleen Waldron (School of Social and Behavioral Sciences) taught me so much about life and how we choose to live it. Through the ups and downs, we can still achieve a life we can say we are proud of. We have to remember to take care of those around us and ourselves.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: You must remember to enjoy life — college goes by extremely fast, and we only get to be this age once. Of course, make sure to study and do well, but talk with classmates, take care of yourself and make sure that the life you live now is something you can be proud of!

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I will be helping people's dreams come true as an engineer for a local sign company. I work with the machines that provide the designs for commercial signs that will be made for public display.

On April 1, 1993, the Labriola National American Indian Data Center was created within the Arizona State University Library to serve as a national repository of Native American documents and materials and to provide access to this information through computer databases. Now in its 30th year, the Indigenous library has become an essential resource for the ASU community. 

“From a collection of Indigenous books to an Indigenous knowledge zone within the library, the Labriola Center seeks to connect book smarts with Indigenous ways of knowing,” said Alexander Soto, director of the Labriola Center. “Through our physical spaces, research services, collections, programming and adherence to community stewardship and protocols, the Labriola Center is showing the impact that Indigenous libraries have for student success and community building.” Attendees pose at a Lo-Fi Study Session at Hayden Library in November 2022. Photo courtesy Labriola Center Download Full Image

The center was made possible by the vision and generosity of Frank and Mary Labriola. Frank Labiola served as founder and chief executive of Pimalco (Pima Aluminum Company), one of the first major companies located on the Gila River Indian Community. 

The Pimalco workforce consisted of members of the Gila River Indian Community. The Labriolas saw a need for an Indigenous library, and they proceeded to set aside funds and a scholarship for American Indian students at ASU.

“We owe gratitude to Frank and Mary Labriola for their generosity in underwriting the creation of the Labriola Center,” said Jacob Moore, associate vice president of tribal relations. “We recognize the Labriolas for giving back to tribal communities based on their personal longstanding relationship with the Gila River Indian Community.”

On the center’s dedication plaque, Frank and Mary Labriola wrote, “We would like to see the Labriola Center be an expression of our friendship and respect for the Indian people and a symbol of working together. It is our wish that the Labriola Center be a source of education and pride for all Native Americans."

“Thirty years later, that original vision came to fruition in ways that couldn’t have been imagined then,” Moore explained. “There were many people that came along to sustain this vision, including Joyce Martin, Peterson Zah, Simon J. Ortiz, and many other scholars and individuals who have contributed towards the rich collections that are respectfully curated by the center. With Jim O’Donnell’s guidance, Alex Soto and his team are poised to further expand the ways that the Labriola Center can serve American Indian students and tribal communities.”

Additional support for the center was later provided by the Alcoa Foundation and the National Education Association. As the only Indigenous-led library center within a doctoral research university in the United States, the Labriola Center celebrates and critically engages with American Indian and Indigenous scholarly works and creative writing.

Joyce Martin, associate librarian and head of the social sciences division team at the ASU Library, worked at the Labriola Center from 1999 until 2020 and experienced the impact of hosting Indigenous scholars and programs.

“I truly enjoyed working with the Simon Ortiz and Labriola Center Lecture on Indigenous Land, Culture and Community where I was able to meet many amazing scholars from across various disciplines, all of whom were friends with the remarkable Professor Simon Ortiz,” Martin said. “Professor Ortiz’s ideas tie so closely with the ASU Charter many years prior to the charter’s existence. The Labriola Center pushed the boundaries for public programming and student engagement, and this lecture series was just one of many examples.”

“Before I joined the Labriola, it was especially difficult to find community with other Native students in classes or around campus,” said ASU student and Labriola Center student archivist Lourdes Pereira. “As the Labriola has grown, it has also become a space where I can engage with other Indigenous students and receive that sense of community while being away from home.” Photo by Kyle Knox

The center in Hayden Library has hosted an array of events, from poetry readings to thesis defenses and student groups to film screenings. Highlights include hosting two Navajo Code Talkers with a traveling exhibit and establishing the Labriola Center American Indian National Book Award in 2008. 

