With the full return to campus, in-person commencements, a lively Homecoming and buildings opening near and far, time seems to be moving awfully fast these days. The close of the year is a good time to take a moment to appreciate all that the Arizona State University community has achieved and experienced in 2022.
So stay out of the chilly weather, pour a cup of something warm and enjoy many of the notable moments from the past year.
January
While some news from the previous month continued to get lots of notice — such as the arrival of the Afghan students and NASA awarding $130 million to the Orbital Reef space station — January held plenty of news of its own, including ASU again ranking among the nation's top research universities. New faces joined the Sun Devil community while ASU honored the legacy of those we lost near and far.
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Biodesign Institute receives $5.2M from Michael J. Fox Foundation to advance fight against Parkinson's
The Michael J. Fox Foundation awarded three new grants totaling $5.2 million to ASU to explore three pioneering treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
Image courtesy of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
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With $25M gift, Thunderbird School aims to educate 100 million worldwide by 2030
The Thunderbird School of Global Management plans to educate 100 million learners by 2030, thanks to a historic $25 million donation. Philanthropists Francis and Dionne Najafi are funding an online certificate in 40 languages.
Photo by Samantha Chow/ASU News
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Indigenous scholars share traditions, knowledge
At the time of this story's publication, ASU employed 60 Indigenous scholars — the biggest cohort ever assembled, and now numbering more than 85. These world-class scholars have won Pulitzers, fellowships and MacArthur “genius” grants, and they teach across a spectrum of academia.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU
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US News ranks ASU among best in nation for online programs
ASU’s online bachelor’s programs in business and online master’s in educational administration were ranked No. 1 in the country by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to the No. 1 rankings, ASU Online also earned top-three rankings in a total of 12 categories.
Photo by Jill Richards
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Volunteers build DIY air filters to help Valley schools fight COVID-19
In her search to counter COVID-19 in school settings, infectious disease epidemiologist Megan Jehn discovered one way to attack the problem: filtering indoor air in classrooms. To do that, she turned to a simple DIY box and the helping hands of ASU volunteers.
Photo by Samantha Chow/ASU News
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From ASU to the stars: Alum to lead JPL
ASU alumna and former faculty member Laurie Leshin took the helm of the nation’s mission control center for space exploration, NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab.
Photo courtesy of Worcester Polytechnic Institute
February
Russia's invasion of Ukraine this month had us turning to many of our experts for help in understanding the context, the trauma, the politics and more.
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Treatment for autism symptoms earns researchers patent
A new treatment for autism — called Microbiota Transplant Therapy — was granted a patent by the U.S. Patent Office. Later, a study would show it improves gut health in children with autism.
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Professor takes leadership of NEA
ASU Professor Maria Rosario Jackson took over the nation’s top arts agency — the National Endowment for the Arts — just as arts organizations are working to reemerge from the pandemic. “We’re not going back to what people think is normal,” Jackson said.
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Why we're out of almost everything — and why we will be for a while
This year stores continued to have empty shelves, and it wasn't just toilet paper. It was cat food. Wire hangers at the dry cleaners. Instant ramen. Kosher salt. So what was causing it? More than you think, according to two supply chain experts.
Photo courtesy of Pexels
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New ASU multipurpose arena to host Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes need a temporary home ice to use while their proposed new arena and entertainment district advance through the approval and building process. That temporary home ice will be at ASU's new multipurpose arena.
Artist rendering by SCI Architects, New York
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ASU Law alum commits to largest estate gift in school’s history
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU alum James McAnally and his wife, Anne McAnally, made the largest estate commitment to ASU Law to date. The estate gift of $4.5 million will fund student scholarships. James' mother inspired him.
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Limited-edition 'Imagine' grand piano donated to Popular Music Program
Inside ASU’s new high-rise in downtown Phoenix sits the crown jewel of the Popular Music Program — a 9-foot John Lennon “Imagine” grand piano. The spectacular instrument, signed by Yoko Ono, has an incredible history.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
March
Though ISTB7 would have its grand opening later in the year, we were introduced to its architecture bridging our past to our thriving future this month. We also as a community began learning about ASU's Science and Technology Centers, a key component of the New Economy Initiative.
