Arizona State University

One of the challenges for teachers is to learn to work with students in ways that respect their various cultures, enabling them to learn more effectively.

Arizona State University’s Equity Alliance will offer a free Webinar dealing with that topic at noon, March 19.

“Coaching for Inclusive Practice” is a one-hour session created by NIUSI LeadScape that enables coaching teachers and school staff members to create a school culture that serves all students.

The Webinar will help school leaders to move coaching from a problem-solving model to strategic capacity building that will change the way teachers and staff understand their work.

“Our coaching model provides a ‘framework’ for understanding and planning the types of conversations that are needed to broaden teachers’ understanding of their own assumptions and engage them in more thoughtful planning to effectively teach all students,” said Elaine Mulligan, assistant director, NIUSI-LeadScape.

“We’re helping coaches to help teachers understand what it is they don’t know about the way they interact with students – the unconscious assumptions they make based on their own experiences. Once teachers are aware of this, they can change their approaches to be more effective for students who don’t learn in ways that U.S. teachers use as default approaches.”

Registration for the webinar is available online at http://www.equityallianceatasu.org/ea/webinar.

The Equity Alliance at ASU represents a set of funded programs that promote equity, access, participation and outcomes for all students. Equity Alliance offers free webinars on topics related to improving equity in schools throughout the year. Past webinars on topics including “The State of Equity in Public Schools,” “Building Inclusive Schools” and “Professional Learning for Equity” can be downloaded at http://www.equityallianceatasu.org/webinar.

NIUSI-LeadScape, a project funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, is developing a professional community of school principals of inclusive schools. The project’s professional learning tools incorporate research-based effective strategies and methods as well as research-based effective content on what principals need to know and do to achieve effective, inclusive schools.

For more information, contact Mulligan at (480) 965-8378 or elaine.mulligan@asu.edu.

With more than 10,000 students engaged in community service, Arizona State University has been named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This is the highest federal recognition a university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service learning and civic engagement.

The award was presented March 8 at the annual meeting of the American Council on Education in Phoenix. The conference schedule also included an hour and a half “conversation” with ASU President Michael Crow on leadership, transformation of higher education, curriculum and new financing models.

Nearly 10,500 ASU students provided almost 400,000 hours of community service during the last academic year, at sites throughout the state. ASU offers 81 courses that integrate community service with academic content, and it also employs a full-time coordinator of community service to organize monthly days of service and other activities.

Some examples:

* Last year students did maintenance work at UMOM New Day Center for the homeless, distributed food and clothing at Phoenix Rescue Mission and painted homes in an inner city Phoenix neighborhood. They spent five days working on the Navajo and Hopi reservations on an alternative spring break, and they performed service at 16 different locations during an ASU Cares event in March.

* In the University Service Learning course, 255 students each spent 100 hours tutoring at-risk children in an after-school literacy program at local community centers in conjunction with Title I schools. Their goal for each child was to increase academic achievement, self-esteem, college-going success and the enjoyment of learning and literacy. ASU students also wrote extensively and applied lessons learned in the community to their coursework.

* ASU law students worked with 750 middle school students in the Junior Law program, using decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court to introduce the children to logical problem solving and law-related decisions. During classroom presentations they also discussed the benefits of goal setting and the requirements for becoming a lawyer.

“At ASU we are committed to making a positive impact in Arizona, the nation and the world,” says Kimberly de los Santos, associate vice president of university initiatives. “What we are most proud of is not only the service-learning and community service hours that earned us this honor, but the invaluable relationships we have with our community partners that enable us to make a difference. ASU is a long-term change agent in Arizona, and this presidential honor is a great motivation to do more.”

College students make a significant contribution to the volunteer sector, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award. In 2009, 3.16 million students performed more than 300 million hours of service. The Corporation recognized more than 700 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will be at Arizona State University March 25 to deliver this year’s John P. Frank Memorial Lecture. The former Arizona governor will speak on “Meeting New and Evolving Threats to Our National Security.”

The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. in the Evelyn Smith Music Theatre on ASU’s Tempe campus. The event is free and open to the public, though seating is limited and reservations are requested to be made online at http://justice.clas.asu.edu/lectures.

