Arizona State University

For most people, including many of the nearly 5 million annual visitors to the Grand Canyon, the geological icon in northern Arizona is a striking landscape – a majestic and physical place of wonderment.

But an ASU team of educators, comprised of graduate students and faculty members from the history department and graduate students from the School of Geographical Sciences, are out to deepen that perspective with a new interpretation of the Grand Canyon’s human history.

Their project, “Interpreting America’s Historic Places: Nature, Culture, and History at the Grand Canyon,” aims to paint a cultural landscape of the canyon through a suite of public educational materials, including a digital audio-tour, walking tour brochure, interactive Web site and DVD, and educational kits known as traveling trunks, with curriculum and classroom materials that can be used by K-12 teachers nationwide.

Supported through a significant $365,000 grant that spans three years from the National Endowment for the Humanities and a $200,000 investment from and partnership with the Grand Canyon Association, the project had humble beginnings with a $9,000 seed grant from ASU’s Institute for Humanities Research.

“Our aim in this project is to explore the cultural significance of the canyon to those people who have lived there, or passed through, during the past 400 years,” says Paul Hirt, ASU associate professor of history and the project’s director. “We will also explore the ways that this unique place has influenced American sciences, art, environmental values, popular culture, tourism and leisure.

“The project is designed to help Americans understand their own nation and how we came to be who we are – and that history happens in specific places,” Hirt adds.

ASU collaborators include Linda Sargent Wood, assistant professor of history and co-director; graduate student Yolonda Youngs, School of Geographical Sciences; and graduate students Patricia Biggs-Cornelius, Sarah Bohl and Adam Tompkins from the history department.

The team began working under the NEH grant last fall and since then has interviewed park rangers, experts and tourists to produce the first interpretative product – a digital audio-tour – that will be available to the public at the Grand Canyon in May 2008.

The 90-minute digital pedestrian audio-tour interprets more than 20 historic sites at the Grand Canyon Village historic district on the South Rim, including the El Tovar Hotel, Bright Angel Lodge, the Kolb Studio, the Santa Fe railroad depot, and many other buildings and architectural features. It will be for sale at Grand Canyon bookstores and on the Internet from the Grand Canyon Association.

“The histories of the Havasupai Indians and other Americans who have called this landscape home are largely missed by most visitors to the Grand Canyon who lack the knowledge or the tools to perceive and understand the human experience embedded in this seemingly natural landscape,” says Hirt.

“As a consequence, millions of park visitors each year lose a unique opportunity to appreciate how nature, culture and history have long been bound together at the Grand Canyon and how that diverse and changing relationship reveals important features of our nation’s history.”

As a companion to the audio-tour, the project team is revising and enhancing the existing walking-tour brochure of the South Rim Historic District. Later, they will provide interpretative training for park rangers, concessionaires and bus drivers.

The traveling trunks are being produced by a team of Arizona public school teachers who are serving as consultants. Currently, the Grand Canyon Association loans out three copies of a “human history” trunk with curriculum and classroom materials developed in 2002. Under the NEH project, this human history trunk will be significantly updated with new curriculum and divided into two trunks – one for elementary students and the other for high school students. Five copies of each trunk will be produced for a total of 10 traveling trunks for loan use.

Each trunk will contain books, maps, videos, audios and illustrative items. The new curriculum is being evaluated this summer with plans to make the traveling trunks available later this fall. According to Wood, the trunks will be shipped free of charge to any teacher anywhere in the country.

Simultaneously, the project team is writing text and gathering historic photos and images for an interactive Web site and DVD.

“There will be many more sites and stories on our Grand Canyon Web site than on other existing Web sites,” Hirt says. “We will interpret some 70 to 80 historic sites.”

Another unique feature of the ASU-sponsored Web site is that many of the narratives will focus on the relationship between nature and culture, and the significance of the Grand Canyon in American history.

The National Endowment for the Humanities funding for the project comes from the prestigious “We The People” initiative designed to promote “knowledge and understanding of American history and culture.”

“The Grand Canyon Association is very pleased to be working in partnership with ASU on this significant human history project,” says Brad L. Wallis, executive director. “As one of the most visited natural history sites on the planet and a true international icon of natural places, the Grand Canyon has also had a fascinating human history story, and this grant will help visitors become more aware of this aspect of the canyon.”

More information about the project is online at www.asu.edu/clas/history/FundedProjects/GrandCanyon.htm.

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Jeremy Brooks is among the first to say it.

The two-letter word eases out of the junior’s lips and bounces around the packed classroom, gaining momentum until it’s repeated hundreds of times by a bevy of students.

Many of them don’t even seem to realize the importance of the word – “we” – as they discuss unique ways to increase tourism in five rural Arizona communities. But Tim Tyrrell’s smile keeps widening as his students sound more and more like longtime residents of the small towns they hadn’t known existed before taking his Tourism Planning course.

“We want to bring in the tourism aspect but keep our small-town feeling,” says Brooks, standing before a huge photo of the city of Coolidge’s only dine-in restaurant.

Brooks was among 50 students of the School of Community Resources and Development who spoke to community leaders April 23 to share their ideas for attracting visitors to the Arizona communities of Chino Valley, Gila Bend, Jerome, Coolidge and Superior.

This marked the first time in the 10-year history of the course that students have presented their improvement strategies directly to representatives from the cities and towns.