“Many amazing professionals worked in the Labriola Center as student employees. It is impossible for me to sum up how much I appreciate all the people I’ve met,” Martin said. “Thank you to all who allowed me to be a part of this amazing center, and I cannot wait to see what the next 30 years bring with Alex and his entire team.”

Building on this foundation, Soto was named the first Indigenous director in 2021 and expanded the center’s full-time personnel fourfold. This capacity has allowed the Labriola Center to enact Indigenous librarianship. The center has strengthened its success and engagement with students and the community, from events such as the Ribbon Skirt Workshops, Lo-Fi Study Sessions, Open Mic Nights and Knowledge from the Land series to a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to support archival partnerships with tribal nations. 

“We have opened up our library to be a community resource,” Soto said. “Notable collaborations include our partnership with Arizona Department of Education’s Office of Indian Education and Arizona Humanities to host the Changing the Narrative: K–12 Indigenous Literature and Literacy Symposium. We also partnered with Professor Melissa K. Nelson and (the Julie Ann Wrigley) Global Futures Laboratory for the Intercultural Well-Being: Indigenous Innovations and Design gathering. Our program coordinators, Eric Hardy and Yitazba Largo-Anderson do an incredible job at communicating how the Labriola Center cultivates spaces of healing and possibility for the Indigenous community at large."

The center has a long history of being a critical resource and support for ASU faculty and instructors, especially Indigenous scholars. 

Myla Vicenti Carpio, director of graduate studies and associate professor of the American Indian Studies course, has seen enormous changes at the center throughout her time at ASU.

“When I first arrived at ASU, Labriola was a space primarily focused on archival collections and research,” Vicenti Carpio said. “Joyce moved the Labriola to a more welcoming, accessible and student-friendly library for all students, faculty and ASU Native events. I remember how Joyce generously opened up Labriola for various Indigenous poets, presentations and conference receptions.”

Vicenti Carpio recalled when Soto was an ASU student and how he worked to expand the possibilities of what a library could be.

“When Alex was a student in American Indian studies, I think we all saw his passion for Indigenous rights, sovereignty and culture,” Vicenti Carpio explained. “It is exciting to see how that passion and vision now gives rise to a true paradigm shift where a library center is built on a dynamic framework of Indigenous values and protocols, archival data sovereignty and Indigenous community partnerships.” 

As technology continues to advance, libraries must play a critical role in Indigenous data sovereignty. Adding archivist Vina Begay to the team last year provides dedicated expertise to safeguard and steward Indigenous knowledge within higher education institutions. 

“We need more Indigenous librarians and archivists — and allies — who will help our communities to navigate the increasingly complex world of data sovereignty and to better control and assert ownership over our own information,” said Michelle Hale, assistant professor of American Indian studies. “Alex has brought to the conversation important considerations about the ethical and responsible use of information by and about Indigenous communities; he works to foster awareness of the role of the university library as a good steward of Indigenous information, an important step in building and maintaining respectful relationships and trust between Indigenous communities and libraries. Labriola is a place where the Indigenous community can gather to share culture, and to be our Indigenous selves, through food, music, literature and art, and the exchange of ideas.”  

Hale notes how the center has been a leader in building trust with Indigenous communities and helping people teach, learn and access information.

“For the scholarly community, Labriola is on the cutting edge of Indigenizing search tools, terminology and research methodology by working closely with scholars, listening to Indigenous communities and applying lessons from disciplines like American Indian studies,” Hale said. “Labriola ensures that Indigenous communities are not left behind. Instead, Indigenous communities are included and empowered in the university library of tomorrow.”

The meaningful library services the center provides from its all-Indigenous staff support the next generation of Indigenous excellence at the center’s spaces on the Tempe campus in Hayden Library and on the West campus. 

Lourdes Pereira (Hia-Ced O'odham and Yoeme) was the first student archivist Soto hired when he joined the library and has worked in the Labriola Center for four years. 

