The tourism industry is the world’s largest employer, and a new collab-oration between Arizona State University and Clark University in Mas-sachusetts is devoted to making it more responsible to communities.
ASU’s Megapolitan Tourism Research Center and Clark Univer-sity’s George Perkins Marsh Institute are developing several inter-national and national projects that focus on the role of travel and tourism for the social, economic and environmental prosperity of small and large communities.
With support from Southwest Airlines and other industry partners, the first project to be launched is a Social Responsibility Program for the hospitality industries of Phoenix and Scottsdale, Ariz. Set to begin this fall, the program will highlight ways in which participating organizations can better serve their communities.
The program will culminate with a workshop in which organiza-tions can earn a Social Responsibility Seal, designating them as valued community partners who work toward improving the quality of life for local residents. The workshop will feature customized social re-sponsibility reports for each participating business that pinpoint areas of highest return on investments among environmental protection, job creation and charitable giving.
“The tourism industry can do a much better job of using its huge economic engine to improve the quality of communities and the lives of their residents,” says Timothy Tyrrell, an ASU professor and director of the Megapolitan Tourism Research Center. “The univer-sity collaboration will help the industry better align its activities with the needs and values of the public.”
By Joe CaspermeyerArizona State University announces the
appointment of Nobel Prize winner Leland “Lee” H. Hartwell to lead an expansive ef-fort addressing two of today’s top concerns: improving the effectiveness of health care while reducing its costs, and advancing sci-ence education.
Hartwell becomes the first Nobel Prize recipient in medicine to serve a faculty appointment at an Arizona university. He will establish and co-direct the Center for Sustainable Health at ASU’s Biodesign Institute as ASU’s second Virginia G. Piper Chair of Personalized Medicine. The new
center is the latest step in the evolution of the Arizona-based Partner-ship for Personalized Medicine, launched by Virginia G. Piper Char-itable Trust with $35 million in 2007. Piper Trust has provided an additional $2.5 million for the new center.
“Dr. Hartwell already has transformed one worldview of science, earning a 2001 Nobel Prize for insights into the genes that control cell growth,”
says ASU President Michael Crow. “ASU provides a dynamic environment that will support the type of big ideas he has to help shape health care in the coming decade.”
Hartwell’s new center in the Biodesign Institute will identify biomarkers – early indicators of disease – to enable personal-ized, pre-symptomatic diagnoses, and it will develop tools for providing the intel-ligence needed for better patient outcomes. It will interface with other Biodesign cen-ters working on complementary aspects of these goals.
On campusSeptember 11, 2009
Volume 30 Number 7 a s u n e w s . a s u . e d u
INSIDE INSIGHT
2‘Looking Closely’Professor pens children’s book series
6Lab lessonsundergrad study enhanced by lab work
8Reach for the Starseight grad students awarded fellowships
after claiming their seventh nCaa title and first in 11 years, the arizona state women’s golf team will enter the 2009-2010 season as the no. 1 team in the Golf world/nGCa division I Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The team received 34 of 41 first-place votes.
This is the first time the sun devils have been voted into the top spot since Melissa Luellen took over as head coach just prior to the 2002-2003 season.
Fellow Pac-10 teams ranked in the top five include no. 2 southern California and no.3 uCLa.
In addition, four sun devils ranked in the “Top 50 Female Players to watch.”
Visit the asu news site to read the full story: http://asunews.asu.edu/20090902_WGolf_Ranking.
Ranked No. 1
(See MCGRAW on page 7)
(See PARTNERSHIP on page 7)
an upcoming exhibit at the asu art Museum, “I’m Keeping an eye on You,” explores issues of personal space:
“Through personal, established rela-tionships, casual encounters, forced in-stitutional interactions or contact from a safe distance, we often overstep our boundaries.
“whether we are conscious or not of our boundary breaking, we are all guilty at one time or another of intrud-ing into other people’s lives and space. what may pass as uneventful for one individual may be the cause of great anxiety and fear for another. ‘I’m Keeping an eye on You’ explores the broad and lasting effects of our cu-riosity and intru-sions upon others.”
For more information on this exhibit and others, visit the asu art Museum web site: http://asuartmuseum.asu.edu/.
Visit the asu news site to read more about the exhibit, “I’m Keep-ing an eye on You,” that opens sept. 18 and to view some of the exhib-it’s images: http://asunews.asu.edu/20090702_eyeonyou.
Art space
tom story photo
Cookouts, tailgating, a night vigil and a victorious football game. see how sun devils spent the Labor day weekend.
Visit the asu news site to view the photo slideshow: http://asunews.asu.edu/gallery/09082009.
Weekend montage
(See HARTWELL on page 7)
Regents’ Professor:michael saks joins ranks of distinguished scholars
Nobel laureate to help lead biomedicine at ASU
Lee Hartwell
Bird feathers color professor’s research on duck nutrition
Partnership highlights framework for responsible tourism
By Addie LennoxThe wings of many ducks are decorated
with intense bands of color, while others are downright drab. Have you ever stopped to think about the significance behind the coloration of birds? Biologist Kevin McGraw has.
McGraw, an associate professor in the School of Life Sciences, part of the Col-lege of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is leading laboratory research that examines pigments and structural color and their link to nutri-tion in birds. The research is being funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and supported by Melissah Rowe, a post-doctoral fellow, and Alison Ossip-Klein, an undergraduate at University of Rochester.
McGraw’s research grows out of his inter-est in understanding how and why animals display the colors they do. In previous work, for example, he discovered that foods rich in carotenoids – yellow, orange and red pigments found in plants that also function as antioxidants – can directly affect bird coloration and health.
“These studies of carotenoids and color have emerged as an excellent model for test-ing life-history trade-offs using a common nutritional currency,” McGraw says.
McGraw’s most recent NSF study ex-amines how pigments in ducks play a role in their vision, health and appearance. His group is working with 120 male and female ducks from two waterfowl species: the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and the Northern Pintail (Anas acuta). As part of the experimental regime, the ducks are first fed a low-carotenoid “depletion diet” to flush their systems of these pigments. Then they are divided into six groups and placed on experimental diets.
By Janie Magruder and Judy NicholsThe seeds of curiosity sprouted in Michael
J. Saks’ psyche at an early age. “As a young person, I was always one
of those kids with my hand up in class,” says the professor at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, who also is an ASU professor of psychology. “I liked school. I was taking it all in.”
His questions have paid off. Saks, a world renowned expert in the
field of law and social science, was named an ASU Regents’ Professor, the most pres-
tigious faculty award bestowed at the state university level, by the Arizona Board of Regents last May. Saks was recognized for his significant contributions to legal education in a broad range of topics, from accuracy in legal decision-making and jury selection to legal policy on organ and tissue transplantation and sentencing, and for his incisive and informative writings often cited in state and federal court opinions, includ-ing those of the U.S. Supreme Court.
University appoints Lee Hartwell to faculty chair position in Biodesign Institute
Michael J. Saks, a professor in the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, as well as an expert in the field of law and social science, recently was named an ASU Regents' Professor, the university's most prestigious faculty award.
(See PIONEERING on page 7)
2 S e p t e m b e r 11 , 2 0 0 9
ASU Insight is published by Media Rela-tions, a department within the Office of
Public affairs. ASU Insight is published on Fridays, except during university holidays
and other times as deemed necessary by the Insight editorial board. submit items typed, double-spaced. The editor reserves the right to edit for style and space. send an e-mail to [email protected], fax (480) 965-2159 or send campus mail to 5011 – ASU Insight.
To reach ASU Insight by telephone, call (480) 965-9689.
Deadlines: submit all articles, notices and calendar items as early as possible. Deadline is Friday before noon for the following
editor/Publisher: Britt Lewisassociate editors: Lisa Campbell,
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mills and forests.
College of teacher Education and Leadership
By Debbie FreemanPresident Bush’s chief economic adviser, the chairman and chief
economic offocier of U.S. Bank, and the heads of Mayo Clinic, Deloitte LLP and Caterpillar will be among those featured in the Economic Club of Phoenix speaker series this season. Every year, Phoenix-area audiences are invited to come and hear some of the top names in business speak at the luncheon series.
“At this season’s first event, President Bush’s chief economic adviser is set to generate major interest with his inside look at how we got to this point in the economy and our prospects for the future,” says Robert Mittelstaedt, the dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. “We also hope to provide insight into important, quickly changing areas of the economy, such as finance and health care, this year. In light of the recession, we have a lot to talk about.”
The Economic Club of Phoenix (ECP) was founded by a group of prominent business executives called the Dean’s Council of 100, in conjunction with the school. The group is now the preeminent Ari-zona forum for the exchange of ideas about business and the econ-omy. Its monthly luncheons and other activities offer Phoenix-area business leaders and others opportunities to network and engage.
This year’s speaker lineup (subject to change) is:• Oct. 14: Edward P. Lazear, former chairman, Council of Eco-
nomic Advisers under President George W. Bush.• Nov. 19: Sharon L. Allen, chairman of the board, Deloitte
LLP.
• Jan. 19: Denis A. Cortese, president and chief executive of-ficer, Mayo Clinic.
• Feb. 25: Richard K. Davis, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board, U.S. Bancorp (U.S. Bank).
• March 25: James W. Owens, chairman and chief executive officer, Caterpillar Inc.
• April (date TBA): Dean’s Council of 100 Executive of the Year.
• May 6: Annual Economic Outlook Luncheon.The events take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Luncheons
will be held at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix, except for the November event, which will be held at the Camel-back Inn in Scottsdale.
Guests are welcome for an $80 luncheon fee. The Executive of the Year luncheon cost is $125. Funds in excess of the cost of the lunch are used to support student scholarships and faculty research at the W. P. Carey School of Business.