It’s a new way the College of Public Programs is putting theory into practice, helping students at the Downtown Phoenix campus apply what they learn to directly affect communities.

Students formed five teams, ventured into communities to assess the area’s resources, and spoke with local officials, residents and visitors.

They came up with ideas for sustainable tourism development that minimizes the negative impacts of tourism and takes full advantage of its benefits. The Arizona Office of Tourism co-sponsored the project.

Student suggestions for increasing tourism ranged from adding an outdoor civic marketplace in Chino Valley where residents frequently would gather, to making the inactive mines of Jerome safe enough to open for tours.

Team members who focused on Gila Bend proposed a plan they say would double tourism in the city, which has less than 2,000 residents.

They suggested building a “desert oasis attraction” with a hummingbird facility, a small café with outdoor seating, and trails featuring native minerals and geology.

“We see this as a way to celebrate the natural area of Gila Bend without depleting its assets,” says junior Austin Beber.

Another idea included adding a gateway in Jerome similar to the Cincinnati Gateway, allowing talented folks from the town’s artist colony to play a role in its design. Residents could vote on their favorite artist’s renditions to help in providing a unique identity for their community.

Melanie Oliver, Superior’s interim town manager, says she was particularly impressed with a team’s idea of marketing the town in an “Old West” theme, complete with an attraction that would make tourists feel they were on a Western movie set.

“I think they did a wonderful job with their presentation,” Oliver says.

Corey Schubert, corey.schubert@asu.edu
(602) 496-0406
College of Public Programs

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ASU President Michael Crow and the university’s executive vice president and provost, Elizabeth D. Capaldi, have announced four new ASU Regents’ Professors for 2008. The selection was ratified April 25 by the Arizona Board of Regents.

This year’s honorees are:

• Stuart Lindsay, Edward and Nadine Carson Presidential Chair in Physics, and professor of chemistry.

• James Ohlson, W. P. Carey Chair of Accountancy.

• Otto Sankey, professor of physics.

• Elly van Gelderen, professor of English.

The title “Regents’ Professor” is the highest faculty honor awarded at ASU. It is conferred on ASU faculty members who have made pioneering contributions in their areas of expertise, who have achieved a sustained level of distinction, and who enjoy national and international recognition for these accomplishments.

“In making this award to these four outstanding researchers, it reminds us of the remarkable research that is conducted daily throughout this university,” Capaldi says. “The individuals chosen this year are at the top of their professions in the sciences, the humanities and business, indicative of the breadth of accomplishments occurring at ASU. We are proud to recognize the achievements of such distinguished scholars.”

A brief description of the honorees’ accomplishments includes:

• Lindsay, a professor in physics and chemistry, leads the Center for Single Molecule Biophysics in the Biodesign Institute. He is an international leader in the area of experimental physics and chemistry. He has made key contributions to the understanding of electron transfer in single molecules and to the science of nanotechnology.

• Ohlson, the W. P. Carey Chair of Accountancy, is internationally recognized for his analytical and empirical work on valuation, earnings changes and earnings capitalization. His research is central to the progress of modern accounting research and practice, and it has fundamentally changed how academics, analysts and auditors use accounting data in security valuation.

• Sankey is a professor of physics, and his research contributions relate to the development of theoretical physics approaches that calculate the electronic states of complex materials and molecular systems. His techniques have been highly influential in theoretical materials physics research around the world. They are applied by researchers to provide insight into the relation of atomic structure, electronic states and materials properties.

• Van Gelderen, a professor of English, is a leading scholar in the history of English syntax. She is internationally recognized as a leader in the branch of theoretical linguistics that seeks to explain language change. Her original work in linguistics has been groundbreaking, combining imagination and careful data analysis.

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The topic of sustainability usually involves preserving the Earth and its resources through technology and science. ASU’s Institute for Humanities Research, in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has taken a different route to examine this topic by playing host to two art exhibitions that fuse the humanities and sustainability.

The exhibitions explore the relationship between human beings and nature and propose solutions within existing cultural structures.

“Sustainability and the Visual Arts” was on display last semester. “Between Two Worlds: Art by Melanie Yazzie” is currently on display.

“The Institute for Humanities Research is enlarging the university’s definition of its sustainability initiative by highlighting the contributions of the humanities and the arts,” says Sally Kitch, founding director of the institute and co-curator of the exhibitions. “The ‘Sustainability and the Visual Arts’ exhibition, which was a juried show of student and community work, is part of the institute’s larger commitment to the humanities and sustainability.”

The exhibition, which was on display from October to January, showcased two-dimensional and small-scale sculptures from eight artists. The artists were asked to explore new meanings and interpretations of sustainability. Local artists related their experiences in the Valley, preserving their cultural and linguistic experiences, while others used new materials and methodologies when creating their work.

“The humanities and the arts can provide such contextual knowledge, evoke emotional as well as analytical responses to our current environmental crisis, and situate proposed solutions within larger cultural frameworks,” Kitch says. “The humanities and the arts can also help redesign the future, redefine the relationship between human beings and nature, and reformulate the connection of human societies to the Earth and all of its systems.”

“The exhibit proves that works of art can posit critical viewpoints and perspectives,” says John-Michael Warner, graduate student and the other co-curator of the exhibition. “This exhibition also revitalizes sustainability and the ways we understand it. In order for sustainability to become a successful ideology, humanists, scientists and artists must be invited to the table.”