“Before I joined the Labriola, it was especially difficult to find community with other Native students in classes or around campus,” said Pereira. “As the Labriola has grown, it has also become a space where I can engage with other Indigenous students and receive that sense of community while being away from home.”

Pereira, who will graduate this spring, has also worked with the Community-Driven Archives Initiative to help her tribe, the Hia-Ced O’odham, gain federation recognition.

“Labriola has absolutely changed my life in unexpected ways and has given me a chance to help my community,” Pereira said. “I can’t imagine my life without ever getting the opportunity of working here, because I know for a fact I wouldn't be who I am today without it.”

With commencement approaching and another semester in the books, the team is ready to celebrate this milestone and envision the next 30 years. 

“I am excited for the next chapter of Labriola’s history since we now have foundational staff and space to support the growing ASU Indigenous community,” Soto said. “We hope to push the definition of what a library can be for Indigenous peoples. We look forward to sharing more about our role at ASU and may even have a few surprises for the community. Stay tuned!”

The School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University is mourning the loss of Professor Jack Farmer, who died on Feb. 22. 

Farmer was a widely appreciated teacher, eminent astrobiologist and paleontologist, and beloved mentor in the school. He joined the geology department at ASU in 1998 as a professor of geological science.  Professor Jack Farmer in the field at the Trendall Reserve in Western Australia. Photo courtesy Professor Geoffrey Bruce Download Full Image

During his time at ASU, Farmer became director of the astrobiology program, and his research interests include biological mediation of sedimentary processes, the microbial fossil record of the Precambrian biosphere and the origin and early evolution of animals. 

“Jack inspired us with his deep fascination with the signatures of past life in the sedimentary record, his tireless efforts in teaching, mentoring and research, and the story of his successful professional and personal path in life,” said Meenakshi Wadhwa, director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration. “He was a kind man who left a positive impact in our lives and community — he was a great Dr. Rock at many of our outreach events — and will be deeply missed.” 

Farmer’s research also included being a participating scientist on the Mars Exploration Rover mission and a member of the CheMin instrument team on the Mars Science Laboratory mission. 

In addition to his key role in promoting the exploration for a Martian fossil record, Farmer was instrumental in the selection of the landing sites for Mars Pathfinder and the Mars Exploration Rovers. He additionally served on the science definition teams for the Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter missions.

“A highlight of my career was made possible through my collaboration with Jack in an effort to understand the discovery of hydrothermal silica on Mars by the Spirit rover. We traveled the world together in our quest, which culminated in a trip to Chile in 2015,” said Steve Ruff, associate research professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration. “Jack’s keen eye in the field and then later back in the lab led to my most important science paper to date. I’ll be forever grateful to Jack for his efforts and proud to have his name forever next to mine on that paper.”

During his time at ASU, and at UCLA and UC Davis before that, Farmer taught courses in paleontology, physical and historical geology, sedimentology, planetary science and astrobiology. At ASU, Farmer also led educational activities as part of the Mars Education Program, which offered authentic science experiences to teachers and students. 

He was known as a conscientious and caring graduate student mentor. Informal public education was also an important focus for Farmer. At the school's annual Earth and Space Exploration Day, Farmer was a regular participant as Dr. Rock, sharing the wonders of geology with countless children and adults. 

"Jack was a generous and patient teacher. He loved to share his knowledge, especially in the field. He never talked down to anyone, as he was that rare scholar who could meet you where you were, whether novice or peer, wanting nothing more than to enlighten and inspire,” said Ariel Anbar, professor at the School of Earth and Space Exploration and School of Molecular Sciences. “It was a key secret to much of his success."

Farmer was Native American and enjoyed studying the history and culture of his tribes, the Cherokee and Chickasaw. He received the Recognition Award from the American Indian Science and Engineering Society summer bridge program in 2002 for his community-outreach work with Native American communities. 

“Jack was an Indigenous geoscientist who took very personally and seriously the challenge to expand opportunities for Indigenous students in the geosciences, through organizations such as the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, of which he was a lifetime Sequoyah Fellow, and the Geological Society of America, of which he was also a fellow, “ said Steve Semken, professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration. “As a mentor and teacher, Jack has a superb legacy to match that of his scientific work.”