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ASU sends 'acceptance letters' to boost Phoenix high school seniors
More than 1,450 “acceptance letters” were sent to high school seniors in the Phoenix Union High School District at the start of the school year — before they'd even applied to ASU. More than half of those students applied and were officially accepted.
Photo by FJ Gaylor
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ASU's endowment tops $1.25B, improves ranking for FY21
The ASU endowment posted strong investment returns and giving levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, which means more scholarships, enrichment and research for the university.
ASU photo
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US News ranks 13 ASU graduate programs in top 10 nationwide
ASU has 13 graduate degree programs that rank in the top 10 nationwide, and 39 in the top 20 — including one that is No. 1, according to new rankings released by U.S. News & World Report.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Hubble Space Telescope spots farthest star ever seen
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope established a new benchmark: detecting the light of a star that existed within the first billion years after the Big Bang — the farthest individual star ever seen to date. ASU's Rogier Windhorst and Francis Timmes are co-authors on the paper.
Image by NASA, ESA, Welch (JHU), Coe (STScI), Pagan (STScI).
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A primer on aphasia, the speech disorder forcing actor Bruce Willis to retire
What exactly is aphasia, and how is it treated? We looked for answers from a College of Health Solutions expert, as well as information about the low-cost therapy options available to people with aphasia through the ASU Speech and Hearing Clinic.
Photo by Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia
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4 ASU students awarded Goldwater Scholarship for excellence in STEM research
The Goldwater Scholarship is the most prestigious award in the United States for undergraduate researchers in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics.
April
As the university neared commencement time, we began celebrating notable graduates, including one student who was earning five bachelor's degrees and another who was the designer behind the iconic "No Pity for the Kitty" T-shirts. We also toured a newly renovated and rededicated Durham Hall.
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Thunderbird School celebrates grand opening
In an event that also celebrated the Thunderbird School's 75th anniversary, a name for its new building was unveiled: the F. Francis and Dionne Najafi Thunderbird Global Headquarters. The building would later be recognized for accessibility.
Photo by Brandon Sullivan
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1st 'MechanicalTree' installed on Tempe campus
Nestled among the sun-lit trees on the east side of ASU’s Tempe campus is a different kind of tree. It’s a first-of-its-kind mechanical tree, primed to become a major technology in the global fight against climate change.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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New ASU research building named in honor of sustainability donors
The Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health, the new name for ISTB7, will bridge programs to better understand the past while developing global solutions for the future so people and the planet can thrive together.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU
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ASU leaps to No. 2 globally for UN Sustainable Development Goals, retains top US spot
Arizona State University was recognized as a global leader in sustainability efforts, coming in second in the world and first in the U.S. in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
Photo by Greg Asner/ASU
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Professor wins $1M DoD grant to boost AI technology
Pavan Turga's Geometric Media Lab has been working on fusing different methods, including mathematical, physical and data-driven, to better process and understand imaging data. Turga's work will improve the way that computers discern images for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Graphic by Alejandro Cabrera/ASU News
May
A month marked by exciting moments — including ASU's first in-person spring commencement since 2019 and a new dawn for supercomputing at the university — also saw its share of losses. The ASU community mourned several deaths, including those of a promising young scholar and a noted paleoanthropologist.
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Student wins Truman Scholarship to pursue public service career
Triple major Armando Montero was elected as the youngest-ever member of the Tempe Union High School District governing board in 2020. This year, he was awarded a Truman Scholarship.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Photo album sparks discovery of ASU's 1st Black female graduate
One couple's discovery in a family photo album led them to an archivist at ASU, where they would uncover the story of Stella McHenry and correct the record of the first African American female graduate from ASU.
Images courtesy Michele Neptune McHenry and Joseph McHenry
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Physics professor receives Templeton Prize
Frank Wilczek, a Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist and author whose boundary-pushing investigations into the fundamental laws of nature have transformed our understanding of the forces that govern our universe, was announced as the winner of the 2022 Templeton Prize.
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A student’s journey toward the stars
We told the story of Kiera Charley, who started at ASU at 16 studying astrophysics. But it’s also the story of thousands of Native American students who enter college each year: their challenges, their triumphs and how higher education is changing to better serve them.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Designer neurons offer new hope for treatment of Parkinson's
In new research, Jeffrey Kordower and his colleagues described a process for converting non-neuronal cells into functioning neurons able to take up residence in the brain and restore capacities undermined by Parkinson’s destruction of dopaminergic cells.