The exhibitors included Amy Richardson, Mary Lyverse, Adam Frus, Candace Jim, Maria Michails, Lisa Corine von Koch, Keith Stanton and Chloe Palmer.

The current exhibit “Between Two Worlds: Art by Melanie Yazzie,” is a compilation of 15 pieces spanning the artist’s career. As a printmaker, painter and sculptor, Yazzie uses her work to explore how she lives as a Native American in the contemporary world, and how she negotiates that space as a human being and artist. Her art stems from her world travels, childhood memories and personal triumphs.

“I think when I travel, I realize that we’re all coming from different cultures and places but we are all human beings that have common experiences of living on this Earth,” says Yazzie, an associate professor of art at the University of Colorado-Boulder. “The symbols and ideas that are important in one location, would be just as important in other places, but displayed in a different manner.”

According to Warner, melding the humanities and art provides cultural, historic and linguistic inclusion and exchange, while collaborating across disciplines including human rights, gender identity, critical race and feminist theories introduces the opportunity to pose new questions.

Yazzie’s exhibition will be open during business hours through May 14 at the Institute for Humanities Research in the Social Sciences Building, room 107, at ASU’s Tempe campus. The works of art in the “Between Two Worlds: Art by Melanie Yazzie” exhibition were loaned from the Glenn Green Galleries and Sculpture Garden, Bluejacket Family Collection, Hayward Simoneaux and John-Michael Warner.
More information can be found at the Web site asu.edu/clas/ihr.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Following is a message from ASU President Michael Crow to the ASU Community.

To the ASU Community:

Arizona State University, as the sister institution of Sichuan University, is committed to helping its friends and colleagues in the aftermath of the severe earthquake that occurred in Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to all those affected by this tragic event, especially those who have lost loved ones and livelihoods. The scale and scope of the damage are still being assessed, and the Chinese government, and local and international NGOs, are working intensely to advance relief efforts in this area.

Many organizations are focused on providing for the emergency needs of those impacted by the disaster, specifically food, water, shelter, health care, and rescue. ASU is engaged actively in this urgent support, and anticipates the significant, longer-term future needs of the region. Some of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake are desperately poor and many families have been left without the means to support themselves.

Many Sichuan University students have experienced dramatic personal losses and their futures, as well as those of their families, are uncertain. In support of these members of our extended Sun Devil family in Chengdu and Sichuan Province, we have established a fund to aid these students and their families during this difficult time, and we are working with Sichuan University and our counterparts in the City of Chengdu and in Sichuan Province to ensure that our assistance will be directed where it is most needed.

I write in the hope that our university community will come together, as it has in the past, and contribute to the Sisters of Sichuan Fund for Disaster Relief. We will report regularly on the funds raised and the families aided by your generosity.

Checks can be made payable to the ASU Foundation, Sisters of Sichuan Fund and mailed to the ASU Foundation, PO Box 2260, Tempe, Arizona, 85280-2260.

Thank you in advance for your kindness and your willingness to help during this critical time of need.

Sincerely,

Michael Crow

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From teachers using Japanese comic books in the classroom to “green” advertising to a controversial moment in the history of the American Revolution revisited through a gender lens, students majoring in the humanities study unusual and interesting topics with funding from a Sun Angel Foundation research award.

Stefanie Craig, Kendra Kennedy and Ginger Hanson are the 2007-2008 recipients of the Sun Angel Excellence in the Humanities Research Scholarship. The scholarship provides undergraduate students in ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences a chance to pursue a research project related to their majors and also their personal interests. The award requires that the research culminates in a scholarly article or related form of publication.

For Craig, who received a bachelor’s degree in English this past December, the chance to study a topic she loves was the best part of her project. “Manga is something I’ve been interested in for over a decade,” Craig says.

Manga are Japanese comic books, read by people of all ages. They can be about anything – fantasy or science fiction, romance or school life. Craig, who also speaks Japanese, focused her research on how teachers of young adult literature can use this popular medium in classrooms.

“My main goal is to give educators, parents and any interested party a look into what manga actually is; its history, themes, characters, archetypes and structure,” she says.

Craig’s findings are published in the April 2008 eighth edition of “Literature for Today’s Young Adults,” a textbook written by Alleen Pace Nilsen, an ASU English professor, and Kenneth L. Donelson, an ASU Professor Emeritus of English education.

Kennedy, a senior with a double major in history and women and gender studies, became interested in her topic after stumbling across in her readings a reference to the Meschianza, an elaborate party thrown by the British Army in Philadelphia in 1778. Curiosity piqued, Kennedy made her first archival research trip to Philadelphia, which revealed intriguing gendered aspects of the event and the after effects on the Revolution.

The research will serve to illustrate the role that gender and culture had on political events that shaped United States history, Kennedy says.

Combining both of her majors into one project is what Hanson found so interesting about her analysis of ecological and environmental language and rhetoric in advertising. Hanson, a junior with a double major in English and conservation biology, is able to put both disciplines to work in her research.

“It was not until I noticed my heart rate was picking up every time I viewed an ‘eco-friendly’ advertisement on television that I realized I had to propose a project based on analyzing the rhetoric employed in such ads,” Hanson says.

All three scholarship recipients intend to go on to do graduate level research.

“What began as a curiosity about the Meschianza and an experimental research trip has become the basis for my graduate school studies,” Kennedy says.

Hanson said the experience gave her newfound confidence.