“It is especially fitting for Secretary Napolitano to speak at this annual lecture. John Frank was her mentor, colleague and close friend for many years. She has been involved with the lecture series since its inception, working with us to bring outstanding speakers on topics of social justice, law and policy to campus,” said Marjorie Zatz, professor and director of justice and social inquiry at ASU’s School of Social Transformation in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The endowed lecture series, with support from the law firm Lewis and Roca, which Napolitano joined after serving as a law clerk for Judge Mary M. Schroeder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, honors the memory of Frank, a Maricopa County attorney who died in 2002. Frank, who began his career at Lewis and Roca in 1954, was an advocate for social justice and is best known for representing Ernesto Miranda before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1966. He was a legal scholar and historian who authored 11 books.

“John Frank’s opinion was highly sought and regarded by presidents and Supreme Court justices alike,” said Zatz. “He was incredibly talented and he knew how to use the law to enact social change. Throughout his life’s work, John was committed to making our nation and our communities better, more just, places for all.”

Napolitano, prior to being sworn in as the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on Jan. 21, 2009, was mid-way through her second term as governor of Arizona. She was the first woman to chair the National Governors Association, where she was instrumental in creating the Public Safety Task Force and the Homeland Security Advisors Council.

Previously, Napolitano served as U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona from 1993 to 1997, and attorney general of Arizona from 1999 to 2002.

Napolitano’s homeland security background is extensive. As a federal prosecutor, she helped lead the domestic terrorism investigation into the Oklahoma City bombing, and as Arizona’s attorney general she helped write the law to break up human smuggling rings. As governor, she implemented one of the first state homeland security strategies in the nation, opened the first state counter-terrorism center, and spearheaded efforts to transform immigration enforcement.

Born in New York and raised primarily in Pittsburgh and Albuquerque, Napolitano graduated from Santa Clara University in 1979, where she won a Truman Scholarship and was the school’s first woman valedictorian. She received her Juris Doctor in 1983 from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Written by Daniel Moore (dhmoore@asu.edu) for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

MEDIA CONTACT
Carol Hughes, carol.hughes@asu.edu
480-965-6375

In a vivid example of how the SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, can help companies grow and thrive, Adaptive Curriculum has transformed from a small “incubator” company to a thriving business that will now lease more than 14,000 square feet of commercial space in the project.

An award-winning developer of math and science e-learning solutions for middle schools and high schools, Adaptive Curriculum also recently hired Jim Bowler as its new chief executive officer to help the company manage this dramatic expansion. It will occupy the third-largest office space at SkySong and plans to triple the number of employees in its new offices over the next two years.

It’s an impressive success story for a company that came to ASU SkySong just three years ago with two employees occupying a couple of cubicles on the second floor of Building I. That particular space is reserved for start-up firms looking to accelerate their growth through the resources and connections ASU SkySong provides to the university.

Adaptive Curriculum’s chairman and founder Ahmet Eti credits this synergy and knowledge gained from ASU SkySong as a critical component in its progress over the past few years.

The relationship with Adaptive Curriculum began in February of 2007, under the guidance and stewardship of ASU President Michael M. Crow. Crow helped convince Eti, chairman of Adaptive Curriculum’s parent company, Turkish conglomerate Sebit, LLC, to bring the company to ASU SkySong as a gateway into the U.S. market. ASU SkySong provided connections to ASU that helped Adaptive Curriculum modify its products for U.S. educational customers, as well as business development connections that directly helped drive sales.

“What began as a simple discussion between Ahmet and me has now grown into a truly remarkable success story for Adaptive Curriculum, Sebit, ASU and SkySong,” Crow said. “This is exactly how we envisioned the SkySong concept working as an economic development engine that supports and encourages innovation and entrepreneurship on a global scale.”

Sharon Harper, president and chief executive officer of Plaza Companies, one of the co-developers of the project, also pointed to Adaptive Curriculum as proof of the viability of the SkySong concept.

“When we started working on SkySong we had a vision where companies from around the world would come to the project and use its spirit of innovation and technology to grow their businesses,” Harper said. “Adaptive Curriculum might be the best example we’ve had to date of a company coming to SkySong, taking full advantage of its resources and maturing to the point where it will now boost the area’s economy and create jobs.”

Higgins Development Partners and Plaza Companies are co-developers of the project in partnership with the ASU Foundation and USAA Real Estate Company.