For more information about the club or to reserve seats, call (480) 965-7223, e-mail [email protected], or visit the Web site www.econclubphx.org. For sponsorship opportunities, or to register groups of nine or more, contact Rhett Wilson at (480) 965-2333 or [email protected].
Freeman, with the W. P. Carey School of Business, can be reached at (480) 965-9271 or [email protected].
By Stephen Des GeorgesFrank Serafini, an associate professor of lit-
eracy education and children’s literature in the College of Teacher Education and Leadership at Arizona State University, is combining his passion for teaching with his love of nature photography to produce an award-winning series of children’s books.
The second in his “Looking Closely” se-ries, “Looking Closely Along the Shore,” has been recognized by the International Reading Association as a 2009 Teachers’ Choice win-ner. Published by Kids Can Press (Toronto), “Shore” is part of a series that currently counts four books and will total eight by 2011. Included in the series are: “Looking Closely Through the Forest,” “Looking Closely Along the Shore,” “Looking Closely Across the Des-ert” and “Looking Closely Inside the Gar-den.” On tap for release over the next two years are “Rainforest” and “Pond” (2010), and “Swamp” and “Meadow” (2011).
The “Looking Closely” series takes children on a journey of discovery by challenging young readers to guess the identity and ask questions about each of a number of close-up photos. On each subsequent page, the full photo is revealed, accompanied by a descrip-tion of the habitat. The books are designed to help build problem-solving skills while also encouraging a curiosity about environments full of unexpected wonders.
“I am humbled by the honor, as most of my works speak to teachers,” says Serafini, who earned his master’s degree in elementary education and his doctorate in curriculum and instruction from ASU. “For instructors to say they like the work, well, I like that. It’s a good thing.”
The award is actually the third in a string of honors for “Shore.” Earlier this year, the book
received an honorable mention from the Soci-ety of Children’s Libraries, and also shared ac-colades with “Forest” as a Bank Street College of Education Featured Children’s Book.
In each of his books, including “Shore,” Serafini has the final say on which pictures are featured.
“I don’t want children to not be able to guess,” he says. “They should be able to guess at least 50 percent of the pictures – not all of them – because it would not be fun for them. I want the young readers to be surprised by some of the photos that are featured.”
In the “Photographer’s Note” at the conclu-sion of “Shore,” Serafini writes: “I can spend hours wandering along the shore, through the forest, across the desert or in my garden, looking for interesting things to photograph. My destination is not a place, but rather a new way of seeing. By creating the images featured in this series of picture books, I hope to help people attend to nature, to things they have normally passed by.”
Each of the books in his series closes with a final photo on the outside back cover that invites his young readers to explore nature. In “Shore,” it is a picture of a sandy tropical beach with footsteps leading toward the horizon.
“Children are naturally curious about the world around them,” says Serafini, whose pho-tography bug was fed in his native New York where he hiked and snapped shots in the pic-turesque Finger Lakes region while growing
up. “The books are designed to get children to slow down and see what’s around them. At the end of each book, there is an invitation in the final photo to go out into the environment and explore and discover, to look very closely and notice things.”
And while the awards are impressive and the “crop and reveal” format of the series unique, Serafini’s journey to teaching and photography is a Renaissance tale of sorts, as his business card could easily read teacher, photographer, musician, world traveler.
His teaching career was jump-started after he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration at Fort Lewis College in Du-rango, Colo. He moved to the Valley in 1985 and played his guitar and waited tables along Mill Avenue, a stone’s throw from ASU’s Tempe campus, gathering a pretty good fol-lowing along the way. Eventually, he landed a substitute teaching gig at a local elementary school, and it took just three days in the classroom to get him hooked. After teaching for three days, he signed up for a master’s in education program at ASU.
Once he completed his master’s work, it was on to doctoral studies and his doctoral program in curriculum and instruction, even-tually leading to nine years as a grade-school teacher and another three in the Washington Elementary School District working with teachers as a Title I staff development coordi-nator/literacy specialist.
“I can remember calling my mother and telling her, ‘I have a new career move,’” he says. “I was always looking for that one thing I could do well, and this was an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children.”
Serafini broke into the college ranks of teaching in 1993, working as a faculty adjunct professor in literacy education at ASU and later at Northern Arizona University. In 2001, he accepted a position as assistant professor of literacy education and children’s literature at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and left in 2008 to take his current position at ASU. At ASU’s West campus, Serafini teaches undergraduate courses in language literacy in elementary schools and graduate courses in assessment, children’s literature, and reading methods and theories of literacy education.
In the meantime, he has traveled the world taking photographs, appearing as a keynote speaker at state and regional conferences, and consulting with international governments on education issues. He is widely published and has contributed articles and served on editorial boards for education’s top journals.
Des Georges, with Public Affairs at the West campus, can be reached at (602) 543-5220 or [email protected].
Professor earns international accolades for nature book series that teaches children to ‘look closely’
By Nancy NewcomerLocal, national and international
scholars will meet at ASU for an inter-disciplinary workshop on immigration and refugees Sept. 10-11. Participants will present and discuss original social science research that examines immigra-tion and its impact on transnational migration, diverse populations and communities, and law and policy.
Research interests among participants reflect a variety of disciplines – sociol-ogy, anthropology, economics, geog-raphy, public policy, public health and others – and different contexts, from the United States to Europe to Africa.
The workshop is organized around five interdisciplinary panels address-ing historical and contemporary issues at home and abroad. Major themes include immigration and transnational migration, immigration and commu-nity, and immigration and the legal system. The panels will last 90 minutes each and be led by a participant who is the designated discussant. Program officers from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be present and offer comments on the papers. The workshop is open to the public, but seating is limited.
“The wide range of disciplines repre-sented by our participants and the depth of their knowledge in this area provides a unique opportunity for collaborative research on immigration issues in the United States and across the globe,” says Marjorie S. Zatz, the faculty head of jus-tice and social inquiry in ASU’s School of Social Transformation, an academic unit in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “We are hopeful that the edited volume and white papers resulting from this workshop will inform social policy, as well as future research projects.”
Zatz is the lead researcher on a Na-tional Science Foundation grant that is funding the event. Other researchers in-clude Charis Kubrin from George Wash-ington University and Ramiro Martinez Jr. from Florida International University.
Conference sessions will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sept. 10, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sept. 11, in the Memorial Union, Cochise Room (228) on ASU’s Tempe campus. For more in-formation, call (480) 965-7038.
Newcomer, with the School of Social Transformation, can be reached at (480) 965-7038 or [email protected].
panels to examine immigration through interdisciplinary lens
ASU's Frank Serafini has produced an award-winning series of children's books that challenges young readers to see nature in new and more complex ways. The second in his series is "Looking Closely Along the Shore."
Speaker series features former chief economic adviser
“I can remember calling my
mother and telling her,
‘I have a new career move.’
I was always looking
for that one thing
I could do well,
and this was an
opportunity to make a
difference in the
lives of children.”
– Frank Serafini,
associate professor,
College of Teacher
Education and Leadership
S e p t e m b e r 11 , 2 0 0 9 3
THE NEWSIn
When it comes to Americans’ attitude
towards weight, exercise and wellness,
professor Glen Gaesser says, “there’s this
general perception that weight can be
controlled if you have enough willpower,
that it’s just about calories in and calories
out.” Even though research suggests that
there is a genetic propensity for obesity,
and even though some obese people are
technically healthier than their skinnier
counterparts, the perception remains
“[that] it’s a failure to control ourselves. It
violates everything we have learned about
self-control from a very young age,” says
Gaesser. Newsweek, Aug. 26.
A resilient person is like a human
rubber band – able to be stretched to
the breaking point and still snap back.
According to professor John Stuart Hall, resilience is being able to focus on
your assets instead of your weaknesses.
Resilient people, he says, “learn to value
themselves and to look for measures of
their successes, not failures.” Reader’s Digest (Canada edition), Aug. 2009.
According to the National Assessment
of Adult Literacy, nearly a quarter of
adults age 16 and older scored at the
below-basic level in quantitative literacy,
and about a third were just at the basic
level. People learn math at different rates.
But Kurt VanLehn, a computer science
and engineering professor, says, “There
are no inherent limits. It’s not like you can
learn math up to a certain point and then
you can’t learn any more.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Aug. 30.
As traditional malls across the United
States struggle with the most severe
recession since the 1930s, many ethnic
malls across the country are enjoying
steady business. “Ethnic malls have
developed a niche-targeted clientele,”
says Wei Li, an Asian-Pacific American
studies professor. “Even in a recession, so
long as the population base is there, the
clientele are still there.” Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 31.
ASU nursing professor David Coon
says caregivers often tend to their ailing
loved ones without realizing the negative
impact it has on their own health. Coon
has studied caregivers from a psychosocial
perspective for 15 years and is aiming to
create a model workshop for social-service
agencies to offer to caregivers. Coon says
he likes to assure caregivers that they
are in good company: “All people have
been, currently are, will be, or will need
caregivers.” Arizona Republic, Sept. 3.
ASU experts frequently are called upon by the local and national news media to provide insight and opinion on current events and issues of public in-terest. Following are excerpts of recent news articles featuring ASU representatives.
By Nikki Staab
Just over a month ago, the new imaging sys-tem on board NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) had its first of many opportuni-ties to photograph five of the six Apollo landing sites. The LROC (short for Lunar Reconnais-sance Orbiter Camera) team recently had the chance to target the remaining landing site.
The Apollo 12 landing site was well worth the wait. The Surveyor 3 spacecraft, Lunar Module descent stage and Apollo Lunar Sur-face Experiment Package (ALSEP), along with astronaut tracks, are all visible. To view the images, visit the the LROC Web site: http://lroc.sese.asu.edu.