“It felt good to be trusted to plan and conduct my own study, and my mentor gave me great advice along the way that I will be able to put to use in future studies,” Hanson says. Her mentor is Peter Goggin, assistant professor of English, rhetoric and composition

The Sun Angel Foundation is an organization that was founded in 1946 to provide financial aid to outstanding scholar athletes. It has since extended its support to students throughout the university, including the humanities.

Kennedy describes the humanities as the way humans can “explore and understand the human experience.”

“I am constantly amazed by the social, cultural, political and economic dynamics that interact in society,” Kennedy says.

“The humanities are dedicated to who we are, and where we come from in a different way from natural sciences and other subjects,” Craig says. However, there are more reasons to study the humanities than simply academic pursuits, she claims.

“We also study it, of course, for fun.”

Ashley Lange, ashley.lange@asu.edu
480-965-1441
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 

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What’s next after you take off that cap and gown? Answering that question is potentially more complicated for students earning their bachelor’s degrees in liberal arts fields than in professional programs.

This spring, students in ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences received free training from professionals in the career planning field, along with advice from individuals in a variety of professions, to help them answer this and other career questions with confidence.

Trainers from Leathers Milligan/OI Partners led students through a series of workshops on topics such as assessing one’s skills and interests, researching potential employers, resume writing, and interviewing skills. Leathers Milligan & Associates is the Arizona partner of OI Partners, a corporation of career consulting, executive coaching, leadership development and career transition professionals in 200 locally owned offices.

Student participants then gained career insights from panelists representing the public and private sectors in a series of panel discussions.

“The move from backpack to briefcase is a huge transition, and it can be quite intimidating,” says Zabdy Montenegro, who just completed her B.S. in psychology through New College, located on ASU’s West campus. “Participating in this program gave me the tools and skills to help me walk into a job interview with confidence.”

Montenegro says she received helpful practical advice about preparing for interviews and writing her resume. “I found out it’s important for your resume not simply to list what you’ve done, but to address the skills you’ve gained through your work and school experience,” she says.

Her participation in the career preparation program has yielded results – Montenegro received three job offers and is in the midst of more interviews.

“Employers need graduates who are well-prepared to deal with the realities of the workplace, and this program enables students to be more knowledgeable and effective when engaging prospective employers,” says Mark Leathers, founder and partner of Leathers Milligan/OI Partners and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for New College.

A Leathers Milligan employee was taking a class taught by Elaine Jordan, New College’s director of college internships, when their discussions led to creation of the series of workshops developed in collaboration with ASU’s School of Global Management and Leadership. “We are grateful to Leathers Milligan and the panel participants for the time and expertise they have donated to this project,” Jordan says.

Students said the training they received in how to describe themselves was particularly valuable. “We believe industry leaders already see the value in hiring liberal arts graduates,” Jordan says. “This program helps students fully understand and better articulate the immense value they bring to the business world. You could see them grow in self-esteem and confidence as the program went along.”

Adds Leathers, “Confidence also comes from having a plan, knowing how to talk with potential employers and evaluate what the employer is saying to us. Students said they gained a sense of empowerment that they can be successful in finding the job that is right for them.”

Gwen Scheetz, the Leathers Milligan senior consultant who conducted the workshops, describes the student participants as “gutsy” and willing to try out new skills, such as networking. “Not many job seekers enjoy networking at first,” Scheetz says. “But having a chance to practice, as we did in the workshops, makes all the difference. We told the students that the only way to get good at this is through practice and more practice!”

Students had the chance to meet professionals from a range of public and private fields who volunteered to participate in panel discussions that Jordan coordinated. Panelists represented organizations including the city of Glendale, Great Scott Productions, Habitat for Humanity, the FBI, State Farm Insurance, and others.

“It was a fantastic experience for the students to meet people from the professional community who took an interest in them,” Jordan says. “Panelists shared their email addresses with students and were generous with their time.”

The final session Jordan held with students was a debriefing designed to look for ways to improve the program in the future. Already it’s been a great success. Students evaluated themselves before and after the program and showed a 73 percent improvement in their ability to assess their skills, construct a resume, interview, negotiate and network.

“The skills they learned will benefit these students not just in the short term but for years to come,” Jordan says. “We’re looking forward to helping a new group of students this fall.”

ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences offers degree programs spanning the humanities, arts, and social and natural sciences. More information is available at http://newcollege.asu.edu/.

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Mayra Baquera is taking a huge step on her path to managing a city.

After receiving her master’s degree in public administration from the School of Public Affairs from ASU May 8, she’ll enter the Phoenix Management Intern Program, one of the nation’s most prestigious in the field of public administration.

She’s one of three interns selected among more than 100 highly qualified applicants from across the nation for the yearlong program, which will provide her with a firsthand look at the city’s efforts to address some of its most pressing issues.

She’ll gain experience closely working with city leaders during rotational assignments in the city manager’s office, and departments such as budget and research, aviation, public works and water services.

“I think this is the beginning of my career and becoming a good manager and leader,” says Baquera, 27. “I’ve seen my skills evolve since I began the program at ASU, so this will be a natural progression to practice them.”

Many of the city’s top-level executives started their careers in the internship program. Former participants include Martin Vanacour, associate director of the School of Public Affairs, who says he learned skills that have lasted a lifetime.

“The experiences from that one year, and the prestige of the program, gave me opportunities to move quickly through various positions to fulfill my goal of becoming a city manager,” Vanacour says.