The addition of Bowler as Adaptive Curriculum’s new chief executive officer brings more than 25 years of education and technology experience to the company. He will oversee the growth of the company as well as the design and transition into the new space. Prior to joining Adaptive Curriculum, Bowler held chief executive officer positions at Epsilen, a global learning system company, and at Harcourt Connected Learning, an online professional development company.

“We envision our new space in SkySong to include a showcase classroom for educators to learn and develop their teaching skills and Jim’s experience both in the industry and as school administrator will greatly benefit our vision,” Eti said. “SkySong has been a great partner and we look forward to expanding our relationship.”

Bowler will be in charge of leading the company into the next stage of its development and growth as it expands its work force and presence in the United States. 

“The core company belief that every student can learn math and science is what attracted me to Adaptive Curriculum,” Bowler said. “This unique facility at SkySong will showcase our commitment to meeting the needs of digital age learners who want and need high quality interactive math and science content.”

Photojournalism students at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication are documenting immigration and poverty under a grant from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

The semester-long project will take students throughout Arizona, to the U.S.-Mexico border and into Mexico to tell stories about people struggling to overcome poverty, hunger, conflict, disease and other issues.

The students are working under the direction of award-winning photojournalist Brad Armstrong, a visiting professional at the Cronkite School. Each of the six students will produce a photo documentary as well as contribute photos to a depth reporting class taught by Carnegie Professor of Journalism Rick Rodriguez.

Armstrong said students are focusing on the inequalities that develop as a result of differences in education, services, opportunity, location or ethnicity, with a special emphasis on Latino or border issues. In the process, they are learning the skills they’ll need to be professional journalists.

“They are going to have to do their own reporting, find contacts and dig to find the issues,” he said. “Then they’ll go to where the story is and do a documentary project.”

For instance, one student is researching a story about a Navajo elder who recently had electricity installed in his home after trying to get power for 30 years. Another is working on a project about Mexican immigrants dying in the desert as they try to cross into the United States.

Branden Eastwood, a junior journalism major, is focusing on commercial overfishing in Mexico and “how that has led to depleted local economies, which in turn, leads to immigration,” he said. “I want to tell the story through an older individual who is still trying to sustain themselves through fishing.”

Eastwood said the project allows him to be a working photojournalist while still in school.

Other students working on the project are Michael Duarte, Joseph Fraska, Jasper Henry, Jennifer Martin and Ryan Wolf. All are Cronkite undergraduates with a special interest in photojournalism.

Armstrong was director of photography at the East Valley Tribune, where he led a team of photographers and video journalists on the “Reasonable Doubt” project about the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office that won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting.

He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Humanitarian Award from the National Press Photographers Association, Arizona Picture of the Year and nearly three dozen other awards from Best of the West, The Associated Press, the Arizona Press Club and the Arizona Newspapers Association.

This semester’s photojournalism project is part of a $1 million Howard G. Buffett Foundation Photojournalism Endowment made to the school last year. Buffett, an international photojournalist, author and philanthropist, has funded three other photojournalism projects at the Cronkite School since 2006 as part of his commitment to educate student photojournalists and provide them with opportunities to practice journalism in other countries.

Two excelling schools – Brown University and Arizona State University – were among Benjamin Sanchez’s top college choices. Sanchez ultimately chose ASU and has never looked back.

“There’s nothing that I feel I’m missing at ASU,” Sanchez said. “There are things that I never thought I would love – like PAC-10 athletics.”

As a Barrett Honors College freshman, Sanchez chose ASU because of the university’s programs. Currently an economics major, he is planning on expanding his academic studies in future years to encompass a double major and graduate school.

He also is grateful to be attending a school where academic advising and an emphasis on interdisciplinary studies makes a double major both possible and easily accessible.

“The opportunities here are far more than I expected,” Sanchez said. Included in that assessment are professors throughout ASU who are “immensely passionate” about what they do and the students they teach.

From brilliant students to dedicated professors, Sanchez counts himself lucky to be attending a school where so many people genuinely care about him. He cites his admissions officer, Amanda Dale, as his inspiration to join the Student Admissions Relations Team that focuses on ASU recruiting events and services.

“She really helped me through the process,” Sanchez said. “I want to make sure that other students look at ASU, because I had such a good experience.”

Sanchez ultimately plans to become involved in politics by advocating for private citizens when he finishes his studies, including a year abroad when he will study in South Korea and Spain.

“There are a lot of people advocating on the behalf of corporations and not a lot on the part of regular citizens,” he said.