Mark Robinson, the principal investigator of LROC and a professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration, in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, helps provide the following historical backdrop to the re-cently returned image.
After the great success of Apollo 11, NASA’s next step was honing the Lunar Module’s (LM) ability to make a pinpoint landing. Many of the future landing sites corresponded to areas with rough topography, so the the LM would have to come in steeply and set down within a few hundred meters of a designated point.
Pete Conrad (commander) and Alan Bean (LM pilot) piloted the Apollo 12 lunar mod-ule Intrepid to a landing within 200 meters (650 feet) of Surveyor 3 on Nov. 14, 1969. This proved the pinpoint landing capability. It also allowed the astronauts to collect parts
from the Surveyor for engineering assessment and provided the opportunity to sample ejecta from the Copernicus crater impact and what appeared from crater counts to be relatively young mare basalt.
During their brief stay of less than 32 hours, the two astronauts performed two extra-vehic-ular activities (EVA), each a little less than four hours in length.
On the first EVA, they deployed an Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP), which returned scientific data directly to the Earth for more than seven years. Next, the ex-plorers headed to the northwest to collect soil and rock samples. They collected about 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of lunar samples on this first EVA.
The next day, Conrad and Bean headed out on the first lunar geologic traverse. They trav-eled west, skirting around Head crater, then south to Bench crater. At both locations, the astronauts collected rock and soil samples, and photographed the interiors of the two craters. After Bench, their furthest point from the LM was Sharp crater. Their next goal was a rendez-vous with the Surveyor 3 spacecraft, some 450 meters (less than half a mile) to the east.
The Surveyor landed on the interior slope of what was later called Surveyor crater. There was some worry that as the astronauts removed parts from it, the spacecraft might slide downhill so they always stayed upslope.
The Apollo 12 crew returned more than 32 kilograms (70.5 pounds) of lunar samples. From these precious samples, scientists learned that the Copernicus crater impact occurred
some 810 million years ago, as four different types of local basalts were sampled with ages much younger than those from Apollo 11, and a small sample of highlands rock previewed the complexity of the lunar highlands to be sampled on later Apollo missions. All in all, Apollo 12 was an incredible success, and it paved the way for future science missions.
In July, LRO was – and still is – in the commissioning phase. For the LROC team, the highest priority was testing and calibrat-ing all the instruments to ensure that LROC could meet its mission requirements during the coming nominal mapping mission. Due to operational constraints, it was not possible to collect the Apollo 12 site, the westernmost landing site, at that time.
“There are only so many locations that can be imaged at one time,” Robinson says. “Not every target can be imaged every time around. I’m glad we had to wait another month, as it was very exciting to see this image a month after the excite-ment of the first round of Apollo landing sites.”
LRO is slated to orbit the moon for at least another 12 months, which means Robinson and his team have many more imaging op-portunities ahead of them. In mid-September, the spacecraft’s orbit will be lowered, allowing LROC to acquire even higher resolution images of the Apollo and Surveyor landing sites.
Staab, with the School of Earth and Space Ex-ploration, can be reached at (602) 710-7169 or [email protected].
Lunar camera captures remaining Apollo landing site
recruiters team up with nonprofit to find young leadersBy Corey Schubert
Arizona State University recruiters treated Regina Duran as if she were the next NCAA star, but it wasn’t her jump shot or batting aver-age that made her stand out.
They were drawn to her passion and talents in nonprofit work with New Global Citizens, a Phoenix-based group that supports young leaders as they help solve challenges faced by communities around the world.
Recruiters gave Duran and her father a personalized tour of ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus. They introduced her to standout under-grads who told her about student life, and took her to presentations by students majoring in nonprofit leadership and management. Her decision to enroll came easy.
“It felt like a natural progression, to go from being a volunteer with New Global Citizens to studying for a career as a nonprofit leader,” says Duran, now an ASU sophomore.
She’s among several students who are attending ASU’s College of Public Programs after learning about the nonprofit management program through a unique partnership with New Global Citizens (NGC).
“The partnership between ASU and NGC demonstrates a new level of collaborative innovation,” says Courtney Klein, the chief executive officer of NGC and an alumnus of the college. “We hope it sets a trend for how the social profit sector competes in attracting and retaining top-notch talent.”
New Global Citizens educates, equips and mobilizes young people to help communities by partnering with grassroots organizations that are finding local solutions to local problems across the globe. NGC has chapters in 20 states and volunteer teams in more than 80 high schools around the country. The organization supports these young leaders as they work to create sustainable change.
“It was obvious this was going to be a good partnership for us,” says Dana Newell, the director of academic services at the college. “The NGC staff and current student leaders let us know if they have a stu-dent who is interested and we connect with them. We approach high-performing students utilizing the same sort of high-touch strategy that is used to recruit student athletes.”
This can include assisting with the application and enrollment process, visiting students and their families at home, and helping them obtain scholarship funds, Newell says. Members of the college’s Student Ambassadors for Recruitment (StAR) program, often play a large role in building and strengthening connections with prospective students.
“We’re talking about expanding our recruitment partnership with NGC to use videoconferencing in order to reach their high school students in other states,” Newell says.
Leah Luben, an NGC student who enrolled at the college, was heavily recruited by Ohio State and other universities. She became interested in ASU when she learned through NGC that the university offered the only nonprofit bachelor’s degree in the country, Newell says.
“One of our StAR students and I drove to Tucson, took her out to dinner and helped her finish her application to ASU,” Newell says. “She stayed connected with both of us via Facebook while serving with Ame-riCorps for a year, and just started classes here this semester.”
Luben says this personal approach helped her realize that ASU was the right choice for her.
“Looking back, it seems only natural that one of the few schools pressing forward to meet the growing demand for professionals in
the nonprofit sector should appeal to individuals already empowered and challenged within that arena, such as those participating in NGC programs,” Luben says.
The partnership offers other benefits as well. For example, faculty from the College of Public Programs plan to help NGC develop cur-riculum to teach volunteers about fundraising and advocacy. The College and NGC are thinking about plans to jointly host the first national conference of all NGC high school leaders across the nation, with ASU providing meeting space and technology.
For information about ASU’s College of Public Programs, visit the Web site http://copp.asu.edu. To learn more about New Global Citizens, visit the Web site http://www.newglobalcitizens.org.
Schubert, with the College of Public Programs, can be reached at (602) 496-0406 or [email protected].
Regina Duran, left, an ASU sophomore, was recruited by ASU's College of Public Programs for her talent and passion displayed in her volunteer work at New Global Citizens (NGC), a Phoenix-based group that supports young leaders as they help solve challenges faced by communities around the world. Courtney Klein, right is the chief executive officer of NGC and an alumnus of the college.
asu photo
4 S e p t e m b e r 11 , 2 0 0 9
ASU@ Events are free, unless otherwise noted. Items in
the “Exhibitions” section run at exhibit opening
and on the first of each month only. Building ab-
breviations are listed according to the official ASU
n thursday, sept. 17Town Hall Meeting, 2:30-3:30 p.m., memorial union (mu) arizona Ballroom (221), tempe campus. morgan r. olsen, asu executive vice president, treasurer and CFo, and Kevin salcido, senior director, office of human resources, discuss university operations. sponsored by university staff Council. Information: usc.asu.edu.
Lecturesn monday, sept. 14“Investigative Reporting and the Role of Account-ability Journalism,” 7 p.m., the First amendment Forum, Walter Cronkite school of Journalism and mass Commu-nication, 555 N. Central ave., phoenix. speaker: Leonard Downie Jr., former executive editor, Washington Post and Weil Family professor of Journalism. Information: http://cronkite.asu.edu.
n tuesday, sept. 15“Wind Energy in Arizona,” noon-1 p.m., armstrong hall (LaW) room 114. speaker: steven Lockard, president and CEo of tpI Composites, Inc. sponsored by the Center for the study of Law, science, and technology. Information: sandy askland, (480) 965-2465 or [email protected].
University Club Colloquium, noon-1:30 p.m., university Club. Betsy Fahlman, professor of art history, herberger Institute of Design and the arts, speaks on “Lon megargee, arizona’s original Cowboy artist.” Chef’s Choice Buffet, $15. reservations required: (480) 965-0701.
n Wednesday, sept. 16“Multiscale Strategies for Modeling Peptides and Liquid Water,” 4-5 p.m., Biodesign Institute room B105. speaker: m. scott shell, university of California, santa Bar-bara. sponsored by the Center for Biological physics. Infor-mation: (480) 965-4073.
“Chlorine geochemistry of the Earth,” 4:10-5 p.m., Bateman physical sciences Center (ps) F-173. speaker: Zachary sharp, university of New mexico. sponsored by the school of Earth and space Exploration. refreshments served at 3:45 p.m. in ps F-lobby. Information: (480) 965-5081.
“The Emerging U.S. National Climate Service,” 4:40-5:30 p.m., Global Institute of sustainability (GIos) room 481. speaker: James L. Buizer, executive director for strategic institutional advancement, office of the president, and science policy adviser to the president, asu; professor of practice, school of Geographical sciences and urban planning, asu. part of the Ecosystem Engineering seminar series sponsored by the asu Center for Environmental Fluid Dynamics and the Global Institute of sustainability. Informa-tion: [email protected].
“The Architecture of Alvar Aalto,” 6 p.m., College of Design North (CDN) room 60. speaker: Wolfgang preiser, professor emeritus of architecture, university of Cincinnati. sponsored by the asu school of architecture and Land-scape architecture. Information: (480) 965-1594.