Baquera, the first in her family to receive an undergraduate and graduate education, has a passion for making a difference in the Phoenix community where she has spent most of her life. She’s a research assistant for the Alliance for Innovation, an ASU partnership networking association for cities and counties committed to innovation and transforming local government.

After receiving her bachelor’s degree from ASU in 2003, she worked as a case manager at a nonprofit shelter for undocumented children. Last year, she was selected for the Department of State’s Summer Internship Program and worked in the Public Affairs section at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires.

Upon her return, Mayra pursued classes in urban management at the College of Public Programs. She also has served as a volunteer for the Victim Services Division of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Corey Schubert, corey.schubert@asu.edu
(602) 496-0406
College of Public Programs

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The Cross-Cultural Dance Resources Collection (CCDR) has found a new home in ASU Herberger College Dance from the extraordinary generosity and vision of Elsie Dunin, a leading international dance scholar.

The collection, which is internationally recognized as the most comprehensive dance resource center in the Southwest, comprises more than 15,000 books, letters, costumes, films and 75 indigenous instruments representing dance cultures worldwide.

According to Pegge Vissicaro, president of CCDR and associate chair at ASU Herberger College Dance, this significant acquisition is not coincidental: Dunin’s decision to give $1.15 million to endow a curator and provide funding for the maintenance of the CCDR collection embodies a special and meaningful convergence of time and place. This convergence honors the special importance of dance to Arizona’s native and immigrant populations.

Vissicaro says Dunin specifically wanted the CCDR collection, which currently is in Flagstaff, moved to ASU’s Tempe campus.

“I feel strongly that the best place for the collection is within Herberger College Dance because of its commitment to teaching students the importance of studying dance in the context of cross-cultural influences,” Dunin says. “The collection will better serve the greater population of the Southwest through the Herberger College and its dance program, which is being spearheaded by enlightened leadership and vision. The department’s development of advanced studies in dance reflects the importance of studying dance not only as a performance and contemporary art, but also with an understanding of dance movement in cultural contexts.

“In addition, the collection will attract national and international dance scholars who, through their contacts and exposure to the department, will in turn benefit the students. Just as studies of law, medicine, and architecture are already well-served in academia with their libraries and archives, the CCDR collection will provide a unique body of knowledge for dance within the midst of a thriving dance program.”

Simon Dove, chair of ASU Herberger College Dance, shares Dunin’s vision of exploring resources and expanding awareness about the connection between cultural influences and contemporary dance forms.

“Ms. Dunin’s remarkable gift, and her visionary decision to house the CCDR collection at ASU permanently, will benefit all students and scholars of dance by bringing the collection to an academic environment that encourages research and creativity,” Dove says. “In this time and place, enlightened and generous investment in future generations of dance artists will enable us to achieve our goal of nurturing a truly global perspective on this extraordinary art form.”

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When asked why a public university should teach Jewish Studies, the incoming director of ASU’s program doesn’t hesitate with her response.

“There is no way to understand the story of humanity, let along the story of the West, without telling the story of the Jews and the story of Judaism. The story of the Jewish people is nearly as old as human written records. Judaism developed side by side with the Christian interpretation of the Judaic heritage, and there is no way to understand Western, Christian culture without its Judaic foundation,” says Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, who will assume the position of director of Jewish Studies at ASU on Aug. 16.

Tirosh-Samuelson, who has been at ASU since 1999, is a professor and associate chair in the history department. In the director’s position, she will hold the Irving and Miriam Lowe Professorship in Modern Jewish Studies and will remain an active member of the history department.

“One the attractive aspects of the director of Jewish Studies position is the convergence between ASU’s growth trajectory and the interests and needs of the Jewish community in metropolitan Phoenix,” Tirosh-Samuelson says.

In sharing her vision with members of the faculty and the community, Tirosh-Samuelson says that Jewish Studies at ASU will focus on research, teaching and community outreach.

“At ASU, Jewish Studies will offer a new and creative model to integrate a Jewish perspective into all relevant disciplines and academic units, including history, religious studies, political science, justice studies, international languages and cultures, media and film studies, and law,” she says.

Tirosh-Samuelson would like to see develop new subjects, discourses and emphases within the program, specifically in the areas of Judaism and science, Judaism and environmentalism, Jewish history as global history, Judaism and liberalism, and Judaism and the arts.

As part of the community outreach, Jewish Studies will organize monthly seminars on campus, as well as art exhibits, either on campus or in synagogues.

Tirosh-Samuelson was born in Kibbutz Afikim, Israel, and served three years in the Israeli army. She has a doctorate in Jewish philosophy and mysticism from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from the Stony Brook University. This past November, the university recognized her with a Distinguished Alumni Award.

Tirosh-Samuelson’s research focuses on medieval and early-modern Jewish intellectual history with an emphasis on the interplay between philosophy and mysticism.

Among her published works, Tirosh-Samuelson is the author of “Between Worlds – The Life and Thought of Rabbi David ben Judah Messer Leon,” which was awarded the best work in Jewish history published in 1991 by the Institute of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and “Happiness in Premodern Judaism: Virtue, Knowledge, and Well Being” (2003). She also is the editor for “Judaism and Ecology: Created World and Revealed Word” (2002), “Women and Gender in Jewish Philosophy” (2004), and “The Legacy of Hans Jonas: Judaism and the Phenomenon of Life” (2008).