When he’s not going to class, studying or running for exercise, Sanchez participates in seven student organizations. Besides the work and fun that go into the organizations, he enjoys benefits such as attending W. P. Carey School of Business faculty mixers where he chats about economics with Nobel laureate and ASU Regents’ Professor Edward Prescott. He also recently organized a walk-a-thon to benefit brain tumor research through the Students Supporting Brain Tumor Research group.

“It’s been a lot of work, but also a lot of fun,” he said.

Being involved in so many groups gives him the opportunity to meet new people at the university, a place where he always runs into friends on campus.

“I feel like I’m in a place that I know, that feels comfortable,” Sanchez said.

Growing up in Phoenix gave Sanchez an appreciation for the area and for ASU. His mother attended the university, but ASU is definitely not the same school that his mother attended, Sanchez said.

From expanded research opportunities for students brought in by ASU President Michael Crow in recent years to the establishment of Barrett, the Honors College, ASU offers a great education while the university works on addressing some of the world’s largest problems, Sanchez added.

“ASU has exceeded my expectations,” he said.

When Arizona State University researchers talk about the nanorevolution, they mean more than something limited to the technological realm.

The manufacture, manipulation and use of materials at the nanoscale – at atomic or molecular levels – have implications far beyond science and engineering labs.

Nanomaterials are already in hundreds of commercial products, in our environment   and possibly in our bodies. Researchers are studying whether nanoparticles might be making their way into our kidneys, livers and brains.

The emerging pervasiveness of nanotechnology means “it will increasingly have health, environmental, social, political and economic implications, and raise ethical issues,” says Jonathan Posner, an assistant professor of mechanical and chemical engineering in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Nanotechnology is at the leading edge of science and engineering today, and its development – predominantly in engineering and physical science labs – is being largely funded by federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Posner says the rapid pace of nanotechnology advances makes it all the more urgent to consider the possible widespread societal and environmental impacts.

Far-reaching impacts

The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University (CNS-ASU) and ASU’s Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes (CSPO) are among national leaders in exploring the potential ramifications of nanotechnology’s emergence. They are working with scientists and engineers such as Posner to encourage researchers to consider the big-picture perspective. 

“There is a pressing need to understand the impact of nanotechnology on human health, the environment and society, to give us an informed background from which we can craft government policy and regulation, as well as legal and ethical guidelines,” Posner says.

One of Posner’s NSF-funded projects is examining health-related questions about the toxicity of engineered nanomaterials. Such nanoparticles remain largely unregulated because of a lack of data about toxicity risks.

Another project focuses on synthetic nanoscale motors and their potential for improving development of nanomachines. Researchers are seeking to understand the physical mechanisms that govern the motion of nanomachines.

They want to devise methods of producing faster and more powerful nanomotors, and to fabricate nanomotors that can serve a broad range of needs, from more effective application of medicinal drugs and environmental remediation to more accurate chemical and biological analyses.

Both projects involve efforts to encourage students to consider the broader implications of their research by examining the potential societal impacts of nanotechnology advances.

“This is about going beyond the merely technological challenges and getting students to think about what difference – good, bad or neutral – that they’ll make in the world by pursuing this work in their careers,” Posner says.

Exploring societal dimensions

Under the umbrella of CNS and CSPO, Posner is working with ASU colleagues to develop a course entitled Societal and Ethical Implications of Scientific Research, which examines nanotechnology issues. His collaborators, Jameson Wetmore, an assistant professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, and Ira Bennett, an associate research professor with CSPO, have also developed Science Outside the Lab, a workshop on science policy and culture to be held in the nation’s capitol.  Posner is encouraging his students to participate in the workshop.

David Guston, CNS-ASU director and CSPO co-director, says Posner’s “openness to collaborations that explore the societal dimensions of his own research in nanotechnology is characteristic of the intellectual fusion that ASU hopes to foster through its concept of the New American University.”

That fusion “is emblematic of a new generation of thinking among scientists and engineers that embraces approaches from the social sciences and humanities,” says Guston, who also is a professor of political science in ASU’s School of Government, Politics and Global Studies.

A nanotechnology future

Scientists and engineers are experimenting with nanomaterials that can propel themselves, harvest energy from their immediate environments, and transport materials 30 times their size.