Illustration by Shireen Dooling
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ASU professor wins Pulitzer Prize
ASU Professor of Practice Azmat Khan was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for her work on the New York Times series “The Civilian Casualty Files,” about the civilian toll of U.S.-led airstrikes in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
June
The supply chain continued to have hiccups — the latest shortages being tampons and fireworks — while the Interplanetary Initiative honored one underresourced Guatemalan team's very big accomplishment.
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Student chosen to help tell CNN weather, climate news
Payton Major helped establish ASU's weather club and anchored Cronkite News’ weekly weather broadcast. This summer, she was picked from a competitive pool of applicants to be CNN's Summer Weather and Climate Intern.
Photo courtesy of Payton Major
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US Space Force selects ASU as newest university partner
The U.S. Space Force and Arizona State University signed an agreement making ASU the newest member of the service's University Partnership Program.
Photo courtesy of Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
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ASU named a Hispanic-Serving Institution by US Department of Education
The recognition by the U.S. Department of Education is a major milestone in ASU's commitment to increase the diversity of its student body and reflects the university’s efforts to better serve its community through a range of support programs and resources.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU
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Tara Williams named new dean of Barrett, The Honors College
For the first time in nearly 20 years, there was new leadership at the start of fall at Barrett, The Honors College — Tara Williams began Aug. 1 as the college’s next dean.
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ASU Online expands to offer more than 300 programs
With the addition of 22 new programs this fall, ASU Online offers more than 300 degrees, certificates and emphases. Among the changes is a huge increase in clubs and organizations for fully online students, as well as the opportunity to participate in Barrett, The Honors College.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
July
The Sun Devil community welcomed eight new Flinn Scholars and mourned the passing of Lonnie Ostrom, remembered for his service to students, colleagues and donors. Meanwhile, the rise of monkeypox around the world left people with many questions; an ASU epidemiologist had answers.
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Alum breaks barrier as 1st female official scorer for D-backs
When it comes to baseball, alum Kara Blackstone makes the tough calls. Blackstone, who graduated in 2018 with a degree in parks and recreation management from ASU, is an official scorer for MLB and the first female official scorer assigned to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Teen nursing student set to graduate with BSN before she can even drive
Elliana Tenenbaum, a 15-year-old California native, chose ASU to pursue her Bachelor of Science in nursing at Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation. She will graduate with her BSN next summer, making her ASU's youngest nursing student graduate ever.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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8 ASU undergrads head to DC for Smithsonian's Latino Museum Studies Program
Thanks to a new partnership between ASU and the Smithsonian’s Latino Museum Studies Program, eight Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts undergrads spent 10 weeks in Washington, D.C., this fall working with the Smithsonian.
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Fun facts and finance: Get to know ASU's new business dean
He’s fluent in Hebrew and fond of gangster movies and books that make him cry. He’s a finance professor by trade and recently started his new post as dean of ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business. Meet Ohad Kadan.
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6 ASU academic programs ranked among top 25 in the world
The top three ASU programs in ShanghaiRanking’s 2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects are in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions and the W. P. Carey School of Business.
August
ASU set new records with its fall enrollment as the Arizona Board of Regents celebrated President Michael Crow's first 20 years as ASU president with accolades, testimonials and a new title. Meanwhile, generous gifts expanded the reach of the Luminosity Lab and the Department of English's creative writing program to underserved students.