She is the recipient of a $500,000 grant for the Templeton Research Lectures on the Constructive Engagement of Science and Religion – a three-year project titled “Facing the Challenges of Transhumanism: Religion, Science, and Technology.”

“Transhumanism is inherently interdisciplinary, as is the nature of Jewish Studies,” Tirosh-Samuelson says. “To understand Judaism, the Jews, Jewish civilization, one is called to do interdisciplinary work.

“My interest in transhumanism is part of a larger and deeper commitment to the dialogue of science and religion, which is rooted in the conviction that, historically and conceptually, science and religion are not antagonistic but intertwining cultural forces,” she says.

“In her new role as director of Jewish Studies Dr. Hava Tirosh-Samuelson brings with her both a national vision for the program and first-hand experience from some of the leading programs in Jewish Studies in the country: Emory University, Columbia University, and Indiana University,” says Deborah Losse, dean of humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “Her stature in the field is such that her work to advance the program will attract the attention of major scholars in Jewish Studies both in the United State and abroad.”

Tirosh-Samuelson steps into the directorship, a position vacated in 2005 with the departure of Jack Kugelmass. Since that time, Joel Gereboff, chair of ASU’s Department of Religious Studies, has been serving as interim director.

“With the appointment of Professor Hava Tirosh-Samuelson as the director of the Jewish Studies program we will be able to move forward on our goal of raising the international profile of the program, which will be of great benefit for many individuals on campus, the community and many areas of inquiry in general,” Gereboff says. “She brings with her a stellar international reputation as a scholar and an already very strong record of leadership and ability to work with and motivate others."

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Twelve sets of eyes darted across the dark room, waiting for one of the seven floor-to-ceiling video screens to light up. Seconds later, the center screen illuminated, revealing a newscast on the latest developments of the avian flu.

Except the news broadcast wasn’t real. It was part of a tabletop exercise full of hypothetical situations intended to test ASU’s response plan in the event of an epidemic spread of disease.

In this case, the lifelike scenarios addressed the latest strand of the avian flu virus – H5N1 – to which humans are not immune, and there is no known antiviral medicine to cure it. At the close of the exercise, ASU’s implementation had prevented the theoretical deaths of 70 students.

The world’s top medical experts agree that the globe is on the brink of the next pandemic. The World Health Organization is encouraging all government municipalities to build a plan in response to the inevitable. ASU answered the call and starting writing a plan in 2006.

Two years later, the committee created what is known to be the only tabletop exercise of its kind in the nation, says Allan Markus, ASU’s director of campus health services and co-chair of the pandemic flu committee. The exercise, which took place April 10 in ASU’s Decision Theater, involved the university’s pandemic flu planning committee and several senior administrators, including ASU President Michael Crow and the university’s executive vice president and provost, Elizabeth D. Capaldi.

“To our knowledge, this is the first time in the nation that any university has used the power of ASU’s Decision Theater computer mathematical modeling capabilities to test a pandemic response plan,” Markus says.

Mary Tyszkiewicz, a senior analyst at the Homeland Security Institute, a think tank that supports the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, seconded Markus’ observation. She believes this is the only exercise of its kind conducted by any government organization.

Tyszkiewicz traveled from Washington, D.C. to observe the event and report back to Homeland Security.

While most test exercises involve decision-makers seated around a conference table who are verbally given likely scenarios to discuss, this exercise was highly technical, involving artificial newscasts, electronic maps, charts, graphs and up-to-the-minute data compilation. Often the data was inadequate – but that was part of the design, since decision-makers often have to manage situations with little to no data available at the time.

“The frustration of waiting for data and then receiving incomplete data is all part of the ‘fog of war’ in exercises like this,” Tyszkiewicz says.
The exercise setting was the Decision Theater, a $6.9 million facility that is part of the Global Institute of Sustainability at the Tempe campus. Policymakers, community planners and business leaders use the Decision Theater’s visualization, simulation and collaborative decision-making tools to aid in solving issues. It is the only nonmilitary facility of its kind in the country.

“We wanted to see how key personnel would absorb large amounts of information, connect the dots and make tough decisions given certain constraints,” says Tim Lant, director of the Decision Theater who created the mathematical model for the exercise. “A situation like a pandemic flu requires several constituencies to collaborate well and communicate fast. There were many lessons learned during the exercise.”

Nearly 30 ASU personnel participated in one of three groups: executive policy group, emergency operations center and incident command.

These same groups would convene during an emergency, and this exercise allowed the groups to practice communications with each other.

The exercise also was an opportunity to learn and make adjustments to the university’s response plan to ensure the best decisions are made during a real situation.

An observation group also joined the exercise to evaluate the three groups in handling the multiple scenarios. The exercise’s scenario instructors were Charles Schable, former director of the Center for Disease Control’s bioterrorism emergency planning group, and Peter Kelly from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

“The participation of faculty, staff and administration, from the president of ASU to those in charge of delivering medical care, enabled us to really test our plan,” Markus says. “It also showed that, with proper preparation and a knowledgeable, collaborative group, a university can successfully respond and react to save lives during a pandemic.”

The ASU pandemic flu planning committee is co-chaired by Markus and Leon Igras, director of Environmental Health & Safety.

For more information on prevention, preparedness and response to pandemic flu, visit the Web site www.asu.edu/emergency.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from News Releases

A new era in education began at ASU when the College of Nursing was founded half a century ago. In that time, the college has had five deans, each of whom made unique contributions to what the college is today.

