As we say goodbye to 2015 and look back on the year, it has been an exciting one for Arizona State University. From building spacecrafts to receiving innovation accolades, ASU continues to be a role model for the New American University. Here are some of the top stories.
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Discovery of jaw sheds light on early human ancestor
The discovery of the earliest evidence of our human genus, Homo — which was found in Ethiopia by a team of ASU scientists and students during field research in 2013 — was published for the first time in the March 4 online version of the journal Science. -
ASU chosen to lead lunar CubeSat mission
NASA selected ASU to build a CubeSat — a spacecraft the size of a shoebox — to orbit the moon in order to create a map of water-ice. It is one piece of the NASA’s larger mission to fully characterize the water content at the lunar South Pole.Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Fetal cells influence Mom's health during pregnancy — and long after
ASU scientists showed that during pregnancy, fetus cells often migrate through the placenta and take up residence in many areas of the mother’s body — where they may benefit or undermine Mom's health.Image by Jason Drees/Biodesign Institute
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ASU brings comic-book technology to life
The comic-book world is all about science and tech that wows: Bionic limbs. Indestructible metals. Flying robot swarms. Sixty years ago, it was more science fiction than science fact. But now it's being created at ASU.Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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How to speak dinosaur
What does it feel like to be a dinosaur? A Herberger Institute graduate student employed a combination of art and science to find out. The result garnered her one of the most prestigious media arts awards in the world.Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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White laser technology one of year's top breakthroughs
The invention of the world’s first white laser, by ASU engineer Cun-Zheng Ning, was recognized as one of the top 100 breakthroughs of the year by Popular Science magazine.
Discoveries
From exoskeletons to new knowledge about Mom's health, ASU researchers are on the cutting edge of discoveries that have implications for us all.
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ASU, edX reimagine first year of college
ASU and edX have created a transformative approach to learning that offers the opportunity to earn freshman-level university credit after successfully completing a series of digital immersion courses. -
ASU's 1st Pueblo Indian doctoral cohort ready to make a difference in their communities
Empowering students to become leaders in their communities' policymaking is the goal of the ASU Pueblo Indian Doctoral Program, which saw its inaugural class graduate in May.Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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NSF awards ASU world-changing technology center
ASU was awarded its second Engineering Research Center from the National Science Foundation, making it one of only two universities in the nation to lead two of the prestigious centers. -
ASU students help vets with PTSD
Students worked with the non-profit Wings for Warriors, interviewing veterans with PTSD to better understand their health-care experience. What they discovered shifted their focus from research to a call to action.Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Real-life 'CSI'
ASU's program in forensic science has grown since its fall 2014 launch. The hugely popular degree track equips students to make a difference in a variety of careers.Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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ASU president, spouse give $1.2M to boost new Public Service Academy
Michael Crow and his wife, Sybil Francis, announced in September a $1.2 million commitment to fund a program to integrate civilian and military leadership training for service-oriented undergraduates.Photo by Paul Atkinson
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Hats off to Starbucks College Achievement Plan grads
More than 40 Starbucks employees received their degrees from ASU through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan in December — the largest group of grads yet.
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The lake and the Sherpa
What do you do when the environment poses a danger to its residents — but they don't want to leave because of ties to the land? That's a question that a team including an ASU anthropologist will attempt to answer at a glacier-fed lake in the Himalaya region.Photo Courtesy
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Thunderbird transforms from air field to ASU campus
The Thunderbird School of Global Management has come a long way since its origins as an air field. Now the international business school, which has cultivated a worldwide reputation, embarks on its next chapter as part of ASU.Deanna Dent/ASU Now
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One study abroad trip to rule them all
A group of 17 ASU students from wide-ranging majors and backgrounds banded together and bonded during a 22-day trip exploring the history, peoples and filming sights of New Zealand, Tolkien-style. -
W. P. Carey School launches Forward Focus MBA program
The W. P. Carey School of Business announced it will will offer up to 120 full scholarships for master’s of business administration degrees next year for non-profit leaders.
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Barrett considered ’the gold standard'
New York Times columnist Frank Bruni said ASU’s Barrett, the Honors College is "widely considered the gold standard" of honors institutions.
Solutions
Access to education, creating leaders, helping veterans: These are just a few of the real-world challenges that ASU faculty and staff sought to solve this year.
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Gammage director makes Broadway a Tony affair
ASU Gammage executive director Colleen Jennings-Roggensack attended the 2015 Tony Awards in New York City as the only member of the Broadway League from Arizona. She is considered one of the country's most influential tastemakers in the arts.Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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ASU's Jane Austen expert weighs in on 'Clueless’
In honor of its 20th anniversary, ASU English professor and Jane Austen expert Devoney Looser explained why the movie "Clueless" has maintained its appeal and persists as a fine example of Austen's feminist archetypes. -
ASU named ‘most innovative school’
The university topped the list of “most innovative schools” in the U.S. News and World Report college rankings for 2016. -
Family matters to ASU super-advocate
Dan Turbyfill’s job is to get students and alumni excited about ASU. In many ways, he's the perfect man for this gig as Turbyfill has dedicated his life to promoting and encouraging the ASU family.Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Performance showcases human side of ‘big data’
Ask people to picture what data looks like, and they might envision something like the opening sequence of "The Matrix.” ASU faculty came up up with a decidedly more human way to experience data shed — through performance art.Deanna Dent/ASU Now
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'Hooked' earns prestigious duPont award
The Cronkite School's student-produced documentary will be awarded the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize for broadcast.Photo courtesy The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Global Engagement
The ASU community stretches far beyond the metro Phoenix area, or even Arizona. Sun Devils make a difference all over the globe, and this year was no exception.
Creativity
Arts and innovation continue to drive ASU, and this year we were recognized for it by being named the most innovative university in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
More University news
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Edison Awards announces Michael M. Crow as 2025 Achievement Award honoree
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2 ASU faculty members elected to prestigious National Academy of Medicine
Two distinguished Arizona State University faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.Sally C. Morton, executive vice president of ASU Knowledge Enterprise, and…