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Former Sun Devil wide receiver ready for career in medicine
At 23 years old, former ASU wide receiver Kyle Williams decided to walk away from a career in the NFL. Instead, he had a different plan for his life. He’s now a medical student at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, the first step toward his goal of becoming a surgeon.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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ASU recognizes Mullett family with naming of new multipurpose arena
The new on-campus multipurpose arena was named Mullett Arena in recognition of Donald “Donze” and Barbara Mullett’s commitment to ASU and Sun Devil Athletics.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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MIX Center in downtown Mesa opens doors to students
The new Media and Immersive eXperience Center in downtown Mesa will put ASU in the top tier of academic filmmaking and media production facilities. Called the MIX Center, the cutting-edge building had its official grand opening in October.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Policymakers tour MacroTechnology Works
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Sen. Mark Kelly and other lawmakers and business partners toured the research and manufacturing facility, followed by Defense Under Secretary Heidi Shyu and the Mexican ambassador.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Huge milestone in easing path for transfer students
ASU works hard to make sure that transfer students can apply as much of their existing work as possible toward their degree. One team of staffers at ASU recently hit a remarkable milestone — 1 million course equivalencies evaluated over the last 10 years.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
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A flight plan for COVID-19 air travel recovery
To meet the growing demands for trained airline industry professionals, ASU’s robust roster of degree programs is sending its grads into the industry as pilots, airfield operations specialists, airline dispatchers, flight staffing planners and air traffic controllers.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
September
In other places, this month heralds the start of autumn with changing leaves and crisp weather. But here at ASU, September marks the season of innovation rankings — this year, the university was named No. 1 in innovation for an eighth straight year. It was a banner month, as ASU also was ranked eighth worldwide for utility patents, earned its second Seal of Excelencia certification and was awarded the lead of a new National Science Foundation I-Corps Hub.
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Mayo Clinic students learn about food as medicine
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine students learned about nutrition during the "Food as Medicine" selective, a five-day course taught by ASU's College of Health Solutions faculty.
Photo by Weldon B. Johnson/ASU
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Study: Newly discovered predator damaging our ecosystems
PhD graduate Julie Bethany Rakes and Regents Professor Ferran Garcia-Pichel discovered a new bacterium that preys on soil cyanobacteria in biocrusts.
Photo courtesy Bethany Rakes
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Program revamps educational technology for young African scholars
For prospective graduate students from Sub-Saharan Africa, studying in a world-class university is no longer a wish, but an achievable dream, thanks to the Baobab Digital Innovation Scholars Program.
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An ocean of opportunity
The College of Global Futures announced the launch of its fourth school, dedicated to the study of the ocean and its ecosystems: the School of Ocean Futures.
Photo courtesy the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory/BIOS
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Running out of river, running out of time
The Colorado River provides water for 40 million people. But it's drying up, fast. For the 100th anniversary of the Colorado River Compact, we explored the issue in a series; here's Part 2 and Part 3.
Graphic by Alex Cabrera/ASU Media Relations
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$34.6M investment to help create reliable internet access and training for the region
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to provide ASU and its collaborators $34.6 million through 2026 to advance broadband, community support, equipment and training across the county.
Photo Courtesy
October
ASU was named a top university for community and national service this month. Sun Devils put that spirit of service to work in many ways, including creating an app to help caregivers at this year's Hacks for Humanity event.
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ASU celebrates opening of California Center
The university marked its expansion in Los Angeles at the historic Herald Examiner Building — home to the ASU California Center — with a series of events that explored some of the issues facing our communities.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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ASU researchers solve a Lyme disease mystery
Karie Behm has devoted her energies to unlocking some of the secrets of Lyme disease, a tenacious ailment affecting some 500,000 Americans every year. And for the recent ASU doctoral graduate, it's personal, having contracted the disease following a tick bite when she was younger.
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Webb images reveal interstellar discovery
ASU astronomers shared one of their first and most beautiful NASA James Webb Space Telescope images of a galaxy pair at a distance of about 700 million light-years away from us.
Image by NASA, ESA, CSA, Rogier Windhorst (ASU), William Keel (University of Alabama), Stuart Wyithe (University of Melbourne), JWST PEARLS Team
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ASU climate scientists featured in YouTube film with Pope Francis
A new YouTube Originals documentary that centers on an encyclical letter written by Pope Francis calling for collective action to tackle the environmental crisis features two ASU scientists.
Photo courtesy Laudato Si' Organization
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ASU engineering hits record enrollment
The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering has reached an impressive milestone — student enrollment hit a high of 30,000 students this fall. Here's a look at some of the rankings, programs and accreditations that have contributed to its success.
Photo courtesy of the Fulton Schools
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VR biology lab leads to student success
Students at ASU are learning biology in a unique virtual reality experience, hurtling through space to interact with creatures in an intergalactic wildlife sanctuary. And a recent study showed that the experience is working.