“All the President’s Men,” 7 p.m., the First amendment Forum, Walter Cronkite school of Journalism and mass Communication, 555 N. Central ave., phoenix. part of Cronkite Night at the movies. Information: http://cronkite.asu.edu.
n thursday, sept. 17“Hooked? Deadly Persuasion: Advertising & Ad-diction,” 7-8 p.m., student union Cooley Ballrooms, polytechnic campus. speaker: Jean Kilbourne, visiting scholar at Wellesley College and a crusader against ma-nipulative advertising. Kiloburne will sign copies of her newest book, “so sexy so soon: the New sexualized Childhood and What parents Can Do to protect their Kids” (co-authored with Diane E. Levin). sponsored by the Campus Environment team. Information: (480) 727-1173.
n Friday, sept. 18 “I’m Keeping an Eye on You,” 11 a.m., asu art mu-seum. Curator John spiak discusses the museum’s exhibition by the same name (sept. 19-Dec. 12). Information: (480) 965-2787.
“Valuing Environmental Quality: A Space-based Strategy,” noon, Coor hall room L1-74. speaker: John Car-ruthers, u.s. Department of housing and urban Develop-ment. sponsored by school of Geographical sciences and urban planning. Information: [email protected] or (508) 826-3127.
“Fungal Endophytes From the Tropics to the Tundra: Clues to the Evolution of Mycobiont-photobiont Symbioses,” 2-3 p.m., Life sciences Center (Ls) E-104. speaker: Betsy arnold, university of arizona. sponsored by the school of Life sciences. Information: [email protected].
“Nanofabrication Using Atomic Force Microscopes,” 2:30-3:30 p.m., schwada Classroom office Building (sCoB) room 252. speaker: ampere tseng, asu. sponsored by the school of mechanical, aerospace, Chemical and materials Engineering (maCmE). Information: 480-727-0476.
Science Café: Ending Age-Related Disease, 5:30-6:30 p.m., arizona science Center, 7th avenue & Washington, downtown phoenix. asu engineering professor Bruce ritt-man and business research professor Dawn schwenke will lead a discussion titled “Ending age-related Disease: how Will our Lives Change if We’re healthier Longer,” examin-ing the social impacts that might result from scientific ad-vances that would allow people to live far beyond today’s average life span. admission is free. Information: (480) 965-7074.
n saturday, sept. 19“Architecture of the Deer Valley Rock Art Center,” 1-2 p.m., Deer Valley rock art Center, 3711 W. Deer Valley road, phoenix. Bruder designed the visitor’s center, which is a phoenix point of pride. Information: (623) 582-8007.
n monday, sept. 21“Local News: The Primetime Anchors,” 7 p.m., the First amendment Forum, Walter Cronkite school of Journalism and mass Communication, 555 N. Central ave., phoenix. speakers: Katie raml and steve Irvin, aBC-15 anchors, phoenix. Information: http://cronkite.asu.edu.
n Wednesday, sept. 23“FRET Fluctuation Spectroscopy: Applications to the Study of Conformational Dynamics in Biopolymers,” 4-5 p.m., Biodesign Institute room B105. speaker: marcia Levitus, asu. sponsored by the Center for Biological physics. Information: (480) 965-4073.
“Deep Earth Mineral Physics: From the Mantle to the Core,” 4:10-5 p.m., Bateman physical sciences Center (ps) F-173. speaker: Jennifer Jackson, California Institute of technology. sponsored by the school of Earth and space Exploration. refreshments served at 3:45 p.m. in ps F-lobby. Information: (480) 965-5081.
“Intelligent Transportation Systems and Their Environ-mental Implications,” 4:40-5:30 p.m., Global Institute of sustainability (GIos) room 481. speaker: sarath Joshua, proj-ect manager, Intelligent transportation systems and safety, maricopa association of Governments. the Ecosystem Engi-neering seminar series is jointly sponsored by the asu Center for Environmental Fluid Dynamics and the Global Institute of sustainability. Information: http://efd.asu.edu/events/semi-nars/ecosystem or [email protected].
“Veronica Guerin,” 7 p.m., the First amendment Forum, Walter Cronkite school of Journalism and mass Communi-cation, 555 N. Central ave., phoenix. part of Cronkite Night at the movies. Information: http://Cronkite.asu.edu.
n thursday, sept. 24“Why Humans Cooperate,” 6:30 p.m., Business admin-istration (Ba) C-316. speaker: Joe henrich, Department of psychology, university of British Columbia. sponsored by asu’s school of human Evolution and social Change, the Center for social Dynamics and Complexity and the Insti-tute of human origins. tempe campus. Information: (480) 965-6213.
n Friday, sept. 25“GIS, Web 3.0, and the Rise of Process Engines,” noon, Coor hall room L1-74. speaker: paul torrens, school of Geographical sciences and urban planning, asu. sponsored by the school of Geographical sciences and urban plan-ning. Information: [email protected] or (508) 826-3127.
“Poleward-Intensification of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies: Antarctic Carbon Cycle and Ecosystem Im-pacts,” 2-3 p.m., Life sciences Center (Ls) E-104. speaker: Jo-Ellen russell, university of arizona. sponsored by the school of Life sciences. Information: [email protected].
Conferences and Workshopsn Friday, sept. 18Services Blueprinting Workshop, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., W. p. Carey school of Business, tempe campus. Learn a versatile and practical technique to improve services and in-novation. Cost: $1,475 for two team members. sponsored by W. p. Carey Center for services Leadership. Information and registration: http://wpcarey.asu.edu/blueprinting.
miscellaneousn sunday, sept. 13Grandparents Day, noon-5 p.m., Deer Valley rock art Center, 3711 W. Deer Valley road, phoenix. two-for-one admission for grandparents. Information: (623) 582-8007 or www.dvrac.asu.edu.
n monday, sept. 14Resume Writing I: Identifying and Building Your Pro-fessional Skills, 4-5 p.m., student services Building (ssV) room 329. sponsored by asu Career services. Information: (480) 965-2350.
n tuesday, sept. 15Go Green, Live Green: Sustainability at Home, 7:30-9 a.m., Fiesta resort, 2100 N. priest Dr., tempe. a panel dis-cussion with asu and Valley business experts. sponsored by alumni association and school of sustainability. admission. Information and reservations: https://secure.www.alumni-connections.com/olc/pub/asu/events/asu2231879.html.
Succeeding at Career Fiesta, 3:30-4:30 p.m., student services Building (ssV) room 329. sponsored by asu Career services. Information: (480) 965-2350.
Guest lecturers will discuss and ex-plore sex trafficking, the Holocaust and worldwide refugee situations in ASU’s School of Letters and Sciences Hu-manities Lecture Series at the Down-town Phoenix campus.
Katie Resendiz’s “Sex Trafficking in the U.S. and Arizona” will commence the Fall 2009 Humanities Lecture Se-ries, which is in its second year. The two-hour presentation starts at 6 p.m., Sept. 24, at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communica-tion, 555 N. Central Ave., room 122.
The lecture series is open to the gen-eral public and is free.
“The Humanities Lecture Series pro-vides us with opportunities to analyze, discuss and interpret current events,” says Frederick C. Corey, the director of ASU’s School of Letters and Sciences and dean of University College. “We look forward to public discussions that help us understand and appreciate vari-ous points of view on political, social and cultural issues.”
The School of Letters and Sciences provides students across ASU with the knowledge and skills to comprehend and effectively engage the changing world of the 21st century at local, national and global levels. Theory, cre-ativity and applied learning are inte-grated as students build entrepreneurial opportunities inside the university and in their communities.
Resendiz, a trafficking training co-ordinator with the Arizona League to End Regional Trafficking (ALERT), says each year tens of thousands of men, women and children are illegally brought to the United States and Ari-zona from all parts of the world.
“Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery and is the world’s most rapidly growing crime,” Resen-diz says. “They are forced to work in a variety of labor-intensive jobs such as domestic servitude, manufacturing, construction, agricultural work, hotels, restaurants and forced prostitution. This session will serve as an introduc-
tion to the issue of human trafficking, while exploring the intricacies of this horrendous crime.”
The U.S. State Department has iden-tified Arizona to be in the top five states for human-trafficking activity.
The lecture series schedule includes:• Oct. 8: “Personal Reflections on
Surviving the Holocaust and Life After,” presented by Holocaust survi-vor Bernard Scheer, noon, University Center, 411 N. Central Ave., room 286, Phoenix.
• Nov. 12: “Refugee Situations in Arizona, Burma, Iraq and Bhutan,” presented by Joanne Morales, direc-tor of Refugee Programs for Catholic Charities. The presentation takes place at 6:30 p.m., at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Com-munication, 555 N. Central Ave., room 125, Phoenix.
For more information, contact Mirna Lattouf at (602) 496-0638 or visit the Web site http://sls.asu.edu/news.html.
humanities lecture series explores current events
5S e p t e m b e r 11 , 2 0 0 9
EMPLOYMENTThe following positions are available as of Sept. 11 and are subject to change. All positions
will be advertised in Insight only once. The staff requisition or job order number for each posi-tion is indicated by the (#) sign. ASU is an equal opportunity-affirmative action employer.
ASU poSitionS
A complete job announcement for classified, administrative and service professional posi-tions at the Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, Tempe and West campuses is available on the Human Resources Web page at www.asu.edu/asujobs, or the Telecommunication Devise for the Deaf at (480) 965-3002.
For complete position descriptions and application requirements for academic positions, contact the appropriate department listed below. Faculty, academic professional and gradu-ate assistant positions are also listed on the Human Resources Web sites and details must be obtained from the hiring department. Application deadlines are listed.
Dates listed are application deadlines, and application material is due by 11:59 p.m. on that date. Positions are 100 percent, full-time employment (FTE) unless otherwise noted. Code below is: (O) – position is open to the public.
StAff poSitionS
tempe cAmpUS
Executive and ManagementAssistant Director, Community Development #23066 (O) – VP Public Affairs (Sept. 18).Assistant Director, Office of Diversity #23058 (O) – Office of Human Resources (Sept. 18).