Such capabilities could be put to use cleaning up pollution in the oceans, transporting medicine in the body to help fight cancer, vastly increasing the power and performance of electronic devices, or better harnessing solar power.

“There are some ‘Star Trek’ concepts that are quickly becoming reality through the use of nanotechnology,” Posner says, but there are also “potential negative implications of the nanotechnology future” that now confront us in the form of unanswered questions about the impacts of introducing more engineered nanomaterials into the ecosystems that sustain us.

“Our goal is to ensure our faculty and students integrate an examination of these questions and potential impacts into their studies and research,” Posner says.

“Moving to New York” – these four words might just make up the most sought-after phrase for American twenty-somethings looking to start their lives.

For some, moving to New York is a rite of passage in the same way that renting your first apartment is, or landing your first job. And if you’re lucky, you’ll hit all of these milestones in one shot. But for many, the best, most inspiring idea they have ever had – moving to New York – often becomes a startling reality when they discover the spare bedroom they found on Craigslist looks suspiciously like a closet.

Is this the New York life they imagined? For the characters of “Avenue Q” – the Tony Award-winning Broadway show coming to ASU Gammage March 9-14 – life in the Big Apple is a constant struggle, especially when you are looking for a job with a bachelor’s degree in English. Princeton – who sings “What Do You Do with a BA in English?” – is the show’s main character. He journeys to New York to find his purpose in life, along with an affordable apartment.

And, from here, hilarity ensues.

“Avenue Q” is a snarky musical for grown-ups who might not like musicals and who might not yet feel “grown up.” The show – comprised of people and puppets – is a comedic homage to a classic children’s television show which ushered several generations of children into a fun, vibrant urban environment, where making friends and dreams come true was as easy as counting to 10 in Spanish.

But things don’t come so easy for “Avenue Q” – a fictional street that nods to Manhattan’s oft-teased, less attractive neighborhoods of Avenues A, B, C and so on – where the characters are cynical, the relationships awkward, and the dreams out of reach in what feels like a rude awakening to adulthood in a rich man’s city.

Not meant for children, the musical features characters such as Nicky, a slacker; Rod, a politically conservative investment banker who won’t admit he’s gay; Trekkie Monster, a reclusive porn addict; and Gary Coleman, the former child star from the sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes” and superintendent on Avenue Q.

The cast and puppets sing about everything from average starting salaries in New York to how they cope with the stresses and sadness of the holidays. (Drinking.)

All funniness aside, “Avenue Q” – now on its second national tour after eight years of performances around the world – manages to address such issues as race, homosexuality, finding love, and coming to grips with the realities of adult life. In addition to singing and short animated video clips, there even is some nudity – puppet nudity.

So, if you’re thinking of moving to New York (be realistic, think it through), or would like to revisit your days of being broke and optimistic (from the comfort of your cushy theater seat of which you now can afford to buy), or you are just plain curious about how a cast of potty-mouthed puppets can be the stuff of Tony Awards (they don’t give ‘em out to just anybody), then visit the ASU Gammage box office to buy tickets to one of the March 9-14 performances.

You undoubtedly will leave the theater still laughing – and quietly humming along to the self-deprecatory tune of “It Sucks to Be Me.”   

Research at ASU that could help decision-makers 
address urban pollution problems and the impact of climate change on 
urban environments is getting support from the National Science 
Foundation (NSF).

Professor Alex Mahalov has been awarded a $775,000 grant from the NSF
 for his regional climate research, which includes studies of urban 
atmospheres and the health impacts of environmental stresses.

Such stresses – including urban heat island, heat waves, 
pollution and high levels of ozone – “negatively impact people’s health
 in the Valley,” Mahalov said. “During periods of high levels of ozone, 
for instance, more people with lung problems are admitted to hospitals.”

Mahalov is a professor in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences 
in ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Science, and has a joint 
appointment in the Center for Environmental Fluid Dynamics, 
part of the School of Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical and Materials
 Engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

His research project titled “Multi-Scale Modeling of Urban Atmospheres in a 
Changing Climate” involves close collaboration with the National Center for 
Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to be directed by Mohamed Moustaoui, an associate research scientist with the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences and the Center for Environmental Fluid Dynamics
.

The ASU-NCAR research team will develop nested models to simulate urban 
atmospheres and their multiscale interactions with ambient climate and 
atmospheric circulation occurring on urban scales. The models will be used to 
explore the effects of large-scale atmospheric conditions on urban-scale 
environment and climate, and the effects of the atmospheric conditions of 
cities on the regions that surround them.