Image courtesy of Dreamscape Learn
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Ex-quarterback who went viral as balcony opera singer performs at ASU
Gus Farwell’s life — from high school football player to ASU Sun Devil to the pandemic balcony opera guy — is operatic in its highs and lows. His journey came full circle when he performed at a free event in November called “Gridiron to ASU Gammage” at ASU.
Photo courtesy of Gus Farwell
November
ASU continued its efforts to serve students, including ranking No. 1 in the U.S. for hosting international students and exploring new ways offer military students a seamless entry into university. And the community was again hit hard by loss, marking the passing of generous philanthropist Leo Beus and Nobel-winning economist Edward Prescott.
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ASU partners with Arizona Supreme Court to launch Center for Forensic Science and Psychology
The new center will be a focal point in the Arizona Judicial Branch to foster the application and integration of forensic science and forensic psychology within the justice system.
Photo Courtesy
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ASU works to address nursing shortage through innovation, accessibility
The university’s focus on innovation and accessibility is helping to negate the national nursing shortage. Enrollment in the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s prelicensure programs has increased 64% from 2019–22. Here's how ASU is doing it.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Stacy Leeds named new dean of ASU Law
Prior to coming to ASU, the experienced leader and renowned legal scholar was the first Indigenous woman in the U.S. to become a law school dean, at the University of Arkansas School of Law.
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Humanities students engage with WWI history through virtual reality
The first humanities course to use extended reality technology takes an innovative approach, immersing students in WWI history.
Photo by Erica May/ASU
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ASU senior awarded prestigious Rhodes Scholarship
Nathaniel Ross, who will pursue postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford, is one of only 32 American Rhodes recipients for the 2023 application cycle and one of only three students representing public universities.
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State taps ASU to lead water innovation initiative
ASU and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey have announced that the university will lead a multiyear Arizona Water Innovation Initiative to provide immediate, actionable and evidence-based solutions to ensure that Arizona will continue to thrive with a secure future water supply.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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A look at Crow's vision for accessibility and excellence
When Michael Crow became president of ASU 20 years ago, he had a vision for a different type of university — one that makes knowledge available to all and rejects the idea that exclusion begets excellence. We look back on how he achieved that here and what the future holds.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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ASU welcomes more than 4K Earned Admission students
More than 4,000 Sun Devils have been admitted to ASU's Earned Admission program, which provides students who may have found the traditional high-school-to-college path challenging with a way to go to college.
Photo from Pexels
December
Sun Devils were hard at work to close out the year, and a rainy forecast turned into gorgeous skies for the fall commencement. December also brought a slew of space stories, including a rundown of Mastcam-Z's latest discoveries, research on the faint "ghost light" around our solar system and a study on stunning galaxy views taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.
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Innovative college pathway for students in Yuma
Launched earlier this year, ASU Local’s Yuma site has a cohort of 35 transfer students, most first-generation collegegoers. As a group, these students can lean on one another while they take classes via ASU Online, while benefiting from in-person coaching, tutoring and programming.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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ASU-developed team-teaching model a hit at Valley schools
Westwood High School in Mesa, Arizona, is one of 50 schools across 10 school systems that have put into practice a team-teaching approach, which was born out of conversations school officials had with leaders from ASU's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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2 students receive prestigious Quad Fellowships
Two ASU students are among 25 students nationally who have been awarded a Quad Fellowship, an initiative created by the United States, Australia, Japan and India to build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU
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Coaching ASU football a dream for Kenny Dillingham
Alum Kenny Dillingham is the ASU's new football coach — a job that has been on his radar since he was a graduate assistant here. Find out how he came to love Sun Devil Football.
Photo courtesy Sun Devil Athletics
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Marshall Scholar to tackle global water crisis
Katie Sue Pascavis was chosen as only one of 40 students nationwide to be a 2023 Marshall Scholar. With the award, she will study water sanitation and sustainable engineering in the U.K.
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ASU increases research activity by nearly 6 times over past 20 years
With $677.7 million in research expenditures in fiscal year 2021, ASU ranked No. 6 among 750 other institutions without a medical school in the NSF HERD rankings.
Photo courtesy Andy DeLisle
Top photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
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