ProfessionalAcademic Success Specialist #23084 (O) – W.P. Carey School of Business (Sept. 18).Accountant #23035 (O) – Office for Research and Sponsored Projects Administration-Grant and Contract Accounting (Sept. 16).Business Manager Senior #23017 (O) – Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Sept. 21).Coordinator of Clinical Partnerships #23062 (O) – Executive VP and Provost of the University (Sept. 18).Coordinator Senior #23025 (O) – University Housing-Learning Support Services (Sept. 17).Grant/Contract Coordinator #22956 (O) – College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Sept. 22).Manager of ASU Kerr Cultural Center #23085 (O) – Public Events (Oct. 2).PeopleSoft Applications Developer-Student Administration #23088 (O) – University Technology Office-Academic Development (Sept. 16).Police Aid Lead #23080 (O) (Limited to Hiring Unit Employees) – ASU Police Depart-ment (Sept. 17).Research Advancement Administrator #23072 (O) – Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering (Sept. 16).Research Specialist #23074 (O) – School of Life Sciences (Sept. 21).
Technical and ComputerGraphic & Web Design Specialist #23067 (O) – Institute of Sustainability (Sept. 16).
Administrative SupportOffice Specialist Senior #23036 (O) – W.P. Carey School of Business, School of Health Management and Policy (Sept. 23).
Downtown phoenix cAmpUS
ProfessionalCommunity Service Officer #23028 (O) (Part-Time) – College of Public Programs (Nov. 30).
polytechnic cAmpUS
ProfessionalCoordinator #23064 (O) – College of Teacher Education & Leadership at the Polytechnic Campus (Sept. 11).
AcADemic poSitionS
tempe cAmpUS
FacultyAssistant Professor #9344 – W.P. Carey School of Business-Finance (Oct. 12; the 1st and 15th of each month thereafter until search is closed).Associate Professor #9345 – W.P. Carey School of Business-Finance (Oct. 12; the 1st and 15th of each month thereafter until search is closed).Faculty Associate #P5075 (25%- 50%) – W.P. Carey School of Business-Finance (Nov. 1; the 1st and 15th of each month thereafter until search is closed).Professor #9346 – W.P. Carey School of Business-Finance (Oct. 12; the 1st and 15th of each month thereafter until search is closed).
Resume Writing II: Selling Your Professional Skills, 4:30-5:30 p.m., student services Building (ssV) room 329. sponsored by asu Career services. Information: (480) 965-2350.
Astronomy Open House, 7-9 p.m., West campus, along the bike path near Central plant. a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s invention of the telescope. View Jupiter and its moons. sponsored by New College. Informa-tion: http://www.west.asu.edu/atpcs/telescopeViewingofJu-piter.jpg
n Wednesday, sept. 16Q & A with author and poet Stephen Dobyns, 1-2 p.m., piper Writers house. sponsored by piper Center for Creative Writing. Information: (480) 965-6018 or www.asu.edu/piper.
“Beyond Your Major: Understanding Personality and Career Choices,” 1:30-4 p.m., student services Building (ssV) room 329. recommended for juniors and seniors and includes the myers-Briggs type Indicator. sponsored by asu Career services. Information: (480) 965-2350.
Resume Writing II: Selling Your Professional Skills, 4:30-5:30 p.m., student services Building (ssV) room 329. sponsored by asu Career services. Information: (480) 965-2350.
n thursday, sept. 17Faculty Emeriti Association Luncheon, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., memorial union (mu) Ventana room 241a. Judy But-zine speaks on “phoenix’s participation in the International Day of peace” (sept. 21). Information: [email protected].
STAR in the Employment Interview, 1:30-2:30 p.m., student services Building (ssV) room 329. sponsored by asu Career services. Information: (480) 965-2350.
“Locating Funding,” 3-4:45 p.m., Computing Commons (CpCom) room 207. sponsored by office of research and sponsored projects administration. Information and registra-tion: http://researchadmin.asu.edu/node/3953.
Reading and book-signing by author Stephen Dobyns, 7:30 p.m., memorial union (mu) pima audito-rium (230). sponsored by piper Center for Creative Writing. Information: (480) 965-6018 or www.asu.edu/piper.
n Friday, sept. 18Developing Your Professional Image: Business Eti-quette, 10-11 a.m., student services Building (ssV) room 329. sponsored by asu Career services. Information: (480) 965-2350.
Resume Writing II: Selling Your Professional Skills, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., student services Building (ssV) room 329. sponsored by asu Career services. Information: (480) 965-2350.
Succeeding at Career Fiesta, 1-2 p.m., student services Building (ssV) room 329. sponsored by asu Career ser-vices. Information: (480) 965-2350.
Decision Theater Tour, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Decision the-ater, 21 E. 6th st., suite 126a, tempe. reservations: (480) 965-4098 or [email protected].
Science Café, 5:30-6:30 p.m., arizona science Center, 600 E. Washington st., phoenix. Discussion topic is “Ending age-related Disease: how Will our Lives Change if We’re healthier Longer?” participants: Bruce rittmann, Biodesign Institute; Dawn schwenke, W. p. Carey school of health management & policy. sponsored by Center for Nanotech-nology in society (CNs-asu) and arizona science Center science Café. Information: http://biodesign.asu.edu/assets/pdfs/seminars/sepCafe.pdf.
n saturday, sept. 19New Volunteer Orientation, 8 a.m.-noon, Deer Valley rock art Center, 3711 W. Deer Valley road, phoenix. Infor-mation: (623) 582-8007 or www.dvrac.asu.edu.
n monday, sept. 21Blood Drive, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., north end memorial union. also 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., sept. 22-25. Information or donation
appointment: 1-877-448-4483 or www.bloodhero.com.
Succeeding at Career Fiesta, 1-2 p.m., student services Building (ssV) room 329. sponsored by asu Career ser-vices. Information: (480) 965-2350.
Resume Writing II: Selling Your Professional Skills, 3-4 p.m., student services Building (ssV) room 329. sponsored by asu Career services. Information: (480) 965-2350.
n tuesday, sept. 22Career Confidential: What Employees Want!” 12:30-1:30 p.m., memorial union (mu) alumni Lounge (202). Five employer panelists talk about what impresses them. sponsored by asu Career services. Information: (480) 965-2350.
Career Fiesta, 2-6 p.m., memorial union (mu) second floor. also 2-6 p.m., sept. 24; noon-4 p.m., sept. 23, 25. sponsored by asu Career services. Information: (480) 965-2350.
n thursday, sept. 24Career Clinic, 10 a.m.-noon, memorial union (mu) alumni Lounge (202). meet one on one with an employer to get answers to career-related questions. sponsored by asu Ca-reer services. Information: (480) 965-2350.
n Friday, sept. 25Astronomy Open House, 8-10 p.m., roof of the Bateman physical sciences Center h Wing (5th Floor). Information: (480) 965-0665 or http://homepage.mac.com/agfuentes/openhouse.html.
Events and performances*Indicates tickets are available at Herberger College of Fine Arts Box Office, Nelson Fine Arts Center, (480) 965-6447.
**Indicates tickets are available at ASU Gammage, (480) 965-3434; ASU Kerr Cultural Center, 6110 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, (480) 596-2660.
n Friday, sept. 11Phoenix premier of John Adams’ memorial “On the Transmigration of the Souls,” 8 p.m., symphony hall, 75 N. second st., phoenix. performing: asu symphonic Chorale, phoenix symphony. tickets: $22-$72. also sept. 12. Box office and information: (602) 495-1999 or 1-800-776-9080.
n sunday, sept. 13”Premieres and Legends,” 2:30 p.m., Katzin Concert hall. robert spring, clarinet, is joined by faculty artists Katherine mcLin, violin, andrew Campbell, piano, timothy mcallister, saxophone albie micklich, bassoon, J.B. smith, percussion, and Jana starling, clarinet. spring premieres a piece written by Eric mandat that’s played on two clarinets simultaneously by one performer.*
n monday, sept. 14Jazz Faculty Recital, 7:30 p.m., recital hall.
n thursday, sept. 17“A Whole New Mind,” 7:30 p.m., asu Gammage, fea-turing the asu Wind Bands.
n Friday, sept. 18“lions will roar, swans will fly, angels will wrestle heaven, rains will break: gukurahundi,” 7 p.m., paul V. Galvin playhouse. New work I progress by Zimbabwean choreographer and dancer Nora Chipaumire. Guests are invited to a pre-show event at Galvin playhouse where there will be hands-on activities, information booths and refresh-ments. presented by asu Gammage and the herberger
school of Dance. No admission charge. Information: (480) 965-3434.
n monday, sept. 21ASU Chamber Orchestra, 10:45 a.m. and 1 p.m., Del E. Webb Center for the performing arts, 1090 s. Vulture mine road, Wickenburg.
n tuesday, sept. 22 “Legally Blonde The Musical,” 7:30 p.m., asu Gammage. the musical follows sorority star Elle Woods, an underestimated blonde who doesn’t take “no” for an answer. When her boyfriend dumps her for someone more “serious,” Elle hits the books and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: harvard Law. other perfor-mances: 7:30 p.m., Wed.-Fri.; 2 and 7:30 p.m., sat.; 2 and 7 p.m., sun., through sept. 27.**
n Friday, sept. 25Sustainable Symphony, 7:30 p.m., Katzin Concert hall. the Valley’s newest orchestra presents an “Evening of Chamber music.”
Guitarist José Miguel Moreno, 7:30 p.m., organ hall.