Loretta Bardewyck, who passed away last year, served as the founding dean of the nursing program in 1957, a year before ASU itself became a university. She worked with a budget of about $22,000 that first year. Her salary was $9,000 while a beginning instructor made about $4,000 per year.

Retired faculty member Ellamae Branstetter was there from the beginning and remembers Bardewyck fondly.

“We didn’t have a lot of students, but we had enough to keep us busy,” Branstetter says.

Although the college was small at that time, Branstetter enjoyed the friendly atmosphere. Much of that feeling of cohesiveness was due to Bardewyck’s leadership.

“Students had confidence in Loretta,” Branstetter says. “People liked her.”

Students were eager to learn nursing skills, and they traveled to places such as Good Samaritan Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital for clinical experience.

The nursing program grew through the years, and a master’s degree program that Branstetter developed came to fruition during her tenure. Native Americans also gained access to health care after Branstetter worked to secure a grant in 1977 that established an academic nursing center in Scottsdale – the first of its kind at a university in the country. There now are five nursing centers in the Valley.

Clinical associate professor Barbara Fargotstein started at ASU as a nursing student who graduated in 1969, and she worked with all five deans. As a student, Fargotstein remembers Bardewyck as instrumental in establishing the nursing program as a separate school from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

After Bardewyck, Juanita Murphy joined the college as dean from 1971 to 1983. She focused on scholarship and research.

“She really set the stage for faculty to get their doctorates, conduct more research and gain additional funding,” Fargotstein says.

Janelle Kruger, dean from 1984 to 1992, promoted diversity by bringing minority students into nursing. The American Indian Students United in Nursing program began at ASU in 1990. Today, the College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation has 29.6 percent minority enrollment, a testimony of Krueger’s foresight.

Krueger was adept at reaching out to many different community advocates and partners.

“She was very effective at building partnerships,” says Mary Killeen, who started at ASU as a nursing student in 1975 and eventually went on to become a faculty member and associate dean for academic affairs.

Barbara Durand expanded the bachelor’s degree program and was able to bring the doctorate of nursing degree program to fruition during her years as dean from 1992 to 2004. The college also made U.S. News and World Report rankings during Durand’s tenure for the first time, with a ranking of No. 40 out of 365 master’s degree programs in the country. Rankings in later years would improve to the mid-30s.

Durand also worked to take nurses to the next level through a registered nurse to bachelor’s degree in nursing program, and she also strengthened the nurse practitioner programs.

Technological needs also were addressed with the addition of more computers and simulated patients – “manikins” with heart sounds, blood pressure, circulation and many other body vital signs. Simulation gives students the chance to prepare and receive the most benefit from clinical experiences, says Jean Stengel, retired director of student services, who managed the simulation center as one of her many duties.

Student experiences are among the most treasured remembrances of years past at the nursing college. Participating in the learning process and celebrating “Aha!” moments with students when a concept or practice finally makes sense – and watching as critical thinking skills blossom – are just a few memories that Fargotstein finds inspiring.

Now that the college is located at the Downtown Phoenix campus, it continues to grow and change under the leadership of its current dean, Bernadette Melnyk. Enrollment is double what it was five years ago with more than 1,840 students.

Melnyk has expanded nursing educational programs, increased research grants and developed new centers of excellence that focus on research areas such as evidenced-based practice, improving health outcomes for children, teens and families, conducting clinical trials to bring new health care products to market, and increasing geriatric nursing faculty. She also championed changing the name of the college to the College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation to reflect its emphasis on innovation and interdisciplinary health care.

Melnyk joined two of the other nursing deans and community leaders to celebrate the college’s 50th anniversary gala April 25 at the Arizona Biltmore.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from News Releases

ASU’s Chicano/Latino & Staff Association (CLFSA) recently celebrated the contributions of community leaders and members of the organization who are making a difference within the ASU community and Arizona.

The ceremony, held annually at the university, provides an opportunity for the members to connect and re-establish relationships with ASU faculty and staff, in addition to community leaders who want to create stronger bonds with the university.

The event also serves to inform the community of new projects, challenges and success stories of the organization.

“The CLFSA is notable because faculty and staff work together to achieve common goals,” says Caroline Sotello Viernes Turner, president of the organization. “Most of the projects could not be accomplished without staff participation, and ASU is a place that encourages cooperation among faculty and staff.”

Edmundo Hidalgo, president of Chicanos Por La Causa, said that being the recipient of the César E. Chávez Community Service Award is a great honor, because he is an ASU alumnus and the award gives him an opportunity to remain involved with ASU.

“Many of the members of the CLFSA were my mentors, and I always knew that I could count on them when I was a student,” Hidalgo says. “ I’m no longer a student, but I believe it is important to give back to the university and the community because most of us did not reach our goals alone.”

Hidalgo received the award for his contributions to the Arizona community, and for his dedication to raising scholarship money for ASU students who were unable to pay in-state tuition.

The organization was founded at ASU in the fall of 1970. It aims to establish a better understanding of the problems faced by Latinos, and its members study ways to express concerns to the proper university administrators so that practical remedies can be implemented.
The recipients of this year awards are:

• Manuel Servin Faculty Award – Regents’ Professor Cordelia C. Candelaria, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

• Christine Marin Staff Award – Anita Verdugo Tarango, University Student Initiatives.