The project also will create research opportunities for ASU science and
 engineering graduate students, who will be able to work with faculty on
 the computational studies of complex urban systems.

In addition, ASU’s High Performance Computing Initiative (HPCI) center 
and Intel Corporation will provide advanced training in high-performance 
computing and computational science to ASU students working with 
project teams. The teams also will collaborate with HPCI and Intel on 
adapting the computer simulation tools for use in next generations of massively parallelized multi-core architectures.

The HPCI center provides state-of-the-art computer facilities, software and 
visualization capabilities to help researchers analyze and visualize data from 
high-resolution computer simulations. The software will be used to provide 
three-dimensional visualizations for ASU’s Decision Theater.

Writer: Jessica Graham

The University Design Consortium has announced the winners of the 2010 International Awards for Innovative Practices in Higher Education, honoring the best institutional creative programs addressing educational needs.

The consortium, a boundary-spanning organization founded by Arizona State University and Sichuan University in China, created these awards to honor the most innovative and successful models under way at universities throughout the world. The winners include:

Japan Center for Michigan Universities – Culture/Career Hybrid Programs in Japan

Since 1989, a consortium of 15 Michigan public universities has offered a variety of programs in Hikone, Japan.  These culture/career hybrid programs balance language, professionally-focused courses and internship in environmental sciences, health care, and tourism.

San Diego State University – Institutionalizing Internationalization: Requiring Study Abroad

Creating a global university is one of SDSU’s official goals, with international programs embedded into the research and teaching functions campus-wide. To date, SDSU requires study abroad in 24 programs, covering more than 4,000 students.

The University of Texas at Austin – Projects for Underserved Communities: Engineering Solutions for Global Needs

Projects for Underserved Communities builds engineering students’ skills to address real-world needs in global communities. The course encourages global citizenship and inspires leadership, teamwork and sustainable development throughout the world.

The Open University of the United Kingdom – OpenLearn: Sharing and Shaping Open Educational Resource

OpenLearn makes educational resources freely available on the Internet, with state-of-the-art learning support and collaboration tools to connect learners and educators. The initiative incorporates a full range of subjects at all study levels which can be remixed and reused for free. OpenLearn launched October 2006 and has had more than nine million visits to date.

“These winning models by public universities around the world demonstrate the importance of developing innovative strategies to address the complex issues of the 21st century,” says ASU President Michael Crow.

Case studies of the programs will be identified as Best Practices in the UDC Good Practices Clearinghouse.  This database is a collection of case studies from academic institutions around the world focused on Community Engagement, Internationalization, Sustainability, and Organizational Design.

The award review panel included Rob Melnick, Executive Dean and Chief Operating Officer, Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University; Jaana Puukka, Analyst in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Programme on International Management in Higher Education; Jian Shi, Professor of English and Vice President of Sichuan University, China; and David Shulenburger, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Washington, D.C.

The University Design Consortium engages academic leaders and policy makers to share ideas, generate solutions, and take action to make a difference in society. Visit http://universitydesign.asu.edu/.

For more information, contact Elodie Billionniere at EBillion@asu.edu.

From King Tut to Alexander the Great to Mother Theresa, the mosquito-borne illness malaria has long been a menace to human civilization. Now, an international team of scientists, including Arizona State University School of Life Sciences professor Ananias Escalante, has attempted to better understand this scourge by tracing it back to its earliest origins.

In the largest study of its kind, Escalante, a researcher in the Biodesign Institute’s new Center for Evolutionary Medicine and Informatics, along with colleagues from 15 leading international institutions, looked at the origins of Plasmodium falciparum, the protozoa species that causes the majority of human malaria cases. The team examined the root cause of malaria amongst populations of chimpanzees, our closest primate relative, because infectious agents often become opportunistic, and over time, can leap from from one species to another, with devastating consequences.

“This research is an example of our long-term goal: establishing bridges among the anthropological, epidemiological, ecological, and evolutionary biology perspectives to address the origin and dynamic of infectious diseases,” said Escalante.

By comparing the genetic sequences of the malaria culprit that infected two closely related wild chimpanzee species and bonobos, the team hoped to uncover the genetic origins of malaria. They found high levels of infection in the wild chimps. Their data has also reshaped the current thinking on the animal origins of human malaria. Results suggest that P. falciparum did not originate from chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), but rather evolved in bonobos (Pan paniscus), from which it jumped to humans. The malaria infections found in bonobos do not seem cause any harm or illness to the animals.