ExhibitionsASU Art Museum, Nelson Fine Arts Center— regular hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. tuesday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday -saturday; 1-5 p.m. sunday. summer hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. tuesday-saturday. Information: (480) 965-2787.
opens sept. 19, “Defining sustainability: From the asu art museum Collection” will include historic precedents, like the 19th century hudson river school painters who painted classic american landscapes with encroaching signs of industrialization, as well as selections of work by contem-porary artists like matthew moore, who created compel-ling land artworks on his family’s farm in the middle of the suburbs in West phoenix, and Eddie Dominguez, who uses ceramics to explore human history and impact on the earth.
opens sept. 19, “I’m Keeping an Eye on you,” through personal, established relationships, casual encounters, forced institutional interactions, or contact from a safe dis-tance, we often overstep our boundaries. Whether we are conscious or not of our boundary breaking, we all are guilty at one time or another, of intruding into other people’s lives and space. What may pass as uneventful for one individual may be the cause of great anxiety and fear for another. “I’m Keeping an Eye on you” explores the broad and last-ing effects of our curiosity and intrusions upon others.
through sept. 19, “Figuring prominently: the asu art museum Collection” presents major works, from the asu art museum’s collection, which explore the human figure in a range of media from painting and papier-mâché to discarded materials and electronics. artists include Nam Jun paik (born in Korea, worked in the u.s.), Jim Campbell (united states), hung Liu (born in China, works in the u.s.), Jon haddock (arizona), Karel appel (the Netherlands), Los Carpinteros (Cuba), Deborah Butterfield (united states) and alejandro Colunga (mexico).
through sept. 19, “I Never saw so Clearly” explores how human experience is translated into the visual arts by draw-ing on contemporary and 20th century paintings, prints and mixed media works from the collection of the asu art museum. Working in figurative styles, the diverse range of artists offer insights into their worlds and responds to tradi-tional imagery and ideas from art history and popular cul-ture. the exhibition is curated by Lekha hileman Waitoller, curatorial assistant and graduate student in art history.
Museum of Anthropology — 11 a.m.-3 p.m. monday-Friday, Cady and tyler malls. Information: (480) 965-6224.
through sept. 18, “Current southwest archaeology” high-lights the current work of 8 southwestern archaeologists in their own words. michelle hegmon, a professor in the asu school of human Evolution and social Change, and melissa Kruse, a graduate student in the school, are among those whose work is represented.
6 S e p t e m b e r 11 , 2 0 0 9
10th annual Día de los Muertos exhibit For the past 10 years, the Arizona State University
Museum of Anthropology has played host to a vibrant community-centered Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Festival Exhibit. This year, the Tempe campus gallery will be filled with traditional altars, cajitas (small traveling altars) and artwork celebrating this unique holiday and its 10th an-niversary at the museum.
!Que Vivan los Muertos! brings together prominent Chicana/o artists, community members and ASU students in the creation of highly inventive and elaborate altarpieces reflecting a broad array of individual styles, personal mean-ings and socially shared concerns. An important spiritual celebration among Mexican and Mexican-American com-munities, the Day of the Dead festival merges ancient Aztec and Roman Catholic rituals and beliefs. Visitors are encour-aged to bring offerings, such as notes, photographs, candles, flowers and other small items for the public altar in remem-brance of loved ones.
The exhibit will run from Oct. 12 to Jan. 8, with an opening celebration to take place 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 29. The opening event will begin with a lecture, “Searching for Origins: Day of the Dead in Colonial Mexico,” by Carmen King. Admission is free.
The Museum of Anthropology is in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, located at the corner of Tyler and Cady Malls on the ASU Tempe campus. Visitor park-ing is available in the nearby Fulton Center garage on Col-lege Avenue, or in metered spaces around campus.
The 10th Annual Dia de los Muertos Festival Exhibit is a joint collaboration among the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, ASU Museum of Anthropology, CALACA Cul-tural Center, Inc. and the community.
For more details, call the museum at (480) 965-6224 or visit the Web site http://asuma.asu.edu.
Event celebrates 400 years of the telescopeCelestial sights including Jupiter and its moons will come
into clear focus through telescopes set up for public viewing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sept. 15, at Arizona State University’s West campus.
BRIEFInThis year’s version of the popular Astronomy Open House
program takes on special significance because of 2009’s designation as the International Year of Astronomy. As par-ticipants look skyward, they will be helping to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s development of the telescope.
The Astronomy Open House has been a campus tradition for more than a decade.
“It’s literally fun for the whole family,” says Paul Schmidtke, a senior lecturer in astronomy with ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. “For many participants, it’s the first chance they’ve ever had to look at the stars through a telescope.”
The event is free and open to the public.Telescopes will be set up along the bicycle path west of the
multipurpose field, near the Central Plant building. ASU’s West campus is at 4701 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix.
For more information about the Astronomy Open House, contact Schmidtke at [email protected]. Details about the International Year of Astronomy are available on-line at www.astronomy2009.org/.
Professor gives talk at White HouseScott Decker, the director of ASU’s
School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, recently spoke to national leaders during a White House confer-ence on gang violence prevention and crime control.
Decker discussed the elements nec-essary for understanding and respond-ing to gangs. He is a widely acknowl-edged national expert on gangs, gang crime and law enforcement responses to gang crime.
“This conference brought together leaders from around the country involved in attempts to respond to gangs,” Decker says. “It is clear that the White House and U.S. Justice Department have made a balanced approach to gangs a high priority.”
Those attending included: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder; Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; Justice Department officials; directors
of several prominent gang prevention programs; and police chiefs and mayors, including Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.
Decker spoke about the need for balancing three ele-ments of gang response: suppression (arrest and prosecu-tion), intervention (diversion, counseling youth who have a high risk of joining gangs) and prevention (for youth at risk of joining gangs).
A Fellow in the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Decker has a distinguished record of contributions to the field of criminal justice and criminology for the past 30 years. His books include “Life in The Gang: Family, Friends and Violence” and “Strategies to Address Gang Crime.”
The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice is in the College of Public Programs, located at the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus. For information about the school, visit the Web site http://ccj.asu.edu.
Study shows house prices declining slowly Phoenix-area housing prices are declining at a slower
rate than earlier this year, indicating that the worst is over for falling home values, a new Arizona State Univer-sity study has shown.
The ASU-Repeat Sales Index (ASU-RSI), which mea-sures changes in average Phoenix-area home prices from year to year, found that prices declined by 33 percent between May 2008 and May 2009. That was down from a 35 percent year-over-year decline in April and 37 percent in both February and March.
Preliminary estimates for June and July show annual drops of 31 percent and 29 percent, respectively, indicating that the rate of home-price declines continues to slow.
“It is now clear that the worst has passed in terms of the rate of decline in house prices and that prices were falling most rapidly back in February and March,” says Karl Guntermann, the Fred E. Taylor Professor of Real Estate at the W. P. Carey School of Business, who calculates the ASU-RSI with research associate Adam Nowak.
The current slide in home prices is the longest in Valley history at 27 months. Gilbert and Sun City/Sun City West showed the mildest declines from May 2008 to May 2009. The worst drop was in Glendale, where prices plunged 39 percent in just one year.
school of Life sciences
By Addie LennoxHave you ever seen a three-foot dragonfly?
Where such gigantic insects once dominated Earth, now only diminutive cousins remain. What created these differences? Elyse Munoz, a junior majoring in biology in the College of Lib-eral Arts and Sciences, had the rare opportunity to directly investigate this question over the sum-mer, while participating in cutting-edge research in the lab of Jon Harrison, a physiologist.
“In the lab, research experiences provide an internship-type training that let students actually do research, rather than just read or hear about it,” says Harrison, a professor in the School of Life Sciences. “They learn practical techniques, as well as ways of thinking criti-cally about the research process. They get to interact on a personal level with faculty, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students, which helps them decide whether this is something they wish to do as a career.”
Munoz connected with Harrison through the summer Undergraduate Research Experience program (REU) offered by the School of Life Sciences. The program is just one of a number of undergraduate research programs in the school. Such opportunities are one reason that Munoz, a native of San Antonio, Texas, came to Arizona State University with an award from the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.
“This research program has given me a truly invaluable experience and an amazing opportunity to improve on myself and explore avenues of science that I didn’t even know existed,” Munoz says.
A Barrett Honors College student, driven by a penchant for genetics and a desire to become a surgeon, Munoz discovered the life sciences research program while taking Harrison’s un-dergraduate course in anatomy and physiology. Attending graduate students mentioned there was a summer research position opening in the Harrison lab to conduct research with insects.
Munoz says that while she wasn’t exactly sure what the research entailed, she had enjoyed Har-rison’s course. She applied and was accepted.
The summer undergraduate research pro-
gram links students with mentors and exist-ing grants from the National Science Foun-dation (NSF). Students receive fellowships and are paid while they learn first hand what research is all about.
The NSF grant on which Munoz works was developed by John VandenBrooks, a postdoctoral fellow in the Harrison laboratory. Jennifer Hale, another life sciences undergraduate, is also work-ing on the project. The goal of VandenBrook’s research is to understand how oxygen affects the body size of insects related to those that existed in the Paleozoic era. A second goal is to deter-mine whether the dimensions of insect tracheae (breathing tubes) can be used to estimate oxygen levels of the prehistoric Earth.
Why the link between oxygen and size? Models developed by scientists have suggested that levels of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere have undergone some major shifts over time. For example, oxygen is believed to have reached 31 percent during the Paleozoic era (today it is 21 percent), followed by a massive decline to as low as 13 percent in the Mesozoic era. The gigantic insects occurred at
the same time as the oxygen peak, suggesting that changes in atmospheric oxygen enabled and then eliminated these giants.