• Roberto L. Pastor Student Award – Elenia Sotelo, Urban and Metropolitan Studies Undergraduate.

• César E. Chávez Community Service Award – Edmundo Hidalgo, president and chief executive officer of Chicanos Por La Causa, and ASU’s Hispanic Research Center.

• Laura Rendón Scholarship Recipients – Esther Duarte, incoming ASU student; Raul Martinez, current ASU student; and Myriam J. Hubbard, transfer ASU student.

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ASU’s softball team has continued its historic season, clinching its first ever Pac-10 championship.

The team clinched the title behind ASU’s seniors in their last regular season game at Farrington Stadium with a win over the 23rd-ranked Cal Golden Bears 5-2. The win wraps the 2008 regular season for ASU with a record of 56-5 and 18-3 in the Pac-10.

The team will now move on to host the NCAA Tempe Regional, in the first round of the NCAA Softball Tournament May 16 – 18. The team will enter the tournament as a No. 6 seed. Also included in the Tempe Regional are Mississippi St. (40-20), Stony Brook (33-21-1) and Hawaii (38-18).

It is the 19th time in program history and fourth consecutive year, the Sun Devil softballers have been selected as a NCAA Tournament team. If ASU advances, they will host the Tempe Super Regional the following weekend. The Sun Devils will be attempting to make the Women’s College World Series for the third consecutive year, after appearances in 2006 and 2007.

As the Sun Devils enter the post-season, the team is celebrating one of its most successful seasons ever.

The Sun Devils made history in March, earning its first-ever No. 1 ranking in school history in the NFCA and USA Softball/ESPN.com polls.

During the season the team also completed its first series sweep of rival Arizona, the two-time defending national champion, since 1988.

ASU also had a series win against UCLA, another traditional Pac-10 and national power. ASU topped the then-No. 4 UCLA Bruins to clinch the series over the Bruins for the first time since 1980

Now, ASU is hoping to continue it’s history making ways.

Game times for the NCAA Tempe Regional are tentatively as follows:

Friday, May 16
• 4:30 p.m. - Mississippi St vs. Hawaii
• 7 p.m. - Stony Brook vs. ASU

Saturday, May 17
• 2 p.m. - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
• 4:30 p.m. - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
• 7 p.m. - Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Sunday, May 18
• 1 p.m. - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
• 3:30 p.m. - If necessary repeat of game 6

For ticket information, call the Sun Devils Ticket Office at 480-727-0000.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from News Releases

The new home of the Global Institute of Sustainability is one of the most eco-friendly buildings on ASU’s Tempe campus. Equally important, it is also a pleasant environment.

“Our associated faculty members, staff and students are delighted with their new work spaces and the opportunities for collaboration around the building,” says Jonathan Fink, director of GIOS and ASU’s sustainability officer.

One of the first things visitors notice when they enter the GIOS building is the abundant use of sunlight. Natural light is everywhere, suffusing through skylights, beaming in through exterior windows and spreading into interior windows. Low-wattage lamps, monitored by motion and light sensors, supplement natural light where needed, helping to ensure that as little energy as possible is wasted. Window shades are manually controlled for the same reason.

Light reflects off Formica-like countertops made from recycled milk jugs or inlaid with shavings from recycled aluminum cans. It falls on puzzle-pieced carpeting, composed of 40 percent recycled material that can be replaced, square by square, as it wears out. The paint – low in volatile organic compounds, just like the carpet – even lacks that headache-inducing “new paint smell.”

Gone are the cavernous hallways of the structure’s earlier incarnation as the home to the College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation, replaced by windowed facades, metal-trellised breezeways and brightly painted halls. The trellises, designed by graduate students at the College of Design, eventually will be covered with vines, providing natural shade and cooling.

Offices and conference rooms are appointed with the most eco-friendly furniture available though ASU’s supplier. Chairs are modular and are made of 95 percent recyclable materials. Even the nameplate holders that line office hallways are made of reusable steel and recyclable aluminum, decorated with sustainability slogans.

Filtered water fountains and water coolers are provided where possible to conserve water and to discourage use of plastic water bottles. Bathrooms are outfitted with timer-based faucets, which waste less water than those with motion detectors. Waterless urinals save 40,000 gallons of water per year, and the toilets feature a bi-valve system, providing two different flush water amounts depending on need.

Outside, water efficiency also is being supported by the use of native, drought-tolerant plants and an automated watering system.

On the roof sit six wind turbines, each capable of running 24 hours a day and providing up to 1,000 watts of electricity that will flow into the APS grid. They are angled slightly downward to take advantage of updrafts along the face of the building and can turn at speeds of as little as 5 mph. The turbines, which operate most efficiently from 27 mph to 32 mph, are designed to withstand winds in excess of 120 mph.

“One of the primary purposes of the turbines is to educate,” says Richard Lemon, project manager in charge of the GIOS building. “They provide an opportunity for us to think beyond traditional energy generation, and to look to alternative and sustainable forms that will steer us away from a petroleum-based economy.”

The turbines currently are disconnected because of roof construction. When completed in June, the roof will have been raised 3 inches and filled with R30 fiberglass insulation. It also will feature solar panels, part of ASU’s plan to install solar cells on many campus rooftops to provide between 4-7 megawatts of power on the Tempe campus.

GIOS will celebrate the grand opening of the renovated building May 14.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from News Releases