“This is a very important study, because species origins of human diseases are critical to deciphering factors, genetic and social, that make such transfers possible,” said Sudhir Kumar, director of the Center for Evolutionary Medicine and Informatics.  Disease origins is a major research theme in this Biodesign center, and professor Escalante leads research and development efforts in this area.

“The finding of a number of “falciparum”-like species raises important and addressable questions about the mechanisms involved in the success of P. falciparum as a human parasite that may well be applicable to disease control,” Escalante said.

Armed with new information, the team hopes to use this knowledge in the current battle to control malaria. With a detailed knowledge of the genetic underpinnings of this illness, that team may help to identify the genes responsible for eluding the human immune system or guide the development of new treatment strategies for this global threat to human health.

The study appears in the journal PLoS Pathogens.

Arizona State University faculty and students were out in full force in San Diego at the 176th annual meeting of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society. The meeting, held from February 18-22, serves to attract a diverse array of leading scientists, engineers, educators, and policymakers from all U.S. states and territories as well as more than 50 countries.

Among the crucial global challenges that were addressed by ASU faculty were topics that included: global pandemic threats, the future of urban planning, geoengineering and sustainable, to name a few. Brad Allenby, George Basile, Harvey Bryan, Carlos Castillo-Chavez, James Gee, David Guston and Armin Wiek were among the ASU faculty presenters.

Highlights of their topics, as well as links to an expanded story for each presentation include:

Brad Allenby: Allenby discussed his ideas on how to effectively confront climate change challenges, and how to transform engineering education to better prepare students for meeting the world’s technological needs in the 21st century.

George Basile: The main message of Basile’s talk was to illustrate that despite the prevailing evidence on the profound impact human activity has had on the Earth’s natural systems and climate change, society is still in its infancy in regards to being able to make informed, sustainable decisions.

Harvey Bryan: Bryan presented several possible strategies a city could use to help it fight urban heat island (UHI), from our choice of construction materials to smarter use of landscaping.

Carlos Castillo-Chavez: Chavez covered the influenza surveillance mechanisms that were put in place in Mexico during the fast-spreading H1N1 outbreak in 2009, and concluded that the infrastructure response was not adequate enough to quickly identify the emergence of this novel strain.
http://asunews.asu.edu/20100221_h1n1aaas

James Gee: Gee outlined the ways that that video games can used to optimize learning and education, particularly in major educational challenges such as learning mathematics and literacy.

David Guston: director, Center for Nanotechnology in Society (CNS-ASU)- Guston presented the latest research results of CNS-ASU. CNS-ASU implements an agenda of “real-time technology assessment” (RTTA) in pursuit of a strategic vision of the “anticipatory governance” of nanotechnologies. http://cns.asu.edu/

Armin Wiek: Wiek outlined his multifaceted, transformative agenda in sustainability science, which pursues the question of how research between scientists and non-academic partners is best initiated, facilitated and institutionalized to create and implement sustainability solutions.

In addition to the research talks, five faculty members of Arizona State University were honored as part of the 531 newly elected AAAS Class of 2010 Fellows. ASU faculty Metin Akay, Manfred Laubichler, Jerry Y.S. Lin, Julie Luft and Willem F.J. Vermaas were recognized Feb. 20 at the Fellows forum, during the AAAS annual meeting. This year’s election brings the total number of AAAS Fellows at Arizona State University to 59. Becoming a Fellow is in recognition of efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. Within that general framework, each awardee is honored for contributions to a specific field.

ASU’s Center for Biology and Society also sent a set of 12 outstanding students to the meeting. The students participated in the AAAS Student Poster Sessions. The topics ranged from molecular biology to history of science and all kinds of compelling topics in between. ASU Alum, Melanie Hunter, also served as the AAAS Volunteer Coordinator and organized all of the session aides for the meeting. The center and the Barrett Honors College have been sending students to AAAS since 1998.

From King Tut to Alexander the Great to Mother Theresa, the mosquito-borne illness malaria has long been a menace to human civilization. Now, an international team of scientists, including Arizona State University School of Life Sciences professor Ananias Escalante, has attempted to better understand this scourge by tracing it back to its earliest origins.