How can one measure the oxygen in prehis-toric atmospheres? The idea that Munoz, Hale, VandenBrooks and Harrison pursue is that the dimensions of insect’s tracheae can provide a key. They are measuring the effect of different oxygen levels on the dimensions of the bodies and tra-cheal tubes of German roaches. The reason the cockroach is interesting is that the species have lived for such a long time and existed during time periods of both high and low oxygen and persist still today. To study them, Munoz and Hale spent this summer rearing cockroaches in tanks that contained different oxygen levels. They mea-sured the insects’ growth, and then took them to the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, which operates an X-ray Synchrotron. There, Munoz, Hale and VandenBrooks peered inside the cockroaches and collected images that will enable them to document the effect of oxygen level on the dimensions of the cockroaches’ tra-cheae. The researchers also imaged many insect
fossils that have been preserved in amber, an optically clear, petrified pitch from ancient plants. They hope to verify a method for estimating the oxygen content of ancient atmospheres from the ratio of trachea tubes size to body size in insects. If successful, this will be a major advance for biol-ogy and geology.
“Working with the graduate and postdoc-toral students has been amazing,” Munoz says. “They have so much to teach, and most im-portantly are willing and wanting to help you advance and succeed.”
A typical day of research in the laboratory for Munoz started with checking the oxygen and nitrogen levels in the tanks, along with ensur-ing the ROXY (the lab’s oxygen regulating system) was running effortlessly. The start of her week was dedicated to the care of the lab’s 500 cockroaches. Munoz and Hale changed their water tubes and replenished their food, if needed, just as if they were family pets. With a laugh, Munoz admits that the general main-tenance, such as attempting to put the roaches into their containers, was her least favorite part of the research. In addition to caring for her research subjects, Munoz performed imaging, data collection and analysis.
“Sometimes it’s just as satisfying to see that you were wrong as it is to see that you were correct in your hypothesis and your predictions,” says Munoz about her research results.
In addition to her work examining oxygen levels in cockroaches, Munoz will gear up to do research on dragonflies. She will examine the effect of atmospheric oxygen level on the growth and size of dragonfly larvae – a study that will turn her summer research into a long-term proj-ect that extends into the fall. Results from her researches may ultimately support the generation of an academic paper.
To learn more about the School of Life Sci-ences undergraduate research opportunities, visit the Web site http://sols.asu.edu/ugrad/research_experiences.php.
Margaret Coulombe, with the School of Life Sciences, can be reached at (480) 727-8934 or [email protected].
Lab experience enhances undergraduate’s study of ancient life
Elyse Munoz, a junior majoring in biology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, had the rare opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research on ancient insects, offered through a School of Life Sciences' Undergraduate Research Experience summer program that connects students with funded research projects.
Scott Decker
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The diets differ only in concentration of xanthophyll carotenoids, such as lutein and ze-axanthin which are typical yellow components of corn. Once the birds molt and develop their attractive adult colors this fall, McGraw and his team will score coloration, immune system performance and carotenoid accumulation in internal body tissues (such as ovaries and eyes) to determine how relatively important these dif-ferent uses of pigments are.
Ossip-Klein joined McGraw’s laboratory by applying for a summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) fellowship funded by the federal government and administered in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences by the School of Life Sciences.
“I never worked with birds before, but was curious about sexual selection and coloration in animals and found the topic interesting,” says Ossip-Klein, who oversaw diet preparation and contributed to regular blood draws for health assessment and behavioral monitoring.
“We typically work with 10 or more ASU undergraduates in our research each year,” McGraw says. “They become involved through many different routes: as student volunteers for independent-study credit, as hired employees on
grants, or as part of our formal research track, the School of Life Sciences Undergraduate Re-search (SOLUR) program.” To ensure the best fit in his lab, McGraw searches for students “with diverse interests, perhaps having a back-ground in ecology, evolution or physiology or
an interest in animal communication, sexual selection, coloration or immunology.”
Ossip-Klein gained a range of skills and experiences working with the ducks, including learning how to handle birds, conducting mor-phological measurements and video analysis of animal behaviors, and utilizing sophisticated biochemistry equipment, such as High Perfor-mance Liquid-Chromatography (HPLC) to analyze pigments in food and tissue.
Ossip-Klein also made time during her 11-week stay in Arizona to conduct her own independent project.
McGraw says that “it was my and Melissah Rowe’s hope that we could attract a student that would not only assist with our project, but also have the maturity and drive to pursue his or her line of research with these birds.”
Ossip-Klein chose to explore the role of carote-noids in influencing the flight capacity of ducks. Based on similar work in the field, she hypothe-sized that ducks exposed to higher concentrations of carotenoids would fly higher and faster. She will be analyzing the data she gathered last sum-mer over the course of the next few months.
“Kevin definitely has one of the top labs in the country that deals with animal coloration,” says Rowe, who completed her doctorate at the University of Chicago and met McGraw in 2005 when he gave a talk there about colors in songbirds. She began collaborating with him soon after. “Kevin is a very prolific researcher, and is one of the main reasons I chose to come to ASU.”
Margaret Coulombe, with the School of Life Sciences, can be reached at (480)727-8934 or [email protected].
S e p t e m b e r 11 , 2 0 0 9
Paul Schiff Berman, the College of Law dean, calls Saks a “superstar professor” who possesses every at-tribute desired in a senior faculty member. Saks is a “high-impact scholar with a truly international reputation” whose cutting-edge work has grabbed the attention of the legal and forensic science com-munities, Berman says. He notes that in addition to being a prolific writer, Saks travels the world to lecture about the intersection of science and law, and he is an ex-traordinary ASU citizen.
“He is one of the most popular professors at the law school and is an esteemed, active colleague, always willing to pitch in and help with unfailing good cheer and unflappable competence,” Ber-man says. “In addition, he is an extraordinary mentor.”
Saks, a Philadelphia native, came to ASU in 2000 from the Uni-versity of Iowa, where he was the Edward F. Howrey Professor of Law and a professor of psychology. He holds a doctorate in social psy-chology from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Stud-ies in Law degree from Yale Law School, and he has taught at both Boston College and its law school. It was there Saks began his pio-neering work in empirical research methods and statistics.
“It seemed that, in taking a look at how laws had developed in the past, a lot of them no longer fit the present, and using social science research would provide more of a precise basis for fram-ing the law than simply hunches and moral feelings,” says Charles “Buzzy” Baron, a law professor at Boston College, who collaborated with Saks on the book, “The Use-Nonuse-Misuse of Applied Social Research in the Courts.”
“Michael’s research on the jury would replace people’s hunches on how juries work.”
In addition to his scholarship on juries, Saks is known for his early research on and skepticism of the claims traditionally made about the reliability and use of handwrit-ing, fingerprints, bite marks and other forms of forensic identifica-tion in courtrooms. His message, at first, was not well received.
“I was a voice in the wilder-ness saying, ‘Hey, the king’s not wearing any clothes,’ at a time when nearly everyone blindly accepted the claims that it was perfect and flawless,” Saks says. “As time went by, and more scholars looked at it, the number of people questioning wide areas of forensic science grew.”
Vindication arrived when a committee of the National Acad-emies of Science issued a block-buster report criticizing most fo-
rensic science as the product of shoddy science and poorly tested practices. The report cites Saks’ work 16 times.
Saks has been a visiting profes-sor at Georgetown University Law Center, Ohio State University and the University of Virginia, where he met David Faigman, with whom he would eventually collaborate on the groundbreaking book about law and scientific evidence, “Mod-ern Scientific Evidence: The Law and Science of Expert Testimony.”
“It was the first such book of its kind, because it was both accessible on the legal framework for the ad-missibility of various evidence and also had scientists writing on the state of the art of their disciplines in a way judges would understand,” says Faigman, the John F. Digardi Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Saks, whose research earned the American Psychological As-sociation’s award for “Distin-guished Contributions to Psy-chology in the Public Interest,” says his best work has had an against-the-tide quality.
“To get people thinking about something in a different way, even if the eventual verdict is that you are wrong and the conventional wisdom is right, has its value,” he says. “But to challenge a widely held view, and have the world
come around to your view, is an interesting experience.”
Just as intriguing are the teaching tactics of Saks, who works at intro-ducing students to something of value, determining which subject matter works well with them and which does not, getting a good au-dience response, and being flexible enough to serve his classes well.
“He’s not a hardened litigator like most of us are, and so he offers a nice perspective into the questions we’re looking at,” says Betsy Grey, a faculty fellow, along with Saks, in the College of Law’s Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technol-ogy. “He always gets to the heart of the issue, and he has a wonderful way of distilling the essential ques-tion we need to be thinking of. Then, he can extrapolate and go to broader policy questions in the same paragraph.
“As he’s teaching, the students don’t even realize what an intel-lectual powerhouse and significant person in his field he is,” Grey says. “His stature and renown are not barriers in the classroom as they easily could be.”
Magruder, with the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, can be reached at (480) 727-9052 or [email protected].
Nichols, with the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, can be reached at (480) 727-7895 or [email protected].
Tourism contributes to com-munities in many ways, such as generating tax revenues and jobs, and supporting cultural, environ-mental and entertainment oppor-tunities for residents in commu-nities that could not otherwise justify them.
But there are many other ad-vantages that aren’t being fully explored, Tyrrell says. The ASU-Clark collaboration involves creat-
ing programs that could be used on a large-scale level to make ad-ditional improvements such as re-ducing poverty, preserving histor-ical and ecological sites, reducing traveling risks and increasing the benefits from leisure activities.
Future projects will include fur-ther development of the social responsibility measurement tool-kit, and applications to new and renewed tourism development projects in Europe and Asia.
“This initiative complements
prior work on the environmental sustainability of tourism with a more holistic perspective on the many ways that tourism can ben-efit the public,” says Robert John-ston, a professor of economics and the director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute.