In Farmer’s long scientific career, he contributed to several institutions before arriving at ASU. From 1986 to 1991, he taught at UCLA, and before that he was a research scientist in the Exobiology Branch of NASA's Ames Research Center from 1991 to 1998.

In 2001, he testified on Life in the Universe before the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Committee on Science, Space and Technology in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Farmer’s career highlights include being the leader of one of the founding teams in NASA’s Astrobiology Institute, a member of NASA’s Space Science Advisory Committee and a chair of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group. He contributed to the revision in 2004 of NASA’s Astrobiology Roadmap. Farmer substantially influenced the astrobiology strategy for Mars exploration. And he served as associate editor for several journals and as an officer for the Geological Society of America. 

“He was a geologist through and through. He appreciated the geologic record as a real measure of what had happened on Earth over time and as a constraint about how life interacts with the other spheres of the Earth,” said Ramon Arrowsmith, associate director of operations and research at the School of Earth and Space Exploration. “He was a truly dedicated teacher: thorough in his preparation, a master of the material, a leader of field education and a curator of beautiful teaching collections. Most importantly, he made a connection with his students and cared deeply for them and their success.”

Catherine Mancini, a health and safety specialist in Arizona State University's School of Life Sciences, helps designs research labs that study ants, bees, mosquitos and other insects.

Alongside colleagues from ABSA International, she has released a new course titled "Arthropod Research, Containment, Biosafety and Beyond," which provides biosaftey professionals, engineers, academics and more with the tools to conduct their arthropod research safely.  Catherine Mancini. Photo courtesy Catherine Mancini

“(Mancini’s) addition to the operations team here in the School of Life Sciences has only served to benefit us all as we continue down the path of keeping the School of Life Sciences a clean, healthy, safe, more secure place, to learn, work and do research,” said Judy Swartz, manager of facilities services in the school. “(Mancini's) passion for the health and safety of the people and the world around her is readily obvious in every conversation and interaction you have with her."

Mancini was also recently honored with the Hashimoto Service Award, which recognizes and thanks individuals for contributing to ABSA International through their committee service. Mancini currently serves as a member of the ABSA Distance Learning Committee, joining in 2016.

Over the years, Mancini has developed and implemented safety regulations at ASU as a member of ABSA International, which was founded in 1984 to promote biosafety as a scientific discipline. In the U.S., ABSA provides guidelines and recommendations for university researchers and other organizations. However, over the past few years, they have shared the guidelines worldwide. 

"It is so much fun because I get to develop and facilitate courses. This committee is comprised of about a dozen biosafety and biosecurity professionals across the United States,” Mancini said.   

During 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online courses became a critical tool for training biosafety and biosecurity professionals. To fill this need, Mancini proposed the development of the ABSA arthropod course.

Arthropods are a big group of animals with a hard outer covering and jointed legs. They come in many shapes and sizes, including animals like insects, spiders, crabs, and even millipedes and centipedes. The course will help anyone who is currently designing or renovating a space or involved in or planning arthropod research. 

“Researchers do not typically receive this type of training formally and usually learn on the job. ... Making this kind of training available, especially early in the research training process, could serve as an important complement to the biosafety trainings that researchers — including those working on arthropods — are required to complete prior to working in a research lab,” Professor Nsa Dada said.  

Some topics covered in the class include guidelines and regulations researchers must follow when studying arthropods to work safely and responsibly. It also talks about how to ensure that the arthropods don’t get out and spread to places where they’re not supposed to be.

“For arthropod researchers in training, this course could also inspire interest in regulatory affairs and/or biosafety as career options,” Dada said.   

The course had its first run in February with around 60 attendees, about one-third international and two-thirds U.S. students.

“We learned two things. One, that our courses are really desirable and needed to be out there in the world. Two, that more people from different walks of life are interested in attending these classes,” Mancini said.  

“We want to branch out and continue this momentum over the next several years. Next year, we might have a course on flying insects and then on crawling insects. The sky is the limit,” Mancini said.