In the largest study of its kind, Escalante, a researcher in the Biodesign Institute’s new Center for Evolutionary Medicine and Informatics, along with colleagues from 15 leading international institutions, looked at the origins of Plasmodium falciparum, the protozoa species that causes the majority of human malaria cases. The team examined the root cause of malaria amongst populations of chimpanzees, our closest primate relative, because infectious agents often become opportunistic, and over time, can leap from from one species to another, with devastating consequences.

“This research is an example of our long-term goal: establishing bridges among the anthropological, epidemiological, ecological, and evolutionary biology perspectives to address the origin and dynamic of infectious diseases,” said Escalante.

By comparing the genetic sequences of the malaria culprit that infected two closely related wild chimpanzee species and bonobos, the team hoped to uncover the genetic origins of malaria. They found high levels of infection in the wild chimps. Their data has also reshaped the current thinking on the animal origins of human malaria. Results suggest that P. falciparum did not originate from chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), but rather evolved in bonobos (Pan paniscus), from which it jumped to humans. The malaria infections found in bonobos do not seem cause any harm or illness to the animals.

“This is a very important study, because species origins of human diseases are critical to deciphering factors, genetic and social, that make such transfers possible,” said Sudhir Kumar, director of the Center for Evolutionary Medicine and Informatics.  Disease origins is a major research theme in this Biodesign center, and professor Escalante leads research and development efforts in this area.

“The finding of a number of “falciparum”-like species raises important and addressable questions about the mechanisms involved in the success of P. falciparum as a human parasite that may well be applicable to disease control,” Escalante said.

Armed with new information, the team hopes to use this knowledge in the current battle to control malaria. With a detailed knowledge of the genetic underpinnings of this illness, that team may help to identify the genes responsible for eluding the human immune system or guide the development of new treatment strategies for this global threat to human health.

The study appears in the journal PLoS Pathogens.

Every April, graduate students and scientists in the Arizona State University School of Life Sciences (SOLS) lead a series of guided tours in a nature area or preserve in the Phoenix metro area.

This year, on Saturday, April 3, SOLS Takes a Hike will go to the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, Gilbert.

From 9 a.m. to noon, SOLS students and scientists will lead visitors through the 110-acre riparian preserve created by the city of Gilbert as part of its water resource development program.

The preserve includes seven water recharge basins that are filled on a rotating basis with treated effluent, which is allowed to percolate into the aquifer and stored for future use. One of the ponds has a unique distribution stream that mimics the action of an ephemeral desert stream. An additional lake is filled with reclaimed water, and is designated as an urban fishing resource through the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

More than 150 species of birds have been identified on the site, and there are many other insects, fish, reptiles and mammals to see on the 4.5 miles of trails.

The hikes are free. The Riparian Preserve is located at 2757 E. Guadalupe Road, east of Greenfield Road, Gilbert. For more information about the hike, contact Peggy Coulombe, (480) 727-8934, or Margaret.coulombe@asu.edu. 

For a map, go to http://www.riparianinstitute.org/pdf/riparian0108.pdf.

Neal Lester was elected last month chair of the Arizona Humanities Council board of directors. Lester, a professor and chair of the English Department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University, had served as vice chair for the past two years and has been a board member for the past five years.

Before his election to the board, Lester served as a member of the council’s speakers bureau, as a grants review humanities scholar and as a community book discussant. In 2001, Lester received the Distinguished Public Scholar Award from the council for his extensive community outreach throughout the state of Arizona.

Before moving to Arizona and affiliating with the Humanities Council in 1997, Lester served on the speakers bureau of the Alabama Humanities Council.

Founded in 1973, the Arizona Humanities Council is not a state agency, but rather a nonprofit organization and the Arizona affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The council supports public programming in the humanities that promotes understanding of human thoughts, actions, creations, and values. In addition, the council works with museums, libraries, and other cultural and educational organizations to bring humanities programs to residents throughout Arizona.

Council-supported activities create opportunities for Arizonans to share diverse stories through critical thinking and public discussion toward better understanding and appreciating our common humanity.

Lester serves a two-year term with vice chair Thomas H. Wilson, Mesa; treasurer Bill McDorman, Cornville; secretary Linda Arzoumanian, Tucson; and past chair Kim Fernandez, Tucson. More information is online at http://www.azhumanities.org.