The Megapolitan Tourism Re-search Center at ASU is devoted to studying the role of tourism in community development in order to strengthen its contribution to viable economic, social and envi-
ronmental systems, especially in megapolitan regions around the world. The center is part of the School of Community Resources & Development, located in the College of Public Programs at the Downtown Phoenix campus. More information is available on-line at http://mtrc.asu.edu/portal.
Schubert, with the College of Public Programs, can be reached at (602) 496-0406 or [email protected].
In mcGraw’s lab, students engage in colorful research
“In the current health care debate, higher quality and lower cost often are positioned as opposing weights on a scale, but Dr. Hartwell’s efforts are aimed at identifying the strategies and tech-nologies that can simultaneously achieve both,” says Alan Nelson, the Biodesign Institute’s executive director.
A key aspect of Hartwell’s efforts will be redefining health outcomes metrics, encompassing expanded considerations such as the environmental, educational and socio-political impacts on health. He will be assisted in this effort by Michael Birt, a health policy expert who has been recruited to co-direct the new center.
“Health care metrics – particularly in the United States – have too long been focused on narrow aspects of cost and quality indicators that have led to an overemphasis on treatment rather than prevention, and a lack of effective tools for clinical decision-making,” Hartwell says. “Dr. Birt and I will lead efforts to address these challenges, integrating all key stake-holders to create more effective solutions.”
Hartwell is no stranger to Arizona, having served as executive chairman of the Partnership for Personalized Medi-cine since its creation. The partnership includes the Biodesign Institute, Trans-lational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Hartwell cur-rently is president and director of the Hutchinson Center.
“The trustees of Piper Trust have placed the foundation’s biggest bet ever on Dr. Lee Hartwell and his vision of the future of health care,” says Judy Mohraz, the president of Piper Trust. “We are delighted that he will soon be at ASU rubbing shoulders with scientists, health care poli-cymakers and students on a routine basis.”
Hartwell has announced that he will retire from his post at the Hutchinson Center next June. He will then assume his ASU tenured faculty appointment. During this academic year, he will begin preliminary preparations for the new center during a phased transition ap-proved by Hutchinson Center. Birt will begin immediately, handling daily opera-tions and startup.
Hartwell will have several academic appointments at ASU. His interest in advancing science education will be furthered serving as a tenured professor in the College of Teacher Education and Leadership.
“We must educate the world on the challenges facing future generations and the role of science and technology in meeting those challenges,” Hartwell says.
Other tenured appointments include ASU’s School of Life Sciences and School of Biological and Health Systems Engi-neering, areas critical to his sustainable health initiative.
Birt, who was recruited along with Hartwell as a linchpin in co-directing Biodesign’s new Center for Sustainable Health, is an internationally renowned health care policy leader. Birt is the senior vice president for Health and Society at The National Bureau of Asian Research; the executive director of the Pacific Health Summit; and the executive director of the Forum for Personal Health. He also holds the position of affiliate investigator at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. At ASU, he also will serve as professor of practice in the School of Health Care Management and Policy in the W. P. Carey School of Business.
Caspermeyer, with the Biodesign Insti-tute, can be reached at (480) 727-0969 or [email protected].
Hartwell joins efforts to help shape health care
Alison Ossip-Klein, an undergraduate at University of Rochester, works with data pertaining to a study of bird coloration that was part of her Research Experiences for Undergraduates fellowship at ASU.
Pioneering work earns professor Regents’ distinction
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The Graduate College (GC) has awarded eight Reach for the Stars fellowships to outstanding new master’s students who demonstrate academic excellence and are underrepresented in their field of study.
Fellowship support is provided by the Graduate College during the first year of study in the master’s degree program. In the second year, the academic unit provides a TA or RA position or a financial equivalent award. A faculty member serves as mentor and the Fellow can participate in university initiatives that support research, professional development and interdisciplinary studies.
The new awardees participate in varied research with goals for their future. After achieving her Master’s of Sustainability, Lourdes Sierra plans to become a business consultant to help corporations develop strategies for increasing their engagement in sustainability. Jose Zarate, pursuing a Master’s of Fine Arts (MFA) in dramatic writing, wants to write and produce a play that deals with Mexico-U.S. border is-sues and associated violence. A volunteer for Women Beyond Borders, he hopes to eventually become a television writer. Isaac Navajo is researching American Indian water rights as part of his Master’s in Social Justice and Human Rights at ASU’s New College. His goal is to support rights of indigenous peoples.
“This was a very competitive selection process, and these represent the best of our new graduate students,” says Andrew Webber, the college’s associate vice provost. “They should be very proud of their accomplishments.”
The new Reach for the Stars fellows are: Alonzo Corral, social justice and human rights, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences; Nicolas de la Fuente, social justice and human rights, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences; Sammone Kidd, political science, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences; Amasa Louis, social justice and human rights, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences; Isaac Navajo, social justice and human rights, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences; Lourdes Sierra, School of Sustainability, Global Institute of Sustainabil-ity; Timothy Stalker, political science, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences; and Jose Zarate, dramatic writing, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
Graduate College awards fellowships to outstanding students
The Graduate College awarded eight Reach for the Stars fellowships to new master’s students who have demonstrated academic excellence and are underrepresented in their field of study. Left to right, (back row): Jose Zarate, Timothy Joseph Stalker, Amasa Louis, Isaac Navajo. Front row: Nicolas de la Fuente, Sammone Kidd, Lourdes Sierra. Not pictured: Alonzo Corral.
Breakfast welcomes back asu faculty, staff
By Judith SmithASU President Michael Crow outlined ASU’s as-
signment during the annual Welcome Back Breakfast sponsored by the Academic Assembly.
“President Obama said that for the United States to be competitive in the world economy, half of all high school graduates have to go on to some kind of post-secondary education,” Crow said. “We have to be ready to educate at the level the president has outlined.”
In addition, Crow said, The Arizona Board of Re-gents, in its strategic planning for the next 10 years, has called for the state to increase baccalaureate degrees by 50 percent and to increase research activity at the three state universities.
That means an increase of 30,000 bachelor’s degrees granted, Crow noted.
“We’re being asked to take on one-third of the problem, which is a daunting undertaking, given the Arizona economy.”
ASU received $305 million in research grants this year, and is the fastest-growing research university, Crow said.
“We have had a 13-percent growth rate. Our peer average is 3 percent. But our assignment from the Ari-zona Board of Regents is $650 million. Both of these missions are tremendously exciting.”
In discussing the impact of the recession on ASU op-erations, Crow thanked Gov. Jan Brewer for directing federal stimulus dollars to ASU – “something she did not have to do,” he said.
“She invested two years of stimulus finding support in the core operating budget of the university, as well as in the university’s enrollment growth, which is very important.
“She could have allocated us zero dollars, but she listened to us, and funded the growth of the student body. She recognizes that education is very important.”
The Arizona Legislature, on the other hand, “cut our core support by about 20 percent,” Crow said. “The Legislature hasn’t decided what the role of public fund-ing of the social infrastructure should be.”
So where is ASU? “Our country is in a ‘real’ mo-ment,” Crow said. “Are we going to find a way to be competitive economically?”
In this defining moment, ASU “will focus on op-portunity as the path to success,” Crow said. “We have two years to get the university on the right path. We have hired 50 additional tenure and tenure-track fac-ulty members this year, and we are going to continue hiring faculty. We will move forward with or without public funding.”
Crow called on the faculty to reach out to their students, saying he himself has taken on a few more undergraduate mentees. “We need our students to suc-ceed. They don’t need to hear about outside storms. When a student reaches out, reach back.”
Smith, with Media Relations, can be reached at (480) 965-4821 or [email protected].
Space scientists gather to explore MarsBy Robert Burnham
What should be the nation’s goals and priorities for ex-ploring Mars in the 2013-2022 timeframe?
To help answer this question, space scientists from the United States and around the world will gather Sept. 9-11, at the University Club on ASU’s Tempe campus. Most of the discussions will be open to the public, in person and by webcast at http://nasa-nai.acrobat.com/psdecadal/. Audio is available at (866) 606-4717 – use access code 7078222.
The meeting is sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences as part of its efforts to prepare a “Planetary Dec-adal Survey.” The survey is not limited to just Mars, but will cover all aspects of solar system exploration. It will broadly canvas planetary scientists to determine current knowledge and then identify the most important scientific questions they will face in the years 2013-2022.
The Mars Panel for the Decadal Survey is chaired by ASU’s Philip Christensen, a Regents’ Professor of geologi-
cal sciences in the School of Earth and Space Exploration. Christensen is director of the Mars Space Flight Facility and also the principal investigator for several scientific instru-ments currently operating on NASA spacecraft at Mars.
ASU presenters at the meeting will include Meenakshi Wadhwa, the director of the Center for Meteorite Studies, who will speak on the importance of acquiring Martian rock samples, and Jack Farmer, an astrobiology researcher who has prepared a white paper on the astrobiological as-pects of Mars exploration.
The Decadal Survey’s final report, due March 2011, will be used by Congress and the Obama administration to determine which solar system exploration projects and mis-sions should get highest priority in the 2010s.
The meeting agenda and background white papers are available online at http://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov/decadal/index.html.
Burnham, with the School of Earth and Space Exploration, can be reached at (480) 458-8207 or [email protected].
Where to go on Mars? A panel of Mars scientists will convene Sept. 9-11, at ASU, to help lay out a course for future exploration of the Red Planet. Most of the discussions will be open to the public, in person and by webcast. The meeting is sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences as part of its efforts to prepare a “Planetary Decadal Survey,” which will be used to help determine which solar system exploration projects and missions should get highest priority in the 2010s.
As seen here in a photo taken July 28, NASA's Mars rover Opportunity is approaching Block Island, a two-foot-wide nickel-iron meteorite with an unusual weathering pattern.
